Winter Olympics day seven: Shaun White bows out, curling and more – live! | Sport

Curling: Disaster for Korea! Final stone of the 8th end, with two British stones in the rings, and Kim gets a foul called for holding onto the stone too long. A Korean lead 5-4 becomes a deficit 5-6, with two ends to play.

A really brave solo race from Iivo Niskanen, who led at every checkpoint, looked in the zone until the last couple of kilometres, then found enough to get home. Alexander Bolshunov for the ROC was the last possible threat, but his late push can only get him into silver position. Johannes Klaebo is in bronze spot.

There are still some racers on course, but they’re lower-ranked racers who are four or five minutes behind Niskanen’s times at the various checkpoints, and can’t win.

Niskanen finishes in 37:54:80. What a time!

Cross-country: Niskanen hits the final 13.8km checkpoint well ahead of Klaebo. Klaebo and Hyvarinen are the only racers within a minute of Niskanen’s time. He doesn’t look as fresh and chill as he did, the work is showing. Does he have enough left to take it home?

Curling: Great Britain take a point back, and trail Korea 5-4 after seven ends in the women’s event.

The Norwegians start to arrive. Klaebo in 38:32:30, the new leader for now, carving nearly another 30 seconds off Hyvarinen. Holund can’t beat his compatriot, coming in five or six seconds slower. And Golberg has dropped away, coming in sixth behind Poromaa.

But behind them, Niskanen is flying! He’s gone through the 10.5km mark nearly a minute faster than Golberg, who was fastest until then.

Poromaa finishes and goes to the top, 19 seconds ahead of Maloney Westgaard in 39:42:5o, but he has Hyvarinen burning up behind him, finishing in 39:00:20. Finland, Sweden, Ireland the current top three, with the three Norwegians and the Finn Niskanen to come.

Maloney Westgaard finishes the 15km in first place, at 40:01:50. He won’t keep top spot, but it’s his for now.

I shouldn’t forget the Norwegians, mind you. Johannes Klaebo, with his wealth of past Olympic golds, world championships, and the like. Paal Goldberg and Hans Christer Holund, all clocking fast 10.5km times.

Hyvarinen, Poromaa, and Niskanen look like our three contenders at this stage. Niskanen is further back, having just passed the 6.3km checkpoint, but he’s burning up the fake snow.

Then Hyvarinen, the Finn, comes through five seconds faster than Poromaa.

Cross-country: Poromaa shatters the time at the 10.5km, going through 37 seconds faster than Maloney Westgaard.

Curling: Korea get the last stone in the sixth end, and use it profitably to seal another two points. It’s 5-3 to the ROK.

Jouve has flagged, as expected. Several racers have now gone faster than his 10.5km time. All of the seeded racers are now on the course.

Iivo Niskanen, another Finn, is one to watch. He’s the first racer today to hit the first timing mark at 1.8km faster than the sprinter, Jouve. Does it in 4:58:20. And Niskanen is a distance racer. He won bronze in the skiathlon a few days ago.

Finally Jouve gets some competition at the 6.3km. William Poromaa of Sweden and Perttu Hyvarinen of Finland clock faster times by a few seconds.

Jouve the fastest up to 7.5km. Nobody has got within 20 seconds of his 6.3km time, but Irishman Thomas Maloney Westgaard has got the gap down to 16 seconds at the 7.5km. Which is halfway, for the number enthusiasts.

Cross-country: Jouve still has the fastest time up to 6.3km now, but he is a sprinter, and the seeded racers haven’t got into the mix yet.

Curling: In the fourth end, the rings were littered, every stone was in play. In this fifth end, both teams are just smashing each other’s stones out of play. There’s one GB stone in the rings with three to play. Muirhead taps one of her guards back in there to join it. Kim has one stone left, and uses it to remove one British stone. But that leaves Muirhead with one point in the bag, and the chance to add another with her final stone. Does it, using the one Korean stone to take pace off her own, leaving GB with two in close. The score ties up 3-3.

