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SCMP Sport

The 2022 Winter Olympics have already been China’s most successful and things got better still on day 12.
Eight gold medals were up for grabs on Wednesday, and the host nation fancied its chances of success in three of those events – the men’s aerials, and the men’s and women’s short-track speedskating.
Veteran skier Qi Guangpu got the evening off to the perfect start, adding men's freestyle skiing aerials gold to his silver from the mixed team event, and extending China's record Winter Olympics medal haul.
In the speedskating, the men’s team had high hopes for medalling in the 5,000m relay, having won silver at the 2018 Games.
But Sun Long's dramatic late crash ended the hosts' chances, while Han Yutong finished last in the women's 1,500m final, which was won by defending champion, and Olympic and world record holder Choi Min-jeong of South Korea.
Reporting by Josh Ball, Matt Eaton, Mia Castagnone, Jack Lau and Nicolas Atkin


Winter Olympics: Qi Guangpu wins freestyle skiing aerials gold; China's speedskating hopes go up in smoke – day 12, as it happened

China’s Qi Guangpu holds his national flag after winning the freestyle skiing men’s aerials final. Photo: AFP


Sport

China

Beijing Winter Games 2022

Explainers


China extends its record Winter Olympics medal haul with a gold medal for Qi Guangpu in the men's aerials final on Wednesday evening
But there was no luck on the ice, with Sun Long's dramatic crash halting home hopes in 5,000m relay final, and Han Yutong last in women's 1,500m final



China extends record medal haul with gold in men's freestyle skiing aerials. But there was no luck on the ice, with Sun Long's dramatic crash halting home hopes in 5,000m relay final, and Han Yutong last in women's 1,500m final.


Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Live

Welcome back to our live Beijing Winter Olympics coverage.
After China took home a stunning gold and silver in yesterday’s competition, will the host nation be able to maintain that momentum heading into day 12?
There are a string of medals up for grabs, including the women’s 1,500m short-track speed skating and men’s 5,000m short-track speed skating relay later tonight.
First up this morning we have the alpine skiing slalom, featuring none other than Hong Kong’s Adrian Yung.
Let’s hope he can shake off the nerves from his debut last weekend.
Enjoy the day and let us know what you’ll be watching in the comment section.


Welcome to day 12

If you’re just tuning in and want to catch up on all the action from day 11 - there’s a lot to absorb.
Su Yiming won gold in the men’s snowboard big air to give China its best-ever medal haul at a Winter Olympic Games. It was also send the 17-year-old’s profile in the stratosphere. This kid is unstoppable. A genuine inspiration.
Eileen Gu took silver in a tense freeski slopestyle final that is well worth a revisit.
Last night Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva shrugged off a doping controversy to finish top of figure skating short programme. It was an electric moment, but one that will continue to haunt an otherwise stellar Beijing Olympics. Read the full story here. 
You can find all of yesterday’s live coverage here.
For a longer read about the lasting effects of the Beijing Games, SCMP’s Josh Ball and Nazvi Careem look at how Su Yiming and Eileen Gu are changing face of sport in China.



A recap of day 11

Hong Kong’s Adrian Yung returns for the men’s slalom event, which starts at 10.15am. Yung crashed out early in the giant slalom on Sunday under heavy snow and finished with a DNF.
Yung vowed to ski better in this event, where Switzerland’s Ramon Zenhaeusern is looking to best his slalom silver from Pyeongchang four years ago, as is Austria’s Michael Matt for his bronze.
Keep an eye out for China’s Xu Mingfu and Zhang Yangming. Xu finished 33rd in the giant slalom on Sunday, while Zhang finished 36th.


Yung wants to improve on Sunday’s tough debut

Day 12 and we start with curling... which never really seems to stop. Jokes aside, we are now into the business end of curling, with semi-finals to start on Friday.
We’re in the fifth end in the women’s round robin matches this morning, where Canada lead USA 4-1, South Korea and Switzerland are tied at one apiece, and Team GB have an edge over China 2-1.
Each team has two matches today and the last session is tomorrow, with semi-finals on Friday.
As it stands, Switzerland are top with six wins of seven, followed by Sweden with five. China’s women’s have just two wins to their name and will need to win at least two sessions to stand a chance of making the last four.



