The search for gold continues at the 2022 Beijing Olympics as the disappointments seem to have outnumbered the successes so far for Team USA.
(Looking for a recap of Monday's events? We've got you covered.)
Chinese-American Eileen Gu thrilled the crowd in her adopted home country with a stellar final run to win the gold medal in the women's Big Air freestyle skiing competition. The San Francisco resident is competing for China, where her mother grew up.
The men's individual figure skating competition begins, but one of the American medal contenders won't be on the ice. After helping the U.S. win silver in the team event on Monday, Vincent Zhou tested positive for coronavirus and is out of the men's competition. Five-time national champion Nathan Chen will be the USA's best hope for a medal.
The most dominant performances of the Games to date for Team USA have been in women's hockey. A highly anticipated showdown with Canada has finally arrived with both teams sporting 3-0 records in the opening round.
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Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai attends Big Air finals with IOC president
After the IOC confirmed that former pro tennis player Peng Shuai met with IOC president Thomas Bach on Saturday, she was spotted with him again Tuesday at the Big Air Shougang venue watching Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu win the gold medal.
Peng’s public appearances have been heavily scrutinized and orchestrated since she posted on Chinese social media and then quickly deleted an accusation that a former government official sexually assaulted her, sparking worldwide outrage. After going silent for three weeks as friends from the tennis tour and WTA officials tried to reach her, she re-emerged in a series of videos from state-controlled Chinese media sources.
She has since publicly called the entire situation a misunderstanding and denied that she accused anyone of sexual assault, including in an interview that was published Monday with French sports publication L’Equipe.
The interview was held under tightly controlled circumstances, with L’Equipe submitting questions in advance and getting answers in Chinese that were translated by an official on the country’s Olympic committee.
Since Peng’s public re-emergence, the IOC has publicized a series of conversations between her and Bach meant to reassure her safety. The New York Times was able to get access to Bach, who confirmed that he again spoke with Peng.
Later, she was seen sitting besides American freestyle skier Nick Goepper during the competition.
“I spotted her and we had the opportunity to talk,” Bach told the Times. “Now she has to go to quarantine, she told me, because she will leave now the closed loop. She said today.”
-- Dan Wolken
Eileen Gu wows crowd on final run for Big Air gold
BEIJING – Eileen Gu, the 18-year old freestyle skiier who grew up in San Francisco but competes for China, won the gold medal Tuesday in the inaugural Olympic Big Air event with a spectacular trick on her third and final attempt.
With her place on the podium secured, Gu went for a trick she had never successfully landed in either competition or practice -- a left double 1620 that requires 4 1/2 rotations in the air -- and absolutely nailed it as the Chinese fans at Big Air Shougang screamed.
Knowing she had just done something special, Gu could hardly contain her emotions, dropping to her knees and putting her hands behind her head. A few moments later, her score of 94.50 was posted on the video board, confirming that she had moved into first place.
Tess Ledeux of France, who had put down two monster runs to grab the lead, still had a chance to win the gold. But a wobble on the landing made it all but official that Gu had taken it from her in stunning fashion.
Gu, who is also a fashion model associated with roughly two dozen ad campaigns in China surrounding these Olympics, came into the Games with big expectations and a chance to medal in three events. She more than delivered in her first performance.
-- Dan Wolken
Support overwhelms Vincent Zhou, coach after skater's positive COVID test
BEIJING – U.S. Olympic figure skating coach Tom Zakrajsek came to Beijing to coach Vincent Zhou in both the figure skating team competition and the men’s individual event.
But when the U.S. team was announced and stepped onto the second rung of the podium at Capital Indoor Stadium, Zhou wasn’t there. He had tested positive for COVID-19 and was about to go into quarantine.
So, as the men’s short program went on without Zhou Tuesday morning, Zakrajsek sent his thoughts via text message to USA TODAY Sports: “It’s a tough day. It’s a gut punch. After being here for 11 days and Vincent testing negative every day except the last couple it’s hard to imagine,” he wrote.
