Day 13 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Thursday marked another action-packed day at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. For those sleeping during the competitive events — which occurred during late night or early morning hours for many US viewers— here is a tidy recap.

⛸ Russian teen embroiled in doping controversy finished in fourth place

Russian teen figure skater Kamila Valieva suffered several falls during her free skate routine, resulting in a fourth-place finish in Beijing. Valieva’s struggles mean that there will in fact be a medal ceremony in the event — one headlined her fellow Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) team members, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, who finished first and second respectively. Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto earned the bronze.

Valieva has been at the center of controversy as a positive December drug test cast doubt on whether she’d be permitted to compete. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cleared her to compete on Monday. The IOC, however, had announced that if Valieva earned a podium position, the Games would not hold a medal ceremony. That awkward reality never came to pass.

Amid chants of “Kamila, Kamila, Kamila” ringing through the venue, the Russian left the rink with tears in her eyes, wrapping up an emotional and incredibly trying Olympic experience.

🏒 Canada bests USA in women’s hockey, avenges 2018 heartbreak

Canada defeated Team USA 3-2 in the women’s hockey gold medal match, the latest edition of the heated rivalry between the two North American neighbors.

Since the inception of the Olympic event 1998, either Canada or the US has taken home the top prize. This time around it’s Canada — who skated to an early 3-0 lead — earning gold, in the process avenging Team USA’s penalty shootout victory in PyeongChang four years ago.

Team USA took gold in ’98, then two decades later in ‘18. Canada, meanwhile, won in 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and now, in 2022.

⛷ Mikaela Shiffrin falls again, suffers third Beijing DNF

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic nightmare continues in Beijing as the US skier crashed out once again, this time in the alpine combined slalom. The American favorite has suffered falls in three of her Olympic events — the giant slalom, the slalom, and now, the alpine combined slalom — resulting in a trio of DNF’s (did not finish.)

“I think that I actually had a really good start and got into my tempo, my rhythm, quite well,” Shiffrin said following Thursday’s event.

Shiffrin was hoping to earn multiple medals in Beijing after taking a gold each in 2014 and 2018. She has one final event still to come, Saturday’s mixed team parallel slalom competition.

Players from Canada's women's hockey team celebrate with their gold medals after defeating the United States on February 17.

The headlines were dominated by the dramatic women’s singles free skate event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but there were six gold medals at stake on Thursday. Here’s a look at who won.

Alpine Skiing: Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin won the women’s alpine combined slalom.

Figure Skating: Russian Olympic Committee’s Anna Shcherbakova captured the gold at the women’s single skating event.

Freestyle Skiing: Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund took the top podium spot at the women’s ski cross big event.

Ice Hockey: The sport concluded its course at Beijing with Canada women’s win.

Nordic Combined: Norway won the team gundersen large hill/4x5km, cross-country event.

Speed Skating: Japan’s Miho Takagi won the women’s 1000m event.

Here’s where the official Olympic medal count stands so far.

Here’s a look at the best photos from day 13 of the Winter Games:

Figure skater Kamila Valieva falls during her free skate on Thursday, February 17. Valieva, who has been at the center of a doping controversy at the Beijing Winter Olympics, fell multiple times during her free skate Thursday and finished fourth in the women's singles competition.

The Canadian women's hockey team celebrates after defeating the United States 3-2 in the gold-medal game on February 17. Since women's hockey became an Olympic sport in 1998, only Canada and the United States have won gold. The two countries have played in the gold-medal game in the last four Olympics, with Canada winning three of them.

Finland's Jon Sallinen crashes into a cameraman during halfpipe qualification on February 17. Both Sallinen and the cameraman — as well as the video footage — were fine. However, as a result of the crash, Sallinen ended up in last place.

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after falling in the slalom portion of the combined event on February 17. It's the third event of these Olympics that Shiffrin has been unable to finish. She also fell in the giant slalom and missed a gate in the standalone slalom event.

Swiss skier Michelle Gisin competes in the downhill portion of the combined event, which she won for the second straight Olympics. Gisin was twelfth after the downhill but dominated in the slalom to move into first.

Take a look back at the best photos from the Olympics so far.

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc are preparing to compete in their first Winter Olympics – the pinnacle of their eventful, and often challenging, figure skating careers.

LeDuc left professional skating for two years in 2014 and spent time working on a cruise ship, while Cain-Gribble was ready to retire from skating before switching from singles to pairs with LeDuc in 2016.

