The off-ice drama has finally ended, and attention can now turn to the start of the women's figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
(Looking for a recap of Monday's events? We've got you covered.)
Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete in the short program after a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A test that Valieva took two months ago was flagged for a banned heart medication, but CAS ruled that the 15-year-old Valieva, a “protected athlete” because of her age, can compete.
Also, U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who skied out in the giant slalom and slalom, is still planning to compete in all five individual disciplines.
After her training runs, Shiffrin said: "I’m planning to do it (downhill). Yeah, I think my times are pretty good, in the mix, speeds are pretty good," adding, “I don’t know, I’m just hopeful that it could be a nice solid result, and I think I have good speed and good opportunity. If anything, it’s a really important chance to get another run in before the combined. Yeah, that’s the plan.”
In addition, Americans Alex Hall, who finished eighth in the big air competition, and Colby Stevenson are expected to contend in slopestyle. American Nick Goepper, who medaled in the event at the past two Olympics, is in it again as well.
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Mikaela Shiffrin skis back into action in women's downhill
BEIJING — Looking for a reason to stay up late? Mikaela Shiffrin is racing the Olympic downhill for the first time.
The downhill begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday Beijing time, so 10 p.m. Monday night on the East Coast. No doubt NBC was pleased with Shiffrin’s decision.
Shiffrin didn’t do the downhill at her previous two Olympics. She’d hoped to race it at Pyeongchang in 2018, but weather-related delays disrupted the schedule and she didn’t have enough time to train. Though she hadn’t been on downhill skis since December until the first training run Saturday, Shiffrin has decided to do the race.
“It's going to be intense and a little bit of nerves but in general I think it's going to be really cool to be able to race,” she said. “One of my biggest goals coming here was to start in every event. At least that dream may still be alive."
Shiffrin is 12th on the start list, just in front of reigning Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia. Alix Wilkinson starts 21st and Keely Cashman will go 26th. The final American, Jackie Wiles, will start 30th in the 36-skier field.
It’s cold at the National Alpine Skiing Centre; the temperate forecast for the start of the race is minus-7 degrees. But it’s clear and sunny with light winds, so good conditions for a downhill race.
-- Nancy Armour
Is the freestyle skiing venue really located next to a nuclear power plant?
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, writes USA TODAY Sports' Dan Wolken.
But are those towers really part of a nuclear power plant, as many social media posts have suggested?
A USA TODAY fact check reveals they're actually industrial cooling towers from a now-closed steel mill.
Russian teen skater Kamila Valieva cleared to compete
BEIJING — Kamila Valieva has been cleared to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
In a momentous decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday in favor of the Russian figure skating superstar and the country's anti-doping agency, dismissing the provisional suspension that Valieva, 15, would have otherwise faced after she tested positive for a banned heart medication.
The CAS panel reasoned that the six-week delay from the time Valieva's sample was collected to the time she was informed of the positive result was "not her fault" and noted her special status as a "protected person" under world anti-doping rules, because she is not yet 16.
– Tom Schad
US moves up medal count with four more on Monday
After a stellar day for American women, the USA has moved into third place all by itself in total gold medals at the Beijing Olympics with seven.
Bobsledders Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor took gold and silver in the monobob, while first-time Olympian Megan Nick won a bronze in women's aerials and the ice dancing team of Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue also won bronze.
Team USA now has a total of 16 medals, which ranks third in the overall medal count behind Norway's 19 and the Russian Olympic Committee's 18.
The Norwegians also lead the way with nine golds. Germany is second with eight.
US women's hockey team to play archrival Canada in gold medal game
The U.S. women's hockey team is headed to the gold medal game.
Hilary Knight had a goal and assist, and Alex Cavallini stopped 25 shots to lead the Americans over Finland 4-1 in the semifinal.
Team USA will seek its second straight Olympic gold against Canada (11:10 p.m. ET Wednesday). The U.S. and Canada have faced each other in six of the seven Olympic women's hockey finals. Canada has won gold four times.
"You know, I think it's wonderful hockey. It's the most beautiful rivalry in sports," forward Hilary Knight said after scoring a goal and adding an assist in Monday's win. "It gets the best and the worst out of both of us at the same time. And it's just a wonderful game."
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