Winter Olympics 2022 day 4: Males’s super-G; USA v Canada in ice hockey – dwell! | Sport

From the e-mail inbox: A nasty e-mail telling me to knock off the biased protection and cute quips and simply write in regards to the recreation. However don’t quote him or identify him.

You’d suppose placing in an image of Rush (my favourite band) and gushing about curling (my favourite sport — I oversaw a rental at our membership earlier in the present day) would win me some Canadian cred. I additionally love Metric, July Speak, Youngsters within the Corridor, Whistler (although I can’t keep), and Canada’s health-care system. All that’s left is for me to use for citizenship.

So anyway — the USA is getting a few good pictures, however former College of Wisconsin goalie Ann Renee Desbiens is having a monster recreation as standard.

And listed below are two Canadian colleagues for whom I’ve immense respect debating the deserves of the penalty name.

We’ve uncared for one sport thus far in the present day, and it’s parallel large slalom snowboarding.

Bear in mind Ester Ledecka? The Czech skier/snowboarding pulled off a ridiculous feat in 2018, successful this occasion and the Alpine snowboarding super-G.

Let’s repeat. She received gold in snowboarding and Alpine snowboarding. That’s like successful bobsled and luge. Or biking and … I don’t know, rollerblading? They’re comparable modes of transportation however not the identical factor.

Immediately, she positioned first in qualification for the parallel large slalom knockout rounds that may happen later in the present day/tonight.

South Korea’s Lee Sangho took the highest spot in males’s qualification by a large margin.

Purpose! Canada 3-2 USA (Rattray 34:25)

If Canada scores a aim whereas all Individuals who’re nonetheless awake are watching Nathan Chen, did it actually occur?

Purpose to Jamie Lee Rattray, assists to Natalie Spooner and Micah Zandee-Hart.

However the US took revenge by … whacking Canadian referee Cianna Lieffers within the face. Unintended, in fact, however the excessive stick will get underneath the referee’s face masks, and bleeding ensues.

Then Canada and the referees get revenge by … awarding a penalty shot after goalie Maddie Rooney stopped a shorthanded breakaway. No matter. Marie-Philip Poulin scores, and Canadian Twitter reacts as if it’s the Miracle on Ice.

Purpose! Canada 4-2 USA (Poulin 37:25, penalty shot)

If you happen to’re questioning why a Canada-USA recreation has three referees from Canada and two linespeople from the USA, properly, be a part of the membership. Positive, it’s a comparatively meaningless recreation, however isn’t this nonetheless the Olympics? This isn’t their exhibition tour any extra, is it? Does no different nation on the planet have referees?

The American scored 113.97, the very best ever recorded. Granted, the present scoring system has solely been in place for a number of years, nevertheless it’s nonetheless one thing else.

(Sure, Canada, I see you simply scored one other aim. Give me a minute.)

Chen received an unreal 21.21 rating on his quad lutz-triple toeloop mixture. He additionally had a quad flip price 15.40. His element scores have been throughout 9.5 besides “transitions,” which was 9.39.

As he completed, he gritted his enamel to convey residence the ultimate spin and exulted when the music completed.

Purpose! Canada 1-2 USA (Carpenter 31:34)

The veteran scores from practically the identical spot as Cameranesi.

Purpose! Canada 2-2 USA (Jenner 32:00)

The US protection provides away the puck in their very own third. Sarah Nurse snares it and flips it over Brianne Jenner, who simply rips it straight forward for the equalizer.

NATHAN CHEN! NATHAN CHEN! NATHAN CHEN!

He has accomplished every thing in determine skating besides successful a person Olympic medal. He simply took a large step towards altering that with a brief program that included a staggeringly tough quad lutz-triple toeloop.

We’ll get the rating after noting one other aim in hockey.

Purpose! Canada 1-1 USA (Cameranesi 29:17)

The second interval has been extra occasion by way of pictures after the USA dominated play within the first, however the Individuals are on the board due to Dani Cameranesi pouncing on her personal rebound to blast it into the web from an acute angle. Assists to Kelly Panek and Cayla Barnes.

