Krueger ends U.S. short-track drought with silver in 1,000
John-Henry Krueger won silver in the 1,000-meter short-track race Saturday to give the U.S. its first speedskating medal of the Pyeongchang Games.
In fact, Krueger became the first American man to win an individual short-track medal since Vancouver in 2010.
Krueger nearly didn’t escape his quarterfinal heat. A Dutch skater bumped him, sending him spinning out of the pack and seemingly out of contention. He finished fourth. He needed third. But then the judges called a penalty on the Dutch skater, moving Krueger to third and into the semifinals.
“The most important part of short-track is just keeping your composure and your calm,” Krueger said.
Samuel Girard of Canada won gold.
Chasing records: Marit Bjoergen moved into a tie for the most career Winter Olympic medals with 13 after helping the Norwegian women to a first-place finish in the cross-country ski relay.
Bjoergen tied male biathlete and fellow Norwegian Ole Einar Bjoerndalen and can take sole possession of the record with a medal in either of the last two women’s events — the team sprint relay or the mass start.
“I don’t think about that now,” Bjoergen said. “I’m just focused on each race.”
Electric run: Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin edged teammate Mathilde Gremaud for gold in the freestyle skiing slopestyle event by posting a score of 91.20 in her final run.
“I was so relaxed because I knew what the (wind) speed was, and usually if I know the speed I know the tricks,” Hoefflin said.
Isabel Atkin of Britain took bronze.
Finding gold: Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia hit 19 of 20 targets and won the women’s biathlon 12.5-kilometer mass start for her sixth career medal and third gold.
Her two previous career gold came in the 7.5-kilometer sprint.
Favored Laura Dahlmeier of Germany, already a two-time gold medalist in Pyeongchang, finished 16th. medals
A rout in skeleton: Lizzy Yarnold won her second consecutive Olympic women’s skeleton gold medal, leaving no doubt by setting a track record in the final heat to beat Germany’s Jacqueline Loelling by nearly a half-second.
Yarnold’s four-run 27.28 seconds to time was 3 Loelling’s minutes, 3:27.73. Yarnold’s margin of difference over the field was the largest in women’s Olympic skeleton history.
He won’t let go: Defending champ Kamil Stoch won ski jumping’s large hill event.
The 30-year-old Polish jumper beat normal hill gold medalist Andreas Wellinger of Germany, who took silver. Robert Johansson of Norway won bronze.