TEAM USA MEDAL WINNERS DAYS 4-7:
Gold
Kaitlyn Farrington – Snowboarding Women’s Halfpife
Joss Christensen – Freestyle Skiing Men’s Ski Slopestyle
Silver
Devin Logan – Freestyle Skiing Women’s Ski Slopestyle
Gus Kenworth – Freestyle Skiing Men’s Ski Slopestyle
Noelle Pikus-Pace – Skeleton Women’s
Bronze
Erin Hamlin – Luge Women
Kelly Clark – Snowboarding Women’s Halfpipe
Nick Goepper – Freestyle Skiing Men’s Ski Slopestyle
WHAT YOU MISSED
Shaun White doesn’t make the podium; Switzerland’s Podladtchikov takes throne
American snowboarder Shaun White, expected to win the snowbaord halfpipe gold and gain the first ever “threepeat,”, finished fourth. Crowd favorite Iouri “IPod” Podladtchikov from Switzerland instead took the gold, pulling off his signature YOLO flip, a double cork 1440. Podladtichikov has been trying to beat White, but always ending up behind until when it counted. White instead fell multiple times during his runs, preventing him from gaining his third gold in the event.
Plenty of falls in Men’s Figure Skating, plus Japan’s big win
Colorado’s Jeremy Abbott crashed early in his short program performance on the first jump, laying on the ground for 10 seconds before getting back up to finish. Abbott earned a 65.65 in the event and bruises from his hips to his ribs.
The big news of the night, however, was Russian skater Yevgeny Plushenko’s sudden retirement. Plushenko withderew from the short program after falling during a jump in warmpup. This is Plushenko’s second time retiring.
There was some good news in the men’s figure skating competition: 19-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan holds the world record score in men’s short program after his 101.45 point performance in Sochi. Hanyu won the first gold in men’s figure skating for Japan.
U.S. sweeps Men’s Slopestyle
Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper swept all three medals for the men’s freeski slopestlye, making it the third time the U.S. has grabbed all medals in one event. Their performance allowed for the U.S. to move up in medal rankings.
First U.S. win in Luge thanks to Hamlin
Since the appearance of luge in the winter Olypmics fifty years ago, Erin Hamlin won the U.S.’s very first medal in the sport. Hamlin took bronze in the event, finishing 0.236 seconds behind silver medalist Tatjana Huefner of Germany.
For more information about the Sochi Winter Olympics and live coverage, go to the NBC Olympics website.