At times, both have found themselves at odds with skating’s norms: Cain-Gribble because of her physique (at five-foot-six she is taller than most women competing in pairs skating) and LeDuc, who identifies as gay and nonbinary, because of their sexuality.

“For a long time, Timothy and I didn’t see ourselves represented, and so we didn’t quite feel like we belonged,” Cain-Gribble told CNN ahead of the Games.

“And for a long time, people had things to say about us. Even when we teamed up, they had a lot of things to say about my body or about Timothy’s sexuality. People still will make those comments.”

But together, the pair have forged what Cain-Gribbe calls “a very inclusive environment,” veering away from some of figure skating’s long-standing traditions in order to be their “true selves.”

That involves performing a lot of the same moves in their routines, wearing the same colors and patterns and choosing not to portray romantic stories.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with those stories, but often they’re centralized and seen as the only narratives that you can portray, the only story that’s worthy of being a champion or being successful,” LeDuc told CNN.

“Ashley and I are just different in that way; we’ve never done a romantic story and we’ve never been a romantic pair. We’ve always been about equality and showing two amazing athletes coming together to create something beautiful.”

Having won the US national title last month, Cain-Gribble and LeDuc – who is set to become the first out, nonbinary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics, according to Team USA – will compete in the pairs competition in Beijing when it gets underway on February 18.

Hear more from Cain-Gribble and LeDuc in the video below:

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04:51 • Source: CNN

US alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after she did not finish the alpine combined slalom event on February 17.

US alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin posted several screenshots on her Instagram account in what appears to be her calling out critics following another disappointing outing at the Beijing Olympics.

Shiffrin registered her third did-not-finish (DNF) at the Games after falling during the alpine combined event.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old published five posts on her Instagram Stories with the first four showing words and phrases written in text filled with harsh criticism, including “choker,” “Can’t handle the pressure,” “Arrogant,” and “Disgrace. Unacceptable.” 

Shiffrin concluded with a fifth post that offered encouragement, writing in part, “Well kids…feed ‘em what you wanna feed em. Self pity, sadness… Let the turkey’s (sic) get you down. There will always be turkeys. Or get up, again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Get up because you can, because you like what you do when its (sic) not infested with the people who have so much apparent hate for you. Just get up.”

Shiffrin will have one more shot at a medal as she is scheduled to compete in the mixed team parallel slalom competition on Saturday.

Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova looks on during the flower ceremony following the women's free skate program.

Russian figure skater Alexandra Trusova’s silver medal gave the Russian Olympic Committee a 1-2 podium finish — her teammate Anna Shcherbakova won gold — but she is “not happy” with the result, she said in her comments after Thursday’s free skate program.

She added: “Everything was enough for me. I did everything. And after, it is out of my hands.”

Her earlier reaction to the results was caught on camera, and she said she would never skate again, according to the 2022 Beijing Games media website. When asked about that, she said: “We’ll see.”

She was also seen crying after learning she had taken the silver medal. The 17-year-old said it was “just because.”

“I wanted to cry, so I cried. I’ve been here for two weeks, alone without my mom, without the dogs, so I am crying.”

ROC's Anna Shcherbakova performs her free skating routine on February 17.

In one of the most highly-anticipated events of Beijing 2022 Games, Anna Shcherbakova put in a near-faultless performance to win gold in the women’s singles figure skating event.

Her Russian Olympic Committee teammate Kamila Valieva has been at the center of a doping scandal since the team event, allowing Shcherbakova to skate somewhat under the radar.

The 17-year-old came into the free skate event in second place after Tuesday’s short program, but finished on top of the podium.

“The importance of this [gold medal] is so huge that I cannot fully understand it yet,” Shcherbakova said. “At the moment I have only felt the happiness from the fact that I was able to do everything I am capable of in my program.”

There were emotional scenes after the event had finished, with Valieva and silver medalist Alexandra Trusova both in floods of tears ahead of the flower ceremony.

However, Shcherbakova insisted her joy hadn’t been dampened by the disappointment of her teammates.

“No, I am just happy,” she said. “It’s just the pure happiness of working for so long and being able to deliver a program like this at the Olympics.”

Despite the spotlight that has been on Valieva and figure skating over the past week, Shcherbakova showed remarkable poise and composure to block out the furore.

The current world champion said that controversy didn’t affect her “at all.”

