❄️ Day 9: Italian Ice and American Fire
What a weekend for Team USA! Day 9 has been an absolute marathon of high-flying tricks and ice-cold composure. Between the curling girls staying on fire and Italy’s home-turf heroics, there is a lot to cover.
Here is Day 9: Part 1 of our Olympic wrap-up!
❄️ Day 9: Italian Ice and American Fire
The sun is shining on Milan, and while the "Quad God" drama from yesterday is still the talk of the town, today belonged to the gritty veterans and the home-crowd favorites.
🏂 Qualifications: Setting the Stage
It was a busy morning for the "hopefuls."
Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle: Talk about a power move! Team USA dominated the qualifiers, taking 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. The "three-headed monster" of Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL) might be the top qualifier, but the American trio is right on her tail.
Women’s Monobob: If you’re new to the "Monobob," think of it as the ultimate test of individual skill. It’s just one athlete pushing, steering, and braking a heavy sled at 80mph.
The Standings: Germany’s Laura Nolte leads after two runs, but Team USA is breathing down her neck in 2nd (Elana Meyers Taylor), 3rd (Kaillie Humphries), and 5th (Kaysha Love).
Men’s Speed Skating: Huge news! Team USA moved on to the Team Pursuit Semifinals. They look incredibly synchronized out there.
🚀 Men’s Freeski Big Air: Highs, Lows, and a Scary Scare
The qualifiers today were absolutely "bonkers."
Team USA: Mac Forehand put on a clinic, landing a switch left triple cork 1980 to take the 1st place spot! He’ll drop in last for the finals on Tuesday. Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph also squeezed into the top 12.
The Crash: The mood turned somber when Finland’s Elias Lajunen went for broke on his final jump. He landed flat on his back—a "board-breaker" of a fall—and flipped over, looking completely knocked out. The medical team was on him in seconds. Thankfully, as they wheeled him off, he put a thumbs up in the air. We’re all rooting for him.
🥌 Curling: The Heat is On!
Women’s: Our girls are officially on fire. After the historic win over Canada, they went out today and took down Japan and China. They are playing with so much confidence right now! Meanwhile, Sweden beat Italy in a match that was so loud you could barely hear the stones sliding.
Men’s: Team USA pulled off a massive upset, beating the #1 ranked Sweden 8-5. It was a tactical masterpiece by Danny Casper.
⛷️ Women’s Giant Slalom: Italy’s Queen
The home crowd at the Tofane Alpine Centre lost their minds today. The courses were tough but really allowed these specialists to show off their stuff!
The Winner: Italy’s Federica Brignone won her second Gold of these Games! She was flawless.
The Podium: 🥇 Federica Brignone (Italy), 🥈 Sara Hector (Sweden) & Thea Louise Stjernesund (Norway) — yes, a literal tie for Silver!
Team USA: A tough day at the office; we didn't crack the top 10 this time.
⛷️ Men’s Dual Moguls: Kingsbury’s Last Stand
The debut of Dual Moguls was absolute chaos. Skiers were literally flying into each other's lanes and launching off the side of the course. It looked like a video game!
The Result: Canada’s Mikaël Kingsbury finally got the Gold he’s been chasing in his final Olympics!
🥇 Mikaël Kingsbury (CAN), 🥈 Ikuma Horishima (JPN), 🥉 Cooper Woods (AUS).
🎿 Cross-Country: The Chase
Men’s 4x7.5km Relay: Team USA started in 3rd but faded to 6th. Norway had this from the outset and we all knew it but the lead they had was so big that Klaebo, sking the anchor leg, actually slowed down to "tease" the French!
🥇 Norway (Klæbo strikes again!), 🥈 France, 🥉 Italy.
🎿 Biathlon: The Chase
Women’s 10km: Lisa Vittozzi gave Italy another Gold sending the hometown fans into fits! Norway took silver and Finland took bronze.
- Men’s 12.5km: Sweden’s Martin Ponsiluoma took the Gold after shooting clean and a shooting collapse by France's Émilien Jacquelin and QFM. Our guy Campbell Wright finished a phenomenal 8th!
⛸️ Speed Skating
Women’s 500m: Team USA's Erin Jackson skated a great race in the 14th pair, but the Netherlands' "Team Orange" was just too fast.
