One of the great ice hockey matches was played today, with the United States defeating Canada 4-2, while Norway continues to lead the medal. Johannes Thingnes Boe has won the 10km biathlon event, for example; his sixth Olympic medal. The third in these Games.
Earn your first gold at 40 years old
In the mixed competition of snowboard cross in pairs, the United States has secured the top spot thanks to two veterans. Nick Baumgartner, 40, and Lindsey Jacobellis, 36. None of them had ever won Olympic gold before, despite participating in four editions. Now, they have achieved their goal. “Give way to grandparents,” joked Baumgartner, a man so passionate about speed that he also takes part in off-circuit car racing. On the snow, the United States has achieved a gold that proves that it is the kings in a sport, the surfboard, that they invented. Jacobellis, a woman who has won medals in different disciplines of snowboard (in the past he was a rival of Queralt Castellet in the halfpipe, but now he only does this discipline consisting of a race in which obstacles are overcome), he has also achieved the Olympic gold that he lacked. He had made his debut at the 2006 Games.
Two giant leaps to give new gold to Norway
Norway continues to dominate the medal table, with 17 medals, 8 gold. If most of the victories are in cross-country skiing, today they have also won, thanks to Marius Lindvik, the Nordic Ski Jumping Competition. The 23-year-old Norwegian was second after the first leg, but was overtaken by Japanese Ryoyu Kobayashi, who had just won gold on the short trampoline a few days ago. Lindvik, Norway’s first athlete to win the medal in 58 years, has flown in both jumps beyond 140 meters. German Karl Geiger took bronze ahead of Polish Kamil Stoch, champion four years ago. Today, he finished fourth.
Asian bullets on ice
Short track speed skating events are some of the most spectacular. Today, at the Beijing National Palace, the local fans enjoyed the victory of the Chinese Gao Tingyu in the 500 meters, with a new Olympic record ahead of Cha Min Kyu, from South Korea, and the Japanese Morishige Wataru. Gao Tingyu was born in the Manchurian region, one of the coldest in the world, where there is a long tradition of ice sports. In fact, Manchuria is known for its giant ice figure building festivals, where the Tingyu family had been involved for years. Now one of his flies on the ice.
The United States dreams of ice hockey
The United States has not won the gold medal in the men’s ice hockey tournament since 1980, when the famous miracle on ice, when the American team, made up of college league players, defeated the powerful Soviet team at Lake Placid. But since the players in the U.S. professional league, the NHL, are not at the Games, they do not win medals: just two silver medals, in 2002 and 2010. Today, the United States has defeated 4-2 on Canada, one of its great rivals and champions in 2002, 2010 and 2014. It has been 12 years since the United States defeated its northern neighbors in a Games. In the United States, then, they are dreaming of finally being champions. In the second group are the Russians, current champions, and in Group C, the Finns and the Swedes. Will it be the big year in the United States, with a team with college students or players playing in European leagues?