Olympics

The four-man German bobsled team piloted by Francesco Friedrich took home the gold medal Saturday (Sunday in Beijing) at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. It is the second straight Games the Friedrich-led sled has won gold. 

Germany also won gold in the event at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 

Friedrich's sled finished with a cumulative time of 3:54:30 across four runs. They also entered the final with the best time. 

The German's were dominant in this event, as the Johannes Lochner's sled captured silver with a final time of 3:54:67. Germany had all four of its sleds finish in the top four, with the Christoph Hafer piloted sled finishing in fourth place. 

The Canadian bobsled team piloted by Justin Kripps took home bronze with a final time of 3:55:09. 

Top Finishers

1. Germany (Francesco Friedrich): 3:54:30, Gold
2. Germany (Johannes Lochner): 3:54:67, Silver
3. Canada (Justin Kripps): 3:55:09, Bronze
4. Germany (Christoph Hafer): 3:55:15
5. Latvia (Oskars Kibermanis): 3:55:27

Friedrich also won gold in this year's two-man bobsled event. He made history on Saturday by becoming the first person to win gold in both the two-man and four-man bobsled events in back-to-back Olympics. 

In addition to winning the four-man event at the 2018 Games, he also captured gold in the two-man event. At the time, he became just the second man in 30 years to win gold in the two-man and four-man races. 

As for Kripps and Canada, this is an improvement from their finish at the 2018 Olympics, where they finished in sixth place. The Canadians last finished with a bronze medal in the four-man race at the 2010 Vancouver Games. 

Germany has dominated the four-man race over the last decade. In the last 10 Olympics dating back to 1988, Germany has won gold in the four-man bobsled event six times. 

As for the United States, Hunter Church piloted his sled to a 10th-place finish with a final time of 3:57:06. The Frank Delduca piloted sled finished 13th with a final time of 3:57:65. 

The Americans haven't won a medal in the four-man bobsled event since the 2014 Sochi Games, when they finished with silver. The U.S. won gold at the 2010 Games. 

Great Britain defeated Japan 10-3 on Sunday (Saturday ET) to win gold in women's curling at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Great Britain led 2-0 after one end and held on to a 4-2 advantage after six before pouring it on in the seventh with four more points thanks to a phenomenal throw from skip Eve Muirhead:

That gave the eventual gold medalists an 8-2 lead, and they cruised from there to a victory that finished after the ninth end.

Muirhead, Hailey Duff (first), Jennifer Dodds (second), Vicky Wright (third) and Mili Smith (alternate) represented Great Britain on the international stage.

For Japan, skip Satsuki Fujisawa, first Yurika Yoshida, second Yumi Suzuki, third Chinami Yoshida and alternate Kotomi Ishizaki ended up earning the country's first-ever Olympic curling medal.

Great Britain and Japan both needed to come up on the right end of a tiebreaker just to get to the semifinals.

Their 5-4 records were good enough for third place and a three-team tie with Canada, but only four out of the 10 Olympic teams make the field.

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head, but that didn't settle anything with all three countries 1-1. The tiebreaker was decided as follows, per Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press:

The final session left Japan, Britain and Canada tied at 5-4 and only two spots available. Because they all went 1-1 in head-to-head, the tiebreaker — used for the first time in the Olympics — was their average distance in the draw shot challenge, a pregame, two-throw draw to the button on an empty sheet.

The three tied teams were the worst in the competition, but all that mattered was who was last. And with that, Canada was out of the women's field.

With that, Great Britain and Japan advanced and upset Sweden and Switzerland, respectively, to move on.

Both snuck by in nail-biters: Japan won 8-6, but Great Britain needed an extra end to win a 12-11 classic. Sweden scored three in the 10th end to tie it up at 11.

That set up the final, which marks Great Britain's third women's curling gold medal (2002, gold; 2014, bronze).

Juraj Slafkovsky scored twice Saturday as Slovakia rolled to a 4-0 win over Sweden in the men's hockey bronze-medal game at the 2022 Winter Olympics at Beijing National Indoor Stadium.

