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SCMP Sport

Eileen Gu, Su Yiming, Xu Mengtao, if you’re a fan of big air then day 10 at the Beijing Games has been one for you, with some of the biggest names in the business in action on Monday.
Xu has won the host nation’s fifth gold in the women’s aerials this evening, and Gu will be looking to win hers in tomorrow’s final of the freeski slopestyle after safely securing her spot during the qualification run this morning. There were some nervy moments for the fan favourite, who said qualifying was "way more nerve wracking than finals”.
Su safely came through qualifying in the men’s snowboard big air, but after the USA’s Kallie Humphries won an historic gold in the inaugural monobob event the afternoon has been all about Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva being cleared to carry on competing despite her positive drugs test.
It’s been a busy day so far and there is another exciting evening ahead, so follow us for live coverage from the Winter Olympics.
Reporting by Josh Ball, Matt Eaton, Mia Castagnone, Jess Ma, Harvey Kong, Cyril Ip and Jack Lau.


Winter Olympics: China’s Xu Mengtao wins gold in women’s aerials; Hanyu says he’s not retiring - day 10 as it happened

China’s Xu Mengtao on the podium after winning gold in the women’s aerials final. AFP


Sport

China

Beijing Winter Games 2022

Skiing


Japan's figure skating great Yuzuru Hanyu thanks Chinese fans, says he is proud of his Olympics, and plans to continue skating
China’s Xu Mengtao claims gold but teammate and Kong Fanyu misses after falling



China’s Xu Mengtao has claimed gold in the women’s aerials. Earlier, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu thanked Chinese fans, said he was proud of his Olympics, and planned to continue skating.


Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Live

The first hour of competition today is completely jam-packed with some great events and some of the biggest stars of the Games from Eileen Gu to figure skating worlds champions.
The second instalment of the figure skating ice dance competition gets under way with the free dance, and we can expect some stellar performances coming from four-time world champs – and current leaders – Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France, and current world champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov representing ROC, who will walk away with the gold medal?
Women’s monobob - an event making its Olympic debut - will hand out its first medals today, and the women’s snowboarding women’s big air qualification run is on from 9.30am.
Because of yesterday’s less than ideal weather conditions freestyle skiing slopestyle qualification will kick off at 10am and many will be tuning in to see what tricks gold medallist Eileen Gu will put on display.


A packed morning in Beijing

Bobsleigh: W monobob heat 4 (11am-11.50am)
Freestyle skiing: W aerials final (7pm-8.15pm)
Figure skating: Ice dance free dance (9.15am)
Ski jumping: M team 1st round (7pm–7.51pm); M team final round (8.06pm–8.42pm) 


Today’s medal events

If you couldn’t be with us yesterday then you missed plenty of ups and downs.
Hong Kong’s Adrian Yung lost a ski in the first run of the giant slalom as bad weather hit the Winter Olympics, while Shaoang Liu took a stunning win in the men’s short-track speedskating 500m race. Liu dethroned 2018 gold medallist China’s Wu Dajing, who failed to make it through the semi-finals.
For a full recap of all the action, read our stories here, and here.


What you missed on day 9

There is so much happening today, and that’s without a certain event on the US West Coast.
But if snow and ice are your thing, here’s our guide to 5 big things to watch out for on day 10 of the Beijing Games.


5 things to watch out for

Away from the slopes and the indoor arenas, we expect to get the result of the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s hearing into the doping suspension of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva.
If you need a reminder of the issues surrounding the case, our quick explainer has you covered.



Kamila Valieva doping hearing

The top three in the women’s monobob were the first athletes to take runs this morning.
Kaillie Humphries, our leader after the first two runs, has gone and extended her lead over Christine de Bruin to 1.55 seconds.
It’ll take something special to catch her from here.



Humphries extends lead

We are halfway through the women’s snowboard big air qualification round.
New Zealand’s Zoi Sadoski-Synnott, who won gold in the women’s slopestyle, leads with 85.5 followed by Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi with 83.0.
China’s Rong Ge went for a double front side but slammed into the ice after missing the landing. She scored a 10.75. Snowboarders get three runs and the 12 best scores will advance to the final.


