Day 1: Part 2 — The Drama Deepens in Milan!
❄️ Day 1: Part 2 — The Drama Deepens in Milan!
The morning might have been about speed, but the afternoon and evening have been all about high-stakes drama and some unexpected twists on the ice and snow.
🛷 Men’s Individual Luge: The Long Slide Begins
We are two runs into the four-round marathon, and as usual, the Germans and Austrians are the ones to catch. However, the usual favorites are finding the Cortina track a bit more technical than expected.
The Leaders: Germany’s Max Langenhan set track records in both runs today to take the overnight lead. Austria’s Jonas Mueller is hot on his heels in 2nd, and the hometown favorite, Dominik Fischnaller (Italy), is sitting in 3rd.
Team USA Watch: We have two Americans hanging in there! Jonathan Gustafson is currently in 11th and Matthew Greiner is in 15th. Remember, there are two more runs tomorrow—in luge, one small brush with the wall can change everything.
🏂 Men’s Big Air Final: A Broken Arm and Big Air
The tricks in the Big Air final were absolutely massive, but they came with a cost. We saw some truly scary landings tonight.
Team USA’s Lone Hope: Our 17-year-old phenom Ollie Martin was the only American to make the final. He held onto the Bronze spot for a long time, but was eventually edged out by China’s Su Yiming.
The "Warrior" Factor: We found out after the event that Ollie competed with a broken arm! To finish 4th in the world while dealing with that kind of pain is nothing short of heroic.
The Podium: Japan dominated the night with Kira Kimura taking Gold and Ryoma Kimata taking Silver.
⛸️ Figure Skating Team Event: The Quad God is Human
Tonight was a bit of a reality check for Team USA in the Men’s Short Program.
The Stumble: Ilia Malinin was favored to take the top spot, but he looked a little "cocky" or perhaps just over-eager. He had a very strange landing on his Triple Axel, and his footwork looked a bit chaotic toward the end. The judges noticed, and he ended up in 2nd.
The Japanese Star: The top spot went to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama. He was absolutely charming—the audience loved his energy, and he was technically near-perfect.
The "Speakeasy" Thief: Canada’s Stephen Gogolev had a blast of a routine! He skated as a 1920s bank robber, and it was a total crowd-pleaser.
Standings: After the men's short, USA still leads by just one point over Japan.
⛸️ Free Dance: Chock and Bates Bring the Fire
We started the Free Dance segment tonight, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates were the highlight of the first group.
The Performance: Their program is a mix of Flamenco and Paso Doble, and it was breathtaking. I was in tears! They scored a massive 133.23, which is 10 points higher than the next team. It was the best I've ever seen them perform this program!
The "Pin": Because the top teams from Italy and Japan haven't skated their free dance yet, we have to wait until tomorrow to see the final rankings for this segment.
🏒 Women’s Hockey: Blowouts and "Home" Heartbreak
It was a rough night for the hosts and the Swiss as the powerhouses of Group A and B exerted their dominance.
Canada Smothers Switzerland: Canada outshot the Swiss 55 to 6 on their way to a 4-0 victory. Swiss goalie Saskia Maurer made 51 saves—the only reason the score wasn't double digits.
Sweden silences Italy: The home crowd in Milan was pumped, but Sweden took the air out of the building with a 6-1 win.
The Lina Factor: Sweden’s Lina Ljungblom was the MVP, scoring twice.
Italy's Spark: Even in a loss, the Italians never quit. Kristin Della Rovere scored Italy’s lone goal, and for a few minutes, the arena sounded like a soccer stadium!
🥌 Mixed Doubles Curling: Heavy Ice vs. South Korea
The ice conditions changed drastically today—it’s much faster than it was during practice.
The Struggle: Team USA’s Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin struggled to adjust, throwing everything a bit too heavy. South Korea took advantage and forced an extra end.
The Result: With the hammer in the extra end, South Korea secured the winning point for a 6-5 victory. We are now 4-2 in the round-robin. Time to find the "touch" again!
- Other Action: Norway and Italy battled in quite the strategic match. Most of their matches looked like someone spilled their red and yellow M & M's on the ice since they had so many stones in play. In the end, Italy steals in the 8th end winning the match! Way to go HomeTeam!
⛷️ Women’s Normal Hill: Making History
This Olympics is a milestone for women's ski jumping. For the first time ever, the women will compete on both the Normal Hill and the Large Hill, finally giving them the same platform as the men.
The Upset: Norway’s Anna Odine Strøm snatched the Gold with a massive final jump of 101 meters, beating the favorite, Slovenia’s Nika Prevc (Silver). Japan’s Nozomi Maruyama took Bronze.
Team USA Flyers: All our flyers did a fantastic job and successfully made it through the first round! Annika Belshaw, Josie Johnson, and Paige Jones all showed great form, though they didn't continue on into the final Top 10 medal round. We can't wait to see them take on the Large Hill later this week!
🗓️ Looking Ahead: Sunday (Feb 8) at the Games
It’s "Super Bowl Sunday" back home, but in Milan and Cortina, the "Big Game" is happening on the ice and the slopes. Here’s what’s on tap:
☀️ Morning Activities (ET)
5:30 AM — Women's Downhill (Medal Event): The "Queen of Speed" will be crowned! Keep an eye on Lindsey Vonn in her historic Olympic return and Team USA’s Breezy Johnson.
8:35 AM — Mixed Doubles Curling: Team USA (Thiesse/Dropkin) looks to bounce back against Estonia. We need this "W" to stay in the hunt for the semifinals!
10:00 AM — Men’s 5000m Speed Skating: Watch the "chess on ice" as the endurance skaters take over the oval.
🌙 Afternoon & Evening Activities (ET)
1:05 PM — Mixed Doubles Curling: A massive showdown as USA faces Sweden. This will be a critical game for the standings.
1:30 PM — Figure Skating Team Event FINALS (Medal Event): This is it! The Pairs, Women, and Men will all perform their Free Skates. USA currently leads Japan by one point—can Ilia and the team hold on for Gold?
4:00 PM — Men’s Luge Finals (Medal Event): The 3rd and 4th runs will decide the medals. Can our American boys move up into the top 10?
Day 1 is officially in the books. I'm heading to bed before Day 2 starts.
Bonus pic....Snoop on a Zamboni!
Comments
Post a Comment