Olympics

Chloe Kim will be defending her halfpipe gold medal from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games in the women's Halfpipe final on Wednesday. Her United States teammates Maddie Mastro, Tessa Maud and Zoe Kalapos won't be joining her. 

Kim finished with the top overall score in Tuesday's Halfpipe qualifying at the Beijing Olympics, an impressive 87.75 that was four points higher second-place qualifier Mitsuki Ono of Japan. 

Kim did fall on her second run, but it didn't matter—her first score was plenty to earn her the top spot in the final.

"I was really nervous my first run because we're at the Olympics, but I'm so happy I put one down," she said on the NBC broadcast. "I just wanted to mess around on my second run, try something I've never really done before, so I'm surprised I made it that far, but yeah, I'm stoked."

But while Kim looks primed to earn her second straight gold in the event, Mastro just missed the cut with a score of 65.75, finishing 13th. Only the top 12 finishers qualified for the final. 

And Maud (53.50) and Kalapos (51.75) finished 16th and 17th, respectively. 

The final standings after two qualifying runs stood as follows:

1. Kim, United States: 87.75
2. Ono, Japan: 83.75
3. Xuetong Cai, China: 83.25
   
4. Queralt Castellet, Spain: 78.75
   
5. Sena Tomita, Japan: 75.75
6. Ruki Tomita, Japan: 74.25
7. Jiayu Liu, China: 72.25
   
8. Berenice Wicki, Switzerland: 71.50
   
9. Elizabeth Hosking, Canada: 70.50
10. Brooke Dhondt, Canada: 70.00
11. Leilani Ettel, Germany: 68.75
    
12. Leng Qiu, China: 66.25

Liu's seventh-place finish was something of a surprise, as she won the silver medal in 2018. And Mastro's failure to qualify for the final was a major shocker:

"I was not really stoked on that," Mastro said after finishing her second run. "I did my first three hits, and they went well, and then, yeah, the rest of the run did not. I don't know what happened, it just didn't happen and—yeah, not so stoked on how that happened, but that's OK, on to the next."

It has been a shocking 2022 Beijing Olympics for Mikaela Shiffrin.

Shiffrin missed a gate and skied out in the opening seconds of Tuesday's women's slalom competition in her second event of the Games. She did the same in the first run of Sunday's giant slalom and never had the opportunity to race for gold.

Nick Zaccardi of NBC Sports noted the American star did not finish in back-to-back races at the senior level for the first time since she was 16 years old in 2011.

To say Shiffrin was despondent would be quite the understatement.

After all, she sat on the snow on the side of the course in complete disbelief well after she missed the gate and even after more of the competitors took to the course. It was an emotional scene that overshadowed the actual race as some of the other skiers who didn't seem to have a realistic chance to win gold suddenly had an Olympic opportunity with the favorite sidelined.

That she missed a chance to bounce back from Sunday's disappointment made it all the more poignant.

"I won't ever get over this,” Shiffrin told reporters after Sunday's giant slalom. "I've never gotten over any. I still remember how much it hurt to lose it four years ago in Kronplatz. I fell before the last Olympics and I remember thinking that was so heartbreaking. It wasn't even at the Olympics."

If there is any silver lining, it is the fact that she will still have opportunities to win medals at these Games if she participates in the women's super-G, women's downhill and women's combined events.

Still, Shiffrin missed two golden opportunities to add to a resume that includes three Olympic medals, 11 world championship medals, three World Cup titles and 73 race victories. The Associated Press noted she could have become the first American alpine skier to win three Olympics golds if she won either of the races.

Perhaps she will still make history in the later competitions, but her Games are not off to a promising start.          

Olympic history is filled with examples of athletes trying to get an edge, but few could have predicted so much controversy at the 2022 Winter Olympics because of baggy clothing.

Five athletes were disqualified for the ski jumping mixed team competition in Beijing because of loose-fitting clothing, per Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports.

Not using the correct apparel could give competitors a significant advantage in ski jumping, especially if it catches the wind. Someone using a wingsuit would probably set world records if allowed.

The latest disqualifications were still unprecedented at this level, especially after the same outfits were already cleared a day earlier.

"The FIS [International Ski Federation] destroyed everything with this operation," German athlete Katharina Althaus said, per AFP. "I think they have destroyed women's ski jumping. I don't know what they're trying to do."

All five of the disqualified competitors were women, including Althaus. Germany, the reigning four-time world champions in this event, did not advance to the final round in part because of the disqualification.

Japan, Norway and Austria also had athletes disqualified during the competition. 

"I have been checked so many times in 11 years of ski jumping, and I have never been disqualified once; I know my suit was compliant," added Althaus.