Samuel Takac and Pavol Regenda also found the net for the Slovaks, who captured an Olympic medal in ice hockey for the first time. Patrik Rybar recorded a 28-save shutout in goal.

Finland and the Russian Olympic Committee will play for the gold medal on Saturday night at 11:10 p.m. ET.

Slovakia opened the tournament with back-to-back losses to Finland and Sweden by a combined score of 10-3. It bounced back to beat Latvia in its final game of the group stage, and the result appeared to provide a major spark for head coach Craig Ramsay's group.

The Slovaks crushed Germany in the opening round of the knockout stage, 4-0, and then upset top-seeded Team USA in the quarterfinals.

Their Cinderella run toward the gold medal ended with a 2-0 loss to Finland in the semifinals, but they still managed to secure a podium finish in one of the Games' marquee events.

Slafkovsky, 17, led the charge for Slovakia with a tournament-high seven goals, while Rybar paced all goalies with a .966 save percentage and two shutouts.

The strong showing by Slafkovsky should solidify his status as a likely top-10 selection in the 2022 NHL draft. No NHL players took part in the tournament at the Beijing Games because of concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, including long quarantine periods.

Slovakia's best previous finish in the Olympics was a fourth-place result in 2010.

Sweden just missed out on its 10th Olympic medal in men's hockey. It won gold in 1994 and 2006.

Looking ahead, the ROC will try to defend its gold medal from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, which were also played without NHL involvement. It scored a 4-3 overtime win over Germany in the final four years ago.

The Russians will face a tough test from Finland, which is the only undefeated team left in the tournament and put up five straight wins to reach the gold-medal game.

It's one of the final medals that'll be handed out before Sunday's closing ceremonies in Beijing.

Germany won the gold and silver medals in the two-woman bobsled at the 2022 Winter Olympics on Saturday. 

Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi took the top spot with a total time of 4:03.96. They finished 0.77 seconds ahead of their countrywomen, Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt (4:04.73).

The United States duo of Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman won the bronze after finishing their four runs in 4:05.48. 

Two-Woman Bobsled Results

Gold: Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi (Germany): 4:03.96

Silver: Mariama Jamanka and Alexandra Burghardt (Germany): 4:04.73

Bronze: Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman (United States): 4:05.48

4. Kim Kalicki and Lisa Buckwitz (Germany): 4:06.28

5. Christine de Bruin and Kristen Bujnowski (Canada): 4:06.37

6. Melanie Hasler and Nadja Pasternack (Switzerland): 4:06.83

7. Kaillie Humphries and Kaysha Love (United States): 4:07.04

8. Cynthia Appiah and Dawn Richardson Wilson (Canada): 4:07.52

9. Nadezhda Sergeeva and Yulia Belomestnykh (Russian Olympic Committee): 4:08.11

10. Katrin Beierl and Jennifer Onasanya (Austria): 4:08.24

11. Huai Mingming and Wang Xuan (China): 4:08.26

12. Melissa Lotholz and Sara Villani (Canada): 4:08.37

13. Margot Boch and Carla Senechal (France): 4:08.39

14. Ying Qing and Du Jiani (China): 4:08.49

15. An Vannieuwenhuyse and Sara Aerts (Belgium): 4:08.58

16. Breeana Walker and Kiara Reddingius (Australia): 4:08.64

17. Mica McNeill and Montell Douglas (Great Britain): 4:08.85

18. Andreea Grecu and Katharina Wick (Romania): 4:08.98

19. Anastasiia Makarova and Elena Mamedova (Russian Olympic Committee): 4:09.09

20. Martina Fontanive and Irina Strebel (Switzerland): 4:09.59

Nolte and Levi wasted no time asserting themselves as the team to beat. They set track records in each of their first three runs, going from 1:01.04 to 1:01.01 to 1:00.70. 

The team had a 0.78-second advantage over Jamanka and Burghardt going into the final heat. 

