Key events
That is all from me. Tanya is here to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
Biathlon: Johannes Dale-Skjevdal of Norway is in the lead with 3km to go but his teammate Sturla Holm Lægreid is in second right behind him.
🥇Wang wins freestyle skiing gold in men’s aerials
Wang Xindi of China wins gold! He had a long, long wait until the confirmation but he pips Noe Roth of Switzerland by a mere 1.02. Wang can’t believe it! He did not even make the finals in his last two Olympics. He runs onto the course and falls to his knees. His wife, Xu Mengtao, won gold in this event a couple days ago and will be competing in the team event in a few days time – what a power couple! Li Tianma of China takes bronze.
Freestyle skiing: Noe Roth of Switzerland with an incredible back double full-double full-full! He gets the height, the twists and the best landing of the day. Will that be good enough for gold?
Freestyle skiing: Pirmin Werner of Switzerland is next and is about to attempt the Hurricane – a triple backflip with five total twists. It looks good but he just does not have enough rotation at the end and he lands with a somersault in the snow. That is a rough landing but he looks to be OK. He scores a 99.32. Wang Xindi, who is in gold with one more skier to go, is crouched with his back to the course.
Freestyle skiing: The fourth and final Chinese is Qi Guangpu, the defending Olympic champion. Oof, that is not going to be good enough! He buckles on the takeoff and that messes up his whole jump. His knees bend in the first somersault and he can’t salvage it. He slots into fourth with 81.00.
Freestyle skiing: Wang Xindi with the best jump of the day so far at his third Olympics. He lands a double full-double full-full – good separation between tricks, great form and bang onto his feet. 132.60 is his score and he is into gold with three more skiers to come! Remember, his wife won gold in this event a couple days ago. Can he keep that top spot?
Freestyle skiing: Excellent from Li Tianma! Five twists and a bit of compression on the landing, but he skis away with confidence. He takes the lead with 123.93. That is 0.51 better than his compatriot – these are the margins!
Freestyle skiing: Right the medal event, here we go! Up first is Sun Jiaxu who goes for the big spins at the end of a back full-double full-double full. It is a risky jump because the degree of difficulty is quite high and it means he does not have as much visibility when it comes to his landing. He just about nails it, as his coach yells “You’re good!”. He isn’t too happy with it even though he scores a 123.42. He knows the competition coming up is fierce.
Biathlon: Émilien Jacquelin of France is perfect at the range and is in the lead. Quentin Fillon Maillet missed one of the targets and now has to take his penalty loop.
Sean Ingle
Skiing: At the start of these Winter Olympics, President Trump called Hunter Hess a “real loser” after the US skiing star admitted he had mixed feelings about representing his country. As he swooped down the halfpipe in Livigno on Friday, Hess delivered his response, flashing an L-sign with his hand after qualifying for Friday night’s final.
“Apparently I am a loser,” Hess said when asked about his gesture. “I am leaning into it.” And asked whether he had any regrets, Hess was just as firm: “I stick with what I said,” he replied.
However the American also admitted that the last two weeks had been the toughest of his life following Trump’s comments – and the abuse that followed.
“There was a lot of noise and I’ve never been subject to that type of criticism,” he added. “But with my family’s help, I was able to get through it. And skiing has saved my life, time and time again, and it seems to have done so again. It was probably the hardest two weeks of my life.”
Read the full story from Sean Ingle below.
Freestyle skiing: None of the skiers who landed between seventh and twelfth in the first jump were able to get into the top six with their second jump so our finalists will be Switzerland’s Noe Roth and Pirmin Werner and China’s Qi Guangpu, Wang Xindi, Li Tianma and Sun Jiaxu.
They cannot repeat what they have done in the first final so we will be seeing all new twists.
Biathlon: This discipline has brought so much excitement to these Games and the penultimate event is about to begin.
France’s Quentin Fillon Maillet will hope for his fourth gold in the men’s biathlon 15km mass start but he will have stiff competition from his own compatriot Éric Perrot along with Italy’s Tommaso Giacomel and Norway’s Johan-Olav Botn.
As its name suggests, every racer will begin at the same time so the first man across the finish line will win. There are four visits to the shooting range, the first two lying down and the next two standing; any missed shots (five rounds per visit) is a 150m penalty loop.
Freestyle skiing: Even though he is first, Noe Roth opts to jump. He doesn’t get it right at all, scoring just over half his first score. That will be a complete write off.
