Day 5: Morning Update — Gold Rushes and Halfpipe Royalty!
If you thought Day 4 was exciting, Day 5 has basically been one long "Star-Spangled Banner" replay. We are seeing total dominance from some of our biggest names and a huge surprise on the mogul hills!
⛷️ Women’s Moguls: A Team USA 1-2 Punch!
The qualifiers were just the warm-up. In the final, the American women absolutely owned the mountain.
🥇 Gold: Elizabeth Lemley (USA) – At just 20 years old, she pulled off a shocker to take the title on her senior Olympic debut!
🥈 Silver: Jaelin Kauf (USA) – Replicating her Beijing performance with another brilliant, high-speed run.
🥉 Bronze: Perrine Laffont (FRA) – The 2018 champ fought her way onto the third step.
Team USA Watch: We actually qualified four into the final rounds (Tess Johnson and Olivia Giaccio joined Lemley and Kauf), proving we have the deepest mogul team in the world right now.
🏂 Women’s Halfpipe: The Queen is Back 👑
Chloe Kim looked like she never left. Despite a shoulder injury last month, she put down a massive 90.25 on her first qualifying run to take the top spot.
The Standings: Chloe is 1st, Japan’s Sara Shimizu is 2nd, and Team USA’s Maddie Mastro is sitting in 3rd. We have three Americans moving on to the final!
Celebrity Sightings: Cleveland Browns fans, take note—Myles Garrett was right there at the top of the pipe with his camera, cheering on Chloe. He’s the ultimate hype man!
⛷️ Men’s Super-G: Swiss Gold and American Silver
A huge day for Ryan Cochran-Siegle (RCS)! He went down early with a time of 1:25.45 and had to sweat it out while the favorites skied.
The Podium: 🥇 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) – The kid is a machine; this is his third gold of these Games.
🥈 Silver: Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) – He held on for a massive silver!
🥉 Bronze: Marco Odermatt (SUI) – The pre-race favorite had a few bobbles and had to settle for third.
⛸️ Men’s 1000m Speed Skating: Jordan Stolz is the GOAT
This was the race of the day. Jordan Stolz skated against the Netherlands’ Jenning de Boo, and the two of them absolutely flew.
The Record: Stolz set a new Olympic Record (1:06.28) to take the Gold!
🥈 Silver: Jenning de Boo (NED), 🥉 Ning Zhongyan (CHN).
The Drama: The Netherlands' Kjeld Nuis (the defending champ) was interfered with by his Chinese pairing partner. He was allowed a re-skate just an hour later, but with his legs totally spent, he couldn't break onto the podium. A real heartbreaker for a legend. China "iimpeded" multiple skaters at their crossing. I hope that they will be penalized for such unsportsman-like conduct!
🛷 Women’s Doubles Luge: A Historic Olympic Debut
This was a "I was there" moment. For the first time in history, women’s doubles luge was contested on the Olympic stage, and the atmosphere in Cortina was electric.
History Makers: Chevonne Forgan and Sophia Kirkby (Team USA) literally made history by being the very first sled to ever leave the handles in an Olympic women’s doubles race!
They skied a fantastic first run, sitting in 5th place, and held that position through the final to finish 5th overall. They proved they belong at the top of the world standings. The Podium:
🥇 Gold: Andrea Vötter & Marion Oberhofer (Italy) – They haven't won a World Cup race all season, but they found "magic" on home ice to become the first-ever champions!
🥈 Silver: Dajana Eitberger & Magdalena Matschina (Germany).
🥉 Bronze: Selina Egle & Lara Kipp (Austria).
🛷 Men’s Doubles Luge: A Heart-Stopping Finale
This was arguably the most dramatic race of the Games so far. Only 0.09 seconds separated the entire podium!
The Team USA Rollercoaster: The young American duo Marcus Mueller and Ansel Haugsjaa shocked the world in Run 1, setting a Track Record (52.482s) to take the lead! They were the final sled to go in Run 2 and were actually ahead of the gold medal pace until a tiny error in the final turns cost them. They finished a heart-wrenching 6th, but they proved they are the future of the sport.
