American alpine skiing duo Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson failed to medal in the team combined event, but the U.S.'s B team of Jackie Wiles and slalom specialist Paula Moltzan salvaged a bronze medal. Meanwhile on the ice, Team USA is making waves in curling as Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse earned the silver medal after heartbreakingly falling to Sweden in the mixed doubles event. All was not lost as the U.S. women's hockey team established it is the team to beat for the gold medal after a 5–0 thrashing of rival Canada. On to the newsletter. |
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated |
Despite another dominant downhill run by Breezy Johnson, Team USA's top squad came up empty, ceding a spot on the podium to the American pair of Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan. |
By Pat Forde In the zero-sum crucible of the Olympics, someone's dream moment is someone else's nightmare disappointment. There is only so much glory to go around. And occasionally, the people soaring and crashing are on the same team. Team USA has now experienced successive women's Alpine skiing events with that same clash of conflicting emotions. Medals were won, but not by the expected stars. All-time greats were laid low while lesser-known athletes were lifted up. The emotions of victory and defeat were familiar, but a twist of the kaleidoscope left us viewing them differently. Lindsey Vonn, the most accomplished downhiller in history, crashed in ghastly fashion Sunday, snapping her left leg in the process and likely ending her career. But here came fellow American Breezy Johnson—who had never won so much as a World Cup race, let alone an Olympic medal—to snatch the gold. Then on Tuesday, in the first Olympic iteration of the spellbinding team combined event, U.S. expectations flipped again. The downhill-slalom power duo of Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin—the latter the most decorated skier in World Cup history—shockingly finished fourth. While that result deflated one U.S. tandem, it secured a joyful bronze medal for the nation's second-string entry, downhiller Jackie Wiles and slalomer Paula Moltzan. |
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In this episode of the Daily Rings podcast, Mitch Goldich and Dan Gartland break down the incredible performance by Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo in cross-country skiing as he nears the Winter Olympics record of eight gold medals. |
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Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated |
By Pat Forde To quote Coach Prime, We comin'. The United States of America is coming for curling. We are on a collision course with worldwide domination; the only variable is time. Everyone else might as well attach white flags to their brooms and surrender. It's over, or will be soon. Today, it's a silver medal in mixed doubles, courtesy of Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse. Soon enough, it will be a gold rush across men's, women's and mixed doubles. We'll be spinning stones and breaking bones. We were undoubtedly cheated out of gold by the Swedes in that 6–5 heartbreaker Tuesday night, but I haven't figured out the sport well enough to know exactly how. Still, it's the American way to claim cheating in defeat. I'm sure the curling message boards will be on fire with incriminating freeze frames of Swedish malfeasance that went undetected by the corrupt refs who are trying to protect the establishment and keep an upstart nation down. |
By Michael Rosenberg A legend of moguls skiing, Mikaël Kingsbury is obsessed. You can see it in his eyes as he studies the staggered rhythm of moguls courses around the world. It's a dialed-in yet relaxed look, analyzing every bump ahead. It's an obsession with himself, his craft and his victories that few others possess. And it has him in the history books alongside American stars Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, and few others, as he skis at what could be his fourth and final Olympic Games at 33 years old. "It's in a positive, healthy way. He is just so driven to be the best and not at the expense of anybody else, but really just focused on himself," says Freestyle Ski Canada CEO Peter Judge. "Having stars like that can have a profound impact on any franchise or organization. … Look at LeBron James and the L.A. Lakers or Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. |
United States- 🥇2 🥈3 🥉2 (7) |
Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated |
U.S. skier Paula Moltzan competes in the slalom during the women's team combined, where she earned a bronze medal with Jackie Wiles. |
- 8:15 a.m. ET: Women's freestyle skiing moguls final (airs on NBC at 12 p.m. ET) MEDAL 🏅
- 12:30 p.m.: Men's speedskating 1,000-meter MEDAL 🏅
- 12:45 p.m. ET: Women's luge doubles (Run 2; NBC) MEDAL 🏅
- 2:15 p.m. ET: Figure skating free dance (Part 2; NBC) MEDAL 🏅
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