Nolte's time of 1:01.04 in the first heat could have been even faster, but she had a minor slip near the ninth curve that slowed her down for a moment.

The 23-year-old didn't quite match her track-record times in the final heat, but she didn't need to take risks with such a decided advantage. Levi got the bobsled off with a good push and Nolte got it past the finish line in 1:01.21 to secure the gold. 

Jamanka and Burghardt had the fastest time in the final heat (1:01.20), but the second heat was the big dividing line as they finished .44 seconds behind the Nolte-Levi tandem. 

This is the second consecutive Olympic medal for Jamanka. She won gold with Lisa Buckwitz in Pyeongchang four years ago.

Meyers Taylor won her fourth straight Olympic medal in the two-woman bobsled. The American captured the bronze with Sylvia Hoffman this time around. 

Meyers Taylor and Hoffman finished third in all four heats Saturday. Their best time was 1:01.13 in the third heat. Meyers Taylor medaled twice in Beijing, including her silver medal in the women's monobob on Monday. 

The 37-year-old California native has five career Olympic medals dating back to 2010. She previously won silver in 2014 and bronze in 2010. 

Meyers Taylor will also represent the U.S. as the flag-bearer for the closing ceremony Sunday after she was unable to do it for the opening ceremony because of a positive COVID-19 test. 

Since the Olympics added the two-woman bobsled to the competition in 2002, Meyers Taylor's four medals in this event are the most in history. She entered Beijing tied with Kaillie Humphries, who won three medals representing Canada from 2010 to 2018. 

Humphries began competing for the United States in 2019 after filing harassment complaints against Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton head coach Todd Hays, high performance director Chris Le Bihan and president Sarah Storey.

Humphries was paired with Kaysha Love in this event, but they had a disappointing seventh-place finish overall. They were in fourth after the first heat, but posted the ninth-fastest time in the second heat (1:01.97). 

Despite the rough ending to her time in Beijing, Humphries beat Meyers Taylor earlier this week to become the first Olympic gold medalist in the women's monobob. 

The United States locked in a top-five finish in the 2022 Winter Olympics medal table with three podium finishes late on Friday night and early Saturday morning. 

David Wise and Alex Ferreira continued the American success in the men's skiing halfpipe event. The two athletes came in second and third, respectively, to add to their personal medal totals in the competition.

Wise picked up his third overall halfpipe medal. Before Friday, he was the only athlete to win gold in the event.

Ferreira followed up his silver from the Pyeongchang Games with a bronze on the halfpipe in Beijing. 

The 24th overall medal for the United States came from the bobsled track on Saturday morning, as Elana Meyers Taylor and Sylvia Hoffman took bronze in the two-woman event. 

Meyers Taylor's bronze medal made her the fifth American athlete to win multiple medals at the Beijing Games.

Norway remained on top of the medal table after Saturday morning's events. The Russian Olympic Committee closed the gap on Norway by winning four medals over the last 24 hours.  

Medal Count Top 5

1. Norway (15 gold, 8 silver, 12 bronze) - 35

2. Russian Olympic Committee (6 gold, 11 silver, 14 bronze) - 31

3. Canada (4 gold, 8 silver, 13 bronze) - 25

4. Germany (11 gold, 8 silver, 5 bronze) - 24

5. United States (8 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze) - 24

Full medal table can be found on NBCOlympics.com.

Day 15 Medal Winners

Two-Woman Bobsled

Gold: Germany (Laura Nolte/Deborah Levi)

Silver: Germany (Mariama Jamanka/Alexandra Burghardt)

Bronze: United States (Elana Meyers Taylor/Sylvia Hoffman)

Cross-Country Skiing

Men's 50km Mass Start

Gold: Alexander Bolshunov (ROC)

Silver: Ivan Yakimushkin (ROC)

Bronze: Simen Hegstad Krueger (Norway)

Men's Curling

Gold: Sweden

Silver: Great Britain

Bronze: Canada

Figure Skating Pairs

Gold: Sui Wenjing/Han Cong (China)

Silver: Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (ROC)