Sadoski-Synnott back in front

The women’s freeski qualificaiton slopestyle is under way, and Eileen Gu will be up first. Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin goes second and Tess Ledeux from France, who took the silver medal in big air, will is third. The best 12 athletes will qualify for tomorrow’s finals.


Eileen Gu up first in freeski event

After some errors from China’s Han Mei in the third position, Japan have overtaken China’s early lead in women’s curling with a three-point third end. Japan are up 3-1.
Canada are having a much smoother opening against ROC. They have scored two points in each of the first two ends, increasing their lead to 4-0.
After a first end with no points, South Korea have scored one in the second end, while the US score their first point in the third. They are tied at 1-1.


Curling update

The figure skating ice dancing has started, and Armenia’s Simon Senecal Proulx and Tina Garabedian lead the way with a score of 101.16.
We will see 20 pairs throughout this morning with favourites from Russia and France performing last. China’s Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu will be performing ninth and hoping for a big score if they want any chance to be on the podium.


Armenia lead way early in ice dancing

Eileen Gu is off with her first run and it won’t set the world alight. Gu goes for some big tricks but doesn’t really wow the crowd, she’s in with a first score of 57.28.
This morning’s favourites have all had a disappointing start, with France’s Tess Ledeux finishing with a low-scoring 22.13 and Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin with 35.38. Athletes seem to be struggling to pick up enough speed needed in order to smoothly land their tricks.
Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru lands the first clean run of the morning, earning her an 80.96.


Slow start for Gu

The USA’s Kaillie Humphries is sitting comfortably on top of the scoreboard for women’s monobob with a time of 3:13.97 after three heats. Canadian Christine de Bruin trails 1.55 seconds behind.
Chinese women Huai Mingming and Ying Qing, aren’t doing too badly either – they are ranked sixth and seventh. Heat four starts at 11am.



Humphries one run from gold

Julia Marino, who won the US’ first medal in Beijing for snowboard slopestyle, has dropped out of the big air event this morning, after an injury during practice.
Marino has been posting on Instagram about the big air race for days, but Team USA says she is “prioritising her health”, according to a tweet by AP sports journalist Jake Seiner.
Slopestyle silver medalist Julia Marino of the U.S. took a hard fall in practice a few days ago and has dropped out of big air. Team USA spokesperson says she is "prioritizing her health."
  — Jake Seiner (@Jake_Seiner) February 14, 2022
Meanwhile, Silver medallist Jamie Anderson of the US lost her balance when landing, scoring only 29.50 points on her second big air snowboarding run. That’s going to cost her – she already had a bad first run with a score of 30.00.


Marino out of women’s big air

We’re nearly halfway through the women’s freeski slopestyle, and Norway’s Johanne Killi leads with a score of 81.48 followed by Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru at 80.96.
Gu is in third place with 57.28 but will need to bring her A-game in the second run if she wants to qualify. There are 16 athletes to go to finish their first run and two runs in total.



Killi leading women’s slopestyle

ROC pair Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin have delivered a dazzling performance in the figure skating ice dance competition, earning a score of 108.16 and putting them in the lead.
Next up are Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, followed by China’s Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu.



Dazzling display from ROC

“Gu Eileen 57.28” begins to trend on Weibo reaching more than 5 million posts. Chinese netizens cheer on Gu as they wait for second run. She is currently in sixth position with Killi from Norway and Sildaru from Estonia still leading. The top 12 qualify for the finals.



Gu trending on Weibo again

It’s going to be really close for Jamie Anderson – the 2018 big air silver medallist – after two falls performing the same trick.
The American fails to improve on her first run score of 30 and will need a different trick, scoring big, to squeak into the bottom of the qualifiers.

Only the top 12 of our 29 starters will make the final. "It’s not over till it’s over," she says after her second run.
Hungary’s Kamilla Kozuback fell on her face just as she was landing she was just a bit short and her board wasn’t angled right. But it’s a much better jump from China’s Rong Ge. She scored 64.00 after a smooth board grab and landing, placing her in fourth place now.