The aim comes simply as American Nathan Chen takes to the ice for his brief program …

Whoa. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama simply introduced the home down within the brief program. Skating to an ebullient Michael Buble tune (Johnny Weir calls his musical selections “pedestrian,” a uncommon case during which I’ll disagree), his quick spins defy bodily comprehension. His technical rating bests Uno, and his element scores are by way of the roof.

Complete: 108.12. First for now.

Canada’s Keegan Messing was caught in Vancouver for every week after a constructive Covid check. He was lastly cleared in Canada and needed to fly by way of Montreal and Milan to Beijing, the place he was cleared to compete barely one full day earlier than the brief program.

He nailed his quad toeloop-triple toeloop mixture firstly of his routine however light on his spins close to the top. He’ll end the brief program within the high 10, properly positioned to enhance upon his Twelfth-place end in 2018.

Apologies for neglecting Australia’s Brendan Kerry within the determine skating. He’s at present Twelfth and can simply qualify for the free skate.

Australia can also be represented musically right here, with Canada’s Keegan Messing skating to a canopy of the INXS traditional By no means Tear Us Aside.

Mayer has by no means claimed a World Cup season title in super-G, downhill or general, nor has he reached the rostrum within the World Cup. However within the Olympics? Downhill gold in 2014. Tremendous-G gold in 2018. Downhill bronze yesterday. Tremendous-G gold in the present day.

Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has his first Olympic medal, a bronze, to go together with his general World Cup title in 2020 and doable super-G and downhill titles this season.

However the man you’ll see on all of the speak exhibits is Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the American journeyman who got here out of nowhere to take silver 50 years after his mom received slalom gold — additionally in Asia (Sapporo, Japan).

The US ladies have dominated, however their one penalty was expensive on this Large Recreation That Doesn’t Truly Matter within the Lengthy Run.

Defending determine skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu has put himself in an enormous gap, pulling out of his first leap. He stands fourth with seven skaters left.

Fellow Japanese skater Shoma Uno, the defending silver medalist, put a hand down on the ice however nonetheless posted a personal-best 105.46. The remainder of this system was simply that sturdy.

GOAL! Canada 1-0 USA (Jenner 14:10)

A cross-check by the USA’s Caroline Harvey provides Canada an influence play, and Brianne Jenner lofts a close-range shot into the highest of the web.

That’s Canada’s third shot. The USA has 14.

OFF THE POST!

It’s all USA proper now, with Abbey Murphy’s backhander hitting the publish, hitting Canadian goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens’s again, then hitting the publish once more.

The USA has outshot Canada 11-2.

USA-Canada ladies’s hockey is underway.

One of many surest factor within the Winter Olympics is that these two groups will face off within the ultimate. Resulting from idiosyncratic formatting, additionally they play within the spherical robin.

An organist is taking part in the Rush traditional The Spirit of Radio, which the Canadians ought to recognize.

EDIT: Nope. Seger’s out.

Another of the highest 30 to return. He’s Mila Hrobat of Slovenia, who has by no means come near the highest 10.

And he received’t …

And he’s out.

The rostrum is roughly 99.9% sure.

France’s Blaise Giezendanner appears to be making run on the podium till crusing too far off a leap. He’s steady when he lands however simply doesn’t look the identical, dropping velocity the remainder of the best way.

Two of the highest 30 are nonetheless to return. Canada’s Brodie Seger has by no means completed greater than thirteenth in a World Cup race however took an unbelievable fourth in final 12 months’s world championship. Can he overachieve once more?

Jansrud is nowhere near the rostrum. The truth is, he’s final among the many 18 finishers.

We will nearly declare the rostrum full. Coming into this race, we figured the one American curiosity can be Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who’s relationship Mikaela Shiffrin and due to this fact may very well be awarded kind-of sort-of American standing. He’s on the rostrum as anticipated.

