Sadowski-Synnott chases gold number two

Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott begins her quest for a second Winter Olympic gold medal this afternoon when she competes in qualifying rounds of the Big Air competition.

The 20 year old won gold in the Slopestyle last week and today will compete in the event that she won bronze in four years ago.

Tiarn Collins is in the men’s Big Air snowboard qualifying and also in action is freeskier Margaux Hackett in the open rounds of the Big Air.

Snowboarder Cool Wakushima who was to join Sadowski-Synnott is the Big Air has withdrawn due to injury.

Her Slopestyle run last week was cut short by an ongoing tailbone injury.

Heavy snow caused major disruption to the Winter Olympics schedule with temperatures set to plummet below -22C.

Several ski slopestyle events had to be pushed back a day because of the conditions at the Genting Snow Park.

The women’s freeski qualifications were postponed from yesterday because of heavy snow and poor visibility.

Difficult conditions at the alpine skiing meant 33 of the 87 men’s giant slalom starters were unable to finish.

More snow is forecast on Monday, with temperatures in the mountains set to drop further and reach -35C with windchill.

The difficulties created by the fresh snow… comes after there was criticism that these games became the first that relied on almost 100 percent atrificial snow.

In other Olympic news….

* Emotions ran high as the Netherlands won gold in the short track speed skating women’s 3,000 metres relay, with the Dutch team competing in their first Olympic final since the death of a former team mate.

The Netherlands became the first European team to win this event at the Olympics…. they won bronze in 2018 with Lara van Ruijven, who died suddenly at the age of 27 in July, 2020.

* Liu Shaoang won the short track speed skating men’s 500 metres gold medal to give Hungary its first individual title at a Winter Games.

* Erin Jackson of the United States won gold in the women’s 500 metres speed skating, giving the U.S. its first gold medal in the event since 1994.

* Quentin Fillon Maillet of France produced a superb display of shooting, hitting all 20 shots in tough conditions, to take the gold in the 12.5 km pursuit race to take his Beijing biathlon medal tally to four.

* Another near-perfect shooting performance gave Marte Olsbu Roieseland of Norway her third gold medal of the Olympics when she cruised to victory in the women’s 10 km pursuit race.

* A Ukrainian skeleton slider who between runs at the Beijing Olympics held up a sign reading “NO WAR IN UKRAINE” in reference to the tense situation with Russia, did not repeat it after contact with the International Olympic Committee.

Vladyslav Heraskevych used his moment in the Olympic spotlight to make the gesture of peace after completing his third run in the men’s skeleton event. He did not do it again after his last run.

-Reuters