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Mia Castagnone

So that it’s then, just like that the Winter Olympics is over for another four years, and what a journey it has been.
Beijing made history as being the first city to host both the summer and winter versions, China enjoyed its most successful Games ever, and in Eileen Gu and Su Yiming it had the faces of the Olympics.
And then there were the likes of Kamila Valieva and Zhu Yi, two figure skaters who will be remembered for vastly different reasons, but who are both part of the story of the 2022 Games.
Among the highs, and lows, and everywhere in between, here are our top 10 moments from Beijing.
Why has Eileen Gu’s ‘Chineseness’ sparked a raging debate on nationality?
Gu gets gold – twice
Eileen Gu was without doubt the biggest talking point of the Games. The 18-year-old took home a medal in all three of her events in freeski- two golds for big air and half-pipe and silver for slopestyle.
The Chinese-American skier went above and beyond at her Olympic debut. In her first gold in big air she managed an incredible double cork 1620 on her final run to earn 94.5 and one up her opponent Tess Ledeux from France.
In slopestyle she kept fans on the edge of their seats after two low scoring first runs which kept her out of the top three, but she delivered on her final run to rocket into silver position, only 0.33 points behind gold medal winner.
She broke the internet after trending on Weibo, resulting in the site momentarily crashing. There was hardly a day that went by with Gu being a hot topic in headlines, whether it was clapping back at criticisms over her nationality or breaking records on the ski slope.

Su Yiming not winning gold
China’s Su Yiming dazzled crowds during the men’s snowboard slopestyle. Easily delivering high scoring runs, which earned him the silver medal.
For the 17-year-old’s Olympic debut this was a massive achievement for himself and for China, who had never won a medal in this event.
But it was later revealed that gold medal holder Max Parrot had grabbed his knee during a trick – a huge error that should have denied him such a high score and ultimately robbed Su of first place.
Since no appeal was lodged at the time, nothing could be done to overturn the decision.
But Su took the controversy in good spirits saying to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that simply taking part in the Winter Games in his home country and standing on the podium was a “very special” and “very precious” moment.
Su brushed off the controversy to take home gold in snowboarding big air last Tuesday.
“I’m really, really happy,” Su said in an emotional interview soon after the competition. “Thank you, my parents, my coach, my motherland and everyone else for supporting me.”
The creative, cartoonish and sometimes awful mascots at the Olympics
Bing Dwen Dwen buying frenzy
One unlikely winner of the Beijing Games has been the panda mascot, Bing Dwen Dwen, who has been so popular the Olympic official souvenir has been running out of stock.
By the third day of the Olympics, the flagship store for official products on e-commerce website Tmall.com said the small statuette for Bing Dwen Dwen was temporarily unavailable, with more than 70,000 were sold since January.
Consumers queued outside stores in Beijing for their chance to get their hands on the cute and cuddly figurine.
One hardcore Olympic memento collector, Zhang Wenquan, said he had 70 to 80 plush Bing Dwen Dwen dolls. Zhang even got a haircut of the mascot on the back of his head.
Why South Korea is still riled by ‘injustice’ of short-track 1,000m race loss
South Korean tension
After receiving a controversial penalty, South Korean skater Hwang Dae-heon was disqualified in the semi-finals of the men’s 1,000m short-track speedskating.
The disqualification angered many South Korean fans who accused the Beijing 2022 judges of showing bias towards the Chinese athletes.
Even South Korean boy band BTS were thrown into the controversy after leader RM posted a video of the semi-final event, which sparked anger among Chinese audiences.
Several Chinese users left insults on RM’s Instagram page attacking his appearance, while others posted vulgar emojis, and left remarks asking the band to stay away from the Chinese market.
If tensions couldn’t escalate even further, major South Korean presidential candidates accused China of laying claim to their culture after a performer wore a traditional Korean dress known as a ‘hanbok’ during the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

High stakes and big wins on ice
China took one of its first gold medals of the games in the short-track speedskating mixed relay, finishing just 0.016 seconds ahead of Italy.
But the sport showed us that the athlete who crosses the line first doesn’t always win. Hungary’s Sandor Liu finished the 1,000m final in first but was disqualified after he received a penalty. China’s Ren Ziwei took home gold while teammate Li Wenlong took silver.
During the semi-finals of the men’s 5,000m relay, China advanced to the final despite not placing in the top two. After Canada received a penalty the team advanced to the final but failed to reach the podium.
Meanwhile, the women’s team took home bronze in the 3,000m relay. It felt as if there was hardly a moment in the short-track speedskating that didn’t keep us on the edge of our seats.

Passing of the torch
All eyes were on two-time gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan from the moment the figure skater arrived in Beijing to the day of competition.
Hanyu’s army of fans across the world were eagerly waiting for their “Ice Prince” to claim a third medal. This meant every moment Hanyu made an appearance, a flurry of fans took to social media to dote over their idol.
But it wasn’t meant to be for Hanyu who appeared clearly off his game during the men’s single skating programme. Hanyu stumbled during his free dance routine and finished fourth, still quite an achievement after his eighth place in the short programme.
Nathan Chen on the other hand delivered an incredible routine in which he landed all five quads to the soundtrack of Rocketman by Elton John, scoring 332.60 points – just three off his own world record.