Austria’s Matthias Mayer is the defending champion, and he has racked up World Cup podium finishes this season. No shock that he’s main.

The massive story, as detailed in too many stats under, is Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

If you happen to’re writing a Cinderella story, what’s the other of midnight? The clock is about to strike, and when it does, he stays on the ball eternally.

France’s Nils Allegre simply received the award for “most entertaining run of the primary 27 skiers,” which I simply made up. He was all however splayed out throughout the snow however managed to regain his footing and take a wild path by way of the subsequent two gates and end on his toes. Bravo.

Again at determine skating …

The penultimate group is getting underway within the males’s brief program. That is the place the big-time skaters begin.

At present:
95.76 Evgeni Semenenko (ROC)
93.00 Kevin Aymoz (FRA)
90.98 Jin Boyang (CHN)

Must flip again to super-G. Right here comes Jansrud, attempting to show again the clock in a number of methods …

How unlikely would a Cochran-Siegle medal be?

The 29-year-old American has been no higher than eleventh in any world championship or Olympic competitors.

He has by no means completed greater than tenth in any self-discipline within the World Cup season standings.

He has two podium finishes in World Cup races, each in December 2020, when he completed second in a downhill and received a super-G.

His finest end this season is fourth, although he does have a complete of 5 high 10s.

And he’s in place for Olympic silver.

Fast wire report on the ladies’s freestyle snowboarding massive air. It doesn’t point out the scoring controversy.

ANOTHER Austrian skis offs the court docket. Max Franz is out.

The intriguing identify left on the beginning checklist is Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud. He received this occasion in 2014 and took bronze in 2018. He additionally has one super-G win this 12 months. Twenty skiers have gone. He’s No. 24.

Trivia time:

The following two to go within the super-G:

Canada’s James Crawford has run going however makes a late mistake and loses a number of time.

Italy’s Christoph Innerhofer goes uncontrolled and skids away.

Subsequent, two harmful Austrians in Raphael Haaser and Max Franz.

OK, by no means thoughts on Haaser. He received into the air on an early leap and landed on the flawed aspect of a gate.

Present podium within the males’s super-G …

1:19.94 Matthias Mayer (AUT)
+0.04 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA)
+0.42 Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR)

Sixteen skiers are accomplished. If this holds by way of the subsequent 4 skiers, the joy might actually take maintain amongst that trio.

US skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle is 0.09 seconds forward of Mayer on the first break up. Then 0.01 behind, then 0.14 seconds forward! Will we see a large upset?

Not fairly, BUT he’s on the rostrum for now! What an enormous run by the unheralded American!

Nonetheless to return, although: downhill champion Beat Feuz and a few Austrians.

Oops … Feuz misses a gate.

Austria’s Matthias Mayer is likely one of the greatest threats to Kilde’s place atop the rostrum. He received this occasion in 2018. He received the downhill in 2014. He’s third within the super-G standings this 12 months, and No. 2 Marco Odermatt has already gone and didn’t end.

Mayer is simply 0.11 seconds behind on the first break up time, however he drops to 0.24 again on the second. As he goes by way of the distinctive canyon part, he ..

… GOES 0.42 SECONDS AHEAD!

Which may be your winner, and who is aware of how he did it?

Over to males’s super-G …

And it’s one excessive to a different, as Tess Ledeux sobs after taking silver however Norway’s Adrian Smiseth Sejersted is yelling “Yeah! … Yeah! … Yeah! …” after shifting into … second, behind fellow Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

Kilde is the favourite, rating first within the downhill and super-G on this 12 months’s World Cup circuit.

(And sure, he’s the one relationship Mikaela Shiffrin.)

Right here’s the breakdown, and for this reason I disagree with the judges …

Gu and Ledeux every landed a 1440. Gu received 93.75; Ledeux 93.00. Two of the six judges rated the jumps equally. The opposite 4 gave the nod to Gu.

