Eileen Gu makes Beijing Olympics debut in front of a cheering home crowd
Eileen Gu survives a fall to make the big air final as Chinese fans roar approval
From CNN’s Nectar Gan in Beijing
China’s teen skiing sensation Eileen Gu survived a scare in qualification to finish fifth and make it through to the finals of the women’s freeski big air competition.
In her second of three jumps, Gu fell near the bottom of the slope, losing one of her skis.
Gu’s Chinese name, Gu Ailing, is the top search topic on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like platform on Monday. Hashtags about her make up nine out of the top 50 trending topics, with total views in the hundreds of millions.
Online, fans praised her ability to overcome the pressure from the failed second run after she delivered a firm landing on her third jump.
“Gu Ailing is so cool! I love her! She’s only 18 years old!!!” one fan said on Weibo.
Others posted screenshots of Gu blowing a kiss to the camera and raising her arms to form a heart shape after her third run. “How sweet of her to show a heart to the audience!” one commentator said.
The big air final on Tuesday will see Gu facing off against Canada’s Meghan Oldham, who finished first in qualifying, and France’s Tess Ledeux, who came second.
China’s UN ambassador pushes back after US counterpart says Games are not “business as usual”
From CNN’s Richard Roth in New York
China’s ambassador to the United Nations has issued a strong response following comments about the Beijing Winter Olympics made by his US counterpart on CNN.
US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the Games are not “business as usual,” on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
It comes amid concerns over China’s persecution of the Uyghurs and other human rights issues.
China’s UN envoy Zhang Jun released a statement Sunday to “resolutely refute the unfounded accusations against China.” Zhang said Thomas-Greenfield’s comments were “wrongful, irresponsible” in relation to issues including Beijing 2022, Xinjiang and Taiwan.
“Such groundless, politically-biased words have seriously poisoned the China-US relations,” Zhang said. “Facing such a smear campaign, China has no choice but to push back and clarify our position and reject the unfounded accusations by the US.”
Zhang said the US’ “attempt to make an issue of the Olympic Games has won no support” and has been “met with complete failure.”
“Athletes from China, the US and other countries are competing fairly at the Beijing Winter Olympics. They are the ones that should be in the spotlight, and the US politicians should have left the stage for them long ago!” Zhang said.
Here is my advice to the US: Do not go further down the wrong path. It will not only make your own people suffer, but also create more trouble for other countries and the whole world,” Zhang said.
“Ice Prince” Yuzuru Hanyu arrives in Beijing aiming for a historic third gold
After days of speculation over the whereabouts of the two-time reigning Olympic figure skating champion, Yuzuru Hanyu has arrived in Beijing.
The Japanese star, known as the “Ice Prince,” is aiming for his third Winter Olympics gold medal at Beijing 2022 — a victory that would make him the first skater in 94 years to win three consecutive men’s singles titles.
Hanyu has a huge fan base in China and his name was among the top trending searches on Weibo Sunday. The phrase “The time for Hanyu to compete is set” racked up about 40 million views on the Twitter-like platform.
The men’s short progam starts on Tuesday and Hanyu will be the 21st skater.
Beijing 2022’s big air venue was built on top of a former steel mill
From CNN’s Nectar Gan and Tom Booth in Beijing
The big air event is being held at the Shougang Industrial Park, once the site of a Chinese state-owned steel company and the burning heart of industrial Beijing.
Today, it’s a bustling hub for tourism and art exhibitions — and the site of the only snow event in the Beijing Olympics zone.
The big furnaces and tall chimneys of the old steel mill, built in 1919, are now stamped with the Beijing 2022 logo, ringed by a frozen lake and brown reeds.
Spectators can also see a pagoda perched atop a mountain in the distance, overlooking the industrial park.
What is big air? Skiers launch off a 60 meter-high (196-foot) ramp and are scored for the size, style and difficulty of their jump. Each competitor has three attempts to get the highest score possible.
As each run is just one jump, skiers will throw down their biggest and best tricks in hope of Olympic glory.
And unlike many of the mountain events, the stands are close to the action — giving the fans a front row seat.
Team USA gold medal hopeful Mikaela Shiffrin is out of the women’s giant slalom
Three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin won’t be adding to her collection in the women’s giant slalom event after getting a Did Not Finish on the first run.
The American skier was aiming for her first medal of the Games — it’s one of as many as five events she may contest at Beijing 2022.
But on her run she missed a gate and didn’t complete the difficult course.
Shiffrin returned to training last November after being out with a back injury but was then forced to miss several races after testing positive for Covid-19 in December.
IOC held a face-to-face meeting with Peng Shuai on Saturday
From CNN’s Bex Wright in Beijing
International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach held a face-to-face meeting with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai on Saturday in Beijing, the IOC said in a statement Monday.
The two were joined by the former IOC Athletes’ Commission chair Kirsty Coventry over dinner at the Olympic Club in the Chinese capital.
