Winter Olympics day one: curling, ice hockey, freestyle skiing and more – live! | Sport

The combined staff relay within the speedskating simply occurred, and as I had hoped, it was completely pleasant chaos. There have been individuals falling in every single place, however I consider China have simply received their first gold medal. However we now have to attend for the official outcome, it was very, very shut, and is beneath evaluation.

If you’re feeling anxious about the place that leaves Group GB when it comes to reaching the curling semi-finals, their subsequent match is an eminently winnable tie towards hosts China. That’s at a considerably unsociable 1.05am UK time tonight. Get your Ovaltine prepared. After that, there subsequent sport would look like a really essential one towards a Norway pairing who will nonetheless harbour hopes they’ll sneak into the semi-finals. I’ll be masking that tomorrow on the stay weblog from midday UK time.

It has ended up a 7-5 victory for Italy within the curling combined doubles towards the British pair leaving the Italians unbeated and 6 for six on the prime of the desk. There are remaining leads to the opposite two preliminary matches that had been nonetheless happening too. Norway beat China 9-6, and after being intently tied for half of the match, ultimately Canada acquired the higher of the US 7-2.

The place does that go away the spherical robin standings, I hear you ask. Good query. I make the highest six this. Keep in mind the highest 4 pairings progress to the semi-final stage.

🇮🇹 Italy Received 6 – Misplaced 0
🇸🇪 Sweden 5 – 1
🇨🇦 Canada 4 – 2
🇬🇧 Nice Britain 4 – 2
🇳🇴 Norway 3 – 3
🇺🇸 US 3 – 3

The primary interval has ended within the ice hockey, and the US nonetheless lead the Russian athletes by 1-0, courtesy of that purpose from Savannah Harmon.

I need to say one of many issues I do take pleasure in about each the Summer time and Winter Video games is the sensible images that comes out of them. Paul Bellsham over on our image desk has been working his eye over the most effective pictures popping out of Beijing right this moment, and has put collectively this gallery in your enjoyment.

The seventh finish has simply completed between Italy and GB within the curling with a choose taking roughly 1,057 minutes making an attempt to measure which was the closest of two stones. It’s a tense match however the fiasco appeared to spark somewhat little bit of laughter between the 2 groups. The tip result’s that they’ll go into the ultimate finish with Italy holding a probably decisive 7-4 lead. It’ll be a tricky ask for Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat to haul that again.

Two very fast updates: Switzerland have thrashed the Czech Republic in a “Cease! Cease! He’s already lifeless!” vogue 11-3 within the curling, and the US have simply opened the scoring towards the Russians within the ice hockey. It’s 1-0 there with seven minutes left within the first interval. Savannah Harmon acquired the purpose.

That Italy-GB match within the curling may be very delicately poised at 4-4 as they’re going into the seventh and (probably) penultimate finish.

The ladies’s ice hockey match between the US and the Russian Olympic Committee match has acquired underway. It’s presently nonetheless 0-0 however the US have a power-play. Now, private opinion, I can’t actually get engaged with these Group A matches figuring out that each one 5 groups are assured a quarter-final spot. These simply look like glorified friendlies.

Certainly it might have been higher to have two teams of 5 and the highest 4 from every group qualify? You’d nonetheless assure that each one the massive names could be going by way of, however there could be a large incentive for the weaker groups within the group to beat one another and minimise what number of they conceded?

Having mentioned that, given how dangerous I’m at standing upright on ice skates, and the way dangerous I’m at making an attempt to hit fast paced objects with a stick, not to mention do each on the identical time, perhaps I ought to simply maintain my ice hockey ideas to myself.