Anderson in danger of missing cut

China’s ice dance pair Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu have pulled off a stunning performance in the free dance scoring a high 111.01 and moving into first position.
Will it be enough for a podium position? We will have to wait and see. There are 10 competitors still to go in the free dance medal event.



Stunning performance from Chinese pair

There could be some big upsets in today’s freeski slopestyle qualification. France’s Tess Ledeux has been pushed out of the top 12, and will need to nail her second run if she wants a shot to advance to the finals.

The cold, “Oh my god its cold!” says Britain’s Katie Summerhayes, could be part of the problem. It’s currently -13 degrees at Zhangjiakou. Despite the cold, Summerhayes delivered a decent first run scoring 66.56


Some shocks coming?

Japan and Canada have the upper hand in their respective women’s curling matches. 
Japan have extended their lead over China 7-2. They scored three points in the third end with the hammer and managed to take one and three in the fourth and fifth ends.
The Canadians have scored four two-point ends to bring themselves eight points against the ROC’s three.


Japan well up on China

The Japanese trio are leading in the women’s big air, and none won a medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Reira Iwabuchi, who is first now on 158.50 points, narrowly missed the podium in fourth place and was eighth at last year’s world championships. Miyabi Onitsuka won bronze at the championships, while Kokomo Murase only placed sixth.
Anna Gasser of Austria, with 135.50 points, needs to pull off an impressive third run to defend her Olympic title.



Iwabuchi leading big air

China’s Yang Shuorui started with a clean run but lost speed after she couldn’t quite land her first jump, her score of 18.46 leaves her 21st at the end of the first run in the women’s freeski slopestyle. 
Norway’s Killi is first, Estonia’s Sildaru in second and USA’s Maggie Voisin in third. With one run to go and the top 12 going through to the finals, anything could happen.
Eileen Gu is in 11th place.


Halfway in women’s freeski

Eileen Gu has laid down a run there, and that 79.38 leaves her in third overall.
That score gets a thumbs up from the Chinese gold medallist, who tells the camera “qualification is way more nerve wracking than finals”.


That’s the Eileen Gu we know

And New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has done it – her last run scored 91.00 propelling her to the top of the scoreboard with a combined score of 176.50.
Fortunes have changed for USA’s Jamie Anderson, who scored 89.75 on her last run. She’s up to 11th, and it depends on the performance of other snowboarders whether she stays in the top 12 to make it to the finals.


Sadoski-Synnott taking charge

France’s Tess Ledeux has redeemed herself, nailing her second run to score 68.13, lifting her to seventh spot, but 2018 gold medallist Sarah Hoefflin is out of the running. The Swiss skier’s disappointing second run earns her 48.96 and drops her out of the top 12.


Hoefflin goes out of slopestyle

We’re past halfway in the ice dance medal event, and Wang Shiyue and Lin Xin Yu are holding onto third spot, with USA’s Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker in second, and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson in first spot.
But Spain’s Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz have produced a spectacular routine, earning a 121.41 and putting them in first place. China’s skaters now out of the running for a podium position.



Chinese pair out of running

Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru was already set to qualify after a huge score of 80.96 in her first run, but she’s outdone herself in her second run scoring a huge 86.15.
Norway’s Johanne Killi has also given a clean run, cruising through the course to nail her second run with a score of 86.00.


Some big scores coming

Japan have scored a resounding 10-2 win over China in women’s curling. Japan have now won four of their five games, while China have won only two of their six encounters.
Only the top four teams qualify to the semi-finals from the group stage. China are ranked seventh, while Japan are in second place behind Switzerland.



Japan’s thumping win over China

Eileen Gu isn’t taking any time off this morning. Chasing three gold medals in Beijing, Gu has qualified for the finals of the women’s slopestyle and is now off to practice for the half-pipe.
Half-pipe qualification will take place on Thursday, while the slopestyle finals are on tomorrow. No rest for this champion.



