Day 3: Morning Update — Caps, Crashes, and Curling Drama!
I’ve been up with the sun (and the snow) this morning, and Day 3 is already delivering the kind of heart-stopping action that makes the Olympics so special. Grab your coffee—here is what you missed while you were sleeping...slackers!
⛷️ Men’s Team Combined: A High-Speed Game of Tag
The Team Combined is such a cool event. You take a Downhill specialist and a Slalom specialist, mash their times together, and hope for the best.
The Action: The downhill portion was just as heart-stopping as the individual races earlier this week. Italy came out swinging with the fastest time, followed closely by a pack of Swiss and French teams.
The Slalom Surge: When the technical skiers took over for the slalom, the Swiss showed why they are the kings of the mountain. They surged ahead to take both Gold and Silver!
The Podium: 🥇 Switzerland (von Allmen/Nef), 🥈 Switzerland (Odermatt/Meillard) & Austria (Kriechmayr/Feller) in a rare Silver medal tie!
Team USA Watch: Our lone team (Kyle Negomir and River Radamus) put in a solid effort to finish 17th. It was a tough field with so many multi-team entries from the Europeans, but our boys did us proud. I’m really hoping they re-air this in primetime tonight so you can see those downhill speeds!
This is a heartbreaking but incredibly moving update. I’ve woven in the medical news with that legendary "Vonn spirit" you mentioned. Here is the Lindsey Vonn update for your blog:
❤️ Lindsey Vonn Update: A Warrior’s Heart
We have some more concrete news on Lindsey following that terrifying crash in the downhill. It’s been a heavy 24 hours for Team USA, but if anyone can handle a "process," it’s Lindsey.
The Medical News: Reports from the Ca' Foncello Hospital in Treviso confirm that Lindsey underwent successful orthopedic surgery Sunday afternoon to stabilize a fracture in her left leg. While the surgery went well and she is in stable condition, doctors and Team USA officials are saying it will be a "bit of a process" for her recovery.
The "Cheer from the Air": This is the part that really got to me—and it shows you exactly who Lindsey Vonn is. Her coach shared that while she was being airlifted off the mountain, Lindsey was already asking how the other girls did. When she found out Breezy Johnson won the Gold, Lindsey was actually cheering from the helicopter! To be in that much pain and still be the first one to celebrate your teammate’s victory... that is the definition of an Olympic legend.
Outpouring of Love: The support has been global. From Mikaela Shiffrin posting a broken-heart emoji to Snoop Dogg watching in stunned silence from the stands, the world is rooting for her. Even the International Ski Federation president said we shouldn't count her out for the French Alps in 2030!
Lindsey, we are all standing with you. You dared greatly, and as your sister Karin said, you "put your whole heart into it." That’s all any of us could ever ask for.
🎿 Women’s Freeski Slopestyle: The Final was NO Yawn!
If you thought the qualifiers were a bit slow, the finals were anything but. These girls really pulled it out and turned it into an absolute show.
The Drama: There were a few crashes, but none more heartbreaking for us than Team USA’s only athlete in the final, Avery Krumme. She took a really bad fall on the very first rail of her third round—it looked like she might have even broken a rib! She didn't get the score she needed after that, but what a tough competitor.
The "Superwoman" Finish: It turned into a three-way battle between Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland), Eileen Gu (China), and Canada’s Megan Oldham.
Megan Oldham was giving them both grief with some of the best tricks I’ve seen!
In the end, Mathilde Gremaud was untouchable. Eileen Gu fell almost immediately in her final run, which gave Mathilde a "victory lap." She actually skied down wearing the Swiss flag like a cape on her back!
The Results: 🥇 Mathilde Gremaud (SUI), 🥈 Eileen Gu (CHN), 🥉 Megan Oldham (CAN).
🥌 Mixed Doubles Curling: A Rivalry Renewed
The round-robin is officially in the books! We faced off against the home team, Italy, in a match that was really all about seeding since both teams had already clinched a playoff spot.
The Heartbreaker: It was a close one, but we unfortunately lost to Italy in the very last end, 7-6.
The Rematch: Because of how the standings shook out, we don't have to wait long for revenge. Team USA (the Koreys) will face Italy AGAIN this afternoon in the semifinals! This is the big one—the winner goes for Gold, and the loser heads to the Bronze medal match.
🛷 Women’s Singles Luge: Runs 1 & 2 Recap
The "German Machine" is at it again. Julia Taubitz and Anna Berreiter are currently sitting 1st and 2nd, looking to add to Germany's staggering 39 luge gold medals. They are just so consistent, but the American women are giving them plenty to think about before tomorrow’s final two runs.
Ashley Farquharson Leads the Way: Ashley had the best day of all three Americans! She was smooth, stayed out of the walls, and is currently our top slider in 6th place. She is within striking distance of the podium if she can replicate those clean lines tomorrow.
Emily Fischnaller (Sweeney): It’s so great to see Emily back on the Olympic track. She’s now a "local" favorite after marrying Italian bronze medalist Dominik Fischnaller! She had a solid couple of runs and is currently sitting in 10th. She’s been through so much with her past injuries, and seeing her slide with that kind of confidence is inspiring.
Summer Britcher’s Struggle: This was a heartbreaker. Summer had a really difficult time on her first run—the sled seemed to get away from her in the lower section of the track, and she lost a massive amount of time. While she improved in Run 2, she’s currently in 22nd. It’s going to be a very steep hill to climb to get back into the top 10, but knowing Summer, she won't stop fighting until the last blade hits the ice.
🌙 Tonight & Late Night: What to Watch
If you thought the morning was busy, the primetime and late-night blocks are absolutely stacked. Here is what I’ll be watching for:
Primetime (8:00 PM ET - NBC): They’ll be re-airing those heart-stopping Men's Team Combined runs (it’s worth a second watch just for those downhill speeds!) along with the Women’s Freeski Slopestyle finals.
Figure Skating (Rhythm Dance): The individual Ice Dance competition is finally here! We’ll see the top groups, including Team USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who are the big favorites to carry our momentum from the team gold. The theme this year is "90s Bops," so expect some great music and even better costumes. I'm a bit nervous since they did so very well during the Team competition, I don't know how they can do better!
Women’s Hockey (USA vs. Switzerland): This is a huge preliminary match. Keep an eye out for Hilary Knight—she’s skating toward Olympic history and looking to lead the team to another dominant win.
Speed Skating (Women’s 1000m): We’ve got the dream team of Brittany Bowe and Erin Jackson taking the ice. They are facing some stiff competition from the Dutch, but our girls are looking fast.
Late Night (11:35 PM ET - NBC): If you’re a night owl like me, catch the late-night wrap-up featuring highlights from the Women’s Singles Luge (Runs 1 & 2) and the final results from the Men's Normal Hill Ski Jumping.
I’m heading back to the screen to catch the Curling semifinals and the Women's 1000M Speed Skating. I’ll be back with another update once we see how those curling semifinals play out—fingers crossed for the Koreys! See you later
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