This was one of many much less savoury parts of the Opening Ceremony final night time. A Dutch reporter in the course of a stay broadcast was dragged away by a Chinese language safety official. Footage from Dutch public broadcaster NOS confirmed a number of safety officers encompass Sjoerd den Daas earlier than one in every of them forcefully grabbed him as he stood not far-off from the Chicken’s Nest stadium within the Chinese language capital. “Sadly, that is more and more the every day actuality for journalists in China,” the Dutch outlet later tweeted, including that Den Daas “is ok and will luckily end his story a couple of minutes later”.

Germany’s Johannes Ludwig was main the luge after the primary run within the males’s singles. He’s now main the luge after his second run. There’s nonetheless about one other 25 males but to hurtle down the ice.

You need to know the newest scores within the curling, proper? Italy are edging out Nice Britain 3-2, the US and Canada nonetheless can’t be separated at 2-2, and Norway are beating China 4-1. Switzerland, in the meantime, are completely grinding the Czech Republic into the ice and I really feel like I want to interrupt out the outdated vidiprinter stylings. They lead 9 (NINE) – 0. The matches are about midway by way of now.

A dominant remaining run from pre-tournament favorite Mikael Kingsbury of Canada seemed to have secured him his second consecutive Olympic gold medal, however Walter Wallberg of Sweden had certified first and made the final run of the ultimate, and did sufficient to pip him to the publish. Ikuma Horishima of Japan took bronze. It was Wallberg’s second Olympics.

The opposite remaining positions had been Benjamin Cavet (France) in fourth, with Nick Web page of the US ending fifth, and Australia’s Cooper Woods in sixth.

Roman Repilov of the Russian Olympic Committee has simply acquired the second run of the boys’s single luge underway. He was round half-a-second behind the chief and completed in eighth place. He appeared to make a few errors early within the monitor and has completed a second behind the quickest time from the primary run.

Some quotes right here by way of Reuters from Johannes Thingnes Boe, who anchored that remaining leg for Norway within the combined Biathlon relay earlier. Boe has been remoted from his staff as a suspected shut contact of a constructive Covid case, however the time spent alone doesn’t appear to have dampened his obvious enthusiasm for himself. He advised reporters within the combined zone:

I knew it was going to finish up this manner, and I’ve been ready for this. Since I got here right here on Monday I’ve seen what to do and my preparation for the final week, I already did it in my head 100 occasions. I maintained my third place after the final taking pictures and I gained 9 seconds fairly quick, and I might have killed myself if I went in entrance in that wind. My feeling is that to anchor Norway to gold, it doesn’t get any larger than that.

Urša Bogataj has claimed Slovenia’s first medal of the Video games with victory on the ladies’s regular hill ski leaping. Silver has gone to Germany’s Katharina Althaus, with bronze being taken by Slovenia’s Nika Križnar.

The boys’s moguls second run has simply completed. That has whittled the sphere right down to the six individuals who will ski once more for the medals in a while. Sweden’s Walter Wallberg, Japan’s Ikuma Horishima, France’s Benjamin Cavet, Australia’s Cooper Woods and Nick Web page of the US will be a part of the favorite Mikael Kingsbury of Canada within the remaining six. Japan’s Kousuke Sugimoto promising second run was scuppered by him breaking a pole on the best way down. What a time for an tools failure. Australia’s Brodie Summers completed tenth of the twelve.

After two ends within the curling, Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat of Group GB have pulled it again to 1-1 towards Italy’s Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner. Elsewhere the US and Canada are tied at 1-1, Norway are 2-1 forward of hosts China, and the Swiss pair are giving the Czech Republic a 4-0 drubbing for the time being.

Irma Makhinia of the Russian Olympic Committee has simply gone into the lead within the ladies’s regular hill ski soar.

It’s all go for the time being. The delayed remaining run within the ladies’s regular hill ski leaping is underway. The boys are nearly to begin the moguls within the freestyle sking – Australia’s Brodie Summers has simply began. And Italy have simply gone 1-0 up towards Group GB after the primary finish of their curling showdown.