Gu and Ledeux additionally every landed a 1620. That’s superb. They every received a 94.50.

However from what I recall, Ledeux’s touchdown on her 1620 was significantly higher than Gu’s.

Is it doable that the judges have been swayed by the house crowd’s response? That is an outside venue, and a number of other sections of the stands are practically full.

Once more — I’m no knowledgeable. However I’m not satisfied.

And apparently, I’m not alone.

I’m no knowledgeable, however I disagree.

Ledeux’s third leap didn’t get it accomplished. She landed on one ski, which is barely acceptable within the movie Higher Off Lifeless. She knew it, and he or she appears glum as she awaits affirmation. That’s uncommon in X Video games-ish sports activities, the place the athletes typically have a good time one another’s successes as a lot as their very own. She collapses in tears and is consoled by her fellow medalists.

Mathilde Gremaud goes for a … didn’t I say I used to be going to mute in the event that they stated that once more? Anyway, she doesn’t land it, and he or she’ll take bronze.

Another to go, and Tess Ledeux has to land her third leap of 93 or higher. Particularly, 94.

By my math, Gu must match her first leap of 93.75 to tie Ledeux, pending the chief’s final leap. An 89 would put her in second.

Gu screams after she lands a 1620. I assumed she bobbled on the touchdown and let go of the seize too quickly. The judges disagreed or simply didn’t care. It’s a 94.50, and he or she’s within the lead.

Gremaud wants a … 95?

No medal for Muir, who wanted a rating within the 90s and possibly wasn’t going to get it even when she hadn’t crashed. She’ll end fifth. Not dangerous for a 17-year-old. Not dangerous for anybody, actually.

Canada’s Megan Oldham doesn’t fairly do sufficient to land on the rostrum.

So we all know our medalists — Eileen Gu (China), Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland) and Tess Ledeux (France). What order?

Defending slopestyle champion Sarah Hoefflin of Switzerland departs the large air competitors with a decent ultimate run of 76.25. She’ll end sixth.

Now we’ll have the highest 5, beginning with one Kirsty Muir …

And again to the large air — the skiers go in reverse order of their two-jump scores within the final spherical, and those that are out of rivalry are having some enjoyable. Norway’s Sandra Eie landed upright ultimately. The USA’s Darian Stevens didn’t, going for a 5000 septuple cork inverted stalefish meat-grinder scrum-half flippy floppy and bouncing up with an enormous smile and shrug after failing to complete it on her skis.

Canada’s Olivia Asselin picks up an 85.50 and should leap up within the ultimate standings.

Again to the determine skating, Nikolaj Majorov has certified for the free skate! We will solely hope it’s half as entertaining as his brief program.

Jin Boyang remains to be main by fairly a ways. Twenty skaters to go.

France’s Tess Ledeux spun like a high within the air to publish a 93.00, simply behind her first leap of 94.50 for a complete of 187.50. Prime two depend, so she’ll have to go greater than 93 to enhance on that, however she won’t have to.

Canada’s Megan Oldham slots into fourth forward of Kirsty Muir, who will must be extra aggressive on her final leap to get onto the rostrum.

Standings after two jumps
187.50 Ledeux (FRA)
182.50 Gremaud (SUI)
182.25 Gu (CHN)
174.25 Oldham (CAN)
169.00 Muir (GBR)
146.25 Killi (NOR)

In associated information, if I hear “she’s going massive” another time from our commentators, I’m hitting mute. Not a mute seize. Mute.

World champion Anastasia Tatalina is mathematically eradicated from gold medal rivalry within the massive air after an enormous crash. She’s unharmed however upset.

Norway’s Sandra Eie has now accounted for the opposite two crashes. That’s gotta damage.

Eileen Gu has moved into second place forward of Muir, which appears unusual to me as a result of she simply didn’t do this a lot within the air. Massive amplitude, positive, however the ski jumps are elsewhere.

Right here’s one other take a look at this postmodern facility.

