Japan’s Hanyu wins history-making gold
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – Yuzuru Hanyu made Olympic figure skating history with a strong – and expected – performance in the men’s free skate.
Meanwhile, Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic stunned everyone, including herself, by winning the gold in the women’s super-g.
On a busy Saturday at the Pyeongchang Olympics, Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin won the women’s slopestyle skiing event, Norway was victorious in the women’s cross-country relay, and Slovakia’s Anastasiya Kuzmina won the women’s 12.5-kilometer mass start biathlon.
In short-track speedskating, South Korea’s Choi Min-jeong got the victory in the women’s 1,500 meters, while Canada’s Samuel Girard won the men’s 1,000 meters.
In Gangneung, Hanyu became the first man to repeat as Olympic champion since Dick Button in 1952 after also winning Associated Press
in Sochi in 2014. He also won the 1,000th gold medal in Winter Games history.
“This is the best day of my skating life,” Hanyu said. “My tears were from my heart. I can find one word and that is ‘happy.’”
He held off Japanese teammate Shoma Uno and Spain’s Javier Fernandez for the victory.
A gracious Hanyu told Fernandez that he wished they both could have won.
“I told him, ‘Yes, Yuzu, but only one can be champion. Only one can have the gold medal,’” Fernandez said.
In Jeongseon, Ledecka simply couldn’t believe she was No. 1 on the videoboard standings moments after crossing the finish line.
Her time of 1 minute, 21.11 seconds was just 0.01 seconds faster than Austria’s Anna Veith, the defending Olympic champion. While Veith was one of the favorites, the 22-year-old Ledecka was a low-ranked competitor who was considered a better contender for a medal in snowboarding.