Within the Luge, Group GB’s Rupert Staudinger has simply had his run. He completed in twenty first place, 1.668 sec off the tempo. On his helmet he was bearing the message “RIP AJ” as a tribute to his buddy, the previous British luger AJ Rosen. He died from most cancers in December.

The Georgian Saba Kumaritashvili has additionally made his first run, ending up 3.148 behind chief Johannes Ludwig. He’s competing at Beijing within the occasion which value his cousin, Nodar, his life on the 2010 Vancouver Video games. Bryan Armen Graham wrote this nice piece about him the opposite day.

Hello, Martin Belam right here, the final leg of our stay weblog relay staff right this moment. I’ve been watching from London because the early hours, and I’ve totally loved it to date right this moment. Particularly the ending of that biathlon relay was one thing to behold. There must be three extra gold medals earlier than the day is out. Right here’s the every day briefing I wrote earlier.

The males’s moguls remaining is beneath means, and the highest 30 are making ready for his or her second runs within the ladies’s regular hill ski leaping. Developing: curling aplenty, with Nice Britain v Italy and USA v Canada, short-track finals and USA v Not Russia within the ladies’s ice hockey.

With that, time at hand you over to Martin Belam for the remainder of the day one motion.

The luge continues at velocity – I’ve simply been watching Alexander Ferlazzo flying down the ice. He hails from Townsville, Queensland – not precisely a winter sports activities hotspot. He’s in seventeenth place; Germany’s Johannes Ludwig is the present chief on a primary run that’s seen loads of skids and spills.

Martin Belam might be taking up this weblog shortly, having already posted his peerless every day briefing – and it’s not even lunchtime.

Ski leaping: Katharina Althaus, silver medallist in Pyeongchang, is final to go – and takes the lead with a 121.1 rating. The German’s soar was 3m shorter than Bogataj, however she acquired additional type factors to guide after the primary run. Bogataj is second, her Slovenian compatriot Nika Kriznar is third. The highest 30 all progress to the ultimate run, which is able to start shortly.

Unhealthy information for Niall Treacy, who tries to discover a well past the main pair – South Korea’s Park Jang-hyuk and USA’s Andrew Heo – however loses his footing simply earlier than the ultimate flip. His brother Farrell doesn’t fare any higher, struggling to get in place to problem the leaders and coming house in fourth.

Sara Takanashi took the lead with a effective 108.7 effort within the ski leaping, however has been overtaken by three Slovenians, with Ursa Bogataj the brand new chief with a 118.0 rating.

In brief-track velocity skating, there was bitter disappointment for Group GB’s Kathryn Thompson within the 500m heats as she crashed out early. Subsequent up, it’s the boys’s 1,000m heats with Niall Treacy among the many first skaters up. His brother, Farrell, goes in warmth two.

Talking of terrifying sports activities, it’s time for the luge, the place opponents fly down an ice-lined chute on a tiny sled, hitting speeds of 80mph plus. As my dad would all the time ask: how do you discover out you’re good at it?

Anyway, the primary run of the boys’s competitors is beneath means. There’ll be 4 runs in whole, with the winner topped on Sunday.

Again to the ski leaping, arguably probably the most terrifying of all sports activities. Sweden’s Frida Westman delays her plunge down the hill as her goggles have steamed up. For a minute she seems to be like going Full Corrigan, however resets and posts an 80.9m soar.

She’s in fifth place, with ROC’s Irina Avvakumova the present chief, however the huge gamers – together with Germany’s Katharina Althaus and Japan’s Sara Takanashi – are nonetheless to take their first run.

“Any concept why the Dutch are so smashing on the outdated velocity skating?” asks Andrew Norton. “Appears a bit odd actually.”

It’s an fascinating query, and one with no single reply – though custom, services and personal funding all play a component. Andy Bull’s learn from 2018 is value your time:

Extra on Shaun White’s announcement that he’ll retire after the Beijing Video games:

The principle occasion happening proper now’s in ski leaping – the ladies’s particular person regular hill remaining. There are a good few spectators watching on within the Zhangjiakou Zone, 140 miles northwest of Beijing.