Kirsty Muir’s second leap is much less, um, rotational than her first one, going 900 as an alternative of 1280. However it’s as clear as a brand new sheet on a lint curler, and he or she’s rewarded with a powerful 78.75, much better than the primary 5 to go. Skiers will need to have two scores with totally different rotational instructions, and he or she opted to go conservative with this one.

She’s bumped out of the highest spot by Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud.

The primary crash of the large air occasion belongs to Norway’s Sandra Eie, who appeared to have a little bit of a hiccup on the takeoff and simply didn’t have sufficient grasp time to do no matter she was making an attempt. She’s OK.

World champion Anastasia Tatalina of Not Russia has a sketchy touchdown.

However then France’s Tess Ledeux lands a double cork 1620, the equal of a quad axel in determine skating. She takes the lead from Gu.

Canada’s Megan Oldham, who posted the highest rating in qualifying, is rather less sensation this time.

Reminder: Three jumps, high two depend.

Standings after one leap
94.50 Ledeux (FRA)
93.75 Gu (CHN)
90.25 Muir (GBR)
89.25 Gremaud (SUI)

Scratch that, Killi has the lead no extra, as a result of 17-year-old Crew GB skier Kirsty Muir landed a lovely double cork (off axis) 1260 to attain 90.25.

Two athletes later, it’s China and Stanford’s Eileen Gu, who has dominated this occasion internationally this 12 months. She holds up on the high of the ramp for a really very long time, then swerves down the ramp and … one, two, three, 4 rotations? Apparently so. 4 occasions 360 is 1440, in order that’s what that’s.

That’s a 93.75, bumping Muir to second place.

In the meantime, in determine skating, the Zamboni has completed.

Canada’s Olivia Asselin has landed the very best of the primary 5 jumps within the freestyle snowboarding massive air ultimate. That’s in accordance with … me. However I’m not a decide, so she’s truly fourth. The USA’s Darian Stevens does worse. Apparently one thing about not holding a seize lengthy sufficient.

Norway’s Johanne Killi has the lead.

The massive air venue, which sits subsequent to an enormous energy plant, is one or all of these items …

1. A cool use of an city panorama.

2. A dystopian nightmare.

3. A revised cowl for the Pink Floyd album Animals.

China’s Jin Boyang displaces Nikolaj Majorov atop the determine skating leaderboard by touchdown a few massive quads. Boooo!

Nah, he earned it.

Fast reminder that the ladies’s freestyle snowboarding massive air ultimate begins in 10 minutes, with the USA’s Darian Stevens, Canada’s Megan Oldham and Britain’s Kirsty Muir within the ultimate 12.

The favourite is China’s Eileen Gu, who grew up in San Francisco and has deferred admission to Stanford College however has opted to compete for her mom’s residence nation.

Switzerland’s Luka Britschgi lands a quad however can’t catch Majorov.

The aim for lots of those early skaters is to complete within the high 24 so that they get to do a free skate in two days. Thirty skaters entered, however we’re all the way down to 29 because of Vincent Zhou’s unlucky exit.

By the way, Majorov’s “interpretation of the music” rating was a mere 7.61, as a result of determine skating judges are horrible.

Effectively, that was fairly good. Majorov doesn’t plan a quad leap, however his triples are easy, aside from one. He emotes with the music about in addition to anybody you’ll see in determine skating.

Whereas we’re speaking about that — why achieve this few determine skaters do something that pertains to the music? So many routines may simply get replaced by Cowboy Mouth singing Jenny Says, and it’d be the identical, simply louder.

Anyway, Majorov does one gymnastics-style half-cartwheel factor on one hand that you simply don’t often see on this sport. By the point he’s accomplished, he has already burst into tears of pleasure.

I feel I’ve a brand new favourite determine skater.

The excellent news for Canadian Roman Sadovsky is that he didn’t fall. The dangerous information is that he didn’t fall as a result of he didn’t do a few his deliberate jumps. Spins appeared good, although. He additionally wiped his nostril on his hand a number of occasions, so for those who see him in Beijing, perhaps keep away from the fist bump for now.

