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1:59 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Canada beats big rival USA in women's ice hockey preliminary

Canada's Jamie Lee Rattray, left, celebrates after scoring a goal against the United States on Tuesday. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Canada beat the United States 4-2 in a fiercely contested women's ice hockey preliminary round match at the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing on Tuesday.

Though both teams had already secured spots in the quarterfinals, it was still one of the most highly anticipated matchups of these Winter Games.

It was also both teams' final games in the preliminary round before the seeds are determined for the quarterfinals, which begin Thursday.

In the latest instalment of the rivalry, Canada – despite being outshot by the US 53-27 – had the upper hand.

Four years ago at Pyeongchang, the US beat Canada in a penalty shootout in the final to win Olympic gold. Between them, the two teams have won every Olympic gold medal in this sport.

Canada leads Group A with four wins out of four, with the US in second.

And the two big rivals could meet again in Beijing — if they progress to the finals.

Referee Cianna Lieffers sustained an injury during the game. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Even the referees are tough in ice hockey: The officials weren't spared from the rough and tumble on the ice Tuesday — referee Cianna Lieffers had to take time out after a US player accidentally hit her in the face with her stick, leaving her bleeding from her mouth.

1:17 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Eileen Gu avoids questions on dual citizenship, says her mission is "to use sport as a force for unity"

From CNN's Hannah Ritchie

China's Eileen Gu makes her final run in the big air competition on Tuesday. (Phil Noble/Reuters)

China's gold medalist Eileen Gu sidestepped questions about the status of her US citizenship during a news conference Tuesday after winning the freeski big air competition in Beijing.

Reporters pressed the 18-year-old on whether she holds dual passports, as her Beijing 2022 profile says she "renounced her United States citizenship" in 2019 "to represent China at the Winter Games."

“I definitely feel as though I’m just as American as I am Chinese. I am American when I am in the US, I am Chinese when I am in China, I’ve been outspoken about my gratitude to both the US and China for making me the person I am,” Gu told reporters when asked whether she still held her US passport.
"Both have been incredibly supportive of me and continue to be supportive of me because they understand that my mission is to use sport as a force for unity, to use it as a form to foster interconnection between countries and not use it as a divisive force, so that benefits everyone and if you disagree with that that’s someone else’s problem."

Gu, who is a San Francisco native, was born in the United States to a Chinese mother and American father.

China only allows dual citizenship in exceptional circumstances, with the government cracking down in recent years on people secretly holding two passports.

Gu has never publicly confirmed whether she renounced her US citizenship to compete for China.

1:19 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

From medal podiums to spectator stands, Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is everywhere

From CNN's Coy Wire, Nectar Gan and Jessie Yeung

A man holds the Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, which he purchased from a store selling Winter Olympics 2022 memorabilia on February 7. (Andy Wong/AP)

Beijing 2022's official mascot has emerged as a fan favorite at the Winter Games.

Eliciting some of the biggest cheers from crowds — sometimes louder than those heard for the athletes — Bing Dwen Dwen has appeared all over the Olympic venues. Dressed in a full-body icy "shell," the panda mascot has been seen dancing in the stands, cheering on athletes and pictured on signs and flags waved by spectators.

Miniature, stuffed Bing Dwen Dwens are even awarded to athletes when they win a medal, with skiing sensation and new Olympic gold medaliist Eileen Gu among those seen holding one up on the podium.

Read more:

Panda-monium: From medal podiums to spectator stands, Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is everywhere

Coy Wire, Nectar Gan, Jessie Yeung, CNN

1:03 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Nathan Chen breaks world record in men's figure skating short program

American figure skater Nathan Chen set a new world record in the short program on Tuesday. (Bernat Armangue/AP)

Team USA's Nathan Chen is leading the men's figure skating after setting a new world record Tuesday with a score of 113.97 in the short program.

Chen goes through to the free skate, which takes place on Thursday and where the medals will be decided.

His rival Yuzuru Hanyu is in eighth, mainly due to a missed jump at the start of his performance today.

Japan's Yuma Kagiyama is in second with his compatriot Shoma Uno in third.

Canadian Keegan Messing is also among the 24 qualifiers. He only arrived in Beijing less than 24 hours before he hit the ice due to being isolated for Covid.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated Hanyu's position. He is eighth.