No rest for Eileen Gu

China’s 19-year-old Rong Ge has done it. The combined score of her second and third runs is 129.75 – more than enough to secure a place in the women’s big air final. After her last run, Rong slipped and backflipped acrossed the barrier and into the pool of photographers. But she seems OK.
It’s bad news for USA’s Jamie Anderson though, she is out. The Czech Republic’s Sarka Pancochova has bumped the American out of the 12th place with a combined score of 123.00, 3.25 points more than her rival.


China’s Rong through to finals

Another decisive victory in the women’s curling, this time from Canada.
The Canadians have beaten the Russians 11-5. ROC have not won any of their five games and are ranked last of 10 teams. Canada are not fairing that well either – they are seventh, having won twice.


Canada ease past ROC

We have the first Olympic medallists in the women’s monobob. The USA’s Kaillie Humphries takes gold with a time of 4:19.27, followed by teammate Elana Meyers Taylor’s 4:20.81. Canadian Christine de Bruin win bronze, finishing 1.76 seconds behind Humphries, who won bronze in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
China’s Huai Mingming is ranked sixth and Ying Qing ninth.



It’s gold for Humphries

Over in freestyle skiing and Marin Hamill has taken a bad fall. There’s a brief pause in competition. Hamill is currently placed seventh and will still qualify. Let’s hope she can recover quickly.



Bad stack for Hamill

USA’s Madison Chock and Evan Bates have finished a stunning performance in the ice dance figure skating, scoring 130.63 - a personal best and jumping to the gold medal position with just three performances left.
The final three pairs are up next and are looking to shake up the top three.



USA at their best in figure skating

We have our 12 athletes who will advance to the slopestyle final on Tuesday. Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru enters the final with the best score of 86.15, Johanne Killi from Norway in second with 86 and Eileen Gu in third with 79.83.
Yang Shuorui executes her run from top to bottom, an valiant effort for the 19-year-old, but it wasn’t enough to crack the top 12. Yang scored a 39.05.



Slopestyle finalists set

Wow, what a turn of events.
ROC figure skating pair Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov are in the lead with a season best performance, showing us yet again why they are world champions. ROC finished with a score of 131.66. They’re guaranteed a medal.
The last pair on ice now.


ROC pair snatch the lead from USA

French figure skating couple Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron are taking home gold after a huge score of 136.15 - a new world record.
A seamless performance, earning them a standing ovation from the crowd.
That was just incredible from the four-time world champions.
That is silver for ROC and bronze for Team USA. Chinese pair Wang and Liu finish in twelfth.



‘Stunning’ performance from France wins gold

Kelly Sildaru laid down two stunning qualifying runs to comfortably qualify for the women's freeski slopestyle final at Beijing 2022.
The 19-year-old from Estonia opened with 80.96, which would have guaranteed her spot in the final. She followed it up with a 86.15 to top the qualification rankings.
Sildaru’s score put her ahead of home favorite Eileen Gu, who is also through to the final of the freeski slopestyle, posting a best score of 79.83 on her second run to place third.
"It went super well, I guess I qualify for the finals which is super nice," Sildaru told Olympics.com. 
"It’s actually a bit hard to ski with that cold weather because I'm not used to it. So, my body's always cold.”
Temperatures in Zhangjiakou dropped sharply the night before the qualifiers, following a day of heavy snowfall in the mountains.
"When I was going up, I was just like having another jacket on and then I'm taking it off for that run. I just tried to keep myself warm."
The final takes place on the morning of Tuesday (15 February), after the freestyle ski slopestyle events were delayed for 24-hours due to weather conditions.
Sildaru was pleased to be moving on after failing to make the final in the big air event in Beijing.
"[I was] a bit [disappointed] with the run down in big air. And this went great… I'm really happy."