This is her third Olympic Games and was looking to add to the silver medal won in Beijing in the women's normal hill event. She was seeking her first gold medal in the team competition, which was added to the schedule for the first time in 2022.

Slovenia earned the inaugural gold medal in the team event, with the Russian Olympic Committee earning silver and Canada getting bronze.

As Chole Kim prepares to make her first appearance at the 2022 Olympics on Tuesday night U.S. time, the American snowboarder said she almost didn't compete in the Beijing Games. 

Speaking to NBC's Today (starts at 1:50 mark), Kim described "really bad anxiety" from the fame and attention that came after her gold-medal win in Pyeongchang four years ago. 

"My first one was really overwhelming," she said. "I was not expecting that kind of response."

Kim's victory four years ago made her the youngest person in history to win Olympic gold in women's halfpipe (17 years old). She landed back-to-back 1080s in her final run to earn a score of 98.25, nearly nine points ahead of the second-place finisher (China's Liu Jiayu, 89.75).

After her dazzling performance at the 2018 Games, Kim became a sensation. She was on Time's 100 list as one of the most influential people in the world. 

Sam Minardi, Kellogg's director of brand marketing, told Alex Orlov of MIC.com that a limited-edition box of Corn Flakes featuring Kim holding her Olympic gold medal sold out just seven hours after it was announced.

"That is a record," Minardi said. 

Kim was also featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, along with her dog Reese. She received a shoutout from Frances McDormand at the 90th Academy Awards when McDormand won Best Actress for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 

Kim said she "hated" snowboarding for the first time after the Olympics because of the spotlight put on her, but a two-year hiatus from the sport gave her an opportunity to reset. 

The 21-year-old will begin her quest for a second successive Olympic gold in the women's halfpipe on Tuesday night. The first qualifying run will be at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

Competitors with the top 12 scores during qualifying will advance to the finals Wednesday.   

The United States picked up two medals from unexpected sources on Day 4 of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle came four-hundredths of a second away from winning the first American gold in Beijing in the men's super-G. Cochran-Siegle's silver medal was the American contingent's first earned in the alpine skiing events.

Jessie Diggins won the first-ever American medal in the cross-country skiing sprint event. Diggins took the bronze behind a pair of Swedish athletes early on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday's biggest story in China was the third straight triumph in women's singles luge by Germany's Natalie Geisenberger. The 34-year-old became the first woman and second person ever to win three gold medals in luge.

Medal Table Top 5

1. Russian Olympic Committee (2 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze): 10

2. Norway (3 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze): 8 

3. Netherlands (3 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze): 7

4. Italy (2 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze): 7 

5. Austria (2 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze): 7 

Full medal table can be found on NBCOlympics.com.

Day 4 Medal Winners

Alpine Skiing

Men's Super-G

Gold: Matthias Mayer (Austria)

Silver: Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA)

Bronze: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (Norway)

Biathlon

Men's Individual 20km

Gold: Quentin Fillon Maillet (France)

Silver: Anton Smolski (Belarus) 

Bronze: Johannes Thingnes Bo (Norway) 

Cross-Country Skiing

Men's Sprint

Gold: Johannes Klaebo (Norway)

Silver: Federico Pellegrino (Italy)

Bronze: Alexander Terentev (ROC)

Women's Sprint

Gold: Jonna Sundling (Sweden)

Silver: Maja Dahlqvist (Sweden)

Bronze: Jessie Diggins (USA)

Curling

Mixed Doubles

Gold: Italy 

Silver: Norway 

Bronze: Sweden  

Freestyle Skiing

Women's Big Air

Gold: Eileen Gu (China)

Silver: Tess Ledeux (France)

Bronze: Mathilde Gremaud (Switzerland)

Luge

Women's Singles

Gold: Natalie Geisenberger (Germany)

Silver: Anna Berreiter (Germany) 

Bronze: Tatyana Ivanova (ROC)

Snowboarding

Men's Parallel Giant Slalom

Gold: Benjamin Karl (Austria)

Silver: Tim Mastnak (Slovenia)

Bronze: Vic Wild (ROC)

Women's Parallel Giant Slalom

Gold: Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic)

Silver: Daniela Ulbing (Austria)

Bronze: Gloria Kotnik (Slovenia)

Speedskating

Men's 1,500m

Gold: Kjeld Nuis (Netherlands)

Silver: Thomas Krol (Netherlands)

Bronze: Min-Seok Kim (South Korea)

United States Picks Up 2 More Medals

Cochran-Siegle and Diggins added to the American medal haul on Day 4.