Christopher Lillis has nothing to lose here with his second jump. It is much better than his first and it is a long agonising wait for the judges to calculate … Ouch, he slots into seventh. He will not make the final.
Curling: The women’s semi-finals has just begun with Canada taking on Sweden and Switzerland taking on the United States.
Freestyle skiing: Great jump from Switzerland’s Pirmin Werner, who lands a back double full-full-double full and does the classic archer celebration. He slots into second behind his teammate.
This is unprecedented. Switzerland in first and second, China take third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Canada in seventh and eighth. The sole Ukrainian is in ninth and the three Americans make up the bottom three.
Now the 12 skiiers will decide whether they want to improve their score with a second jump. Remember the top six go onto final 2.
Freestyle skiing: China’s Wang Xindi, husband of Xu Mengtao who defended her Olympic title in this event a couple days ago, scores a 120.36 and is followed up by his teammate Qi Guangpu who earns a 121.68. One more to go!
Freestyle skiing: Up next, Ukraine’s Oleksandr Okipniuk who is doing one of the hardest tricks in the air – he is attempting five full twists in the air. Here he goes … does well in the air but ooooh can’t quite stick the landing, and that is where he loses all his points. He is in fifth and will certainly need a second jump.
Freestyle skiing: China’s Sun Jiaxu, a World Cup winner, scores a 117.26 with a back full-double full-full. You can hear his coach yelling ‘stretch. STRETCH!’ as he is in the air.
His teammate Li Tianma comes right after him and pips him with a score of 119.91.
Freestyle skiing: Christopher Lillis of the US is next. He gets good height and his form in the air is fantastic but he can’t stick his landing and he scores an 86.73. He will have another chance with a second jump.
Freestyle skiing: Switzerland’s Noe Roth is first up. The 25-year-old is a two-time defending world champion but at Beijing 2022 he finished eighth.
A beautiful back full-triple full-full with some great turns before he sticks his landing, though he almost hits his chin with his own knee.
He scores a massive 131.56, which is better than any of the scores we saw in qualifying.
Freestyle skiing: These medals are coming thick and fast, just like the snow. Up next is the men’s aerials finals. Twelve athletes in the first final and the best six will advance to the second final.
🥇Maier wins gold for Germany in women’s ski cross
Sandra Näslund and Daniela Maier starts strong but Fanny Smith is right on the German’s tails and sneaks in front. The two who battled for bronze four years ago and now one of them is going to win gold … Final straight and a big jump from Maier to just take it! She screams in excitement as she crosses the finish line before the German coaches smother her in an embrace! Smith takes silver for Switzerland and Näslund wins bronze for Sweden.
Thanks Tanya and hello all! Big final here we go … Daniela Maier, Fanny Smith, Sandra Näslund and Marielle Berger Sabbatel.
Time for me to take a little break, Yara will be your expert guide to the women’s skicross big final and much more.
Women’s ski cross final: ah, what a shame for Italy’s Galli who goes flying off mid course. Talina Gantenbein wins the small final.
Women’s ski cross final: three of the four finalists from 2022 have made it to the final four, who are Naeslund, Smith, Maier and Berger-Sabbatel.
Chemmy Alcott is very excited “it’s like supermarket sweep on Black Friday on skis, with sharp edges and all going for the same tin of beans.”
Women’s ski cross: the big two safely through in semi-final two, as Sandra Naeslund and Fanny Smith bump fists over the line.
Women’s ski cross: Daniela Maier eases across the line in the first semi and Marielle Berger-Sabbatel clinches the second qualifying spot. Switzerland’s Gantenbein skates for the line in desperation, then slumps, head in hands.
Women’s ski cross: the quarter finals are done and dusted, with both Switzerland’s Fanny Smith and Germany’s Daniela Maier through. They will ski in separate semi finals.
A bizarre story behind their 2022 Olympics. Smith crossed the line in third, but was yellow carded by one of the judges, and Maier was given bronze. A year later, Smith won her appeal was given a belated bronze, while Maier was demoted. Maier, the trooper, says no hard feelings.
GB’s Kenworthy makes halfpipe final
Men’s freeski halfpipe: joy for Gus Kenworthy (9th) and Ireland’s Benjamin Lynch (11th), who both make the final. New Zealand’s Ben Harrington squeezes into the final qualifying spot, but there is no space for his 19 year old compatriot the teenage star Finley Melville Ives, who lost a ski in his first run, and fell horribly on his second and had to be carried from the course.