“Only the trainings, my readiness for the competition affects me,” she said. “The last days I was always thinking about my performance, about my programs. I was so focused on every practice.”

She added, “Every time I was skating my programs, I was so focused. I was always thinking about what I need to do to show my maximum.”

Great Britain's Bruce Mouat delivers a stone during their semifinal match against the United States on February 17.

Great Britain knocked off John Shuster and the defending gold medalist Team USA, 8-4, in the men’s semifinal match on Thursday to advance to the final.

Great Britain, led by Bruce Mouat, secured its first medal of the Beijing Olympics with the victory. The British men’s team will seek to capture its first curling gold since the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

In the other semifinal, Sweden narrowly edged Canada with a 5-3 victory to advance to the final.

Great Britain will face defending world champion Sweden in the men’s gold medal match on Saturday, while Team USA will play Canada in the men’s bronze medal match on Friday.

Kamila Valieva competes in the women's free skate on February 17.

Kamila Valieva’s fourth-place finish in the women’s singles skating has penned the next chapter in a story that is certain to rumble on far beyond the Beijing Games.

The Russian figure skater has been at the heart of a doping scandal that can be traced back to December 2021, when the 15-year-old tested positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine.

However, the test was only analyzed and reported to Russia’s Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) in February, resulting in Valieva’s suspension on Feb. 8.

The suspension came a day after she had helped the ROC to a gold medal victory in the figure skating team event.

Valieva was reinstated after an appeal, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) allowed her to compete in the Olympics, citing specific provisions related to her protected status as a minor, while investigations into any doping violations by Valieva and the adults responsible for her training continue.

The skater’s continued involvement in the Games led US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson to question the decision — citing a positive test for cannabis that derailed her own Olympic dream in Tokyo last summer.

“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of (Valieva’s) situation and mines (sic)?” Richardson wrote on Twitter.

“My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a Black young lady,” she added.

On Tuesday, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) official said that Valieva was blaming the doping violation — in which she tested positive for a heart medication that experts say can improve stamina — on contamination from her grandfather’s medication.

Her coach, Eteri Tutberidze, told Russian state news agency Tass they are “absolutely sure” she is innocent.

The medication’s effects of increased endurance could potentially prove influential following a rule change in 2004 which rewards athletes for performing jumps towards the end of their routines.

Under the current scoring system, jumps performed in the second half of the free skate can get a 10% bonus because it’s more difficult to perform them on tired legs.

Following widespread criticism of the rule in 2018 — with critics alleging that skaters were cramming in jumps towards the back end of performances — the International Skating Union created a new rule saying skaters will only get 10% bonuses for up to three jumping passes in the second half of their free skate.

It was under this context and unprecedented pressure that Valieva competed in the individual event, yet the 15-year-old posted the highest score in the short program on Tuesday to arrive at Thursday’s deciding free skate in pole position.

Further controversy followed when it was announced by an IOC spokesperson that any result involving Valieva in the women’s individual event would carry an “asterisk” until her case has been concluded, and as such, there would be no flower or medal ceremony.

Yet after multiple falls in her free skate routine, Valieva’s fourth placed finish left her just outside the podium places. Subsequently, the medal ceremony is set to go ahead on Friday, Feb. 18, according to the official Olympics media website.

However, despite Valieva falling out of the individual medal positions, the fallout from the scandal is sure to taint the Games as the investigation continues on.

Read the full report here.

Bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto celebrates during the flower ceremony following the free skate on February 17.

Social media users in Japan gushed over Japanese skater Kaori Sakamoto’s bronze medal-winning performance on Thursday during the free skate program.

“Kaori Sakamoto (got a) bronze medal!!! It’s so amazing that she was able to break into that Russian group!!! said one Twitter user from Japan.

Others said they admired the Russian skaters’ ability to pull off acrobatic jumps, but found their performance slightly mechanical and lacking human warmth.

Sakamoto’s third-place finish marks the first time a Japanese skater has won a medal in this event since Mao Asada won the silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.

From left, Alexandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova and Kaori Sakamoto pose during the flower ceremony following the women's free skating event on February 17.

Kamila Valieva’s fourth place finish means there will now be a medal ceremony for those on the podium in the women’s singles skating event.

The ceremony is scheduled for Friday, February 18 at 6:45 a.m. ET (7:45 p.m. local time,) according to the official Olympics media website.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams said Wednesday that any result involving the 15-year-old in the women’s individual event would carry an “asterisk” until her case has been concluded, and as such, there would be no flower or medal ceremony.