The Podium: * 🥇 Gold: Emanuel Rieder & Simon Kainzwaldner (Italy) – Giving Italy a historic doubles sweep!
🥈 Silver: Thomas Steu & Wolfgang Kindl (Austria).
🥉 Bronze: Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt (Germany) – The "Tobis" were denied their fourth straight gold, but still took home the bronze.
Other USA News: Zack DiGregorio and Sean Hollander also put in a solid performance, finishing 8th.
🎿 Men’s Nordic Combined (Normal Hill/10km)
This event is the ultimate test: a high-pressure jump followed by a grueling 10km cross-country "Gundersen" start (where your jump score determines your head-start).
The Finish: Estonia’s Kristjan Ilves was the hero of the morning after winning the jump, but the slushy snow conditions during the 10km ski leg favored the endurance specialists. Norway’s Jens Lurås Oftebro recovered from a collision mid-race to power past everyone in the final stretch.
The Podium:
🥇 Gold: Jens Lurås Oftebro (Norway) – Finishing in 29:59.4.
🥈 Silver: Johannes Lamparter (Austria) – Finished just one second behind!
🥉 Bronze: Eero Hirvonen (Finland) – Clinching Finland’s first medal of these Games.
Team USA Watch: Ben Loomis was our top performer, starting 16th and finishing 17th. Niklas Malacinski was right on his heels, moving up to finish 18th. It was a tough, heavy day on the skis, but our guys fought through the slush.
🏂 Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe Qualifying
The "Quad God" of the snow, Alessandro Barbieri, is leading the charge for the US.
Qualifiers: We’ve got four Americans through to the final! Alessandro Barbieri (qualified 3rd), Chase Blackwell, Lucas Foster, and Jason Wolle. Australia’s Scotty James qualified in the top spot.
⛸️ Coming Up This Afternoon: The Big One
I’m heading out to watch the Ice Dance Free Dance!
The Stakes: Chock and Bates are in a dogfight with the French for the Gold.
Also Watch for: The Men's Hockey showdown between USA and Latvia kicks off later today!
The Primetime block tonight (Wednesday, Feb 11) is absolutely loaded with medal moments and big stars. Since we're in Ohio, I've made sure to highlight our local favorites as well.
Here is what is hitting your screen tonight on NBC (and streaming on Peacock):
📺 Primetime in Milan (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM ET)
NBC is packaging the day's biggest drama into one three-hour block.
The Main Event: Ice Dance Free Dance 🥇
This is the one we’ve been waiting for. Watch Madison Chock and Evan Bates (the "90s Bops" stars from the rhythm dance) leave it all on the ice to see if they can jump over the French team for the Gold.
Local Connection: Keep an eye on Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko—while they train in Canada, they have huge ties to the Midwest skating community!
Snowboarding: Chloe Kim’s Big Debut 🏂
Watch the Queen of the Halfpipe launch her "three-peat" mission.
Even with a minor shoulder injury, she was flying higher than anyone else in the qualifiers.
Speed Skating: Jordan Stolz’s Record Run ⛸️
You’ll see the full replay of Jordan Stolz smashing the Olympic record in the 1000m. It was a masterpiece of power and technique.
Alpine Skiing: Men’s Super-G ⛷️
Re-watch Ryan Cochran-Siegle (RCS) grab that brilliant Silver medal.
It’s high-speed, high-stakes drama on the "Stelvio" track.
🗓️ Looking Ahead: Thursday (Day 6)
If you're planning your day for tomorrow, here are the big ones:
Morning Session (ET):
4:30 AM — Alpine Skiing (Women’s Super-G): A huge one for Team USA!
10:30 AM — Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe FINAL: 🥇 MEDAL EVENT.
Chloe Kim goes for the history-making Gold.
Afternoon Session (ET):
12:10 PM — Men’s Hockey (USA vs.
Latvia): The NHL stars make their tournament debut! 1:30 PM — Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe FINAL: 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. Can Alessandro Barbieri grab a medal for the US?
Comments
Post a Comment