The USA take four of the top six places, though Canada’s Brendan MacKay tops the list.
Women’s ski cross: heartbreak for Germany’s Veronikca Redder in the last round of 16, as she is pipped for the line by France’s Mylene Ballet Baz, who took the last jump better. The quarter finals roll rapidly on, starting in about five minutes.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: Haipeng Sheng loses his phone while mid air and mid jump. Check your pockets, kids.
Women’s ski cross: final seven of eight. A super start for France’s Jade Grillet-Aubert, over the bunny hops and round the bend. She stays in first till the end, with Canada’s Brittany Phelan qualifying behind her. The Japanese athlete Sakurako Mukogawa trails in behind.
Women’s ski cross: we’ve reached the knock-out rounds of this event which is like a Bmx course, but on skis. Four athletes per race, each race in rapid succession. The top two from each race qualify for the next round.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: the seven judges chew their lips, and chew them again, before awarding Ireland’s Benjamin Lynch 75.75 which is enough (just ) to sneak him into 11th place. He pumps the air in his green anorak. Nine to ski.
Men’s aerials: the judges have sifted through the field and selected the top 12 who will contest the aerials finals at 1.30pm GMT.
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Pirmin Werner (Switzerland) – 122.17
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Qi Guangpu (China) – 120.80
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Wang Xindi (China) – 118.10
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Lewis Irving (Canada) – 117.70
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Connor Curran (USA) – 117.26
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Oleksandr Okipniuk (Ukraine) – 112.67
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Li T M (China) 127.5
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Sun J (China) 118.55
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E. Nadeau (Canada) 112.67
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D Krueger (USA) 111.95
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C Lillis (USA) 111.76
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N Roth (Switzerland) 111.06
Men’s freeski halfpipe: GB’s Liam Richards gets his second run, Ed and Tim are impressed with his amplitude but… the agony! … it’s not quite enough to slot him into the top 12 who will go onto the finals. The judges place him 13th.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: It’s been an unlucky morning for the Kiwi team, as now Luke Harrold loses a ski on landing. There’s a fingernail’s chance that he might still qualify for the finals, he’s currently 12th.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: we’re well into the second run at the halfpipe – as Canadian’s Brendan Mackay and his flagship moustache improves on his first run and overtakes Nick Goepper to slot into first, for now.
Ukrainian athletes to boycott Paralympic opening ceremony
Ukrainian competitors will boycott the Milano Cortina Paralympics opening ceremony on March 6 in Verona, its committee said on Friday, due to the authorization of some Russian and Belarusian athletes with their national flags.
The International Paralympic Committee’s allocation of 10 combined slots to Russian and Belarusian athletes has created a political storm over the upcoming Games given bitterness over the four-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Russia, which has been excluded from much international competition due to the war, says it is wrong to mix sport and politics while targeting disabled athletes is offensive.
“The National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine declares that the Ukrainian Paralympic team and the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine are boycotting the opening ceremony of the 14th Winter Paralympic Games and demand that the Ukrainian flag not be used at the opening ceremony of the Paralympics-2026,” the Ukrainian committee said in a statement.
That stance follows the disqualification from the Winter Games of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych for wearing a helmet commemorating athletes killed in the war.
Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi has said Ukrainian officials will boycott the March 6-15 Paralympics though the nation’s athletes will still take part.
Russia will have two spots in Para alpine skiing, two in cross-country skiing and two in snowboarding while Belarus was awarded four places, all in cross-country skiing.
“We draw attention to the fact that neither russia nor belarus went through the qualification process to obtain licences to participate in the Paralympic Games in Milano-Cortina,” the Ukrainian statement read.
“Moreover, this occurred in accordance with the status of the Russian and Belarusian Paralympic committees that they received as countries that are carrying out a horrific military aggression on the territory of Ukraine.”
Reuters
Men’s freeski halfpipe: Melville Ives is brought off the slopes to warm applause, but that’s a heartbreaking end to the Olympics for him.
I think the camera work throughout the Games has been really respectful in term’s of the athletes’ privacy after injury.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: A quiet has fallen over the crowd, lots of concerned faces as the doctors remain with Melville Ives. He landed low rather than at the top of the pipe which means a longer fall and a harder hit.
Men’s freeski halfpipe: Oh no, the medical team whistle down the pipe to check up on young world champion Finley Melville Ives , who after losing his ski on his first run, crash lands midway through his second.
Men’s aerials: a succession of athletes are struggling with their landings, China’s Sun followed by Raimkulov of Kazakhstan.
