Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: biathlon, curling, ski jumping and more on day one – live! | Sport

Women’s Skiathlon

Norway’s Johaug is romping this in. Give her the medal now. Five athletes are battling it out for silver and bronze, but the leader is in another race.

Women’s Skiathlon

We’re past halfway mark and into the freestyle section of the race. To the uninitiated (me), things have sped up considerably. Our leader is Therase Johaug of Norway. Not surprisingly, she’s also an outstanding runner, with a best time of 32 mins for the 10,000. She won a gold medal in a team’s event in 2010, but this would be her first individual gold.

USA v Russia

It’s not quite the Miracle on Ice, or even Rocky 4, but with the world on tenterhooks right now, the Russia-USA clash in the women’s ice hockey should have some added intrigue. The Russian President is expected to attend. His region’s on the brink, but he’s handy on the rink…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJieMFSi33c

On the menu

This is the first of six gold medals up for grabs today, with the women’s 3000m speed skating and mixed biathlon kicking off shortly. The women’s ski jump and men’s freestyle moguls will also be decided.

Cross Country Skiathlon

We’ve already had some falls, steep climbs and I can only assume, a lot of lactic acid. This 15km event combines classical and freestyle skiing, with the competitors switching techniques at the halfway point. I’m already exhausted watching them.

Cross Country Skiathlon

It’s almost gun time in this gruelling, intriguing event. It’s minus 12 degrees Celsius, which doesn’t even bear thinking about for an Australian. “Perfect conditions for cross country skiing”, according to the commentators.

Curling

I think I have perforated eardrums from some of the exaltations – it’s a very vocal sport, and they certainly mic them up. Italy just blew the Aussies away with a three-point end, and now lead 7-3. Meanwhile, Great Britain have romped away to an 8-3 win over the Czechs – a cakewalk.

Cross Country Skiing – Women’s

We’re just 15 away from the start of the women’s cross country. The Swedes Frida Karlsson Charlotte Kalla are the hot pops, along with Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva and Norway’s Therese Johaug. These are some of the best endurance athletes in the world, and the sheer state of the competitors at the finish gives some indication as to what a lung buster it is.

Curling Updates

Australia trail Italy 2-4 while the Brits are well in control of the Czech Republic, up 6-2.

Ice Hockey

A right royal shoeing in the women’s ice hockey match between Canada and Finland, with Canada walloping them 11-1. Sarah Nurse and Brianne Jenner both scored hat-tricks for the winners.

Curling

Meanwhile, the Great Britain mixed doubles team are making easy work of the Czech Republic, while the United States are in a tight tussle with China.

Curling

The Aussies are down 1-3 against the unbeaten Italians and nearly square things up but over-curled, jammed things up, and split the points – leaving things delicately poised at 2-3. I think I vaguely got the lingo right there.

Aussie Jakara Anthony Goes Top

The Victorian unleashes a scintillating run to go top in qualifying for the Women’s Moguls. She even pipped the peerless Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont, a former gold medallist. Commentary, rather curiously, is being provided by former cricketer Dirk Nannes.

Women’s Moguls

I already feel like I’ve ruptured about 6 ACLs watching this. It’s a brutal caper and the conditions look nasty. America’s Olivia Giaccio shot on to the early lead but 17-year-old Kumi Yamamiku just rocketed into first place with a blazing run. “Great absorption,” said the commentator, and The Guardian concurs wholeheartedly. Aussie Britteny Cox is currently fifth.

Curling

Things haven’t gone the way of Australia’s curlers thus far. It not exactly a sport the occupies centre stage in the public consciousness, but it’s attracting its usual cohort of the curious and the bewildered. The Aussies were well beaten by the husband and wife pair of Norwegians, but they’ve gone down by a solitary point in four other games, so they’re not far off the mark. They take on the Italian pair shortly.

Kiwi Qualifies in top spot

Young New Zealander Zoi Sadaowski-Synnott was the standout in the women’s Slowslope Snowboard qualifiers, with a top score of 86.75. The course is designed with Great Wall motifs, but proved the blustery conditions wrought havoc. Reigning double gold medallist Jamie Anderson struggled by her lofty standards, qualifying fifth. “I felt really pissed after my last run,” she said.

The remarkable talents of Nathan Chen, the three time world champion and hottest of favourites in the men’s figure skating.

a shoutout from Richard Woods, an expat living in China…

“Thanks for the coverage. I’m strapped in. I was really hoping to get to a day or two of the games, as I live only a short train journey away from Beijing, but work and the Covid-inspired rules about inter-provincial travel have put paid to that. Lackaday. Ah well – bring on the tea-trays, yard brushes and Jamaican bobsleighers!”

Aussies in Action

For our Australian readers, there’s several other locals in action on my watch, including Seve De Campo in the Cross Country skiathon and Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill in the Mixed Doubles Curling. Several hours ago, they met their match against the Norwegians, who were bronze medallists four years ago, but back up again against Italy shortly.