Day 16 - February 19, 2022
This is basically the last day of the Olympics, with the Closing Ceremonies tomorrow, and with the time difference, by the time you read this the Olympics will actually be over. But, a lot of events on this last full day of action!
The host country China won the bronze medal in the men's 4x100 meter relay in Track and Field from Tokyo 2020 (competed in 2021). What does that have to do with the Winter Olympics? Well, it occurred today. Great Britain was stripped of their silver medal due to the conclusion of appeals after one of its runners tested positive for a banned substance. Japan, which finished third, rises to the bronze medal and China, which finished fourth, is now officially the silver medalist.
In bobsled, the 2-woman race completed its final two runs, and the German teams dominated. The team of Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi won gold, and their teammates Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt won silver. Germany's third team finished fourth, just edged out by Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman, who won bronze - Meyers Taylor's second medal of these Olympics.
In the men's 4-man bobsled, the Germans also finished 1-2, with the sleigh piloted by Francesco Friedrich winning gold and the one piloted by Johannes Lochner winning silver. This was the same finish for these pilots as in the 2-man bobsled. The Canadian sled led by Justin Kripps won the bronze.
In all of the sliding sports - bobsled (4-man, 2-woman, 2-man, monobob), luge (men, women, 2-man, mixed-team relay), and skeleton (men, women), Germany won 16 of the total 30 medals awarded. Not to take anything away from the German athletes, who are certainly among the best in the world, but the sleds themselves are just that much better than those of any other country. How do we know? Because, in the monobob, the sleds are identically made by the same manufacturer, and in that event, the American women went 1-2 and the Canadian pilot won bronze. Laura Nolte of Germany did finish fourth, by Mariama Jamanka finished 13th. This was the best test of the quality of the driver. In the rest of the sliding competitions, the teams have to keep their sleds within certain parameters, but just like a Nascar race, can be made and adjusted within those parameters. So the German sleds are definitely the highest quality, as the country dominated!
In men's cross-country, the 50km mass start is one of the focal events. Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Olympic Committee won gold, his third gold - and fifth overall medal - of these Olympic games. Bolshunov finished just ahead of compatriot Ivan Yakimushkin who won silver and Norway's Simen Hegstad Krueger, who won bronze.
Staying on skis, the Alpine Mixed-Team parallel was held. In the mixed-team parallel, teams of four skiers, two men and two women, pair off and go head-to-head with an opponent. In the four races, the team that wins the most races advances. If the match ends up 2-2, the tiebreaker is the combined fastest time of the fastest man and fastest woman. Austria won gold, Germany won silver, and Norway earned silver. Norway defeated the US 2-2 via tiebreaker in the bronze medal match, in what was Mikaela Shiffrin's last chance to win a medal in Beijing. Interestingly, in each match, one man and one woman from each team races the red course, and one races the blue course. Throughout the medal rounds, in the 16 races the skier on the red course NEVER won. Something seems weird, there.
The gold medal match was held in men's curling, with Sweden defeating Great Britain 5-4. Sweden, behind their skip Niklas Edin, finally wins gold after finishing 4th in Vancouver 2010, winning bronze in Sochi in 2014, silver in Pyeongchang in 2018, and finally, gold in Beijing.
Figure skating wrapped up its competition with the long program of the pairs event. Sui Weijing and Han Cong from the host country China won the gold medal, outskating a pair of pairs from the Russian Olympic Committee in Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov (silver) and Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov (bronze).
The final speed skating events were held, the men's and women's mass start. In the mass start, the athletes are paired into qualifying heats - then semis - then the finals. The race is 16 full laps, but with intermediate sprint points awarded at the end of laps 4, 8, and 12, and final points awarded at the finish. The skaters that advanced are determined by the total points earned - although the final points are so high that the first four are guaranteed to advance. In the finals, the first three to finish win the medals, but 4th through 16th place are determined by points, with time as the tiebreaker.
In the men's mass start, Bart Swings of Belgium wins gold, with Chung Jae Won of South Korea winning silver and Lee Seung Hoon, also of South Korea, earning bronze. Swings controlled the tempo of the semifinal and final to win Belgium's first Winter Olympics gold medal since 1948 - in pairs figure skating.
In the women's mass start, Irene Schouten of the Netherlands, won gold over Ivanie Blondin of Canada (silver) and Italy's Francesca Lollabrigida (bronze). Schouten, in winning the gold medal earned her third of these games, to go along with a bronze in the team pursuit.
Athletes of the Day: Alexander Bolshunov, Russian Olympic Committee, Cross-Country Skiing; Irene Schouten, The Netherlands, Speed Skating
Bolshunov won the 50km mass start in cross-country skiing, for his third gold and fifth medal of these games. Schouten won the mass start for her third gold and fourth medal of Beijing.
Teamwork/Sportsmanship Moment of the Day: Kai Verbij, The Netherlands, Speedskating
Verbij is the reigning world champion in the 1,000 meters. In his heat with Canada's Laurent Dubreuil, Dubreuil was flying. In speedskating, the skaters switch lanes on the backstretch so that both skaters actual skate the same distance. In switching the lanes, the outside lane coming in has the right-of-way, and in this race that was Verbij. However, Dubreuil was flying, and much faster than Verbij. Verbij noticed that, and held up to allow Dubreuil to switch lanes first. This cost Verbij a lot of his speed, and a lot of time (he finished last). But, it also kept him from colliding with Dubreuil during the race (and likely disqualifying himself). Dubreuil went on the finish second and win the silver medal. Verbij stated that he didn't have the speed to keep up, and pulling up allowed Dubreuil to keep his speed/momentum. Good sportsmanship on Verbij's part, even though it meant he would finish in last.
Olympic Term of the Day: Chicane - In bobsled, a sequence of tight serpentine curves.
Olympic Events Watched: Alpine Skiing, Bobsled, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating, Speed Skating
USA Potential Closing Ceremony Flag-Bearer(s): Nick Baungartner, Nathan Chen, Kaillie Humphries, Erin Jackson, Lindsey Jacobellis, Chloe Kim, ELANA MEYERS-TAYLOR
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