Morning curling matches

Switzerland’s Ramon Zenhaeusern has finished his first run in the men’s slalom for the last individual men’s medal in Alpine skiing, finishing in 54.72 seconds.
Norway’s Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, the 2021 slalom world champion, went second and topped Zenhaeusern by 0.74 seconds. It remains to be seen how those times stack up in this the course in Zhangjiakou, called Ice River, with a vertical drop of 211 metres.


Foss-Solevaag lays down early marker

When Hungary won gold in the men's short track relay in PyeongChang, the country went mad.
It was Hungary's first winter gold medal ever and first medal of any colour since Lake Placid 1980.
That team included two athletes of Chinese descent – brothers Shaolin and Shaoang Liu.
Both are expected to once again be part of the Hungarian team in tonight's final (20:32).
While they would normally be able to expect significant support due to their heritage, it may be lessened by the fact that China's men's relay team is equally strong, and won silver behind the Hungarians four years ago.
A tantalising rematch is on the cards. 
Check out Mia Castagnone's profile on the Liu brothers here.


A tantalising rematch

It’s still early, but so far Norway is looking solid in the men’s slalom. 
Henrik Kristoffersen finished his run in 53.94 seconds and ranked first. Kristoffersen won a bronze in the event in Pyeongchang to become the youngest male alpine skiing medallist in history. 
Teammate Sebastian Foss-Solevaag has been bumped down to second place, but he’s only 0.04 seconds behind.
The two are followed by Switzerland’s Loic Meillard who finished the course in 54.22 seconds and Germany’s Linus Strasser in 54.25.



Norway takes early lead in men’s slalom

After the second runs in the men's freeski slopestyle final, there is no change to the leader – American Alexander Hall still leads with his first-run score of 90.01.
However, we do have a new second-placed skier. Hall's teammate Nicholas Goepper smashed his second run for an 86.48 to take a provisional podium spot.



Hall leading men’s slopestyle

We're into the business end in both ice hockey tournaments, with the women's bronze-medal match also occurring today.
But the top four teams from the men's preliminary round are finally back in action with the four winners from the playoff qualification round as the hunt for gold reaches the last eight.
After Canada required a qualifying play-off to make this round, can they bounce back with a huge win over Sweden to make the semis?
We will have four extremely competitive quarter-finals.



Ice hockey - men’s playoffs hit top gear

Austria’s Johannes Strolz found himself at the top of the table after nearly losing his balance in one of those tight turns.
But he kept his momentum and rhythm to finish the course in 53.92 seconds, 0.02 seconds faster than Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, who was ranked first before Strolz came into the picture. 
Strolz also won gold in Alpine combined in Beijing.



Strolz finds form

We are in the 8th end of curling, with 10 ends in total. It’s a close match between China and Great Britain, but have have the edge at 4-3.
Canada is in front against USA 6-3. And the pressure is on between Switzerland and South Korea who are currently 4-4.



Close calls for curlers

A tough day at the office in the men’s slalom. Some 18 out of 48 skiers who have already had their runs, failed to finish.
We just had five straight DNFs. It’s par for the course in this very challenging event.
Fun fact, nearly 60 per cent of competitors DNF in 2018.
Johannes Strolz continues to hold the lead.



Men’s slalom field narrows

Quite contrary to the adulation that Eileen Gu has received for embracing China, teenage figure skater Zhu Yi faced harsh online criticism in China after she fell during the women's short program in the team event early in the Olympics.
“It’s all about the journey,” the 19-year-old California-born figure skater wrote on Instagram in both English and Chinese.
“I persevered through years of adversity, and came out a stronger person. Last night was my final skate on Olympic ice and I took in every moment of it. I am an Olympian - no one can take that away from me.”
  
  
 
  
 
 


 


  
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A post shared by 朱易✿ (@beverly.zhu)




Zhu Yi reflects on Olympic rollercoaster

It’s another DNF for Hong Kong’s Adrian Yung Hau-tsuen in men’s slalom.
He just missed one of the gates just before he had to change his rhythm as the gates got farther in between. This is the 17-year-old’s first Olympics.