The temperature on the widespread ski resort is presently ranging between zero and -14 Celsius, with harsh winds making life powerful for a lot of opponents. “It sucks,” mentioned US snowboarder Jamie Anderson.

“It’s arduous to maintain your core temperature heat, after which doing tips feels somewhat bit extra intimidating. You’re simply, like, somewhat bit stiff. However we will do it.”

A few ladies’s ice hockey outcomes from Pool B: Japan have overwhelmed Denmark 6-2, and Czech Republic edged out Sweden 3-1. That group, which additionally contains the hosts, are enjoying for 3 quarter-final spots.

Over in Pool A, the highest 5 groups on the planet are jostling for the most effective seeding within the knockouts. Earlier, Canada routed Finland 11-1; in a while, the USA face ROC, with Vladimir Putin reportedly because of attend.

Shaun White, the three-time Olympic gold medallist and one in every of snowboarding’s largest names, has mentioned he’ll retire from the game after the Beijing Video games.

“I feel this might be my final competitors too, which is fairly particular,” the 35-year-old advised a information convention. White had already revealed this Olympics, his fifth, could be his final.

White, who received halfpipe golds on the 2006, 2010 and 2018 Video games, mentioned knee and again points had performed a component and that his choice got here throughout a quiet second on a chairlift.

“I used to be watching … the solar go down and it simply hit me,” he mentioned. “It was very unhappy and a surreal second however actually joyous as nicely,” mentioned White.

The boys’s moguls qualifiers are in full swing – that is the knee-shaking occasion the place riders barrel down an uneven slope, throwing in flips and tips on ramps on their means down.

Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury is the person to beat, having received gold in 2014 and 2018. He topped the primary qualification run; we’re presently on the second, with 10 extra locations obtainable. GB’s Will Feneley completed in seventeenth and misses out.

Norway received the sport’s first gold a few hours in the past, however Therese Johaug’s win is prone to spark controversy. The cross-country skier missed the 2018 Video games because of an 18-month doping ban after testing constructive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol.

Johaug argued that she had unintentionally taken the steroid having used a lotion that had been authorized by the staff to deal with sunburned lips. Her preliminary 13-month suspension was prolonged by Cas following an enchantment from the Worldwide Ski Federation.

Germany: isolation services ‘unacceptable’

The German a number of Olympic champion Eric Frenzel’s isolation room on the Beijing Winter Video games is “unacceptable”, Germany’s staff chief Dirk Schimmelpfennig mentioned on Saturday, demanding quick enchancment.

Frenzel, a Nordic mixed skier who has received three Olympic golds, examined constructive for Covid-19 together with staff mate Terence Weber. Each have been remoted since Friday.

The circumstances don’t meet the requirements of the athlete and the staff, Schimmelpfennig advised reporters, with cleanliness, the standard of meals and WiFi an issue.

It’s one other gold for Norway, as they win the combined relay biathlon occasion! Regardless of selecting up three penalty loops, they received with a dramatic surge to the road from Johannes Thingnes Boe. France earn silver, the ROC bronze.

Dutchwoman Irene Schouten is chasing 4 gold medals at these Video games and claimed her first within the 3000 metres, beating a 20 yr outdated Olympic document. She beat Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida, who went out arduous however was overwhelmed within the remaining metres.

3000m Pace Skating – Ladies’s

Canada’s Isobel Weidemann has damaged the four-minute mark to ensure herself a medal. The 2 huge weapons are nonetheless to go nevertheless they usually’re up now.

Biathlon – Combined Relay

As we hand over to the boys, the French narrowly lead the Italians, however the Individuals have come from the clouds to be in medal competition. Norway has thrown this away with poor taking pictures. It’s meant an additional 500m of snowboarding penalties.