Hirscher breaks through; Canadian curlers win mixed doubles

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Austrian 28-yearold Marcel Hirscher, a six-time overall World Cup champion, won the men’s combined at the Pyeongchang Games. Hirscher’s combined tworun time was 0.23 seconds faster than silver medalist Alexis Pinturault of France. The Austrian is a three-time Olympian who had previously won only a silver medal despite never finishing below fifth in any race.

“I’m super happy because now this stupid question has gone away, if I’m thinking that my career is perfect without a gold medal,” Hirscher said. “Now the question is zzzzzzit — deleted.”

Hirscher isn’t done, either. He’ll be the favorite in his top two events of slalom and giant slalom, which will be raced in nearby Yongpyong.

In a first for the Olympics, Canadian curlers Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris won gold in the debut of mixed doubles with a 10-3 victory over the Swiss pair of Jenny Perret and Martin Rios.

In a rush of night-time finishes, Kjeld Nuis led a Dutch double in the men’s 1,500-meter speedskating final, Natalie Geisenberger successfully defended her women’s luge title in a 1-2 finish for Germany, the cross-country classic sprint titles went to Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway and Stina Nilsson of Sweden, and Italian short-track speedskater Arianna Fontana won the women’s 500 meters.

IN THE MIX

Lawes and Morris were too good in the mixed doubles curling final, with Switzerland conceding in the sixth end of the match after missing an opportunity for a takeout with its last shot of the end. That gave Canada another two points. Seeing no way to come back from the deficit, the Swiss ended the game.

The team from Russia picked up bronze with Anastasia Bryzgalova tumbling onto the ice but bouncing back with teammate — and husband — Aleksandr Krushelnitckii for an 8-4 victory over Norway. Bryzgalova was shuffling backward in the third end when she stumbled over a stone and had her legs fly out from under her and she crashed hard onto her backside. The spill drew gasps from the stunned crowd and left a stunned Bryzgalova embarrassed for a moment.

DUTCH DOUBLE

Kjeld Nuis led teammate Patrick Roest in a 1-2 finish in the 1,500 meters to give Netherlands four wins from four finals in speedskating at the Olympic Oval.

The Dutch have now won eight of 12 medals at the Pyeongchang Games, keeping them on the stunning medal pace set at the 2014 Sochi Games when they finished with 23 out of 36.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Klaebo won gold in the men’s cross-country sprint, with Frederico Pellegrino of Italy getting the better of a photo finish to take silver ahead of Russian competitor Alexander Bolshunov.

Stina Nilsson of Sweden won the women’s crosscountry sprint. Maiken Caspersen of Norway was second and Russian skier Yulia Belorukova took bronze.

Yet again, there was no medal for the United States. Jessica Diggins placed sixth, failing in her quest to become the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.

GEISENBERGER’S GOLD

Geisenberger is the third woman to win consecutive Olympic luge golds, joining fellow German greats Steffi Martin Walter and Sylke Otto.

She beat German teammate Dajana Eitberger and Alex Gough, who took bronze to give Canada its first Olympic luge medal.

Erin Hamlin of the United States was sixth and Emily Sweeney crashed out midway through her final run.

HOT WATER

Japanese short-track speedskater Kei Saito tested positive for the banned diuretic Acetalozamide in the first doping case of the Pyeongchang Games.

Saito, a reserve on the 5,000-meter relay team, said in a statement that he was “extremely shocked” by the results and has “never used anabolic steroids.” He did not race in any event before the test result from a pre-competition sample was confirmed.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport said Saito “accepted on a voluntary basis to be provisionally suspended and to leave the Olympic Village.”