Bronze: Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (ROC)

Freestyle Skiing

Men's Halfpipe

Gold: Nico Porteous (New Zealand)

Silver: David Wise (United States)

Bronze: Alex Ferreira (United States)

Speedskating

Men's Mass Start

Gold: Bart Swings (Belgium)

Silver: Chung Jae-won (South Korea)

Bronze: Lee Seung-Hoon (South Korea)

Women's Mass Start

Gold: Irene Schouten (Netherlands)

Silver: Ivanie Blondin (Canada)

Bronze: Francesca Lollobrigida (Italy) 

David Wise, Alex Ferreira Medal Again in Ski Halfpipe Event

The United States owns five of the nine medals ever awarded in the men's ski halfpipe event.

David Wise and Alex Ferreira added to the overall American medal haul and their personal totals with podium finishes behind New Zealand's Nico Porteous.

All three of the medalists in the event dropped their best scores in the first of three runs in the medal round. 

Wise was one of two athletes to record a score above 90 points. The 90.75 netted on his first run was good enough for second place behind Porteous, who dropped a run that garnered a score of 93.00.

Ferreira's first-run score of 86.75 was good enough for third. Only one score above 80 was recorded in the final two runs as blustery conditions wreaked havoc on the halfpipe area at the Genting Snow Park.

Wise sai he had to embrace the conditions since the organizers opted not to postpone the event, per Yahoo's Jay Busbee:

"If anything, when it's really windy, it’s kind of a little bit of an advantage for me because I have these guys outweighed by 30 or 40 pounds. You just kind of embrace it and say, 'All right, this is the conditions that it is.’ Certainly, we would all like it to be a little nicer, but you have to go out there and do what you can on this day."

The 31-year-old Wise is the only athlete to win a medal in all three editions of the ski halfpipe event at the Olympics. 

Elana Meyers Taylor Wins 2nd Medal in Beijing

Elana Meyers Taylor drove the United States bobsled team to a bronze medal on Saturday morning. 

Meyers Taylor and her partner Sylvia Hoffman took third in the two-woman bobsled event behind two German pairs. 

Meyers Taylor's bronze in the event followed up her silver in the inaugural monobob competition. 

The bronze gave the 37-year-old her fifth overall Olympic medal and second in competition in Beijing.

Meyers Taylor is one of five athletes to produce multiple medals in China. Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis won two golds, while Nathan Chen and the pair of Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue earned two podium finishes in figure skating. 

Prior to the conclusion of the bobsled events, Meyers Taylor was announced as the United States flag bearer for the closing ceremony set to take place on Sunday. 

Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics wrapped up Saturday with China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong winning pairs gold after the free skate competition. 

Neither of the United States' pairs was able to medal, but it was still a good day for the country in an event that has been a problem in recent Olympics. 

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier finished seventh in the free skate and sixth overall with a total score of 212.68. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc came in ninth in the free skate and eighth overall (198.05 total score). 

Sui and Han held serve after entering the day in the driver's seat. The Chinese duo set a world record in the short program with an 84.41 Friday.

They didn't quite hit the world-record mark in the free skate, but their score of 155.47 was just enough to beat Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov for the top spot. 

Pairs Free Skate Results, Total Scores

1. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (China): 239.88

2. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov (Russian Olympic Committee): 239.25

3. Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov (Russian Olympic Committee): 237.71

4. Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii (Russian Olympic Committee): 220.50

5. Cheng Peng and Yang Jin (China): 214.84

6. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (United States): 212.68

7. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan): 211.89 

8. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc (United States): 198.05

9. Karina Safina and Luka Berulava (Georgia): 192.44

10. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro (Canada): 181.37 

11. Laura Barquero and Marco Zandron (Spain): 181.36

12. Vanessa James and Eric Radford (Canada): 180.99

13. Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise (Italy): 179.87

14. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini (Italy): 165.43 

15. Hailey Kops and Evgeni Krasnopolski (Israel): 153.82

16. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert (Germany): 149.69

Full standings via Olympics.com

The United States had two teams finish in the top eight at the Olympics for the first time since 1998. Knierim and Frazier's sixth-place finish was the highest by an American pair since 2002 (Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, fifth place).

