|
Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2014 5:28:56 GMT
Shaun White failed to win a third-consecutive gold medal in men's halfpipe, finishing fourth, as all three Americans in the final fell short of reaching the podium. The 27-year-old American, who opted out of the Olympic slopestyle debut and put all his chips in the halfpipe, where he hoped to win a third straight gold, got knocked off by Iouri Podladtchikov, the Russian-born inventor of the "Yolo," the trick that White could not master. Shaun White lands hard during the finals Tuesday. "I'm disappointed," White said. "I hate the fact I nailed it in practice, but it happens. It's hard to be consistent." The Japanese tandem of 15-year-old Ayumu Hirano and 18-year-old Taku Hiraoka won silver and bronze, respectively, and the Americans were shut out in the halfpipe for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1998. I-Pod scored 87.50 on his first semifinal run, clearing his way to the final. His 94.75 in the second final run put huge pressure on White, whose final runs at the past two Olympics have been nothing more than pressure-free victory rides.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2014 23:47:38 GMT
Kaitlyn Farrington restored a little bit of luster to Team USA's Winter Olympics on Wednesday, taking back U.S. supremacy on the halfpipe that Shaun White and friends lost the night before. Farrington edged defending champion Torah Bright of Australia and American teammate Kelly Clark to win gold in the final at an almost tropical Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. Farrington posted a score of 91.75 during her second run, just good enough to beat Bright's 91.50. "It was crazy. Sitting at the bottom, I was stoked," Farrington said. "I landed my run and to have to watch all the other Olympians come down, I was stoked I landed my run. Once I knew I was on the podium, I was gonna be happy either way. "I was hoping to make finals and that was kind of my main goal. Then during finals, I was kind of like, if I land a good run, I might be on the podium. And so to come out on top, I just can't believe it. I can't believe I was sitting there in front of the last three gold medalist. It’s crazy." The victory gave the U.S. just its third gold medal of the games, all of them coming on a snowboard. Sage Kotsenburg and Jamie Anderson triumphed in men's and women's slopestyle snowboarding over the weekend. The Americans missed out on a chance for another medal when a star-laden men's halfpipe roster failed to reach the podium Tuesday night, including two-time gold medalist Shaun White.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 13, 2014 7:33:40 GMT
World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov won Winter Olympic gold in the pairs figure skating event. And host nation Russia, who also won team gold earlier this week, secured a one-two finish as Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov took silver in Sochi. Volosozhar, 27, and 30-year-old Trankov had been expected to win the gold medal after claiming the 2013 World Championships title. They led in Sochi after scoring 84.17 in the short program, which they followed with 152.69 in the free program for a total of 236.86. That saw them finish 18.18 points ahead of Stolbova and Klimov, who edged out Savchenko and Szolkowy by 2.90 points.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 13, 2014 21:59:44 GMT
Evgeni Plushenko withdrew for medical reasons Thursday from the men's figure skating competition at the Sochi Olympics. The four-time medalist who helped Russia win the team gold over the weekend fell on a triple axel during warmups for the short program and immediately grabbed his back. He skated toward his coaches while bent over, then tried to loosen up by skating around the Iceberg rink some more. Evgeni Plushenko of Russia speaks with an official prior to pulling out of the men's short program figure skating competition due to illness at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) He then attempted another axel and botched it, shook his head and consulted with coach Alexei Mishin. When Plushenko's name was announced to the crowd seconds later — to loud applause — he skated to the event referee and withdrew. Before leaving the ice, he held up both hands to the crowd as if to say he was sorry, and took a small bow.
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2014 14:36:09 GMT
U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott fell hard on an attempted quadruple toe loop Thursday in the men's short program at the Olympics, yet finished the routine. Abbott crashed to the ice on his first jump and slid into the padded end boards, staying down for an extended period, clutching his right hip. He looked like he wouldn't get up, and his coaches moved toward the entry door to the ice. But Abbott, 28, struggled to his feet and, to the surprise of many and the applause of the crowd, resumed skating. And he performed quite well, hitting the rest of his elements. When his music stopped, the four-time champion drew a huge ovation from the fans. He hit himself lightly in the head while shaking it, as if to say he couldn't believe what had just happened. Abbott scored a 72.58, and finished 15th out of 29 skaters. Fellow American Jason Brown was sixth. Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu won the men's short program on a night four-time Olympic medalist Evgeni Plushenko retired from competitive skating. About two hours after Plushenko withdrew with a back injury Thursday, Hanyu became the first figure skater to ever surpass the 100-point mark with a spectacular routine that earned him 101.45.
|
|