The former had the more surprising performance of the two, as he was just four-hundredths away from winning the gold medal in the men's super-G.

The 29-year-old's silver medal occurred almost 50 years to the day on which his mother, Barbara Cochran, took the gold medal in the women's slalom at the Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.

Cochran-Siegle has been on the World Cup circuit for more than a decade, but his most significant results have come over the past two years. He took 10th in the World Cup standings in the super-G last season and he is 11th this season.

Even with the improvement, Cochran-Siegle was not expected to medal in China.

"You dream of these moments," Cochran-Siegle said, per Yahoo's Henry Bushnell. "You see it in your mind. And at times, you have to put it away. You have to just focus on the skiing. And that was what I was doing today."

Cochran-Siegle is the third silver medalist from the United States in the men's super-G in the past four Olympics. He is also the first American man to win an alpine skiing medal since 2014.

Jessie Diggins entered China as a potential medal threat because of her gold in the cross-country team sprint in 2018.

However, the 30-year-old faced a tough path to a medal in the individual sprint event since the U.S. had never medaled in the competition before Tuesday.

Diggins took third place in the six-person final—which featured fellow American Rosie Brennan, who came fourth—behind a pair of Swedish skiers.

"I'm just so grateful—that's the overwhelming emotion because it takes so much from such a huge team to make this happen," Diggins said, per USA Today's Lori Nickel.

Diggins earned the first American bronze in Beijing. The first four medals the United States won were all silver.

Natalie Geisenberger Makes Luge History

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger made history with her third straight women's luge gold medal.

Geisenberger captured the women's luge title Tuesday by beating out compatriot Anna Berreiter by just under a half-second.

The 34-year-old gained separation in the gold-medal hunt on her third run. She got down the track in 58.226 seconds, which was the best run time of the competition. Geisenberger finished off her victory by beating Berreiter by 0.163 seconds in the final run.

Geisenberger now has four medals to her name. She took bronze in 2010 before beginning her dominance of the event. Each of the victories was accompanied by a German silver medalist.

Germany has won the past seven women's luge events and also won three of the past four men's singles competitions.

The only other athlete to win three straight luge golds was also from Germany. Georg Hackl, who was in attendance Tuesday, won consecutive gold medals in 1992, 1994 and 1998.

The much-anticipated showdown between the United States and Canada women's hockey teams at the 2022 Olympics on Tuesday went in favor of the Canadians. 

Canada scored three goals in the second period to earn a 4-2 victory over the Americans. Both teams entered this matchup undefeated in Group A and having already clinched a berth in the quarterfinals. 

The Canadians have been dominating the tournament so far. They won their first three games by a combined score of 29-3. The U.S. was coming off its best game of the Olympics with an 8-0 victory over Switzerland. 

Tuesday's win gives Canada the top seed going into the eight-team playoff round. Team USA is the No. 2 seed, putting the two countries on a path to potentially play for a gold medal for the fourth consecutive Olympics. 

Tuesday's Results

Canada 4, USA 2

Japan 3, Czech Republic 2 (shootout)

Sweden 3, Denmark 1

Finland 5, Russian Olympic Committee 0 

Group A Standings 

1. Canada: 4-0-0-0 (plus-28 goal differential)

2. United States: 3-0-0-1 (plus-14)

3. Finland: 1-0-0-3 (minus-9)

4. Russian Olympic Committee: 1-0-0-3 (minus-12)

5. Switzerland: 1-0-0-3 (minus-21)

Group B Standings 

(wins, OT W, OT L, losses)

1. Japan: 2-1-1-0 (plus-6 goal differential)

2. Czech Republic: 2-0-1-1 (plus-2)

3. Sweden: 2-0-0-2 (minus-1)

4. China: 1-1-0-2 (0)

5. Denmark: 1-0-0-3 (minus-7)

Full standings via NBCOlympics.com. Teams in italics advanced to quarterfinals

The Americans were more aggressive on the offensive end in the defeat. They had a 53-27 advantage in total shots, but Canada made its opportunities count with four goals against Maddie Rooney. 

Abbey Murphy missed a chance to put the U.S. up 1-0 in the first period when her attempt hit the post. Canada took an early advantage thanks to Brianne Jenner's power-play goal with just under six minutes to go in the opening frame. 

Team USA did take a 2-1 lead midway through the second period thanks to goals from Dani Cameranesi and Alex Carpenter. 

Trailing for the first time in these Olympics seemed to wake up the Canadians. They closed the second period with three goals in the span of 5:25 to take a 4-2 lead. 

Jenner tied the game just 26 seconds after Carpenter's go-ahead score. Jamie Lee Rattray put Canada on top with her third goal of the tournament. 