Richard Jouve of France hits the lead at the 3km mark by over 20 seconds. A blazing run so far. It’s a long event though.

Cross-country skiing: The men’s 15km classic is underway. This has 99 racers on the same course, each starting 30 seconds apart, so it is measured as a time trial essentially, though some skiers end up in bunches depending on speed. Hirose Ryo of Japan has the fastest time at the 3km checkpoint, then gets caught by the impressive Finn, Remi Lindholm.

Kim threads the needle between the various guard stones and short shots, sliding right to the target and knocking the British stones around a bit. But GB still holds the centre position. Muirhead curls in another defensive stone to guard the centre line. It falls a few inches short, touching the line but not crossing it. Kim produces an even better shot, sneaking between about eight stones and somehow easing right into the house! Nudging the British stone slightly further out. Muirhead has to try to replicate that shot, but hits her own guard stone. From GB looking at perhaps four points, ROK steal one. It’s 3-1 to Korea after four ends.

A very involved game for GB women in the fourth end. They call their optional timeout to get their coach down to discuss tactics. They have four stones in the circles with three to play, and want to make sure they make the most of it. They try to land a defensive blocker just in front of the rings, but it runs very light and comes to rest two or three metres short.

The tactical chats all come through the microphones on course. A lot of Scots accents in the British team, very pleasing to listen to. Another guard attempt comes up a bit short, but they’re not too unhappy with it.

With one stone left, Eve Muirhead tries to nudge her centre-line guard stone back into the house, but puts too much on it and knocks it clear instead. EunJung Kim follows up with a simple draw to the middle of the house, joining a stone already there, to finish the third end with a lead 2-1.

Curling: A bit of an escape for Great Britain in the second end. Eve Muirhead has the second-last stone and misses an attempt to nestle it near the button and knock out a Korean stone. ROK have a chance at three points. But EunJung Kim puts too much juice on her shot, knocking out both of her existing stones and leaving a British one. It’s 0-1 to GB.

Right then, time for some curling. The Great Britain women’s team is starting off against the Republic of Korea. Second end, no score.

Hockey: In the men’s prelim round, the Russians beat Denmark 2-0.

Hockey: With 40 seconds left on the clock, the Czechs roll the dice one last time, taking off Peslarova and putting an extra skater on the ice, leaving the net unguarded. They attack the USA goal fiercely but can’t get through. With five seconds left, the puck is cleared and the Americans score from halfway into the empty net. The final score is 4-1 in the women’s quarter-final, but what a performance from the Czech team against the overwhelming favourites from the USA. Took a lead, held them level until the dying minutes, threw everything into this contest, and leave exhausted. The defensive effort especially, with 59 shots on goal to 6, yet holding that scoreline. They should be proud.

Finally, the USA women kill off this game. Peslarova makes one more big save, off the pad from Knight’s shot, but the ricochet is powerful and lands right on the stick of Savannah Harmon, to the right side of goal. She slings it back in before the goalie can react. The score is 3-1.

Forty seconds left on the American penalty clock, and one of the Czech players is sent off. So four on four briefly, then the USA will get the advantage.

Just under six minutes to go, and another penalty against the Americans. Five on four for two minutes!

Radova is back on the ice, the player who had that big collision with the boards. Got the bridge of her nose taped over and kept going.

USA score! The weight of probability finally, finally tells. But that was a bit dirty. Peslarova loses her stick, in the scuffle of keeping out a goal. She tries to get it a few times, but one of the Americans knocks it away. Not allowed, but not seen by the officials. A few seconds later, she still hasn’t got the stick, and there’s a powerful shot from Lee Stecklein. It takes a deflection and sneaks past the Czech tender. It’s 2-1.

Murphy gets back on, and the Czechs couldn’t get a decent shot away in those two minutes. Shots on goal are 42-5 in favour of the USA.

Czechs are back to full numbers, and now the USA get penalty pinged for two minutes. Abbey Murphy with a high stick.