The Podium: 🥇 Femke Kok took the Gold with an Olympic Record. 🥈 Jutta Leerdam (NED), 🥉 Miho Takagi (JPN). Team USA finished 5th.
🛷 Skeleton
Mixed Team Skeleton: Everyone expected a German sweep, but Great Britain (Matt Weston & Tabitha Stoecker) crashed the party and took the Gold! Germany had to settle for silver and bronze.
🏒 Men’s Hockey: USA 5, Germany 1 (Final)
The Captain’s Night: Auston Matthews showed exactly why he’s wearing the "C." He netted two goals and snagged an assist, leading the charge with that high-intensity playoff energy coach Mike Sullivan asked for.
The Scoring Blitz: Along with Matthews, we saw goals from Zach Werenski (his first Olympic goal!), Brock Faber, and Tage Thompson.
The Defense: Connor Hellebuyck was a wall in the net for most of the night.
Germany’s only goal came from Tim Stützle late in the third period, which spoiled the shutout but didn't stop the American momentum. The Reward: This win seals a perfect 3-0 record in the preliminary round. Most importantly, it gives Team USA a bye to the quarterfinals, meaning they get a much-needed day off to rest while other teams battle it out in the qualification playoffs on Tuesday.
⛸️ Pairs Short Program: The Standings
The pairs took the ice tonight and the artistry was through the roof.
Minerva Fabienne Hase & Nikita Volodin (Germany) – 80.01
Anastasiia Metelkina & Luka Berulava (Georgia) – 75.46
Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud (Canada) – 74.60
Team USA: Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea skated beautifully but had a hand down on the throw triple and a little synchronization issue during the side by side spins. They are currently sitting in 7th.
🗓️ Looking Ahead: Day 10 (Monday, Feb 16)
Monday is officially Medal Monday, with hardware being handed out from the ice rink to the bobsled track. Here is your full viewer's guide:
Morning Session (Starting 3:00 AM ET)
3:05 AM — Women’s Curling: USA vs. Switzerland. This is a massive match against the reigning world champs. Our girls are hot, but this is their toughest test yet.
4:00 AM — Men’s Slalom (Run 1): The "Tech" specialists take over. Keep an eye on the Brazilian breakout star Lucas Braathen to see if he can pull off a double-gold miracle!
4:00 AM — Two-Man Bobsled (Heats 1 & 2): The "boys in the sled" start their journey. Team USA's Frank Del Duca is looking to put down a top-5 time early.
4:50 AM — Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals: 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. We qualified 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. This could be our first podium sweep of the Games!
6:35 AM — Women’s 1000m Speed Skating Final: 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. A pure sprint for the ages.
Afternoon & Evening Session (Starting 1:00 PM ET)
1:05 PM — Women’s Curling: USA vs. Italy. The Americans have a double-header today! They’ll be facing the home crowd in what’s sure to be a loud arena.
1:30 PM — Women’s Freeski Big Air Final: 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. Eileen Gu tries to defend her crown against top-qualifier Megan Oldham. Expect some massive 1440s.
1:45 PM — Pairs Figure Skating (Free Program): 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. The medals are decided tonight! Can the German leaders hold off the chasing pack from Canada and Georgia?
3:05 PM — Women’s Monobob Final (Runs 3 & 4): 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. This is it for Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor. It all comes down to the final trip through the "Cresta" curve.
4:15 PM — Women’s Hockey Semifinal: 🥇 USA vs. Sweden. A win here guarantees a medal and a trip to the Gold Medal game. The stakes couldn't be higher.
8:00 PM — Men’s Ski Jumping (Super Team Large Hill): 🥇 MEDAL EVENT. The "flying Slovenians" are the ones to beat in this high-flying team battle.
📺 Tonight on NBC Primetime (8:00 PM ET)
NBC is leaning into the "Need for Speed" tonight:
The Speed Queens: High-velocity highlights from the Women's 500m as the world's best skaters try to break the sound barrier.
Slalom Style: See the best technical skiers in the world turning fast and tight through the gates of the Women's Giant Slalom.
Big Air Drama: The full story on the "broken pole" comeback of Eileen Gu and that scary Finnish crash.
Monobob Mystery: A crash course in the new Olympic event and a look at the American women fighting for the podium.
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