Men’s aerials: the first jump for the 2023 and 2025 world champ is a good one – he soars 11.99 metres up, which is about the height of a telegraph pole.
Sixteen year old Assan Assylkhan launches himself off a slope and flies high, unfortunately he slaps onto his back on landing and tumbles down the slope.
Men’s aerials: a quick channel change to keep an eye on the acrobatics. The snow looks a bit grubby, but there’s a beautiful twist and landing by young Canadian Emmile Nadeau, who goes top three.
It’s snowing again now, big fat flakes. Maybe a winter sports expert can correct me, but it feels as if there is more jeopardy with the tin man ski half pipe than the graceful snowboarding.
Lots of union jacks for Liam Richards, at 18 the youngest member of Team GB, and whose parents both sailed for Britain. He learnt his trade growing up in beautiful Wanaka.
On his Olympic debut he doesn’t hit every trick but makes it down in one piece, scoring 54.50.
The first person down the half pipe was world champ, Finley Melville Ives, who lost a ski mid-air and is languishing at the bottom of the leader board.
Ah, here comes Gus Kenworthy, he of the the urinated ‘fuck ICE’ snow message, and silver medallist in the 2014 ski slopestyle for the US, before switching to Team GB. He’s a brave guy, and has received death threats since his protest.
He looks happy enough with 81.25 to nestle just behind Hess in these run one standings.
It’s the turn of the gloriously named Hunter Hess of the USA. He doesn’t fall off and it all looks good to me but Tim and Ed are a bit sniffy about his altitude. He looks pleased however, and he scores enough to go third as things stand.
The conditions are much kinder this morning, and we have action at last at the men’s freeski halfpipe. The qualifying is underway which means everyone’s favourite winter duo, Tim and Ed, are back in their commentary shoebox.
Medal events
All times in GMT:
12.10pm Women’s Ski Cross 🥇
1.15pm Men’s biathlon 15km mass start 🥇
1.30pm Men’s Aerials 🥇
3.30pm Women’s 1500m Speed Skating 🥇
6.05pm🥉: Men’s bronze medal match
6.30pm Men’s Halfpipe skiing🥇:
8.18pm Men’s short track speed skating, 5000m relay 🥇
9pm Women’s short track speed skating, 1500m 🥇
The BBC are showing replays from yesterday’s ski mountaineering, where ridiculously fit men and women ski up a mountain, sprint a flight of steep stairs, before skiing back down again, with jeopardy at each boot change, and in high winds and heavy snow. Truly a different breed of human.
Some beautiful, and blizzard-heavy pictures, from Thursday have been curated by our talented picture desk.
Medals table
The Norwegians still reign supreme, but the USA have leap-frogged the hosts to settle into second.
1 🇳🇴 Norway 🥇 16 🥈 8 🥉 10 – Total: 34
2 🇺🇸 United States 🥇 9 🥈 12 🥉 6 – Total: 27
3 🇮🇹 Italy 🥇 9 🥈 5 🥉 12 – Total: 26
4 🇫🇷 France 🥇 6 🥈 8 🥉 5 – Total: 19
5 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🥇 6 🥈 7 🥉 3 – Total: 16
That table in full:
Yesterday’s 40 centimetres of snow means we’re playing catch up today: and things begin with the rescheduled men’s halfpipe and men’s aerial qualifications. Both kick off in half an hour.
Preamble
Good grey morning readers, let us hurry to northern Italy where the skies are blue and the slopes powdery.
Medals galore today as we round the final corner.
After the USA clinched the women’s ice hockey gold on Thursday, more drama at the rink with the men’s semi-finals. Canada play Finland this afternoon and the USA take on Slovakia this evening.
A busy day for the world’s best skiers, in women’s cross finals, and the men’s 15km biathlon.
The men’s halfpipe freestyle final also takes place, under the drama of darkness, with eyes on teenage champion Finley Melville Ives as well as veteran American Nick Goepper; and the day finishes with two short-track speed skating finals, in the men’s 5000m relay and the women’s 1500m.
There’s also more curling. Great Britain’s men get a rest after yesterday’s heroics, but there’s a men’s bronze medal match to look forward to and the women’s semi-finals. Finally, the rearranged men’s aerial finals, where Switzerland’s Noe Rot is hoping to follow in the snowsteps of his mum, who won an aerials bronze 28 years ago.
We’ll be here to cover each stumble and gold, do join us.
