❄️ Day 7 - Morning Update: Old Guards, New Records, and Biathlon Bliss
The sun is rising over the Dolomites, and while some of our favorites are hitting roadblocks, others are making history. Here is everything that went down this morning.
🥌 Men’s Curling: The North Border Rivalry
It was the battle of the "Old Pros" vs. the "New Gen." Team USA (Team Casper) took on a clinical Canadian squad led by Brad Jacobs.
The Result: Canada 6, USA 3.
The Story: Canada was simply flawless. A huge deuce in the 4th end gave them a lead they never let go, and they capped it off with a steal of two in the 8th. The young Americans played well, but Canada’s experience was the difference-maker today.
Team USA is full of softies: Yesterday when the match was just about lost, Team USA subbed in an alternate. The alternate's name is Rich Ruohonen, and by stepping onto the ice, the 54-year-old lawyer from Minnesota officially became the oldest American to ever compete in a Winter Olympics!
He broke a record that had stood since 1932 (previously held by 52-year-old figure skater Joseph Savage). - The Backstory: He was actually the one who stepped in and skipped the team during the 2024–25 season when Danny Casper was sidelined with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Because of his decades of experience—he's a two-time U.S. National Champion—he was the perfect veteran to help the "Gen-Z" squad find their footing. 
- The Moment: After the 7th end, with the U.S. trailing Switzerland and the win out of reach, Casper subbed him in for lead Aidan Oldenburg.
Casper said afterward, "We're not doing him a favor by putting him in. He deserves it." Italy's Big Win: On the next sheet, the Italian fans went wild as Joel Retornaz took down Great Britain’s Bruce Mouat 9-7 in a thriller!
🎿 Men’s 10km Freestyle: Klæbo Equals the Record
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is officially in the history books.
The Gold: Klæbo won his 8th Olympic gold medal, tying the all-time record for the most Winter Olympic golds ever! He was just untouchable on the 3.3km loops.
The Podium: 🥇 Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway), 🥈 Mathis Desloges (France), 🥉 Einar Hedegart (Norway).
Team USA Watch: Gus Schumacher led the Americans with a very strong 14th place finish, while Ben Ogden came in 22nd.
🔫 Men’s 10km Biathlon Sprint: The "QFM" Show
Finally, some respect for a legend! Quentin Fillon Maillet (QFM) reminded everyone why he dominated Beijing. He shot a perfect 10-for-10 and skated a blistering 22:53.1 to take the Gold.
The Podium: * 🥇 Gold: Quentin Fillon Maillet (France)
🥈 Silver: Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen (Norway) – He put on a massive final spurt to snatch the silver by just two seconds!
🥉 Bronze: Sturla Holm Lægreid (Norway) – He hit every target but was just edged out of the silver in the final meters.
Team USA Breakthrough: Campbell Wright had an incredible morning. He was flying early on and even with one miss in the standing stage, he finished in 12th place. This is huge because it sets the start order for tomorrow's Pursuit—he'll start exactly 1 minute and 10 seconds behind QFM. He is absolutely in the mix for a medal tomorrow!
🏂 Women’s Snowboard Cross: The Aussie Takeover
This event is always a heart-pounder.
Team USA: Faye Gulini was our last hope in the semis. She finished 4th in her heat, which put her in the "Small Final" where she finished 7th overall.
The Podium: 🥇 Josie Baff (Australia), 🥈 Eva Adamczyková (Czechia), 🥉 Michela Moioli (Italy).
🛷 Women’s Skeleton: The Heats Begin
The first two heats are in the books, and it's a tight race at the top.
The Lead: Great Britain’s Tabitha Stoecker is currently leading, followed by Germany’s Hannah Neise and Austria’s Janine Flock.
Team USA Watch: Mystique Ro is our top slider in 11th place, with Hallie Clarke in 15th. We still have two more heats tonight to see if they can jump into that top 10!
⛸️ Men’s 10,000m Speed Skating: Teen vs. Legend
This race was a beautiful contrast of ages.
The Teen Hero: 19-year-old Metoděj Jílek (Czechia) shocked the world by winning the Gold with a time of 12:33.43. He’s the youngest winner ever for this distance!
The Old Guard: 40-year-old Jorrit Bergsma (Netherlands) skated a legendary race to take the Bronze. He is now the oldest speed skater to ever win an Olympic medal. The crowd gave him a massive standing ovation. 🥈 Vladimir Semirunniy (Poland) took the Silver.
🗓️ Coming Up This Afternoon & Evening
Men's Ice Skating Free Skate started at 1 PM. Ilia is going for Gold.
The Big One: * 3:10 PM ET — Women’s Hockey Quarterfinals: USA vs. Italy. It’s win or go home time for our ladies!
Tonight on NBC Primetime (8:00 PM ET):
The "Quad God" Special: Ilia Malinin’s historic Free Skate for the Gold. 🥇
Snowboarding Halfpipe Finals: Catch the highlights of the Men's Final.
Women's Skeleton recap
Biathlon Recap: See QFM's perfect shooting gallery.
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