Just about every player on the ice just mashed together at the mouth of the Czech goal, like a rugby maul, and the USA still can’t score. Peslarova stands immovable.

Now it’s the Czechs who have a player sent off, only for two minutes this time after a lunging trip. But as the second period ends, it is still 1-1 with the massive underdog Czech women’s team standing level with the might of the USA.

Kara Peslarova is playing a blinder: the Czech goaltender has made some great saves today. None better than a one-on-one right now after the USA break away down the ice from a defensive position. The Czechs have been doing all the attacking in the last few minutes with a one-player advantage with Cameranesi off the ice. Lots of confidence, not enough polish in front of goal.

Hockey: The American women keep pounding the Czech goal, but they’re defending like demons. Can’t get through, six minutes left in the second of three periods. Now there’s a penalty against the USA, Teresa Radova is pushed into the boards and hits her head. Dani Cameranesi gets five minutes in the bin. Radova probably won’t play on though, she’s on the bench and looking shaken. They wear helmets but that was heavy contact, big concussion risk.

Hockey aside, it’s going to be a pretty quiet couple of hours at the Games. We’ve got some curling round-robin matches starting for the women in about an hour, and the men’s 15km cross-country skiiing in just under two hours if you like to watch people throw up at the finish line.

This is some real Mighty Ducks territory here – the Czech women’s ice hockey players mostly play in small European leagues, they were considered an astronomically unlikely chance to compete with the USA, but they’re doing just that. Still 1-1 after the halfway mark of the second period.

What’s up, snow bunnies? What should happen two seconds after Beau leaves the desk, but the Czechs score. That’s after 24 minutes and 59 seconds of scoreless play, in the second period. Michaela Pejzlova puts it away.

And what should happen then? 48 seconds later, the US equalise. A scramble of a goal through traffic, via Hilary Knight. It’s 24 shots to 3. And 1-1.

At this moment, there is literally nothing going on at the Olympics. Our two hockey games — Denmark’s men vs. the ROC, the US women vs. the Czech Republic in a quarterfinal — are at intermission after the first period.

But these games will be worth monitoring when they resume. Somehow, they’re both scoreless.

The USA has outshot the Czechs 18-0, but their scoring rut continues.

With that, I’m signing off for the evening. Next up, live from Australia, it’s Geoff Lemon.

It’s official: Ireland’s Tess Arbez didn’t catch Lara Gut-Behrami, so the Swiss skier is indeed the super-G gold medalist.

Mikaela Shiffrin finished ninth. She’s not a speed specialist, but she still has quite a resume in the event. What’s interesting — and inspiring — is how she’s dealing with her difficult Olympics.

Nothing changes her career record of Olympic, world championship and World Cup success. But what’s happened in these Games and the way she’s reacting has added something unique to her career and life story. She’s coming out of this as a hero, and deservedly so.

Sean Ingle has the latest on the Russian figure skating doping case, in which we now have confirmation that the athlete in question is the phenom Kamila Valieva, who is still training in the hopes that she’ll not only get the delayed gold medal in the team event but also compete in the individual event, in which she’s a favorite.

Sarah Schleper has made it down the super-G course. The 42-year-old skier is competing her sixth Olympics, dating all the way back to 1998. She competed for the USA in four of those Games, highlighted by a 10th-place finish in the 2006 slalom, and switched to Mexico before the 2018 Olympics.

More interesting things about Katie Tannenbaum, the Virgin Islands athlete who is 25th out of 25 in skeleton.

First, she had to go into isolation in Beijing after a positive Covid test that also robbed her of her chance to carry the flag in the opening ceremony. She barely got out in time to complete the training runs that are required before competition.

Second, in a World Cup race, she slammed through a stray broom that had been left on the track in 2020.

After all that, seeing her carry the flag around the track after her second run is a nice moment.

The women’s hockey quarterfinals are underway, and the USA is outshooting the Czech Republic 10-0. The score, though, is what you get when you take away the “1” digit in that stat.