Sildaru ’really happy’ to lead freeski slopestyle

And we’re off with the men’s snowboarding big air qualification round. The best 12 snowboarders will advance to the final on Tuesday.
Canada’s Mark McMorris, the 2021 world champion, and Max Parrot, the silver medallist at the championships, are the ones to watch. Rising star Rene Rinnekangas from Finland is also a hotshot. The young Finn came second in the big air world cup this year.
Chinese fans will no doubt be keeping an eye at Su Yiming, who won a silver medal for slopestyle and the only snowboarder to do a 1,800-degree aerial there.
Athletes will try to perform the most difficult trick at the highest height they could achieve from their jump. Unlike slopestyle, where athletes use jumps and tricks to scale an obstacle course, and halfpipe, where athletes get to perform multiple tricks as they finish the pipe, big air competitors will only get one shot to perform at each jump.
Going first will be reigning world champion Max Parrot, with Su Yiming going eighth.


Men’s snowboarding big air takes flight

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will find out later Monday whether she can continue competing in the Winter Olympics, as a doping scandal revives long-running concerns over drug use by her nation’s athletes and threatens to taint the Beijing games.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport held a meeting Sunday night in Beijing that lasted almost six hours and expects to issue a ruling on Valieva’s participation at 2pm local time, according to a statement.
Attendees included Valieva, officials from the Russian Olympic Committee as well as representatives from the International Olympic Committee, International Skating Union and World Anti-Doping Agency.
The three groups have called for the reinstatement of an earlier suspension that would force the teenager to withdraw from upcoming events.
Valieva’s next event is the women’s singles competition on Tuesday.
The IOC will respect the court’s decision on Valieva’s participation, spokesman Mark Adams said at a briefing Monday in Beijing.
Adams added that the ruling won’t be a decider of whether she is guilty or not guilty of doping.
The 15-year-old was part of the team that won gold on February 7 and wowed audiences with a quad jump, the first by a woman in Olympic competition.
The medals ceremony, which was due to take place the following day, has been postponed due to the investigation and Adams said the official team result is unlikely to be finalised during the games.
The US placed second, followed by Japan and Canada. Bloomberg



Dope decision imminent

Breaking: Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can continue her Olympic campaign and will compete in the women’s single short programme event on Tuesday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the lifting of her temporary suspension.
The 15-year-old tested positive for a banned substance in December and the result only came in on February 8. A disciplinary committee of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, or Rusada, lifted her suspension after Valieva appealed on February 9.
The ruling was a result of a hearing that lasted more than six and a half hours in Beijing that began on Sunday night to the early hours on Monday. 
Valieva was part of the ROC team that won the team figure skating gold, but the medal ceremony has been postponed because of the doping scandal.
Concerns have been raised about whether the adults around Valieva, including her coach, doctors and support team, had anything to do with the positive test.
The hearing decided on whether the temporary suspension should be lifted, but not whether Valieva has violated anti-doping rules.


CAS: Kamila Valieva cleared to compete

The CAS press conference was over in less than 10 minutes. 
CAS Director-General Matthieu Reeb read from a statement and did not allow a media Q&A session. 
There’s still a lot more to unpack in this ruling.


No questions allowed

Reaction to the CAS ruling has swift and harsh. 
In a statement CAS said preventing Valieva from competing at the Olympic Games would “cause her irreparable harm” because she is a child and deemed a protected person under the World Anti-Doping Code.
The code and Rusada’s rules against doping do not include provisions on temporary suspensions imposed on protected people, but they do say that sanctions should be less severe for them.
The CAS panel also said the delay in informing the athlete of the positive test result for the banned substance trimetazidine constituted “serious issues of untimely notification”.
A sample was taken from Valieva on December 25 last year but she was only informed on February 8.
The delay “impinged upon the athlete’s ability to establish certain legal requirements for her benefit, while such late notification was not her fault, in the middle of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022”, CAS said in a statement.
CAS decision: Kamila Valieva is allowed to compete. What a dark day this is for the fight against doping in sports.
  — Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) February 14, 2022
  
Unbelievable. How can they allow #KamilaValieva to still compete in the Olympics when she tested positive for doping? It doesn't matter how old she is - she broke the rules & cheated. So unfair to the honest hardworking athletes who are competing without the use of drugs.
  — Janet Morrissey (@JMorrisseyNYC) February 14, 2022


‘A dark day for the fight against doping’

Back to competition and Canada has won the semi final against Switzerland in women’s ice hockey with a crushing seven goal lead. The final score is ten to three.
Canada’s win mean they will progress to the gold medal game, while Switzerland still have a chance at the bronze medal. Tonight’s match between the United States and Finland will determine the final match up for the gold medal and bronze medal match.