“Vincent and I have been in touch daily. This is heartbreaking for Vincent and everyone on his team ... The outpouring of support has been amazing. From U.S. Figure Skating and Team USA in general and across social media.”
-- Christine Brennan
U.S. skier Nina O'Brien heading home after breaking leg in giant slalom fall
BEIJING – Nina O’Brien has a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula and will be taken back to the United States for further treatment.
O’Brien had initial surgery at a hospital in Yanqing, near the Alpine ski venue, after a gruesome crash Monday afternoon in the second run of the giant slalom.
“I had surgery last night to stabilize my tibia, which unfortunately was an open fracture through my leg,” O’Brien said in an Instagram post Tuesday. “I’ll get the rest fixed at home, but for now I’m in great hands. I want to say thank you to everyone who’s taken care of me, especially those who rushed to me in the finish and my doctors and nurses in Yanqing.”
O’Brien crashed just short of the finish line. Skiing at top speed, she lost her balance at the second-to-last gate. Her legs flew wide, and she tumbled past the last gate and into the finish line.
“Well, I gave everything I had, and maybe too much,” O’Brien said in her Instagram post. “I keep replaying it in my head, wishing I’d skied those last few gates differently. But here we are.”
O’Brien had been the top U.S. woman in the giant slalom after Shiffrin skied out, finishing sixth in the first run. She was also supposed to compete in Wednesday’s slalom event, and will be replaced by fellow American A.J. Hurt.
-- Nancy Armour
Speedskater Casey Dawson battling the clock even before arriving in Beijing
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Forget the race. Just making to the starting line has been a mad dash for American speedskater Casey Dawson.
The 21-year-old had been set to compete in his first Olympics before testing positive for COVID almost four weeks ago. He thought he would be able to clear two negative tests in time to travel, and he did do that. But he learned he would need four and to get them from a different lab, something that delayed his travel until Sunday.
Dawson embarked on a trek that would take him from Salt Lake City to Atlanta to Paris and then finally to Beijing, all in less than two days. Having already missed the 5,000 meters, Dawson is racing to get here in time for the 1,500 later Tuesday here in China.
Dawson logged his journey on Instagram, and he arrived in Beijing around 7 a.m. One problem – his bags didn’t.
Dawson told NBC’s Gadi Schwartz that he had all he needed to race in his carry on, except for his blades.
Dawson made it to the village by 10 a.m. local time, but his luggage had not yet made it to him.
“My blades are actually in my suit case, and kind of need those to skate,” he said.
Dawson is still awaiting the results of his COVID test upon arrival at the airport. Once cleared, he’ll have a matter of hours to get ready for the 1,500.
-- Rachel Axon
Path to skating gold goes through Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan is the two-time defending champion in Olympic men's figure skating, winning gold medals in Sochi (2014) and Pyeongchang (2018).
Hanyu suffered a sprained ligament in his right ankle from a fall in practice on Nov. 9, and did not compete in any of the Grand Prix figure skating events this fall. But he shouldn't be counted out.
He'll compete against American Nathan Chen and others in the men's figure skating short program on Tuesday. Hanyu is scheduled to skate at 12:19 p.m. in Beijing (11:19 p.m. ET, Monday).
-- Steve Gardner
Chinese-American Eileen Gu overcomes pressure to reach Big Air final
BEIJING — There is no bigger star in China at these Olympics than Eileen Gu, the 18-year old freestyle skier from San Francisco who is headed to Stanford after these Olympics.
Despite her American roots, Gu chose in 2019 to compete for China, the country where her mother grew up and where she has become a fashion model and a breakthrough star.
Given the hype surrounding her debut at the Beijing Games, Gu admitted there was some pressure to perform well Monday in the first Big Air competition for skiing ever at the Olympics.
“I would not feel satisfied if I didn’t make finals,” she said. That outcome was in question until Gu nailed her last run, putting her over the top and in position to challenge for a medal in Tuesday's final.
-- Dan Wolken
Nathan Chen hoping history doesn't repeat itself
BEIJING — It's a big day for Nathan Chen.
