ROUNDUP
HOCKEY
The latest iteration of the Russian Red Machine started its Olympic hockey tournament against Slovakia and lost 3-2. The Russians gave up a two-goal lead as defensive errors allowed Slovakia to end the first period tied at 2-2. Peter Ceresnak then scored the game-winner with a slapshot in the third.
NORDIC COMBINED
Dominant throughout his career, Eric Frenzel wasn’t about to let a half-minute deficit deny him of another taste of Olympic glory. The 29-year-old German erased 38 seconds after the ski jumping stage of the Nordic combined
and surged ahead of Akito Watabe on the last uphill of the 10-kilometer cross-country race to defend his title in the normal hill event at the Pyeongchang Games. With just over 1 kilometer remaining in Wednesday’s race, it looked like Watabe might give Japan its first gold of the games. But Frenzel powered ahead of the World Cup leader on the hill for Germany’s sixth gold in Pyeongchang. Watabe finished 4.8 seconds behind for the silver while Lukas Klapfer of Austria took the bronze.
SPEEDSKATING
Jorien Ter Mors won the gold medal Wednesday in the 1,000 meters and kept the Netherlands
perfect in speedskating at the Pyeongchang Games with five wins in five races.
CURLING
The American women fell into a 7-0 hole after only three ends. They didn’t score until the fourth, and it appeared they might concede after Japan’s lead swelled to 8-1. But a couple of sweet shots by Roth pulled the U.S. within 8-5, giving them the minor satisfaction of staying on the ice a little longer. Besides, there is no time to mope In the Olympic round robin. The U.S. has eight games yet to play, starting Thursday with matchups against Britain’s Eve Muirhead — the 2014
Olympic bronze medalist — and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni.
LUGE
Just about everyone in the international luge world refers to the German team of Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt as “the Tobys,” for obvious reasons. Call them two-time Olympic champions now, too. As most expected, a German team won the doubles luge title at the Pyeongchang Games. As few expected, it was Wendl and Arlt — the secondbest team in the world all season, yet the team that stood highest on the Olympic medal podium.