Adrian Yung out of men’s slalom

China’s women’s curling team took a big win over Great Britain in this morning’s round robin match, 8-4.
The women won 3 points on the 9th end, giving them a comfortable lead before earning another point in the 10th.
Meanwhile, Canada defeated the USA 7-6, while Switzerland beat South Korea 8-4.


Big win for China’s curling team

“I had to fight hard,” Adrian Yung Hau-tsuen told Hong Kong broadcaster TVB after his slalom race.
“But after trying to fight hard, I couldn’t continue. I failed, so I was a bit devastated. I really wanted to finish and celebrate, but today ended with another DNF.”
He said he did not ski smoothly and the timing was late for many of the gates.
“I had to recover many times. I couldn’t continue,” he said.
“I had DNF many times this season. My confidence has dropped. I need to finish more competitions and build up my confidence.
“I learned many brutal lessons. Next time, I hope I can be stronger mentally,” he said.
“I thank my supporters. This season has been long. I’ll try my best in the Asian championships and hopefully come back with better results.”



Beijing Olympics ‘a brutal lesson’ says Yung

It’s been a rough start to the men’s slalom with China’s Xu Mingfu and teammate Zhang Yangming both unable to finish the course. Xu is out after he missed a gate. Zhang lost momentum after a quick series of gates and lost balance.
And that’s it for the first run in men’s slalom.
No one has managed to challenge the leaders, including Austria’s Johannes Strolz who maintains a solid grip on the lead, followed by Norwegians Henrik Kristoffersen and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag. Today’s skiers have two runs, unless they did not finish. The times of those runs will be added together to calculate the final ranking.
The ones ranking in the top three will go home with a medal. Run 2 is scheduled for 1.45pm.



More tough starts in men’s slalom

It's been a scrappy game so far but underdogs Slovakia have just taken the lead through their 17-year-old talisman Juraj Slafkovsky.
There's some good play behind the US net from the Slovaks to keep control of the puck; it finds its way to Peter Ceresnak who tees up Slafkovsky.
The teenager has all the time in the world to pick his spot past Strauss Mann in the American goal. USA 0–1 Slovakia.



Ice hockey - Slovakia take early lead over US

With just 45.7 seconds left on the clock in the first period and the US has tied this game up at 1–1. Great play from the Americans.
That's 1–1 against underdogs Slovakia at the first intermission.



US ties it up as first-period ends

Alex Hall has been speaking to Olympics.com after winning gold in the freeski slopestyle.
"I'm really glad the creativity was able to shine through and then that got rewarded," he said. "A lot of those tricks were really, really hard for me, especially that last one. I've done that a couple of months, so I'm glad.
"I wasn't really sure if I was going to land. I've done a couple of those tricks in practice, but definitely I've done the whole run before, so I [was] kind of just going for it. We had three runs; I figured I'll just give it my all [and] go all in way. And it somehow worked out on that first run."
Fellow American Nick Goepper took silver, while Sweden’s Jesper Tjader claimed bronze.



Hall glad creativity ‘was rewarded’

Mikaela Shiffrin topped the final downhill training run ahead of Thursday's Olympic Alpine combined when she will bid for an elusive first individual medal of the Beijing Games.
The American clocked 1min 33.56sec down the "Rock" course, with just 14 racers taking to the track to have one last crack at honing their tactics on the piste.
After failing to finish in her favoured events of the slalom and giant slalom, the 26-year-old Shiffrin regained some pride with ninth place in the super-G and 18th in the downhill.
She will go into the combined, which incorporates a downhill and slalom, as hot favourite.



Shiffrin tops downhill training run

The US have taken the lead against Slovakia in the men’s ice hockey.
It took nearly nine minutes of the second period in this very hard-fought game, but Sam Hentges found the net off assists from Nick Perbix and Nathan Smith to put the Americans ahead. A long way to go yet.
First #WinterOlympics goal for Sam Hentges to give the U.S. a 2-1 lead!#TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/fIusApFxqk
  — USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 16, 2022