Canada dominate on the ice

Two out of three runs done for Su, and it looks like he’s close to the finals.
Su scored a 62.75 with a 1440-degree aerial frontside spin, ranking third overall and seventh in the second run. Su was marked down for dragging the landing.
Big guns who lagged behind in the first run have redeemed their status in the second run. Slopestyle Olympic champion Max Parrot keeps the top rank with an 86.50 in his second run, while Italy’s Emiliano Lauzi ranks second with an 80.75.
Marcus Kleveland from Norway dipped, however, dropping to 63.75 in his second run. Third time lucky, perhaps?



Finals on the horizon for Su?

The full statement from CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb.
LIVE: CAS decision on Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva https://t.co/bhnKEMh1pt
  — Reuters (@Reuters) February 14, 2022


CAS full statement on Kamila Valieva

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it is disappointed Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will be allowed to compete for a second gold medal despite failing a pre-Olympics drug test.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 15-year-old Valieva, the favorite for the women’s individual gold, should not be provisionally suspended ahead of a full hearing into her positive test for the heart drug trimetazidine on December 25.
USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said the committee is disappointed by the message the ruling sends.
She said athletes are being denied the right to know they're competing on a level playing field.
She added it is part of a systemic and pervasive disregard for clean sport by Russia.
The ruling means Valieva can compete starting Tuesday in the women's individual competition, where she's a favorite for gold. It doesn’t decide the fate of the gold medal she won as part of the team competition.
The US won silver and would be in line for gold if the Russian medal is revoked. Associated Press


US committee ‘disappointed’ in Valieva decision

With only the best two scores combined to determine who gets into finals, snowboarders are now left with one final qualification run to twist their fate.
It has been a close round, with several big guns redeeming themselves with stellar second runs while those who shot to the top in the first round saw dim second tries. 
Fan favourite Su Yiming is now ranked fourth overall, after a second run of 62.75 points. 
Slopestyle champion Max Parrot asserted his champion status, heading to the last qualification run ranking first with 86.50 points on his second run.
Other notable finalist hopefuls include American Redmond Gerard at second place, and 2021 world champion Mark McMorris at fourth place.



Max Parrot leads men’s big air

First-time Olympian Shao Qi of China has just completed her qualification run for the women’s aerials with a lead score of 77.49. 
Teammate and Olympic bronze-medalist Kong Fanyu came away with a score of 83.78 despite a rocky landing.
Other competitors have yet to touch reigning world cup champion Xu Mengtao’s score of 101.10
The top six athletes in the first qualification round will qualify to final one, while the remainder will compete in the second qualification.



Shao Qi takes big lead in women’s aerials

Su Yiming’s final run ended with a crash landing, as the Chinese athlete stumbled on the snow after performing. A disappointing finish, but this does not affect his chances for the finals at all, for he is currently placed fourth.
The best twelve advance to the finals.



Su cements place in finals

China’s Xu Mengtao has qualified to the women’s aerials finals, her teammates Shao Qi did not.
Both athletes put up an impressive show to make it to the top six athletes, but the pressure is now on.
After a rough landing Shao has finished her second run with a score of 54.90. It did not top her previous score of 77.49, which means she will likely be eliminated from the the second qualification.
Her teammate Kong Fanyu is still in the running for the final with her previous score of 83.78, despite her score of 81.99 in the second run. She is facing heavy pressure from other big guns at the event, which could knock her out of the running.


Xu Mengtao in, Shao Qi out

Another accident in the men’s snowboarding big air qualification round as reigning big air world champion Jonas Boesiger is accompanied off the slope by medical staff.
That is the second big crash after defending gold medallist Sebastien Toutant from Canadian received a big applause from the crowd as he was helped off the slope following his messy landing.


