WOMEN’S CURLING
S. Korea beats Japan
The South Korean women’s curling team kept its remarkable run alive Friday, defeating Japan 8-7 in a semifinal thriller to advance to Sunday’s final, where the Koreans will face Sweden for gold. The South Koreans were not considered favorites when the tournament began. But they rolled through pool play with an 8-1 record, securing the top seed in the medal round. Against Japan, South Korea’s Kim Eun-jung nestled her final stone of the match against the button, or the center of the target, to give her team the victory. An adoring crowd at the curling center cheered wildly and waved South Korean flags as Kim celebrated with her teammates. During the Olympics, the team has become popularly known as the “Garlic Girls” because they hail from a part of the country that is renowned for its production of garlic.
MIXED CURLING
Norway to receive medal
Norway’s mixed doubles curling team will be presented tonight with the Olympic bronze medal that was stripped from the Russian team. The International Olympic Committee said in a Twitter post that Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten will receive their medals at the medals plaza in Pyeongchang. It’s a rare quick turnaround for such an instance. Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his medal on Thursday after admitting to a doping violation during the games. He tested positive for meldonium after placing third in mixed doubles with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova. The IOC tweet showed Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach welcoming Skaslien and Nedregotten back to Pyeongchang. The Norwegian pair finished fourth last week after losing 8-4 to the Russians. Krushelnitsky has denied knowingly taking a banned substance but didn’t contest the fact that traces of meldonium were found in his doping samples. The Russian Olympic Committee and the national curling federation have launched an investigation into how the banned substances got into his system and haven’t ruled out foul play. The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee last year after a massive doping scheme was uncovered after the 2014 Sochi Games, but allowed 168 athletes to compete in neutral uniforms and without the national flag.
MEN’S CURLING
Swiss top Canadians
Switzerland’s men’s team clinched the bronze in curling on Friday when Benoit Schwarz took out two Canadian stones with his last throw of the 10th and final end. Canada had just one throw left, so it was unable to score the two points it needed to force an extra end. “Very fortunate that maybe they didn’t play their absolute best game and we had a pretty good game,” Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz said. “So that was enough to win it.” The loss was an upset for Canada, which had won the last three men’s competitions. “We feel disheartened, disappointed, just kind of gutted, really,” Canada’s Brent Laing said. “That’s not the way it was supposed to go, wasn’t what we planned, but the better team won today and unfortunately it wasn’t us.”
MEN’S HOCKEY
Germany defeats Canada
Canada’s rough run at the Olympics got a whole lot worse Friday. The two-time defending gold medalists in men’s hockey suffered a shocking 4-3 loss to relatively unheralded Germany in the semifinals, guaranteeing the hockey-mad country its worst finish at the Games in 12 years. One day earlier, the Canadian women’s hockey team lost to the United States in a shootout, ending its run of four consecutive gold medal finishes. The German men’s hockey team had never won more than a bronze medal in Olympic hockey, finishing third as a unified country in 1932 and replicating the feat as West Germany in 1976. Germany failed to qualify for the Olympic tournament four years ago and finished no higher than sixth in the six Olympics that preceded the Sochi Games. The Germans were listed by oddsmakers as +386 moneyline underdogs before Friday’s game, implying just a 21 percent chance of victory. With goals from Brooks Macek, Matthias Plachta, Frank Mauer and Patrick Hager, the Germans jumped to leads of 3-0 and 4-1 and staved off a furious empty-net barrage as the clock ticked down in the third period. Canada was playing without No. 1 goaltender Ben Scrivens, who was out with a shoulder/collarbone injury, but the loss could hardly be pinned on Canada’s goaltending. The team racked up 35 penalty minutes, and Gilbert Brule — who also scored for the Canadians — was ejected in the second period for a brutal hit to the head of Germany’s David Wolf at center ice. Two of Germany’s goals came on the power play. Germany will play the Olympic Athletes from Russia for the gold medal Sunday. Canada will face the Czech Republic for the bronze today.
ALPINE TEAM SKIING
Switzerland beats Austria
Switzerland knocked off top-seeded Austria in the gold-medal race of the Olympic debut of the Alpine team event today. Norway edged France in the bronze-medal match as the Alpine ski program came to a close at the Pyeongchang Games. The Alpine medals table was dominated by three countries — Austria, Switzerland and Norway, each of which went home with seven. Austria had three golds, the Swiss two and Norway one. The Americans finished with three medals — two from Mikaela Shiffrin (gold and silver) and another from Lindsey Vonn (bronze). In the final match of the afternoon, leading 2-1, Swiss ski racer Daniel Yule wrapped up the victory when Austrian Marco Schwarz skied out along the side-by-side parallel slalom course. Yule celebrated with the rest of his teammates in the gold medal match that included Denise Feierabend, Ramon Zenhaeusern and Wendy Holdener, who added to her medal tally. Holden-er also earned silver in the slalom and bronze in the combined. The Austrians rolled into the final without the world’s top ski racer, Marcel Hirscher. He skipped the race to focus on the upcoming World Cup races. Hirscher wasn’t alone, with Shiffrin and Vonn skipping the event, too. The U.S. team was eliminated by Great Britain on a tiebreaker in the first round.
SNOWBOARDING
Canadian takes gold
Canadian snowboarder Sebastien Toutant soared to gold early today in the Olympic debut of men’s big air. Toutant scored a 174.25 in the final to give Team Canada its 11th gold of the Pyeongchang Games. Kyle Mack of the United States took second with a score of 168.75. He had a chance to better Toutant but sat down on his third and final jump. Billy Morgan of Great Britain earned bronze in front of a boisterous crowd at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre. Red Gerard, who captured the first gold medal for the United States in Pyeongchang in the slope-style event two weeks ago, finished fifth. Ivanka Trump was also in attendance. The daughter of President Donald Trump was wearing a red ski suit with a blue knit USA cap. Trump joined Kim Jung-sook, wife of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump will lead the United States delegation during Sunday’s closing ceremonies.
Austrian plots return
The Austrian snowboarder who broke his neck in a crash at the Olympics last week is considering a return to the sport. “It’s the easiest way to get healthy again,” Markus Schairer said Friday about a possible comeback. “But it’s way too early to take that decision now.” Schairer, 30, underwent surgery on the fractured fifth vertebrae in his neck in an Austrian hospital on Monday, four days after he slammed into the snow on his back. He lost control in the air on the final jump of the downhill course during the Olympic snowboardcross quarterfinals.