US in front against Slovakia

Switzerland became the first team to secure a place in the women's curling semi-finals at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday, while Canada continued their playoff push with a crucial win over the United States.
World champions Switzerland saw off South Korea's 'Garlic Girls' 8-4 to seal a spot in the last four ahead of their final round-robin game against Japan. The Swiss top the standings with a record of seven wins and one defeat.
Jennifer Jones led Canada to a scrappy 7-6 victory over Tabitha Peterson and the United States for a third straight win. Canada are level with Japan with a 4-3 record behind second-placed Sweden.
Jones said she liked playing under pressure.
"If it was a guarantee then it wouldn't be as much fun," she said. "When the adrenaline is going, when the game is on the line, that's when I love it the most and it seems like everything gets more clear for me.
"For me, curling has never been about standing on top of the podium, as much as standing on top of the podium is an amazing thing. Reuters



Switzerland seal spot in women’s semi-finals

Meanwhile the men’s curling round robin session 11 is about to begin.
China is up against Switzerland, while Great Britain face ROC and Italy is up against Denmark.
This is the second last session before the men’s semi-final which takes place on Thursday.
So far China’s men’s team have won three out of eight sessions and will need to win this game for a chance to advance.



Crunch time in men’s curling

The International Olympic Committee has responded to questions from American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson, who missed the Tokyo Olympics due to a one-month ban.
Richardson, banned last year for a month for testing positive for cannabis, took to Twitter to question a decision to allow Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva to continue competing at the Winter Olympics amid an ongoing doping case.
"Every single case is very different,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said. “She (Richardson) tested positive on June 19 (2021), quite a way ahead of the Tokyo Games.
"Her results came in early order for USADA to deal with the case on time, before the Games. Ms Richardson accepted a one month period of ineligibility which began on June 28. I would suggest that there isn't a great deal of similarity between the two cases," he said.
Richardson was expected to be one of the biggest draws in Tokyo after winning the 100 metres at the US trials.
She later said her action to consume cannabis was the result of mourning the death of her mother.
"Can we get a solid answer on the difference of (Valieva's) situation and mines?" Richardson wrote on Twitter on Monday.
"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."
"Failed in December and the world just now know however my result was posted within a week and my name & talent was slaughtered to the people," Richardson said in another tweet. Reuters



IOC responds to Sha’Carri Richardson

We are in the fifth end of the men’s curling round robin session and Switzerland is one up on China 3-1.
Great Britain is currently leading against ROC 5-1, while Italy lead Denmark neck 4-2.


China hold edge over Swiss in men’s curling

The results of the women’s figure skating event will be provisional should Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva win a medal, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said, as a report emerged that the Russian’s doping sample had three different substances used to treat heart conditions.
Valieva, 15, tested positive for the banned heart medicine trimetazidine in a sample taken at the Russian championships on December 25. 
Read the full story here.


3 samples in Valieva blood sample

And they’re off.
The skiers have now set-off for the women’s team sprint classic semi-finals, where the fastest four teams in each semi-final will progress to the final, with the next two fastest teams progressing as lucky losers.
China is represented in this event by Chi Chunxue and Li Xin.



Women’s team sprint classic begin

That’s it for the first semi-final of the women’s team sprint classic, as Germany, the United States, Austria, and Switzerland instantly qualify for the final after coming in among the top four teams.
China has come in fifth, which means they will have to be among the next two fastest teams to earn a spot in the final.



China fall behind in women’s team sprint

The women’s 4×6km biathlon relay has begun at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre under clear skies, but with very cold weather. There’s tones of snow. It looks freezing out there. 
France, Sweden and ROC currently lead the field, but it is still early in the race.
There's some clean shooting going on with all of the top six contenders, including China, hitting all of five of their first set of targets.
In each of the eight shooting rounds, athletes must hit five targets, or ski the 150m penalty loop once for every target they miss, which can be costly.
Otherwise, this should be fast and fun.


Women’s 4×6km biathlon begins

Quite a few missed shots the women’s 4×6km biathlon relay. 
Sweden’s Linn Persson missed one of her shots, but came out of the second shooting stop the fastest.
Italy’s Lisa Vittozzi also missed a shot, but that did not impact the team’s place in the leading group.
Sweden still lead, with Germany closing in fast.



