Naude sixth at Olympics
Figure skating team, Kingsbury top podium
Andi Naude, of Penticton competes in the freestyle skiing event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Sunday. She placed sixth overall after falling in the final. Her teammate, Justine Dufour-Lapointe from Montreal, won a silver medal in the event.
A veteran group of decorated figure skaters and moguls star Mikael Kingsbury earned Canada its first gold medals of the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., clinched Canada top spot in the team figure skating competition Monday after finishing third in the women’s free skate, before teammates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won the ice dance segment of the event.
“I didn’t want to let my team down. I just skated with all my heart and just was in the moment completely,” said Daleman. “I have such an incredible, strong team. Not only are we strong as individuals and as a team, but also as a country, and I really am glad with what we’ve done, and we stepped up and made Canada proud this week.”
Daleman’s 137.14-point performance added eight points to Canada’s cumulative score, bringing it up to 63. Olympic Athletes from Russia were second at 58 and the United States was third with 53.
Daleman’s performance clinched gold because neither Russia or the U.S. could catch the Canadians once Virtue and Moir stepped on the ice.
The Canadian ice dancers could’ve taken it easy with gold a sure thing, but Virtue and Moir put in a beautiful performance, taking the top spot in the free dance with 118.10 points. That brought the Canadians final score up to 73 — well ahead of the competition.
Kingsbury, 25, of Deux-Montagnes, Que., captured his first Olympic title, winning the men’s moguls with a dominant score of 86.63 in the third and final run.
Australia’s Matt Graham took silver with 82.57, while Daichi Hara captured bronze with 82.19.
Marc-Antoine Gagnon of Terrebonne, Que., finished fourth with 77.02.
Kingsbury, the World Cup leader and Sochi Games silver medallist, was the top qualifier after scoring 86.07 points Friday. He’s won six straight World Cup season titles and is on track for a seventh.
That boosts Canada’s medal count to seven (two gold, four silver, one bronze) — one behind Norway.
Canada will add another medal in mixed doubles curling by morning.
Canada moved within a victory of gold and assured itself of at least a silver with an 8-4 win over Norway in the semifinal.
Ottawa’s John Morris and Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes downed Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten for their seventh win in eight outings.
Canada will face Switzerland for the gold, while Norway takes on a Russian team for bronze.
Morris curls out of the Okanagan on the men’s team skipped by Vernon’s Jim Cotter, which also features Kelowna’s Tyrel Griffith and Rick Sawatsky. Morris, 39, won Olympic gold in 2010 playing third for Kevin Martin.