Marie-Philip Poulin put the cherry on top with a penalty-shot goal with 2:35 remaining in the second period.

Both defenses tightened up in the third period. Ann-Renee Desbiens was fantastic in the net for Canada. She had 51 saves in the game, most ever in the Olympics by a male or female goalie. 

Of those 51 stops, 21 came in the third period. 

In other action on Tuesday, Japan secured the top spot in Group B with a 3-2 win over the Czech Republic in a shootout. Hanae Kubo scored the only goal on 10 shots between the two teams in the shootout. 

The U.S. will take on the Czech Republic in the first quarterfinal game on Thursday at 12:10 a.m. ET. 

Sweden has had a fantastic turnaround after a rough start to the Olympics. After being outscored 6-2 in their first two games, the Swedes scored back-to-back wins over China and Denmark to reach the quarterfinals. 

Emma Nordin, Lisa Johansson and Ebba Berglund all scored goals for Sweden in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over Denmark. They will take on Canada in the quarterfinals on Friday. 

Finland salvaged group play with a 5-0 victory over the Russian Olympic Committee. The Finns had a rough draw to start the tournament with games against the U.S. and Canada. 

A 3-2 loss to Switzerland left Finland winless heading into Tuesday's contest. Five different players scored for the team in the win. Anni Keisala stopped all 19 shots she faced from the Russians, and Finland will face Japan in the quarters on Saturday. 

Benjamin Karl has won his first Olympic gold medal in his third career appearance at the Games.

The Austrian snowboarder took the top prize in the men's parallel giant slalom Tuesday in Beijing. He defeated Slovenia's Tim Mastnak by 0.82 seconds in the final.

Vic Wild of the Russian Olympic Committee beat Italy's Roland Fischnaller for the bronze medal.

Parallel Giant Slalom Results

Gold: Benjamin Karl (Austria)

Silver: Tim Mastnak (Slovenia)

Bronze: Vic Wild (Russian Olympic Committee)

Karl has now won all three Olympic medals in his stellar career. The 36-year-old won silver in this event in his first appearance at the Games in 2010. He took home bronze in the parallel slalom in Sochi four years later. 

"When I was a child ... I wrote on a sheet of paper that one day I would be world champion,'' Karl told reporters after his victory. "I will be the fastest racer in the world and I'll be an Olympic champion."

Olympic gold was the only thing missing from Karl's stellar career. He had eight medals in the World Championships, including five golds between the parallel slalom and giant slalom. 

Karl defeated countryman Andreas Prommegger to win gold at the 2021 World Championships in Slovenia. 

Mastnak's second-place finish gave him his first Olympic medal. The 31-year-old finished 16th in this event four years ago in Pyeongchang. He beat Wild by 0.48 seconds in the semifinals to secure a spot on the podium.

Wild returned to the medal stand for the first time since his history-making appearance at the 2014 Games. He was the first snowboarder to win two medals at the same Olympics when he won gold in the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom. 

After a 10th-place showing four years ago, Wild finished third in the giant slalom this time around. 

Italy's Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner captured the gold medal in mixed doubles curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics with an 8-5 victory over Norway's Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten on Tuesday at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre.

The Italian duo were nothing short of dominant throughout the tournament. They posted an undefeated 9-0 record in pool play—no other team went better than 6-3—and then won their two knockout-stage matches by a combined score of 16-6.

Sweden's Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson defeated Great Britain's Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat earlier Tuesday to win the bronze medal.

Norway opened the final in promising fashion by scoring two points in the opening end. It wouldn't score again until the fifth end, when it could only muster one point with its power play, as Italy's superior shot-making ruled the day once again.

Constantini and Mosaner tied the Norwegians in the second end and then scored four straight points without the hammer, including a three-point fourth end, to grab a lead they would never relinquish.

The Italians were clinical in the gold-medal match with an 87 percent successful shot rate, including 94 percent on draw shots. Norway checked in at 69 percent in the final.

It's the first curling medal at the Winter Olympics for Italy, which didn't qualify for the inaugural mixed doubles event four years ago in the Pyeongchang Games.

Constantini and Mosaner outscored their opponents by 41 points over their 11 matches. The next best point differential was Skaslien and Nedregotten at plus-16.

Norway now owns five Olympic curling medals, while Sweden's bronze brought its all-time total to nine, which is second to Canada (11) in the sport's history.

The focus now shifts to the men's and women's curling tournaments. Round-robin play begins Wednesday for the men and Thursday for the women.

Mosaner will serve as the third on the Italian men's team. Italy didn't qualify for the women's event.