Winter Olympics: Alexander Bolshunov stars ahead of Manic Monday feat. Mikaela Shiffrin – Best of Beijing

BEST MOMENTS OF DAY 3

Bolshunov’s redemption

The Russian even discovered time to take a celebratory swig of water and gleefully shake his fist as he cruised by way of the ultimate levels of the race, delighting our man Patrick Winterton within the commentary field.

“I’ve by no means, ever seen him have a good time previous to crossing the road! That is the one which he has needed for therefore lengthy,” beamed Winterton.

Bolshunov rolled down the end straight with the historic and well-known flag of the Russian Olympic Committee held aloft. Thankfully none of his rivals may muster a late transfer as everyone knows what would have occurred.

She’s simply 15

The 15-year-old – a phrase that makes us suppose we could not have fulfilled our personal potential – grew to become simply the fourth lady in historical past to land a triple axel as she underlined why she is the overwhelming favorite for girls’s singles gold later within the Video games.

We’re additionally an enormous fan of her thoughts video games. When requested if she was unbeatable previous to the Video games, Valieva simply shrugged. Impeccable self-belief.

“All the very best qualities of a determine skater come collectively on this fragile lady,” ice dancer Nikita Katsalapov summarised about his compatriot. It is onerous to disagree.

Sweden’s gold run continues

Dutchman Sven Kramer had received the title on the final three Video games, a run courting again to 2010, however his remaining outing over 5000m ended with a relatively horrible ninth-placed end.

IN OTHER NEWS

What’s with Gen Z youngsters and smartphones? You may suppose that an Olympic debut would require your full focus, however 20-year-old Takeru Otsuka was noticed fortunately scrolling by way of his cellphone simply seconds earlier than his essential slopestyle run.

If ever there was proof that we’re changing into a species of know-how addicts, that is it.

THREE TO WATCH ON MONDAY

We’re going to cheat and make it 4 given there are two headline Alpine occasions on the agenda.

• Determine skating: Workforce occasion conclusion – 1:15 GMT

Is there a extra soothing sight in sport than determine skaters prancing to a pleasant light melody? With an array of seemingly unattainable jumps and flawless precision, it’s no surprise it’s been a staple within the Olympic Video games for a century.

The group occasion reaches its conclusion on Day 3 with the pairs free skate, ice dance free dance and girls’s free skating.

• Alpine snowboarding: Girls’s big slalom – 1:30 GMT & 6:30 GMT
• Alpine snowboarding: Males’s downhill – 03:00 GMT

Apologies to those that stayed up final evening.

After the primary Alpine occasion of Beijing 2022 was cancelled as a consequence of excessive winds, we’re again to hype the lads’s downhill once more AND the ladies’s big slalom, which is able to give us our first Mikaela Shiffrin v Petra Vlhova showdown.

*we also needs to add our apologies to Sweden’s Sara Hector and France’s Tessa Worley, who’re really forward of our hyped duo within the FIS big slalom rankings this season. However don’t spoil our narrative, women.

• Brief monitor velocity skating: Girls’s 500m remaining – 12:46 GMT

Schulting, who received EVERY SINGLE EVENT on the 2021 World Championships, should navigate a packed programme which options the quarter-finals, semi-finals and remaining on the identical evening.

BRIT WATCH

It’s all in regards to the combined doubles curling semi-finals. Workforce GB arrived because the world champions and favourites for gold however have endured a combined Video games to date. Nonetheless, the vital information is that Bruce Mouat and Jen Dodds are into the final 4 – no matter what occurs of their remaining round-robin match in opposition to USA (01:05 GMT).

We received’t discover out their opponents till the opening part is accomplished however they’ll undoubtedly play their semi-final at 12:05 GMT on Monday. Don’t miss it.

Elsewhere, teenage sensation Kirsty Muir and Katie Summerhayes go in girls’s huge air freestyle snowboarding qualification (01:30 GMT) and James Woods completes within the males’s equal (05:30 GMT). Plus Alex Tilley can be trying to spoil the Shiffrin-Vlhova celebration within the girls’s big slalom (01:30 and 06:30 GMT).

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