All the Flips, Spins, Joy and Heartbreak From Beijing So Far

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It is still too early to tell whether the United States’ men’s hockey team might have what it takes to capture a medal in Beijing. But a young squad that came together only in these last few weeks is showing flashes of promise, with aggressive attacking and savvy goaltending. There was the eight-goal shutout win over China on Thursday. On Saturday, the Americans outdistanced the Canadians, 4-2. The Germans, the silver medalists in 2018, will pose the next test on Sunday. Then, maybe, the Americans will know what kind of magic they crashed together at the last moment.

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Luge involves hurtling down an icy track on a small sled at more than 80 miles an hour. If you think that sounds terrifying, try skeleton: It’s the same thing, only headfirst.

No fears for Germany, though. When it comes to sledding at the 2022 Winter Games, nobody beats the Germans. After a clean sweep of the four luge events, Germany turned to skeleton on Friday and went 1-2 in the men’s event, with Christopher Grotheer winning gold and Axel Jungk taking silver.

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Short-track speedskating is usually first described as chaotic — NASCAR on ice — but it is many other things, too: mesmerizing, strategic, heartbreaking, competitive, exhilarating and baffling. Perhaps it is everything all at once.

On Friday, there were tears of happiness and despair, and shouts of triumph and anguish. There were unfair results and races that went perfectly to script. There were returning medalists and a new one.

Shaun White failed to medal, but the crowd couldn’t have cared less. The smattering of fans in Zhangjiakou showered him with praise after he crashed on his third and final run on the Olympic halfpipe.

“I always want more, but that’s ok. I did what I could do,” he said to reporters shortly after his last Olympic run. “I’m so relieved,” he added with a laugh. Those laughs turned to tears as he expressed gratitude to his community and the sport that has defined him for most of his life.

“I’m proud of this life I’ve led, and what I’ve done in this sport and what I’ve left behind. I knew the day would come, but to finally be here is pretty wild.

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It has been a week of disappointment and introspection for Mikaela Shiffrin, who failed to advance past more than a handful of gates in her first two events. She finally felt the relief of a finish line, finishing 9th in the super-G, at the end of a week unlike any other. “I do consider it failure,” she said of her initial results. “ And I have had a lot of moments where I didn’t fail as well. It all comes out in the wash in the end, but in the moment it is very hard pill to swallow.” Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland won the gold medal, Mirjam Puchner of Austria took the silver and Michelle Gisin of Switzerland earned the bronze.

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The men’s hockey team that the United States envisioned bringing to Beijing — one filled with N.H.L. stars in search of Olympic gold — was scattered far from the Chinese capital on Thursday night. But their replacements, a crew stitched together only in recent weeks, acquitted themselves just fine, defeating China, 8-0. The audience at National Indoor Stadium was perhaps the most hostile crowd the Americans will face, with occasional chants for the Chinese and the noise sometimes picking up as the puck surged toward the net that Drew Commesso was guarding for the United States. But for the Americans, the only noise that apparently mattered was one that sounded eight times: the goal horn.

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There were quadruple jumps and flips and feats that made you question if gravity applies to athletes wearing ice skates.

And then, then there was Nathan Chen. Four years after finishing in a disappointing fifth place at the Pyeongchang Olympics, he returned to the Games in unforgettable fashion. His score of 113.97 points in the men’s short program set a world record, and set him up for the win. On Thursday, landing five clean quadruple jumps, he skated with ease — and with joy — to his Olympic gold medal.

It was the Chloe Kim show at snowboarding’s halfpipe final at Genting Snow Park on Thursday. She landed an untouchable score in her first run: 94. Her top contenders just couldn’t could catch up. Among the guests in the crowd to celebrate was Kim’s good friend Eileen Gu, a fellow Californian who is competing for China in three events, including halfpipe. Between runs, Kim embraced Gu, who then headed for to the nearby slopestyle course for practice.

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Something must be working for these two. Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt — also known as “The Tobys” — won their third consecutive Olympic gold medal in doubles luge on Wednesday. It’s a competition that involves one luger lying on top of the other as they speed down the track, so it’s probably a good thing that Wendl and Arlt are best friends. They also come from Germany, which has won all three gold medals handed out so far in luge. When Natalie Geisenberger won in women’s singles, it was her third consecutive gold in that event, too.

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A familiar, if not expected, name was missing from the top of the women’s Alpine podium on Wednesday. Mikaela Shiffrin, skiing in the slalom, her best event, skidded off course seconds after the race began.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Shiffrin said, trying to laugh at herself — or perhaps trying to convince herself. “And it’s so stupid to care this much. But I feel that I have to question a lot now.”

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Snowboard cross is the demolition derby of the Winter Olympics. Packs of four riders race down a serpentine course of banked corners, washboard-style rollers and big jumps. The first to the bottom wins. The races can be raucous, filled with wipeouts and pileups.

At Genting Snow Park, the first one to the line when it mattered was Lindsey Jacobellis, the 36-year-old who has spent a career answering a painful question: How could you blow the lead by falling down with no one around at the 2006 Olympics? If you believe in perseverance and storybook endings, this was the place to be.

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Lots of big tricks were attempted at big air today. Norway’s Birk Ruud landed a 1,980-degree jump — five and a half rotations — to win the gold medal. Colby Stevenson crashed in his first run, but landed a 1,620 and an 1,800 on his second, enough to earn second. Henrik Harlaut, a Swedish veteran of the sport, earned his first Olympic medal, a bronze.

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After he won three gold medals at the last Olympics, Johannes Klaebo landed in Beijing hearing talk that he might leave China with as many as six. That talked ended as soon as he faded to 40th in the grueling skiathlon. But his rivals had a sense he would be back: While Klaebo is world class in distance races, the sprints are his specialty. On Tuesday he showed that again, winning the individual sprint, and claiming his fourth career gold. “It was a lot of fun out there,” he said afterward. Those who have to chase him might not agree.

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Canada and the United States are the only countries to have won gold medals in women’s hockey at the Olympics, and the only surprise in this tournament will be if one of them does not reach the gold medal game yet again. They faced one another on Tuesday in the preliminary round, a game both sides knew was a potential preview of the final. Canada won, 4-2, even as it was outshot by nearly two to one. “We’ve got to find a different way to create higher quality scoring chances if we expect to win a game like this,” U.S. Coach Joel Johnson said.