Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
XXIII WINTER OLYMPICS
Pyeongchang, South Korea
SPEEDSKATING U.S. women take bronze
The U.S. women’s speedskating team won its first medal in 16 years when it took third in the team women’s pursuit. It employed its “Go for the bronze” strategy, which was hailed in a U.S. Olympic Committee media advisory in the team figure skating, by resting its best 1,000-meter skater, Brittany Bowe, in the semifinal against the Netherlands. Carlijn Schoutens was substituted for Bowe, joining Heather Bergsma and Mia Manganello. But Bowe was there for the bronze final against Canada. The U.S. team took a big early lead but started to fade with two laps to go. However, Manganello was able to hold on for the bronze. Japan beat the Netherlands for the gold. The Dutch had looked unbeatable at the start of the Games’ speedskating competition. And now they are, by their standards, in collapse. Norway, which is cleaning up in these Games, won the men’s team pursuit, first by beating the Netherlands in the semifinals and then South Korea in the finals. The U.S. finished eighth of eight teams.
WOMEN’S BOBSLED Americans miss gold
Silver is sweeter this time for U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor. Her perspective has changed over the last four years. The silver medal she got at the Sochi Games in 2014 represented failure. It was nothing more than a shiny reminder of a loss, a bauble that she wanted to put away almost from the very second it was slipped around her neck. And now, another silver — except one that she’ll savor. Meyers Taylor, with brakeman Lauren Gibbs, was second in the women’s bobsled event that concluded Wednesday night at the Pyeongchang Olympics. She lost by 0.07 seconds over four runs at the Alpensia Sliding Center to surprise winner Mariama Jamanka of Germany and didn’t stop smiling for what seemed like hours afterward. She said she felt like she gave away gold four years ago, losing the lead in the fourth and final heat. This time, she said, she gave her all and that was enough. “I am going to enjoy this. We’re going to go on vacation and we’re going to enjoy this,” Meyers Taylor said as husband Nic Taylor — accidentally, he said — sprayed her with a bottle of shaken-up sparkling water. The defending repeat champion, Kaillie Humphries of Canada, took bronze. Jamie Greubel Poser and Aja Evans of the U.S. finished a respectable fifth.
MEN’S HOCKEY Canada wins 1-0
Backup goaltender Kevin Poulin made 15 saves in relief of injured starter Ben Scrivens on Wednesday night as Canada held on for a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Finland at Gangneung Hockey Centre. Canada, which relied on its wealth of NHL stars to win the last two men’s Olympic hockey tournaments, will face Germany in the semifinals on Friday. Germany was a surprise winner over Sweden, advancing on a goal by Patrick Reimer one minute and 30 seconds into overtime. Germany is coached by Marco Sturm, whose NHL stops included a stint with the Kings. Defenseman Maxim Noreau, who played six NHL games with the Minnesota Wild and has spent the last two seasons in the Swiss League, scored Canada’s goal on Wednesday. Eric O’Dell, who was drafted by the Ducks in 2008 but never played for them, won a faceoff in Finland’s zone and slid the puck back to Noreau, whose slap shot beat Finland goalie Mikko Koskinen 55 seconds into the third period.
MEN’S CROSS-COUNTRY More control wins race
Skicross is built on one very simple tenet: to go as fast as you possibly dare for as long as you possibly dare and hope everything works out in the end with the understanding that it usually won’t. So in the middle of the treacherous Phoenix Snow Park course that sent a handful of riders to the hospital in medical sleds following frightening crashes, Canadian Brady Leman did something he almost never does. He slowed down, opting for control over speed. The decision paid off with gold. Leman navigated the tricky middle section that wreaked havoc with portions of the field, then held off Marc Bischofberger of Switzerland in the finals Wednesday. Slowing down is “super counterintuitive as a ski racer,” Leman said. “You just try to go full gas everywhere.” Russian Sergey Ridzik took the bronze.
MEN’S CURLING Russian to return medal
Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky will give back his Olympic bronze medal after failing a drug test at the Pyeongchang Games, a spokesman for the Russian Curling Federation told state TV. Krushelnitsky tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, which is believed to help blood circulation, after winning bronze in mixed doubles with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova. “We have signed a statement that indeed he did have [meldonium in the sample] and as a result we will give the medal back,” Russian Curling Federation spokesman Valentina Parinova told state TV channel Russia 1. Word comes as the International Olympic Committee is due to decide Saturday whether to formally reinstate the Russian team for the closing ceremony. Russia was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics over widespread doping at the Sochi Games four years ago, but 168 Russians including Krushelnitsky were allowed by the IOC to compete as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” under the Olympic flag. A statement in Krushelnitsky’s name published by state news agency Tass said he accepted the substance had been found in his sample but that he had not doped intentionally. The Court of Arbitration for Sport had been due to hear Krushelnitsky’s case today. It did not immediately to respond to a request for clarification on whether proceedings would go ahead.