Accident prone big air

Canadian slopestyle champion Max Parrot cruises into finals in the top spot. He is flanked by Takeru Otsuka from Japan and American Redmond Gerard in second and third places respectively.
Su is bumped to fifth place after a dismal crash landing in his third run. 
Shortly after his run Weibo erupted in sympathy for Su’s crash. The hashtag #Su Yiming Falls is now the top trending post on Weibo, with concerned comments on Su’s safety flooding the platform.
“I hope he’s not injured and stays well. Yiming is so strong, take care,” a concerned user wrote.
“I hope he’s not hurt. Doesn’t matter if he medals or not, it’s okay as long as he’s not injured,” another user said.
Current world champion Mark McMorris from Canada and world cup big air bronze medallist Marcus Kleveland have also qualified. Canadian Darcy Sharpe rounds off the finalist list in twelve place.



Su heads to finals in fifth place

That’s a wrap for the women’s aerials qualifiers.
China’s Kong Fanyu has progressed to the finals after her performance in the second qualifier. Her teammate Xu Mengtao previously qualified after a stellar performance in the first qualification round.  
Fellow Chinese skier Shao Qi will not be in the finals after being eliminated in the second qualifiers.
They will face stiff competition from some of the sport’s top talent, with defending champion Hanna Huskova from Belarus also making the cut.
The finals events for the women’s aerials will begin at 7pm.



Kong Fanyu makes finals

Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin will race the Beijing 2022 downhill after an encouraging second practice on Monday.
The six-time world champion is one of the four women selected by Team USA for the event, along with Jackie Wiles, Alix Wilkinson and Keely Cashman.
After a “solid” run in the first training session when she clocked the ninth best time, the American skied well on the technical sections of the ‘Rock’ course and also took a high jump before the ‘White Face’, but failed to create speed in the second half.
The 26-year-old was the 17th fastest skier (out of 45 finishers), posting a time of 1 minute 34.58 seconds, 1.40 seconds slower than the top mark set by Joana Haehlen of Switzerland.
“I really don’t have big expectations performance-wise but I think I have a chance to do a really nice fast run,” she said.



Mikaela Shiffrin back for women’s downhill

There have been some tight matches in the eighth session of the men’s curling, and some not so tight ones.
Canada got out to a four-point lead early against Italy and never looked in much danger of losing, running out 7-3 winners.
Things were much closer in the match between Sweden and ROC, with the Swedes only a point ahead during the eighth end. They eventually put some distance between themselves and their opponents, winning 7-5, their sixth victory in a row. The match between Switzerland and Great Britain also came down to the wire, with the scores tied 5-5 in the ninth end, before Britain won 6-5.
But it was the clash between Denmark and Norway that set pulses racing, with the pair level at 5-5 and needing an extra end to settle things. Denmark eventually got their noses in front 6-5, securing their first win of the Games. Defeat could harm Norway’s chances of making the semi-finals.


Curling wrap up

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it is “disappointed” at the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The decision was made following an intense six hour hearing on Sunday.
In a statement, CAS said it had decided Valieva, 15, should be allowed to compete due to "exceptional circumstances" including her status as a "protected person" under the World Anti-Doping Code because she is a minor.
Having initially appealed the case to CAS alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Skating Union (ISU), WADA reacted to the news Valieva would be able to continue competing in Beijing.
"While WADA has not received the reasoned award, it appears that the CAS panel decided not to apply the terms of the Code, which does not allow for specific exceptions to be made in relation to mandatory provisional suspensions for 'protected persons,' including minors.
"Concerning the analysis of the athlete's sample, WADA always expects Anti-Doping Organizations to liaise with the laboratories in order to ensure they expedite the analysis of samples so that the results are received prior to athletes traveling to or competing in a major event, such as the Olympic or Paralympic Games and, where applicable, conduct results management of the cases related to such athletes.
"According to information received by WADA, the sample in this case was not flagged by RUSADA as being a priority sample when it was received by the anti-doping laboratory in Stockholm, Sweden. This meant the laboratory did not know to fast-track the analysis of this sample.
"As previously announced, under the terms of the Code, when a minor is involved in an anti-doping case, there is a requirement to investigate that athlete’s support personnel. RUSADA has already indicated it has begun that process. In addition, WADA’s independent Intelligence and Investigations Department will look into it."
WADA statement following CAS decision not to reinstate skater’s provisional suspension
  ➡️ https://t.co/RyCLNSMwkE
  — WADA (@wada_ama) February 14, 2022