Yet having led after the short program, Valieva’s free skating score left her outside the podium places — meaning one-two finishing ROC compatriots Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, as well as Japanese bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto, will have the opportunity to attend a medal ceremony.

Anna Shcherbakova competes in the women's free skate on February 17.

The Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) Anna Shcherbakova has placed first in the women’s singles skating.

The 17-year-old dazzled with a spectacular free skate performance to top the field with a score of 255.95, guaranteeing a one-two finish for the ROC.

“I still haven’t realised that my Olympic Games have ended. I just know that I skated clean. I am so happy that I still haven’t realised the result,” Shcherbakova said after the competition.

Asked if the emotions of the evening and of her ROC teammates got to her, she said, “No, I am just happy. I am only happy. I still haven’t realised what happened. I can’t believe the Olympics are already over for me.”

Kamila Valieva falls during her free skate routine on February 17.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva fell numerous times during her free skate routine, causing her to drop out of contention for a place in the top three.

The 15-year-old was favorite to finish in first place after coming out on top of Tuesday’s short program, but multiple mistakes in the free skate saw her drop down to fourth with a total score of 224.09.

There are loud chants of “Kamila, Kamila, Kamila” coming from the stands as a tearful Valieva is consoled as she makes her way off the rink.

The Russian Olympic Committee still made a 1-2 finish with figure skaters Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, and Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto finished in third.

Kamila Valieva warms up prior to her free skate routine on February 17.

Kamila Valieva is now performing her routine at the free skate program.

The 15-year-old took to the rink earlier to warm up, and showed no signs of any nerves ahead of her much-anticipated free skate routine.

The Russian Olympic Committee figure skater will perform last after posting the highest score in Tuesday’s individual short program, yet there will be no medal ceremony should she finish in the top three amidst an ongoing doping scandal involving the 15-year-old.

Valieva has looked steady in practice, according to CNN reporters at the Capital Indoor Stadium, executing all of her jumps perfectly.

Her name was announced to cheers from the ROC side of the crowd, with coach Eteri Tutberidze watching on from rink-side.

Belgium's Loena Hendrickx competes in the free skate event on February 17.

A 2002 Olympic figure skating scandal — with allegations of score-fixing — upended the sport and led to a complete overhaul of the scoring system — one that awards more points for stamina and strenuous athletic feats.

This matters because gold-medal favorite Kamila Valieva, 15, tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, which is said to increase stamina and make “your heart work more efficiently,” said Dr. Elizabeth Murray, pediatric emergency medicine physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Here’s how the sport has evolved in recent years to reward increased athleticism and stamina:

More difficult jumps = more points

In 2004, the International Skating Union ditched the subjective “6.0” scoring system for the more rubric-based International Judging System that gives certain base points for jumps depending on their degree of difficulty and how many times the skater rotates in the air.

For example, a quadruple Lutz — in which a skater makes four revolutions in the air — carries more base points than a triple Lutz.

But a triple Lutz carries more base points than less difficult triples, such as a triple loop or a triple Salchow.

After each jump, skaters can gain or lose points from the base value depending on the grade of execution — how well or poorly they executed the jump.

All those numbers are part of the technical score. There’s also the presentation score, which rewards artistry and skating skills between jumps.

But in recent years, skaters have been able to win competitions largely due to points racked up from jumping — with quadruple jumps playing a larger role in men’s and women’s skating.

Why better stamina can win skaters more points

In women’s figure skating, athletes perform two routines: the short program, which is about 2 minutes and 40 seconds long, and the free skate, which is about 4 minutes long.

Russian skater Alina Zagitova was 15 when she won Olympic gold after performing all her free skate jumps in the second half of the routine.

With the current scoring system, jumps performed in the second half of the free skate can get a 10% bonus because it’s more difficult to perform them on tired legs.

Read the full story here.

CNN’s Simone McCarthy, Hannah Ritchie and George Ramsay contributed to this report.

"Round and round we go."

Finland’s Jenni Saarinen competes in the women’s single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Feb. 17, 2022.

Team Norway celebrates as Jørgen Graabak crosses the finish line to win the Nordic combined 4x5km team event on February 17.

Norway extended their lead at the top of the Beijing medal table with a 14th gold after a comfortable victory in the Nordic combined 4x5km team event at the Zhangjiakou National Cross-Country Skiing Centre.