LeDuc's appearance at the Olympics alone was a big story. They became the first out nonbinary athlete to compete at the Winter Games on Friday in the short program. 

Saturday's free skate was the cherry on top of a memorable two-week period for LeDuc. 

LeDuc and Cain-Gribble were deducted two points in the free skate for failing to properly land two tricks and downgrading their double toeloop during their fifth element. 

Knierim and Frazier had no such problems. They executed everything at a high level. Their best element was the group 5 axel lasso lift 4 that earned them a score of 9.50. 

The presentation score of 69.48 for Knierim and Frazier was seventh out of 15 pairs. Only the top five finishers and Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara were ahead of them in that part of the competition. 

If it wasn't apparent after the short program that the top three pairs were on a different level than everyone else, it certainly was during the free skate. 

Before Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov took the ice, their Russian Olympic Committee teammates Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii had the high score of the day (141.94). 

Once Mishina and Galliamov came out for their routine, the performances got better and better with nearly flawless productions from the top three teams. 

Mishina and Galliamov earned a score of 154.95 for their free skate routine. They actually finished with the highest element score of any team Saturday (79.71), buoyed by a 10.02 mark for their triple salchow+single euler+triple salchow. 

Tarasova and Morozov needed a score of at least 153.46 to pass Mishina and Galliamov. They had no problems hitting that mark, getting a 78.01 element score and 76.99 technical score for a total of 155.00 to move into the lead by 1.54 points. 

By virtue of going last, Sui and Han knew the mark they needed to capture gold. There was a moment during their routine when it looked like they were vulnerable when their triple salchow was downgraded to earn .65 points, but they immediately made up for it with a group 5 axel lasso lift 4 that was worth 10 points. 

It was ultimately the element score of 78.61 that pushed Sui and Han past Tarasova and Morozov (78.01 element score) on the leaderboard. 

Sui and Han became the first pairs figure skating team to win Olympic gold in their home country since Russia's Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov did it at the 2014 Games in Sochi. 

All of the figure skaters in Beijing will take the ice one more time before the closing ceremony. The exhibition gala will begin at 11:30 p.m. on NBC. 

The Russian Olympic Committee backed up its status as the favorite to win the 2022 Winter Olympics men's hockey tournament by reaching the gold-medal game. 

After winning gold in 2018 under the Olympic Athletes of Russia banner, the ROC is looking to repeat as champions. 

A win on Saturday night over Finland would produce consecutive winners in men's hockey for the last four Olympics. Canada won back-to-back gold in 2010 and 2014. 

Finland has always been in the medal mix, but it has not played for a gold since the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy.

The Finns have two silver medals from 1988 and 2006 and four bronze medals, with the latest coming in 2014. 

Despite the lack of an Olympic gold medal in men's hockey, Finland is a slight favorite to win as of Saturday morning. 

ROC vs. Finland Info

Date: Saturday, February 19

Start Time: 11:10 p.m. ET 

TV: USA Network

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com and Peacock

Game Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Puck Line: Finland -1.5

Over/Under: 4.5

Moneyline: Finland (-120; bet $120 to win $100), ROC (+100; bet $100 to win $100)   

Preview

Finland comes into the gold-medal game in better form than the ROC, but that is because it played weaker opponents in its first two elimination contests. 

Finland put up five goals on Switzerland and then downed Slovakia, who was a surprise semifinalist after beating the United States in the quarterfinal round. 

The Finns were consistent against the weaker squads in the competition. It beat Slovakia twice, Latvia and Switzerland all by multiple goals. 

Finland's lone one-goal victory came in overtime against Sweden in a game that decided first place out of Group C. 

Sakari Manninen and Teemu Hartikainen drove the Finnish attack to the championship match. Both players have seven points, which ties them with Canada's Adam Tambellini for the most points by a single player in the competition. 

