Vonn scatters ashes near downhill course
JEONGSEON, South Korea — Lindsey Vonn came to South Korea with the goal of taking home an Olympic medal and leaving something even more special behind. She did both. Vonn said Thursday she recently scattered some of the ashes of her grandfather, who served during the Korean War, on a rock near the mountain where the downhill races were run.
“I know that it would mean a lot to him to be back here, a part of him is in South Korea always,” said Vonn, who shared her story with the Associated Press and the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
Vonn said she sprayed parts of Don Kildow’s ashes “just a few days ago” on a rock that she was told was special when she visited South Korea last year to be named a Pyeongchang Olympic ambassador. She described the location as “right by the men’s downhill start.”
Vonn won a bronze medal in the downhill, but she skied out of Thursday’s slalom leg of the Alpine combined in what was likely her last Olympic race. Later in the day, a group of elderly South Korean men gave her family some gifts and a letter of thanks to mark her grandfather’s service during the 1950-53 Korean War.
Canadian apologizes for taking medal off
Canadian defenseman Jocelyne Larocque says she wishes she hadn’t taken off her silver medal almost immediately after it was placed around her neck.
Larocque issued a statement through Team Canada apologizing to the IOC, International Ice Hockey Federation, the Pyeongchang Olympic Organizing Committee, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Hockey Canada, and her teammates and fans.
She says her emotions got the best of her Thursday after a 3-2 shootout loss to the United States and she meant no disrespect.
South Koreans want speedskaters expelled
Thousands of South Koreans are calling for two speedskaters to be expelled from the Olympics after they left their slower teammate behind in a race defined by teamwork and walked away as she quietly sobbed. It was one of the most bizarre moments of this year’s Winter Games.
The petition to South Korea’s presidential office calls for skaters Kim Bo-Reum and Park Ji Woo to be expelled from the Olympics and seeks an investigation into what it describes as “various corruption and irregularities” at the Korea Skating Union, the national skating body.
During the women’s team pursuit quarterfinals Monday, Kim and Park skated ahead as teammate Noh Seon-yeong fell behind the pack.
Curling federation supports decision
The World Curling Federation says it supports a decision to strip a Russian curler of his Olympic medal after he admitted to a doping violation at the Games.
The curling federation said in a statement Thursday that the violation involving Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky has “cast a shadow over our sport.”
TheCourtofArbitrationforSport announcedearlierThursdaythat Krushelnitskywouldbestrippedof hismedalaftertestingpositiveforthe bannedsubstancemeldonium.
Krushelnitsky won a bronze medal in mixed doubles with his wife last week.