Linn Persson shoots to the lead

Clement Noel scorched the 'Ice River' course in a stunning second run to win the men's slalom event at the Winter Olympics on Wednesday - France's first Alpine skiing gold in Beijing.
The 24-year-old, who finished fourth in slalom and the mixed team event four years ago in Pyeongchang, was sixth fastest in the first run, but stormed down in a blistering 49.79 seconds in his second to take the title.
"That was one of the most important races in my career," Noel said.
"It's not often that you are able to win a medal in the Olympic Games. It's one shot - one minute and 40 seconds every four years.
"I knew that I was in shape. My races in January were not good but training here was really good, I was fast. This is the best I can do. I have no words to describe it.
"Olympic champion ... wooh!"
Austrian Johannes Strolz won silver to go with his gold in the combined, finishing 0.61 seconds behind Noel, while reigning world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag of Norway took bronze. Reuters



Noel conquers ‘Ice River’ to win slalom gold

France are in trouble in the third shooting range at the women’s 4×6km biathlon relay.
Anais Chevalier-Bouchet needs to go through the penalty loop because of missed shots.
It’s disastrous for the French, who have been one of the leading teams for some time. France are now ranked tenth. 
ROC have now taken a convincing lead.
Switzerland’s Irene Cadurisch is being stretchered off the course before finishing the first leg. Little is known yet about her injury, but the weather and altitude are likely playing havoc. Switzerland have been given a DNF.
ROC are the first team to start their third leg in the women’s, followed by Italy and Sweden. The ROC team won three medals in the 2021 World Cup.
Sweden were the silver medal team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games, while Italy were in sixth place. China are ranked 10th, behind Norway and France.
More clean shots from leader ROC, this time from Svetlana Mironova in the fifth shooting stop. First in, first out.



ROC snatch lead from troubled France

A disastrous run for ROC in the women’s 4×6km biathlon relay. Svetlana Mironova will have to spend time in the penalty loop for missing a target. 
Sweden see the gap and take it.
Hanna Oeberg of Sweden raced passed Italy’s Samuela Comola, despite the Italian leaving shooting stop six first.
Sweden hold a slight seven second lead at the start of the fourth and last leg.


Another lead change in women’s biathlon

Meanwhile, the first semi-final of the men’s cross-country team sprint classic has finished, with Norway, France, Finland and Canada all advancing to the finals.
As the second semi-final gets started, China will be hoping to either finish in the top four or with a time that will get them into a lucky loser position.
The fastest four teams in each semi-final will qualify instantly for the final, with the fastest two teams among the remaining competitors advancing as well.



China look for strong cross-country finish

And it’s a Swedish victory at the women’s 4×6km biathlon relay. Amazing stuff from the Oeberg sisters.
Hanna on the third leg secured Sweden’s leading position and Elvira on the last leg made sure the hard-won lead was safe with sharp shooting.
ROC never recovered from the penalty loop. Uliana Nigmatullina tried hard to catch the Swedes, but to no avail; the gap was just too big. Still, they finished with a silver medal.
Third is Germany. France, one of the top seeds, lost their early lead after too many misses at the shooting stops. They finished sixth.



Sweden win women’s biathlon relay gold

That's a wrap for the second semi-final in the men's team sprint classic, where it was a photo finish.
Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria have instantly qualified to the finals, with Russia and the United States closely behind to take the remaining two spots.
China was unable to qualify.
The final will also see athletes from Norway, France, Finland and Canada, who qualified in the first semi-finals.


No joy for China in cross-country teams

China’s men’s curling team have won against Switzerland in a gripping round robin session.
China was down one point in the ninth end, but managed to gain two points on the last end to win 6-5.
Great Britain won against ROC 8-6, and Italy defeated Denmark 10-3.



A win for China in men’s curling

We're into the final relay now in the women's team sprint Classic final.
It's top qualifiers Germany who lead at the final handover, ahead of Finland and defending champions USA.
Really close though – those three, ROC, and Sweden are all within four seconds of each other at the final handover.
It looks like a group of four who've pulled clear for the finish – Jessie Diggins has dropped back.
Sweden lead from ROC and Germany now in a pack of three in the final straight and it's gold for Germany by 0.2 seconds from Sweden, who win silver, and ROC are 0.7 behind the Germans for bronze.



Germany take cross-country gold

With no time to waste, the men’s team sprint classic final is now under way in the cross-country skiing.
If the semi-finals are anything to go by, this will be another exciting contest with several powerhouse nations in the mix for medals.



