BEIJING — SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO?
The Australian mixed doubles curling team was heading home after one of its members tested positive for COVID-19. Then, all of a sudden, it wasn't. The Australian Olympic Committee said Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt had pulled out of the competition after Gill returned a series of positive COVID-19 tests. However, the duo was allowed to return to competition following an urgent meeting of the Medical Expert Panel in Beijing, the AOC said later Sunday. The panel said the cycle threshold levels found in Gill's tests fell within an acceptable range. Australia then scored a 10-8 upset win over Canada's John Morris and Rachel Homan.Ìý
FINISHING LIKE A CHAMPION
Former Olympic moguls champion Justine Dufour-Lapointe's gold medal aspirations ended with a thud — and then a smile. The 27-year-old freestyle skier from Montreal crashed hard and let out an audible scream in the first final on Sunday. Although the fall eliminated her from the competition, she was determined to finish her run. "I would have liked to just crawl into a mogul and cry there for a while," she said. "But I stood up and said, 'You know what? You have only one choice: to ski down that slope and have a smile on at the bottom of the course.' There's so many young girls that need to know that you never gave up and you fought to the end." Beijing was Dufour-Lapointe's third Olympics. She won gold in Sochi in 2014 and then silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
Madeline Schizas had a lot on her shoulders when she took to the ice for the first time in her Olympic career. Canada's medal hopes in the team figure skating event were hanging by a thread and depended on a standout performance from the 18-year-old from Oakville, Ont. She handled the pressure like a season pro. Schizas finished third in the women's short skate, lifting Canada from sixth place to fourth heading into Monday's final programs. Only the top five teams move on from the short programs.
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SO CLOSE
Laurie Blouin came to the Beijing Olympics looking for an upgrade on the silver medal she won four years ago in Pyeongchang, South Korea. But while the Quebec City snowboarder made an impressive push for a spot on the podium in Sunday's women's slopestyle competition, she ended up having to settle for fourth. After struggling early, particularly on her second run, Blouin produced a clean, crisp third run that scored an impressive 81.41 points. Unfortunately for Blouin, there was no shortage of impressive performances Sunday, particularly Zoi Sadowski-Synnott's third run that scored a staggering 92.88 points and gave New Zealand its first-ever Winter Olympic gold medal.
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WIND WOES
Windy conditions wreaked havoc on the Olympic alpine skiing schedule for a second straight day, this time postponing the men's downhill. Winds gusted up to 65 kilometres per hour at the top of the course, delaying the start of the race twice before it was called off. Wind has been a major problem. Only three skiers completed their training runs on Saturday before the remaining runs were cancelled. The men's downhill was rescheduled for Monday, which is the same day as the women's giant slalom.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2022.
The Canadian Press