“During the dinner, the three spoke about their common experience as athletes at the Olympic Games, and Peng Shuai spoke of her disappointment at not being able to qualify for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” the statement said.
“Kirsty Coventry and Peng Shuai also agreed that they would remain in contact. And all three agreed that any further communication about the content of the meeting would be left to her discretion,” it continued.
Peng, one of China’s most recognizable athletes, accused former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of coercing her into sex, according to screenshots of a since-deleted social media post dated Nov. 2.
Concern about her safety and whereabouts grew after her allegations, with the Women’s Tennis Association pulling out of China.
In December, Peng denied making the allegations in an interview with Singapore-based Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao.
Eileen Gu makes Beijing Olympics debut in front of a cheering home crowd
From CNN’s Selina Wang in Beijing
Teen skiing sensation Eileen Gu just made her first competitive appearance at the Beijing Winter Olympics in big air qualifying.
She was introduced by the announcer as a “favorite” before effortlessly twisting and spinning down the mountain.
When she reached the bottom, she briefly pulled down her neck warmer and gave a big smile and wave to the crowd.
The 18-year-old was raised in the United States but is competing for Team China in Beijing. She’s become a major celebrity here, with her face splashed across advertisements for numerous luxury brands.
Even inside the closed loop hotel gym, the only video playing on the TV screens is an ad featuring Gu gracefully skiing down a mountain.
The big air was constructed on top of a former steel mill. It’s a stunning venue with the view of a temple atop a mountain in the distance. There’s a significant crowd of local spectators, waving pink and blue Olympic flags.
Millions of people in the host nation will be cheering on the triple-gold-medal threat — Gu is the world champion in halfpipe and slopestyle and the bronze medalist in big air.
Australian curlers feared they’d be sent home after Covid scare. Instead, they made history
Australian curlers Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt were preparing to be sent home after a series of positive Covid tests threatened their Olympic dreams.
But on Sunday, the pair were given a last minute reprieve when Chinese officials ruled they could compete in the mixed doubles curling event, according to CNN affiliate 7 News.
The team went on to beat Switzerland in their penultimate round-robin match — becoming the first Australian team to win a curling match at the Winter Olympics.
They then went on to also beat Canada on Sunday.
Gill tested positive on her arrival in Beijing last week, but was allowed to compete after later testing negative twice. She was placed in isolation after returning a positive result on Sunday morning.
But officials ruled she could compete after determining her cell counts known as CT values — fell into an acceptable range.
“From my understanding the medical team was able to review it and determine I’m —not infectious and get me out on the ice this afternoon,” Gill told 7 News Brisbane. “It’s very special. Just being here is incredibly special.”
Gill attributed the positive tests to the residual effects of her contracting the virus a month ago.
It’s 9:45 a.m. in Beijing. Here’s what’s coming up at the Winter Olympics on Monday
A winter sports power couple from the United States and Norway are scheduled to hit the slopes Monday with gold up for grabs in ski events on Day 3 of the Games.
There’s also gold medal events in biathlon, figure skating, speed skating and snowboarding. Here are some key moments to look out for:
- Shiffrin’s Beijing bow: Three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin has her first medal chance of the Games in the giant slalom. It’s one of as many as five events the defending Olympic champion may contest at Beijing 2022. Shiffrin returned to training last November after being out with a back injury but was then forced to miss several races after testing positive for Covid-19 in December. While some observers expected a straight duel between Shiffrin and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, their toughest opponent may prove to be Sweden’s Sara Hector.
- Blue riband men’s ski event rearranged for today: Shiffrin’s boyfriend, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, backed the decision to postpone the men’s downhill Sunday due to high winds — but said skiers might have to cope with some degree of wind. Kilde is favorite for the marquee event of the men’s Alpine Olympic program, which organizers hope can finally go ahead Monday.
- China’s high-flying teenager hits the slopes: Millions of people in the host nation will be cheering on triple-gold-medal threat in freestyle skiing, Eileen Gu. She’s the world champion in halfpipe and slopestyle and the bronze medalist in big air — a new event at the Beijing Games. Gu grew up in California but chose to compete for China — the birthplace of her mother — rather than the US in Beijing.
- ROC aim for skate team gold: World record holder Kamila Valieva has made a splash onto the Olympic stage — with a skate for the ages. The 15-year-old figure skater was near her chilling best on Sunday in her Olympic debut, scoring a 90.18 to finish safely in first place in the women’s short program segment of the team event. Her performance — coupled with that of teenage teammate Mark Kondratiuk — vaulted the ROC into the lead after day two of the team event, having trailed the US after the first day of competition. The final of the team event will conclude on Monday with the ice dance free dance, pairs free skating and women’s free skating.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/beijing-winter-olympics-02-07-22-spt/h_7bf269367154d54e9106241273ea4c03
