Beijing 2022 digest: Six golds including Canada in ice hockey and Sweden in skiing | DW | 17.02.2022

Teenage skating sensation Kamila Valieva missed on a figure skating medal, as days of controversy surrounding a positive doping test finally caught up with the Russian 15-year-old. Full story here.

Elsewhere on Day 13:​​​

Canada hold off US to win women’s ice hockey gold medal

Canada beat rivals the United States 3-2 to win the women’s Olympic ice hockey final, gaining revenge for a shootout loss in the gold-medal match in 2018.

Canada built a 3-0 lead mid-way through the second period, but gave up a shorthanded goal late in the period and had to hold on to win. The US out-shot Canada 40-21 in the game, but could not prevent their North American rivals from picking up their fifth Olympic gold. Canadian goalkeeper Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 38 shots.

Canada’s captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, scored twice, including her third gold-medal clinching goal. Sarah Nurse had a goal and an assist, setting a single tournament record with 18 points.

The Canadians finished 7-0 in the tournament, including a 4-2 win over the US in round robin play. It is their fifth Olympic title in seven tournaments, with four having come against the Americans.

Swiss gold and silver as Shiffrin crashes out of alpine combined

Michelle Gisin and Wendy Holdener won gold and silver respectively for Switzerland in the Alpine Combined, but one of the biggest stars in winter sports, Mikaela Shiffin, tripped on a gate in the second run and was again unable to finish a race at the Beijing Olympics.

The American will leave the 2022 Games without an individual medal after skiing in all five women’s events.

Shiffrin was in fifth place after the downhill portion of the two-run combined on Thursday morning, but went out without making it to the bottom in the slalom leg in the afternoon.

The 26-year-old’s Olympics started badly on February 7 with a mistake five seconds into the first run of the two-leg giant slalom that knocked her out of that competition. A similar error after about five seconds in the first run of the two-leg slalom on February 9 meant she could not finish that event. Shiffrin then finished ninth in the super-G last Friday, and 18th in the downhill on Tuesday.

Shiffrin has won two Olympic gold medals — the slalom in 2014 and the giant slalom in 2018 — and she took home a silver in the combined four years ago.

Perhaps more importantly in professional skiing, she is the owner of  three overall World Cup titles. Her 47 career World Cup slalom victories are more than any other racer has won in any discipline. Shiffrin has said she will enter the team event Saturday, the last Alpine skiing event in Beijing.

Sweden’s Naeslund wins ski cross gold

Sandra Naeslund of Sweden blasted out of the starting gate and never looked back to win a women’s ski cross final that was controversial for those who finished third and fourth. 

Canada’s Marielle Thompson claimed the silver and Daniela Maier of Germany the bronze. Fanny Smith of Switzerland was given fourth place after a lengthy review of the race.

“A meter before the line I realized I was first in an Olympic final,” a tearful Naeslund said after claiming her first ever Olympics medal after three attempts. “It’s huge … there’s so much relief, pride, gratitude, there’s so many emotions,” she said.

All four finalists were forced to wait in bitter cold after the race for a prolonged video review. 

Afterward, Smith was determined to have impeded Maier on the last jump, and was dropped from the podium despite crossing the finish line third. 

Sweden’s gold medalist, Sandra Naeslund (left), hugs Germany’s Daniela Maier after the freestyle skiing women’s ski cross big final. Maier crossed the finish line fourth but a video review led to her claiming the bronze medal.

Miho Takagi wins speed skating title for Japan

Japan’s Miho Takagi kept close to the pace set by silver medalist Jutta Leerdam, then sailed to the gold medal in the women’s 1,000 meters speed skating. She crossed the finish line in an Olympic record of 1 minute 13.19 seconds.

The 27-year-old punched the air in delight upon seeing her time after crossing the finish line.

Dutchwoman Leerdam claimed silver in 1:13.83, while Brittany Bowe of the United States took bronze in 1:14.61.

Gu on track to achieve three-medal goal for China 

China home favorite Eileen Gu, the California-born freestyle skier who has already won gold and silver medals in Beijing, qualified first for the freeski halfpipe. 

Team China’s Eileen Gu is on track to win her third medal in the Beijing Olympics after qualifying first for the Friday final of freeski halfpipe

“I actually didn’t have a lot of time for training but I’m satisfied today,” Gu told reporters, adding later that she hadn’t had a day of rest since the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games.

The qualifying round leaves 12 finalists, who will each get two runs on Friday morning Beijing time. 

KMc/pfd/mf (AP, dpa, AFP, AP)