BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) — China’s short-track speed skating team brought the host nation its second gold medal at Beijing 2022, with in-form Ren Ziwei winning the men’s 1,000m event here on Monday.
Su Yiming gave the hosts more reason to celebrate, as the 17-year-old became the first Chinese male snowboarder to reach the Olympic podium, claiming silver in the men’s snowboard slopestyle.
China’s first gold also came from the awe-inspiring short-track speed skating team, who won the 2,000m mixed team relay event.
Ren, also a part of the winning relay team, clocked one minute and 26.768 seconds for his first individual gold medal at the Games. His compatriot Li Wenlong took the silver in 1:29.917, and Hungary’s Shaoang Liu finished third in 1:35.693.
The men’s 1,000 final was restarted in the middle of the race to remove metal debris on the ice. Ren finished second in the restarted event, while Hungary’s Shaolin Sandor Liu, who crossed the line first, was disqualified for two penalties in a single race.
Italy’s short track legend Arianna Fontana triumphed in the women’s 500m event in 42.488 to win her country’s first gold medal at Beijing 2022.
Earlier in the day, teenager Su took the silver medal with 88.70 points in his second of three runs in the men’s snowboard slopestyle. He rocked the house by performing a triple cork 1800 in the last section, the first time the trick has appeared at a Winter Olympics.
As the World Cup big air winner, Su was the first rider ever to land an 1800 both ways in a FIS competition. On October 28, 2021, he landed a backside 1980 during a snowboard training camp in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.
“I would like to thank my motherland, my parents and my friends. The medal belongs to everyone who supported me,” said Su. “I am really excited to stand on the podium. I do not know how to express that feeling because I never had it before.”
PyeongChang 2018 silver medalist Max Parrot of Canada secured gold with 90.96 points on his second run, where he rode smoothly along every section of the course and displayed a triple cork 1620 respectively in his fourth and sixth tricks.
In figure skating, athletes from the Russian Olympic Committee continued their supremacy and won gold in the team event, while China settled for fifth place.
The ROC finished first in two of the three competitions featured in the free skating on Monday, the pairs and women’s singles, and second in ice dancing to collect a total of 29 points on Monday.
Overall, the Russians scored 74 points in total from the four categories, nine points clear of silver medalists the United States, who had 65. Japan took bronze with 63 points.
One of the major upsets came from Alpine skiing women’s giant slalom, when defending champion and title favorite Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States failed to finish the first run.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist lost control and fell at the fifth turn, though she was unhurt and able to walk through to the mixed zones.
“It’s hard to know exactly without video for sure,” said the defending champion, adding that the mis-timing of pressuring could be the cause.
Sara Hector of Sweden won the women’s giant slalom gold with a combined time of one minute and 55.69 seconds in two runs.
In the men’s category, Beat Feuz of Switzerland won an elusive Olympic downhill gold to add to his impressive collection of achievements.
Elsewhere, Denise Herrmann of Germany claimed gold in the women’s 15km individual biathlon, while speed skating legend Ireen Wust of the Netherlands took gold in the women’s 1,500m competition. In ski jumping, Slovenia won the mixed team gold. ■
