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BEIJING — Shaun White’s sensible and transcendent Olympic profession is over. It ended with a fall on his last run down the halfpipe, a heartfelt ovation from the group after which a tearful farewell to a sport he helped outline.
Just a few mountains away, Mikaela Shiffrin lastly made all of it the way in which down the Alpine ski hill, completed ninth in super-G after which expressed aid.
There have been no medals and totally different feelings Friday for 2 of the most important American stars on the Beijing Olympics.
Shiffrin might have two extra possibilities to turn into the primary Alpine ski racer from america to win three Olympic golds throughout a profession.
White, although, is completed. His fifth and last Olympics ended when he clipped the wall making an attempt to land his second trick of his third run. Figuring out it was over, he pulled off his helmet and acknowledged the group as he slowly rode the remainder of the way in which down the halfpipe. Making an attempt to win his fourth gold medal, he as a substitute completed fourth.
“I’m not unhappy,” White mentioned, though he cried a number of instances, together with throughout an interview with NBC when he struggled to maintain his composure.
“I’m pleased with what I put down,” White mentioned. “And I can’t assist however assume if I’d have hit the rostrum in third, I’d have needed second. And if I’d have gotten second, I’d’ve needed first. It’s simply the fighter in me, and I’m at all times hoping for extra.”
White got here shredding into the Olympics 16 years in the past, a teen from a San Diego suburb nicknamed “The Flying Tomato” due to his shaggy mop of crimson hair. He gained the gold medal at Turin and repeated in 2010 in Vancouver. After ending fourth in Sochi, he was again on the highest of the rostrum in 2018.
Alongside the way in which he grew to become a popular culture crossover.
Now 35 and his hair well-coiffed, White had his legacy on show throughout him within the Secret Backyard Olympic halfpipe.
“I’m certain each single one that competed right now seemed as much as him for a really very long time,” mentioned bronze medalist Jan Scherrer of Switzerland. “It’s a really cool second.”
The gold medalist, 23-year-old Ayuma Hirano of Japan, was one in every of them. He proved to be a worthy successor to White with an epic last run that included a trend-setting triple-cork, or three head-over-heels spins whereas twisting above the pipe, for a rating of 96.
“I hoped I might ship a message to him by displaying my experience to him,” mentioned Hirano, who grew up idolizing White.
SHRIFFIN FINISHES
Mikaela Shiffrin made it throughout the end line of The Rock course on the Alpine hill for the primary time in three races within the Beijing Video games. She positioned ninth within the super-G, effectively off the tempo set by gold medalist Lara Intestine-Behrami of Switzerland.
“It’s a extremely huge aid to be right here now within the end, having skied a run effectively,” Shiffrin mentioned. “I wasn’t snowboarding protected or something. However I additionally did get to the end and that’s very nice for my coronary heart to know that it’s not completely abandoning every part I assumed I knew concerning the sport.”
Her efficiency within the super-G got here after she crashed out of the large slalom on Monday and skidded out of the slalom on Wednesday, each races ending only a few seconds after she began. These have been her greatest occasions and those wherein she had gained gold medals, the slalom at Sochi in 2014 and the large slalom 4 years later at Pyeongchang.
The 26-year-old from Colorado mentioned she had felt emotionally fatigued.
“However after we bought out right now, I simply really feel a bit bit extra settled. A bit of bit quieter. Making an attempt to maintain some calmness and simply making an attempt to concentrate on the duty at hand, so I might put my consideration the place I needed and ski the hill and the course correctly.”
Shiffrin might compete twice extra individually in Beijing. She’ll have a number of days to apply the downhill and determine if she’ll enter that race on Tuesday.
‘NO WAR’ SIGN
Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych held up a small signal that learn “No Struggle in Ukraine” on the finish of his third run. The signal was printed on a blue-and-yellow piece of paper, the colours of Ukraine’s flag.
It’s potential the Worldwide Olympic Committee might contemplate Heraskevych’s act a violation of Rule 50 of the Olympic Constitution, which prohibits political demonstrations or propaganda throughout the video games. But it surely additionally might fall right into a grey space because the signal didn’t explicitly disrespect an opponent or criticize any political goal.
Heraskevych completed 18th in a contest finally gained by Germany’s Christopher Grotheer.
VALIEVA’S DOPING CASE
Russian determine skater Kamila Valieva’s proper to compete within the ladies’s occasion might be determined at an pressing listening to on the Court docket of Arbitration for Sport.
Each the World Anti-Doping Company and the Worldwide Testing Company — on behalf of the IOC — mentioned Friday they might battle the choice by Russia’s anti-doping company to permit the 15-year-old Valieva to skate within the competitors beginning Tuesday. The Russian company provisionally banned Valieva on Tuesday as a result of she failed a doping take a look at in December. After an enchantment, the company lifted the ban Wednesday.
Valieva is the heavy favourite after setting world-record scores this season and touchdown the primary quad soar by a lady at an Olympics when the Russian athletes competing as ROC, quick for Russian Olympic Committee, gained the group occasion Monday. The ROC mentioned it can battle to maintain that gold medal.
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
The U.S. ladies’s hockey group averted an upset when it rallied to beat the Czech Republic 4-1 within the quarterfinals. Lee Stecklein scored the go-ahead objective on a shot from the suitable level 6:49 into the third interval for the defending Olympic champions.
The People proceed to battle offensively. They wanted 59 photographs to attain their 4 objectives. Hilary Knight had a objective and help, and Savannah Harmon and Kendall Coyne Schofield additionally scored.
VAN DER POEL DOUBLES UP
Nils van der Poel of Sweden broke his personal world document and gained his second gold medal of the Beijing Video games within the 10,000 meters, the longest race within the Olympic program. He added it to his victory within the 5,000.
His time of 12 minutes, 30.74 seconds broke his personal world document of 12:32.95 set a yr in the past and was greater than 9 seconds forward of the Olympic document set 4 years in the past by reigning champion Ted-Jan Bloemen of Canada.
SHORT TRACK
Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands efficiently defended her title in 1,000-meter quick observe speedskating in 1 minute, 28.391 seconds. She set the world and Olympic data of 1:26.514 within the quarterfinals.
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