Anchor leg Jørgen Graabak crossed the finish line almost a full minute ahead of Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger in silver, completing Norway’s total time of 50:45.1.

Opening legs from Espen Bjørnstad and Espen Andersen had seen the Norwegians narrowly trailing Austria at the halfway stage, but an impressive third relay from Jens Lurås Oftebro paved the way for Graabak’s final flourish.

With Graabak afforded the opportunity to bask in his victory as he entered the final straight, the thrills followed in a frantic push for the podium positions which saw Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto hunt down Austria’s Martin Fritz to take a stunning bronze.

Having been fourth heading into the final 1.5km, Yamamoto finished just 0.3 seconds away from silver and celebrated wildly with his teammates at the line.

It is the first time since 1998 that Austria have failed to make the podium in the event.

The ROC team poses during the flower ceremony for the figure skating team event on February 7.

The president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said Thursday that the result of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Games should not be revised, regardless of Kamila Valieva’s “supposed antidoping violation.”

Valieva played a pivotal role in guiding the ROC to gold after she became the first woman to land a quad at the Winter Games.

The medal ceremony for the event was due to take place last week but was postponed after a positive test, now known to be that of Valieva, was returned by a member of the ROC figure skating team.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams said Wednesday that any result involving the 15-year-old in the women’s individual event would carry an “asterisk” until her case has been concluded.

There, too, will be no flower or medal ceremony should Valieva finish on the podium.

In a statement released on the ROC’s website, Pozdnyakov said the organization “categorically” disagreed with the IOC’s position that the results should be considered “preliminary.”

“In relation to the result of team tournament, Russia’s Olympic Committee already sent a letter to ISU [International Skating Union] where we detailed our argument and position that the results of the team tournament cannot be revised under any circumstances, irrespective of the results of disciplinary investigation regarding the athlete,” read the statement.

“Antidoping rules are formulated in a way that the results revision of the team tournament can only take place in case of the supposed antidoping violation taking place during the Olympic Games.

“We will continue to uphold our position successively as part of any proceedings, including with CAS if required,” the statement concluded.

Switzerland's Michelle Gisin and her gold medal for the women's alpine combined on Feb 17.

Alcohol and Olympic-level skiing may not seem like the best combination, but newly crowned women’s alpine combined gold medalist Michelle Gisin is something of a trendsetter.

Placed 12th after the downhill course, the Swiss skier blitzed through the deciding slalom to finish over a second ahead of her compatriot Wendy Holdener, who won silver.

The key to her success? A midnight strategy session with an intoxicated giant slalom gold medalist.

Reveling in his dramatic giant slalom triumph on Sunday, Swiss teammate Marco Odermatt’s celebrations in the room next door to Gisin had woken her up in the early hours before her final day of downhill training.

Unable to get back to sleep, Gisin decided to go and congratulate her compatriot, and so ensued the most unlikely of strategic briefings.

“There’s a very funny picture,” Gisin said. “But you will not see that ever because we look both horrible.

“Me with my blanket and my cushion and everything, my plushie, and him still in the racing suit.

“Then we started to discuss the downhill at one in the morning. He was drunk, I was very tired, but it was very funny.”

The other weapon in her arsenal? A glass of wine the day before an event.

Gisin said that she had shared a drink with teammates Loïc Meillard and Luca Aerni before the super-G on Thursday.

Having gone on to take bronze in the event the following day, Gisin was not about to break a new medal-winning tradition.

“After the super-G, they wrote on my door: ‘Drink wine: Ski fast.’ So I drank a glass of wine with them again yesterday, of course.

“And look at that, it seems to work for me very well.”

Jon Sallinen of Finland crashes into a cameraman filming on the lip of the halfpipe during the men's freeski halfpipe qualification on Feb. 17.

While most people are aware of the perils that come with being an athlete in some of the Winter Olympics’ most daring sports, they may not know about the camera operators out there risking it all for the perfect shot.

The danger of being behind the lens was certainly on display during the men’s freeski halfpipe qualifiers on Thursday, with the camera operators standing right on the edge of the pipe to get close-up shots of the skiers as they performed their tricks mid-air.

And one unfortunate cameraman was on the receiving end of a whack from one of the skis of Finnish competitor Jon Sallinen, who lost control as he began a jump halfway through his routine.

Fortunately, both Sallinen and the cameraman — as well as the video footage — were fine.

However, as a result of the crash, Sallinen ended up in last place.

Another angle of the incident.