The presumptive gold-medal favorite will take the ice in Beijing on Tuesday (Monday in the U.S.) for the first half of the individual competition. He'll be performing his short program, set to "La Boheme" by Charles Aznavour, just after midnight on the East Coast.
Chen, 22, had a near-flawless performance with this same program a few days ago, setting a new season-best en route to a victory in the team competition. But this event, the short program, is also the one that doomed him in 2018.
Chen's primary competition will come from Japanese skaters Yuzuru Hanyu and Shoma Uno, who finished first and second respectively in Pyeongchang. Hanyu is a two-time defending gold medalist. He's struggled with injuries this season and was a dramatic late arrival to the practice rink on Monday.
-- Tom Schad
'QUAD KING:' Get to know five-time U.S. national champion Nathan Chen
COVID, quarantine make life difficult in Olympic Village
BEIJING – Athletes are speaking out about the conditions they faced or observed in quarantine hotels in China used by athletes who test positive while at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They described "inedible meals," little or no access to training equipment and a confusing and at times seemingly illogical COVID-19 testing regime.
Short track speedskater Natalia Maliszewska of Poland tested positive for coronavirus on Jan. 30, when she was ruled out of Saturday's qualifying race for the 500 meters, her strongest event. But Maliszewska was unexpectedly released from isolation on the eve of the race, only to test positive a few hours before it started and was immediately ushered back into quarantine. The next day – Sunday, the day after the qualifying event – she was released after again testing negative.
"My heart can't take it," Maliszewska wrote in an Instagram post.
Russian biathlete Valeria Vasnetsova used Instagram to complain about the food she received in her quarantine facility. On Feb. 3 she posted an image of what she claimed was "breakfast, lunch and dinner for five days already." The photo consisted of some plain pasta, charred meat, an orange-looking sauce and no apparent vegetables.
-- Kim Hjelmgaard
'This rivalry is like no other:' USA, Canada meet again in women's hockey
The United States and Canada have played each other for Olympic gold in women's hockey five times (out of six tournaments), with the Americans winning in a shootout four years ago in Pyeongchang.
"I think both groups like to play each other because it brings out the best in them, and at the same time, they don’t like each other. I think that’s OK," U.S. coach Joel Johnson said. "I think that’s what makes a great rivalry. When I watch them play, it’s exciting. I wish I could have experienced that as an athlete myself. Now it’s fun to be a part of."
Both teams are sporting 3-0 records in opening-round play heading into Tuesday's clash. Although the only thing on the line is seeding in the next round, expect both teams to play like a gold medal is at stake.
"This rivalry is like no other," U.S. defender Savannah Harmon said. "I think there’s a lot of pride on the line each night. We definitely take advantage of every game we get to play against them and I think that shows on both sides."
-- Chris Bumbaca
After positive COVID test, Vincent Zhou out of men's figure skating competition
U.S. figure skater Vincent Zhou said in an Instagram post on Monday he has to withdraw from the individual event after testing positive for COVID-19.
In a five-minute video, an emotional Zhou said he tested positive as part of a routine COVID screening and then got additional testing. He said it was "pretty unreal that of all the people, it would happen to myself,"
Zhou was expected to compete in the individual competition, starting with the men's short program. He will not be replaced in the men’s individual event.
'HE DESERVES TO BE UP THERE:' Zhou misses medal ceremony, celebration
Are those nuclear reactors at the Olympic games?
BEIJING – There’s no great need or demand for permanent venues to host a sport as niche as Big Air, but the Chinese went ahead and did it anyway. It is a towering, dramatic structure rising above a former industrial park where they used to mill steel, flanked by cooling towers that evoke images of nuclear winters moreso than the Winter Olympics.
And yet it might just be the best idea the Chinese have had at these Beijing Games.
“It’s amazing, the facility is crazy,” said Norway’s Birk Ruud, who posted the best qualifying score in the men’s competition.
“It’s definitely cool being in a stadium vibe,” said Darian Stevens, the only American who made the women’s final. “That’s not typically a thing.”
-- Dan Wolken