Manninen is one of four Finnish players with at least three goals in Beijing. He produced two assists in Finland's toughest matchup against Sweden. 

The overall scoring numbers look great for the Finns, but three of their seven knockout-round goals were empty-net tallies. 

Finland will not blow out the ROC, which has played a handful of tight games in Beijing, including the 2-1 shootout win over Sweden in the semifinal round. 

All of the ROC's five games have been decided by two goals or less. The team went 4-1 in those contests, with the only defeat coming in overtime against Czech Republic in the group phase. 

Czech Republic was the only squad to produce multiple goals against the ROC defense. It held every other foe to one or zero tallies. 

ROC's defensive form could end up as the difference-maker against the high-flying Finland attack. 

If the ROC slows down the Finns and capitalizes on its opportunities, like it has in previous rounds, it could come away with another gold. 

Finland's defense has been strong as well, but ROC turned in the more impressive victories by way of its defense, and that may give it the slightest of edges in what should be a tight final.

Prediction: ROC 3, Finland 2

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Representing the host nation, China's Eileen Gu had a terrific showing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In fact, the freestyle skier made history with her performances.

Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics, as she earned golds in both the big air and halfpipe competitions while also receiving a silver in the slopestyle event. The 18-year-old had never previously taken part in the Olympics, and she also became the youngest freestyle skier to win an Olympic gold medal.

While Gu was impressive, there were plenty of other freestyle skiers who had strong showings at this year's Winter Games. The sport held 12 total events, all of which are now complete after New Zealand's Nico Porteous won the gold in men's halfpipe on Friday night (Saturday in Beijing).

Here's the list of every freestyle skier who won a medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

2022 Olympic Freestyle Skiing Medalists

Men's Moguls
Gold: Walter Wallberg, Sweden
Silver: Mikael Kingsbury, Canada
Bronze: Ikuma Horishima, Japan

Women's Moguls
Gold: Jakara Anthony, Australia
Silver: Jaelin Kauf, United States
Bronze: Anastasiia Smirnova, Russian Olympic Committee

Men's Aerials
Gold: Qi Guangpu, China
Silver: Oleksandr Abramenko, Ukraine
Bronze: Ilya Burov, Russian Olympic Committee

Women's Aerials
Gold: Xu Mengtao, China
Silver: Hanna Huskova, Belarus
Bronze: Megan Nick, United States

Men's Big Air
Gold: Birk Ruud, Norway
Silver: Colby Stevenson, United States
Bronze: Henrik Harlaut, Sweden

Women's Big Air
Gold: Eileen Gu, China
Silver: Tess Ledeux, France
Bronze: Mathilde Gremaud, Switzerland

Men's Halfpipe
Gold: Nico Porteous, New Zealand
Silver: David Wise, United States
Bronze: Alex Ferreira, United States

Women's Halfpipe
Gold: Eileen Gu, China
Silver: Cassie Sharpe, Canada
Bronze: Rachael Karker, Canada

Men's Ski Cross
Gold: Ryan Regez, Switzerland
Silver: Alex Fiva, Switzerland
Bronze: Sergey Ridzik, Russian Olympic Committee

Women's Ski Cross
Gold: Sandra Naslund, Sweden
Silver: Marielle Thompson, Canada
Bronze: Daniela Maier, Germany

Men's Slopestyle
Gold: Alex Hall, United States
Silver: Nick Goepper, United States
Bronze: Jesper Tjader, Sweden

Women's Slopestyle
Gold: Mathilde Gremaud, Switzerland
Silver: Eileen Gu, China
Bronze: Kelly Sildaru, Estonia

It's not a surprise that Eileen Gu became one of the breakout stars of the 2022 Winter Olympics. She had been performing well in multiple events in recent years, and she seemed poised to contend for medals in Beijing.

That turned out to be exactly what happened, continuing her run of success at freestyle skiing competitions. Gu won two golds and a silver at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games, captured two golds and a bronze at the 2021 Winter X Games and earned two golds and a bronze at the 2021 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships.