Men’s team sprint classic final under way

Norway takes gold in the men’s team sprint classic.
The Norwegians win by a solid margin, with Finland securing silver, and Russia taking Bronze. 
Back-to-back Olympic golds for the defending champions.



Gold for Norway

Finland is leading Switzerland 4-1 in the third period of their men’s ice hockey quarter-final.
The Swiss will have to make a swift comeback to salvage anything here, as the game approaches full time.



Finland cruising

Two legal substances used to improve heart function are listed on an anti-doping control form filled out for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva before her drug case at the Olympics erupted, according to documents submitted in her case.
The World Anti-Doping Agency filed a brief in the Valieva case stating that the mention on the form of L-carnitine and Hypoxen, though both legal, undercuts the argument that a banned substance, trimetazidine, might have entered the skater's system accidentally.
Hypoxen, a drug designed to increase oxygen flow to the heart, was a substance the US Anti-Doping Agency recently tried, without success, to get placed on the banned list. L-carnitine, another oxygen-boosting performance enhancer, is banned if injected above certain thresholds. The supplement was the focal point of the doping case involving track coach Alberto Salazar.
Combining those with 2.1 nanograms of trimetazidine, the drug found in Valieva's system after a December 25 test, is “an indication that something more serious is going on,” USADA CEO Travis Tygart said.
“You use all of that to increase performance,” he said. “It totally undermines the credibility” of Valieva's defense. Associated Press



Valieva listed two legal oxygen boosters

The men’s freestyle skiing aerials finals are set to take place at 7.00pm, and will certainly be one to watch.
The Chinese team has a very strong chance of medalling. They took home silver in the inaugural mixed team aerials, while veteran skier Xu Mengtao soared to gold in the women’s aerials event.
China will be represented by Qi Guangpu and Jia Zongyang, who were part of the silver-winning mixed team aerials squad. Both will be hoping to make it through to the second final at 8.00pm.
They will need to be among the top six athletes to advance, with the best score from two efforts to be counted.


China goes for more medals

Belarus’ Stanislau Hladchenka finishes his first jump with an impressive 115.93, officially kicking off the finals for the men’s aerials.
China’s Qi Guangpu and Jia Zongyang will jump last after coming in first and second in the qualifiers.



Hladchenka hits the mark

It’s heating up in the men’s aerials finals.
Only seven jumps in, the top of the leader board has switched around several times already.
Top spot is currently held by Switzerland’s Pirmin Werner, who scored a stunning 126.24. 
China has a very tough fight ahead of them.



Tough fight for China

Finland beats Switzerland 5-1 and will advance to the semi-finals if the men’s ice hockey.



Finland through to ice hockey semis

China’s Qi Guangpu finishes his jump with a stunning score of 125.22, pushing him into third place as we finish the first round of jumps.
His teammate Jia Zongyan was one jump before him, and scored 123.45, putting him fourth among the 12 skiers.
This is a tough battle for China, with multiple athletes in contention for the top six positions needed to advance to the super final.
The top score to beat is 126.24, held by Switzerland’s Pirmin Werner.



China in the aerials mix

We’re in for an exiting evening of short-track speedskating, with back-to-back events under way.
First up is the women’s 1,500 metres quarter-finals, and later comes the men’s 5,000m relay.
We’re starting with China’s Zhang Yuting. Joining her in the first quarter-final will be defending champion Choi Min-Jeong.
The three best athletes in each quarter-final and the three fastest fourth-placed athletes will advance to the semi-finals.


Over to the speedskating

South Korea’s Kim A Lang has qualified for the semi-finals, along with Italian skater Arianna Fontana and American Corinne Stoddard.
Julie Letai of the US also progresses after being knocked over by Germany’s Anna Seidel.
Drama in the first quarter-final, though, with the results still yet to be confirmed, and no explanation from competition officials.



Quarter-final drama

The leader board has moved around again as we hit the second round of jumps in the men’s aerials finals.
China’s Jia Zongyang has been pushed out of the top six, after some stellar jumps from some of his rivals.
Teammate Qi Guangpu is still in the running, currently ranked fourth. Jia will need to do much better to stand a chance to compete in super final.