On to Majorov …

Kurt Perleberg asks, “Why was Day 3 so dangerous for Crew USA?”

I don’t know, so I’ll simply blame Christian Pulisic.

Ten minutes to the boys’s brief program, and essentially the most fascinating efficiency within the early going might belong to Sweden’s Nikolaj Majorov. Not as a result of he’s a contender, however as a result of he’s skating to Disturbed’s cowl of The Sounds of Silence.

However what about Crew GB? First up is Kirsty Muir within the massive air ultimate. The combined doubles curlers play for bronze in opposition to Sweden, and there are cross-country sprinters and one velocity skater because the day goes on.

However what about Australia? Day 3 was quiet. Day 4 can be a bit extra fascinating, with Brendan Kerry due up in determine skating and a bunch of cross-country skiers able to dash at 3 am Japanese time, which I imagine is March 2039 in Australia. (Extra exactly, it’ll be 7 pm.)

To tide you over till then, listed below are your medalists ..

Hi there all, and to my fellow Individuals, condolences on a not-so-good horrible Day 3. From Mikaela Shiffrin wiping out to Purple Gerard simply lacking out on one other slopestyle medal to Brittany Bowe ending tenth to most girls’s freestyle skiers lacking out in qualification … yeah, it wasn’t an excellent day.

And even the excellent news, silver within the determine skating crew occasion, had a darkish lining, with Vincent Zhou taking his crew medal as comfort after a Covid check dominated him out of the person competitors.

Farther north, Canada had a merely excellent day, with two medals within the slopestyle, one in short-track velocity skating and the stunner, a bronze within the combined crew ski leaping occasion. That occasion was marred by controversy, as a result of whenever you suppose “controversial Winter Olympic sport,” you in fact suppose “ski leaping.”

However the USA! USA! USA! could have its shot at revenge in opposition to Canada in ladies’s hockey, the place the 2 groups have mixed to win practically each gold and silver medal because the daybreak of time. There’s little at stake right here aside from an infinitesimally simpler path to the ultimate, however they don’t do “pleasant” on this rivalry.

The USA additionally could have Nathan Chen within the males’s brief program determine skating and Darian Stevens because the final lady standing in freestyle massive air. If you happen to’re staying up all night time, you possibly can see Jessie Diggins, whose dash for gold was probably the most exhilarating moments of the 2018 Video games, attempting to seize one other medal within the particular person dash.

Immediately’s highlights

Occasions are all in native Beijing time. For Sydney it’s +3 hours, for London it’s -8 hours, for New York it’s -13 hours and San Francisco is -16 hours.

• 10am Freestyle snowboarding – one other new occasion as it’s the first ever Olympic ladies’s Freeski Massive Air contest 🥇
• 10.40am – 3.43pm Snowboard – each the boys’s and ladies’s parallel large slalom can be determined in the present day 🥇
• 11am Alpine snowboarding – the boys’s Tremendous-G 🥇
• 12.10pm and 4.40pm and 9.10pm Ice hockey – the day opens with the US and Canada clashing within the preliminary spherical. Each international locations are assured a spot within the quarter-finals however can be wanting to put down a marker 🏒
• 2.05pm and 8.05pm Curling – the bronze medal match after which the ultimate within the combined doubles may ship Crew GB’s first medal of the Video games 🥇
• 4pm – 8pm Cross-country snowboarding – the ladies’s and males’s dash free competitors runs all afternoon and into the early night in Beijing 🥇
• 4.30pm Biathlon – in the present day it’s the flip of the boys to do their 20km particular person race 🥇
• 6.30pm Pace skating – on Tuesday the boys race within the 1,500m🥇
• 7.50pm and 9.35pm Luge – runs three and 4 of the ladies’s singles will resolve the medals 🥇

The total schedule, which can robotically replace in your timezone, could be discovered right here.