Gu's final performance of the 2022 Olympics came in the women's halfpipe on Friday, when she posted a score of 95.25 on the second of her three runs in the final to capture her second gold of the Winter Games. She also had a score of 93.25 on her first run, which was higher than any of the scores posted by the other 11 finalists.

It was such a dominant performance that it was clear Gu was going to win by her third run.

"I was very emotional at the top, and I chose to do a victory lap," Gu said, per Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press. "Because I felt like, for the first time, I like really deserved it and I really earned it."

Another freestyle skier who had a strong showing at the 2022 Winter Olympics was Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud. The 22-year-old won the gold medal in the slopestyle event, and she also earned the bronze in the big air competition.

In women's slopestyle, Gremaud had a score of 86.56 on her second run of the final. Gu nearly captured the gold in that event, as she had an impressive final run that earned her a score of 86.23. But it wasn't enough to knock Gremaud off the top of the medal stand.

It was the first time that Gremaud had won an Olympic gold, as her only medal prior to this year came when she earned the silver in women's slopestyle at the 2018 Winter Games.

The only freestyle skier from the United States to win a gold medal at this year's Winter Olympics was Alex Hall, who placed first in the men's slopestyle event. Team USA dominated that competition, as Nick Goepper also captured the silver.

"I was stoked," Hall said, per Eddie Pells of the Associated Press. "I wanted to come out here and show the world what I do as a skier, and show the creativity, and thinking outside the box."

Hall had never previously won a medal at the Winter Olympics. As for Goepper, he now has two silvers and a bronze, all in slopestyle, which was introduced to the Winter Games in 2014.

With no more medals to chase, some of the top figure skaters in the world will perform Saturday night in the Exhibition Gala, an unscored event in which skill and creativity take center stage.

The event will represent the conclusion of the sport's presence on the Olympic stage and serve as little more than an opportunity for some of the world's best and brightest to show off after a heated and competitive two weeks.

Among the confirmed to compete are American Vincent Zhou, freshly out of COVID-19 quarantine, and a two-time gold medalist from Japan, Hanyu Yuzuru.

Schedule

Saturday, February 19 at 11:00 p.m.

How to Watch

Broadcast on NBC, stream via Peacock

Yuzuru finished a disappointing fourth in men's singles skating, missing the podium after winning back-to-back golds in the previous two Olympic games. That disappointment has not hurt his humility or appreciation for the fans and media attention paid to him.

"Looking forward to the support in the exhibition," he said, per Shintaro Kano of Olympics.com. 

When asked why he had been seen talking to himself so much on the ice during practice, he said: "I was thinking about this and that, feeling grateful about where I am as I was talking to myself. I skated the way my heart felt. It might come off as self-centered, but I got in all the songs I wanted to get in."

Yuzuru will certainly be the fan-favorite among those in attendance and across social media, where he has a strong following.

For Zhou, the gala represents a shot at redemption in Beijing.

Zhou missed his opportunity at Olympic gold when he was forced into quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test the day after the team event. Any dreams he had of competing in the men's singles event were dashed.

"I did not watch the other events, but I did follow the results. I am beyond thrilled for what Nathan and Jason Brown were able to accomplish," he said, per Nick McCarvel of Olympics.com. 

Confident in his own abilities, Zhou reiterated how difficult it was to watch his fellow countrymen excel on the international stage. "It was extremely difficult for me to see the results because I knew that I could have medalled. I know I could have pulled a score like that."

The event will serve as a platform for Zhou to showcase his abilities after this particular audience only got a taste of what he is capable of. "And I'm happy to have the chance to skate on Olympic ice in the gala. I don't want to dwell on the negatives," he said, per Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports. 

Despite the disappointment of the games to this point, and looking ahead to the opportunity to shine that Saturday's event brings him, Zhou stayed positive.

"Appreciate the journey, not just the destination," he said. "Be proud of small victories every single day, and don't let one small result define you. And be grateful when you're breathing clean air."