Liu brothers win gold
Hungarian-Chinese brothers Shaolin Sandor Liu and Shaoang Liu arrived at their second Winter Olympics determined to make an impact, with their skating skills, celebrity looks and Chinese heritage. And they certainly fulfilled their goals.
Hungary won the bronze medal in the mixed-team relay and Shaoang, the younger of the two, took home gold in the men’s 500m sprint- where China’s Wu Dajing had been the hot favourite- and bronze in the 1,000m short track. This is the first time Hungary has won an individual gold medal in short-track speedskating.
There was nothing but support between the two teams throughout the games and if it wasn’t the brothers fluent Chinese skills or natural charms, it was the camaraderie they shared with the Chinese team and local media that won over fans.

Zhu Yi shaky Games
Californian-born Chinese figure skater Zhu Yi became a hot topic during the games after a costly team event fumble and further falls in the free skate event.
The sniffling 19-year-old was subjected to negative comments on social media, where she was labelled “a disgrace” and “dream-stealer”, with hashtags such as “Shame on Zhu Yi”and “Zhu Yi cried again”.
Her US background, lack of Mandarin skills and accusations she was handed China’s sole women’s singles Olympic spot because of her father’s high-profile career, led Zhu to become an easy target for the relentless online trolls.

Russia doping scandal
The Olympics wouldn’t be the Olympics without a Russian doping scandal, and this time it was 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for a banned substance in December, the result of which only came to light on February 8, after the ROC had taken a gold medal in the team event.
Initially suspended by the ROC, and then reinstated, Valieva faced a hearing in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to decide if she could continue to compete. In its ruling, CAS said barring the teenager from competition “would cause her irreparable harm in these circumstances”.
The ruling caused a flurry of heated debate on social media as fans of the sports said the decision was outrageous and condoned doping.
The 15-year-old still managed to pull through during the short programme to finish with the highest score, but two days later during the final she clearly wasn’t on her best game- she stumbled several times and skated off the rink in tears. This didn’t stop her receiving a high score but it wasn’t enough to reach the podium, she came in fourth.

Broken records
Breaking records is an integral part of the Winter Olympics, and some of the world’s top athletes were at it again this year, including Suzanne Schulting – world record holder, world champion and defending Olympic champion – who did it when she took gold in the women’s 1,000m short-track speedskating.
Schulting broke her own Olympic record in the semi-final with a time of 1:26.514.
Japan’s Ayumu Hirano made sporting history when he won the country’s first Olympic gold medal in snowboarding, claiming the men’s half-pipe title.
The Pyeongchang 2018 silver medallist delivered a final run worthy of the title, he landed two double cork 1260s and a frontside cork 1440 to finish with a massive score of 96 points.
And Ireen Wust the Dutch speed skater became the first Olympian in history to win an individual gold medal at five different Winter Olympics.
At the age of 35 she is the oldest Olympic champion and set an Olympic record in the women’s 1,500m speed skating event at Beijing 2022.


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Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Winter Olympics: the top 10 moments at the Beijing Games, from golden girl Eileen Gu to yet another Russian doping scandal

Eileen Gu competes during the Women’s Freestyle Freeski Halfpipe final. Photo: dpa

Eileen Gu with her gold medal for winning the women’s freeski half-pipe. Photo: Reuters

Su Yiming celebrates his run during the men’s snowboard big air final. Photo: Xinhua

Ren Ziwei celebrates after winning the men’s short-track speedskating 1,000m final. Photo: AP

Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu practices in Beijing ahead of Sunday’s exhibition gala. Photo: Kyodo

Liu brothers Shaoang (left) and Shaolin Sandor are welcomed home in Budapest after their return from Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

Zhu Yi finally leaves the ice with a smile after women single skating short programme. Photo: Xinhua

Kamila Valieva, of the Russian Olympic Committee, is consoled after competing in the women’s free skate programme. Photo: AP

Suzanne Schulting set a new Olympic record on the way to claiming gold in the women’s 1,000m short-track speedskating event. Photo: Reuters

Winter Olympics: why has Eileen Gu’s ‘Chineseness’ sparked a raging debate on nationality and allegiance to China and US?

Eileen Gu shows off the half-pipe gold medal she won for China at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Eileen Gu’s mother is from China, which makes her eligible for Chinese nationality. Photo: Reuters

Eileen Gu, proud of her ‘Chineseness’, eats dumplings in a Beijing restaurant before the start of the Winter Olympics. Photo: Weibo

California-born figure skater Zhu Yi was attacked by Chinese fans online after she stumbled during her performance. Photo: AP

Conservative outlet The Federalist holds Nathan Chen up as a model on how to love the US. Photo: Tribune News Service

Winter Olympics: magical China pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong ‘skate out of a dream’ to give hosts ninth gold medal

China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong go through their brilliant routine on their way to gold in the figure skating pairs event. Photo: EPA-EFE

Sui Wenjing (left) and Han Cong with the national flag after their triumph. Photo: Xinhua

The China entourage celebrate victory for Sui Wenjing and Han Cong. Photo: EPA-EFE

Russia’s Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov put on a spectacular routine in the pairs figure skating. Photo: EPA-EFE

Sweden’s Niklas Edin celebrates winning the curling gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

New Zealand’s Nico Porteous with his gold medal. Photo: Xinhua

As Winter Olympics end, will China’s hosting win medals for diplomacy?

Covid-19 has been a dominant theme during Beijing’s Winter Games. Photo: dpa

Sport

China

Beijing Winter Games 2022

Explainers


Nearly 3,000 athletes representing 91 country’s and places from around the world descended on Beijing this month
From unearthing new heroes, to veterans athletes performing record-breaking feats, here are our top 10 moments of the 2022 Games



Nearly 3,000 athletes representing 91 country’s and places from around the world descended on Beijing this month, and from unearthing new heroes, to veterans athletes performing record-breaking feats, here are our top 10 moments of the 2022 Games.


Eileen Gu