Aerials update

Qi Guangpu finishes his second jump with a score of 114.48.
He is still going through to the finals with his first score of 125.22.
China’s Jia Zongyang will not be heading to the finals after a score of 88.69 in his second jump, which was not enough to bring him inside the top six needed to advance to the final


Jia eliminated, Qi through

Canada’s Courtney Sarault finishes in first place in quarter-final 4, with an impressive time of 2:20.36.
She is followed by ROC’s Anna Vostrikova in second place, and China’s Han Yutong in third.
All three qualify for the semifinals. Quarter-final five is under way.



China’s Han qualifies

Results are in for the first women’s 1,500m quarter-final.
South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong, Hungary’s Petra Jaszapati, and China’s Zhang Yuting qualify for the semi-finals



China’s Zhang Yuting qualifies

Japan has two athletes in the fifth quarter-final – 31-year-old Yuki Kikuchi and 22-year-old Shione Kaminaga – but neither qualifies.
In first place is Canada’s Kim Boutin, ahead of South Korea’s Yubin Lee and Italy’s Cynthia Mascitto.
Quarter-final six is uncer way, with 18-year-old bronze medalist Zhang Chutong from China competing.



Boutin qualifies

Back to the aerials finals, and China’s Qi Guangpu puts down an impressive score of 129.00, placing himself at the top of the leader board.
That will give him a solid chance of taking home the gold medal tonight.
He is already ahead of defending champion Oleksandr Abramenko, who scored 116.50.



Qi in prime position

That’s it for the women’s 1,500m short-track quarter-finals.
China’s Zhang Yuting, Han Yutong and Zhang Chutong are through to tonight’s semi-finals, which start soon.
Things look good for Canada too, with Kim Boutin and Courtney Sarault going through.
South Korea will be represented by Choi Min-jeong and Kim A Lang.
Boutin deserves a special shout out, posting the fastest time of 2:17.739.


Short-track 1,500m semis set

That’s it – China’s Qi Guangpu has done it.
The Beijing 2022 mixed team silver medallist takes the gold in the men’s freestyle skiing aerials final.
He beats out defending champion Oleksandr Abramenko from Ukraine, who takes silver, and Russian Ilia Burov, who wins bronze.
Qi’s win extends China’s record Winter Olympics medal haul.



China’s Qi wins aerials gold

The women’s 1,500m short-track semi-finals have started.
The two best athletes in each of the three races will qualify to final A, in addition to the fastest third-placed athlete.
The next seven athletes qualify to final B.
In the first race, South Korea’s Lee Yubin and Italian Arianna Fontana qualify.


Short-track semis under way

In the second race, Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands and Belgium’s Hanne Desmet qualify for final A.
Team USA’s Kristen Santos and Japan’s Sumire Kikuchi advance to final B.
One more race to go.



Schulting safely through

Qi Guangpu steps onto the podium to thunderous cheers from the home crowd.
China has been incredibly successful in the aerials events at these Games, with skier Xu Mengtao winning gold in the women’s aerials, and the Chinese team taking home silver in the inaugural mixed team aerials.



Cheers for China’s Qi

That’s it for the women’s short-track 1,500m semi-finals.
Applause for South Korean Choi Min-jeong. The 23-year-old sets an Olympic record with an impressive time of 2:16.83.
Also qualifying for final A from the last race are China’s bronze medalist Han Yutong, and the Netherlands’ Xandra Velzeboer.
Canada’s Courtney Sarault goes into final B.



Olympic record for Choi

Users on Chinese social media platform Weibo are overjoyed with the news of veteran skier Qi Guangpu’s victory.
The topic “Qi Guangpu gold medal” is now the most searched on the Twitter-like platform.
One user writes: “Tonight has been brilliant, they are challenging tricks that are a difficulty level of five! Congratulations to Qi Guangpu for achieving his dream in Beijing! Congratulations to Jia Zongyang as well.”
The comment drew over 20,000 likes.


Weibo salutes Qi Guangpu

The men’s 5,000m short-track final A is under way.
China is bringing its big guns with Wu Danjing, Ren Ziwei, Li Wenlong and Sun Long.
They face heavy competition from South Korea, Russia, Canada, and Italy