WADA ‘disappointed’ on Kamila Valieva decision

We are waiting, along with the “Fanyu” army for anything big to break from Yuzuru Hanyu’s press conference, which is now live.
The press conference announcement sparked a frenzy of retirement rumours, whispers over his future, and even – thanks to it being Valentine’s Day – a surprise engagement.
Stay tuned.


Yuzuru Hanyu is live

“Chinese friends have given me lots of support, their words make me feel touched and supported,” he says. “I feel blessed and took this feeling with me as I skated.”


Hanyu thanks Chinese fans

Despite missing the gold Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time Olympic champion, says he is happy with his performance.
“I was satisfied with my performance. I made a mistake at the beginning of my short programme, but I didn't fall and completed my action. These types of mistakes happen, I'm satisfied with my performance.”


Hanyu ‘satisfied’ with his performance

Hanyu said not landing a quadruple axel has been his biggest regret.
"Until now, my challenge for the quadruple axel is what kept me going. I wanted to tell the world I could land this.
“I have always been searching for my past self when practising the quadruple axel. To let everyone see my past self in my jumps now, from when I first started skating at nine. I hope someone could see my performance - a high enough jump, fast enough speed - and feel proud of me."



Quadruple axel remains out of reach

The 30 minute press conference did not come with any major announcements, yet Yuzuru Hanyu admitted there is no concrete plan for his career in the short term.
“I’m still thinking about how my skating career will move forward from now. I don’t have a concrete plan yet. I’m now in a messy state, but I will treasure the Yuzuru Hanyu you all cherish.
“I don’t know what my motivation will be going forward. Even though I fell, I can say that Yuzuru Hanyu’s 4A was high and beautiful, and I’m proud of it. Of course, I still want to land the quad Axel. At the same time, I want to perfect my program.”
Social media lit up as soon as word got out about the press conference, with users debating the chances of the former champion quitting or even perhaps the announcement of an engagement. Some suggested the timing of the news conference was aligned with the evening news cycle in Japan.
Asked about his Olympic future and whether he would compete again in four years, he was emotional.
“The honest answer is I don’t know. I came to the Olympic Games and I felt once again that the Olympics are so special. I have an injury, but still I managed to get back on my feet and take on this challenge.
“The Olympic Games are the only stage for a figure skater to be able to do something like that. I felt really happy. So of course, feeling wise, I would love to be able to skate at an Olympic Games once again.”



Hanyu doesn’t rule out a fourth Olympics

The ruling of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva continues to intrigue.
Despite being cleared to compete, Valieva won't feature in any medal ceremonies at Beijing 2022, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In a statement released late Monday, the IOC said the case “has not yet been concluded” and there was still more to unfold. It also sought to highlight that the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision was limited to the sole question of whether Valieva could be suspended from Olympic competition.
 "In the interest of fairness to all athletes and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) concerned, it would not be appropriate to hold the medal ceremony for the figure skating team event during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” the IOC statement said.
“Should Ms Valieva finish amongst the top three competitors in the Women’s Single Skating competition, no flower ceremony and no medal ceremony will take place during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.
Instead the IOC said it will organise "dignified medal ceremonies” once the case of Valieva has concluded.



No medal ceremony for Kamila Valieva

The first final of the women's aerials competition is expected to begin soon.
Only six athletes from the field of 12 will advance to final 2 - where the medals are won - so the stakes are high.
Reigning world champion Laura Peel from Australia qualified for final 1 with the top score of 104.54.
Keep an eye out for China’s Kong Fanyu and Xu Mengtao, the reigning world cup champion.