12:21 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Austria's Matthias Mayer defends Olympic title in Super-G

Matthias Mayer of Austria reacts after finishing the the Super-G on Tuesday. (Luca Bruno/AP)

Matthias Mayer of Austria has defended his Olympic title in Super-G, taking gold in the alpine skiing event.

In a surprise, Ryan Cochran-Siegle of the United States, in his second Games, won silver for his first Olympic medal. His mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, was the 1972 Olympic slalom champion.

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway took bronze.

There were some notable skiers not to finish, including Marco Odermatt and Beat Feuz of Switzerland.

11:38 p.m. ET, February 7, 2022

Peng Shuai watched Eileen Gu compete in big air final alongside IOC president

From CNN’s Bex Wright in Beijing

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai watches the women's freestyle skiing big air finals on Tuesday. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai attended the big air final at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Tuesday, where she watched China’s Eileen Gu take home gold in the event.

Peng was seen sitting alongside the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, who she also had a face-to-face meeting with on Saturday night.

"The IOC President was in the athletes' stands at the Big Air final today and met a number of athletes and one of them was indeed Peng Shuai," the IOC told CNN Tuesday.

Peng told independent French sport news site L'Equipe in a sit-down interview in Beijing on Sunday that she denied making sexual assault allegations against a retired senior Chinese Communist Party leader, adding she had "never disappeared" from the public eye.

"I never said anyone had sexually assaulted me in any way," she said, adding that she herself had erased an explosive social media post from November, in which she accused former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her into having sex during their years-long affair.

11:32 p.m. ET, February 7, 2022

Donovan Carrillo is Mexico's first Olympic figure skater in 30 years

Mexico's Donovan Carrillo competes in the skating short program on Tuesday. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Mexico's Donovan Carrillo said many people told him it was impossible for a Mexican figure skater to qualify for the Olympics, but in Beijing on Tuesday he qualified for the free skate after his performance in the men's short program.

Carrillo is Mexico's first Olympic figure skater in 30 years and his country's flag bearer at Beijing 2022.

Following his skate, Carrillo said he was "super happy" with his performance, with his highlight being the quadruple toeloop.

"I didn't want it to end. I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream," he said.

On being a Latin American athlete at the Beijing Olympics, Carrillo said: "Many people told me during the beginning of my career that this was a crazy dream."

"I always tried to push harder and harder, competition through competition, to try to be the best version of myself. I want people in Latin America and in my country to think about it, to have their big goals and go for it," he said.

On being able to develop an Olympic-level program despite training at a shopping mall ice rink during public sessions, Carrillo said, "It's challenging, I'm not lying."

"But instead of regretting myself and thinking of what I don't have, I always try to work with what I have. That's key for me being here. It's better to focus on what you have and try to exploit that and live the dream."

11:08 p.m. ET, February 7, 2022

Olympic sportsmanship on display after Eileen Gu's big air win

Silver medalist Tess Ledeux of France, left, is comforted by gold medalist Eileen Gu of China and bronze medalist Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland during the freestyle skiing big air finals on Tuesday. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

In a display of Olympic sportsmanship after the big air freeski final, China's Eileen Gu and Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud rushed to comfort a visibly upset Tess Ledeux from France.

Ledeux looked disappointed following her third and final jump, knowing that it wasn't enough to clinch the gold.

The 20-year-old finished in silver position, with Gu taking the win and Gremaud the bronze.

11:07 p.m. ET, February 7, 2022

Chinese social media is going crazy for Eileen Gu

From CNN's Lizzie Yee in Hong Kong and Nectar Gan in Beijing

China's Eileen Gu competes in the freestyle skiing big air finals on Tuesday. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Fans on Chinese social media rushed to congratulate big air freeski star Eileen Gu after her gold medal win in Beijing.

On China's Twitter-like platform Weibo, Gu dominated searches with seven out of the 10 top trending topics all about her victory.

Gu has become a Beijing 2022 poster child for China and has 2.6 million followers on Weibo, with fans leaving 90,000 comments in half an hour after her win.

American-born Gu, whose mother is from China, decided to compete for Team China at the Games. She has the overwhelming support of the home crowd and her image has been splashed across billboards, magazine covers and promotional videos in China.

Day 4 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Panda-monium: From medal podiums to spectator stands, Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen is everywhere