Winter Olympics 2022 day four: Sweden beat GB to curling bronze, ice hockey news – live! – The Guardian

A trio of friendly rivals up top of the medal tally. The Dutch went into the lead after Kjeld Nuis’ triumph in the speed skating but Sweden return straight back to the top 20 minutes later via Joanna Sundlingin the cross-country skiing. Norway a chance to join them on top with four gold medals if the curling mixed doubles final continues as it has started, the married couple of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten going 2-0 up against the Italians in the opening end in their gold megal match. We’ll move there now.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has done it again! He’s a back-to-back Olympic champion, leading from start to end! The big challenge came from Pellegrino but he was strong enough to hold him off; the Italian wins silver for the second time in a row. And Bronze to Alexander Terentyev (ROC), a medal at his first Winter Games.

It was Høsflot Klæbo won gold in 2018 and Pellegrino silver. On the basis of what we’ve seen so far, it could be a race in two again. But Maki and Terentyev have both also laid down quick times tonight.

Cross-country skiing: Here are the six women who have advanced to the medal race over the 1500m sprint course, scheduled as soon as the men’s semis are complete.

Cross-country skiing: Here are the six women who have advanced to the medal race over the 1500m sprint course, scheduled as soon as the men’s semis are complete.

Speed skating: Thomas Krol (NED) into gold medal position with a bullet! He lodges an Olympic Record 1:43.55 and with it, the world champion in the lead by 1.77 seconds. Graceful, powerful, brilliant.

Adam Collins

Thanks, Luke. Hello again – back for another exciting night session with the clock just now striking 7pm in the Olympic city. Good morning (afternoon, evening) to you all.

I’ve arrived at the interval of the men’s 1500m speedskating final at The Oval – with 15 pairs to skate in total, seven are to come. In the tenth, the gold medallist from 2018, Kjeld Nuis, after his Dutch countryman Thomas Krol, goes in the tenth – the current world champ. Young gun Canadian Connor Howe will take off last, alongside Norway’s Allan Dahl Johansson. This should be fun.

In about 25 minutes, we’ll reach the cross country skiing sprint semi-finals and medal runs. The men’s defending champion is Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) with the two other members from that Pyeongchang podium – Federico Pellegrino (ITA) and Alexander Bolshunov (Not Russia) – still in the mix as well.

In the women’s race, we’ll be wartching for Maiken Caspersen (NOR), who was runner up in 2018 but doesn’t have Stina Hilsson (SWE) to deal with this time as she’s switched to the biathlon. But the favourite looks to be Natalya Nepryayeva (ROC), leader in the cross country world cup standings over the last couple of years.

In 50 minutes we’ll be at the luge as well for the pointy end of the women’s singles – runs three then four. This could be the event of the day with all-timer Natalie Geisenberger (GER), who won the event in 2018 and 2014 after winning bronze in 2010, leading the way after two runs. She’s 34 now and had a baby in 2019.

She looked to have serious competition in Julia Taubitz, also from Germany, who won the most recent World Cup then broke the track record in the first run yesterday but crashed out in the second. Instead it is third German, 22-year-old Anna Berreiter, who is second in the standings at the halfway mark. Tatiana Ivanova (ROC) starts the second half of the competition in third, who has an Olympic medal from the team event eight years ago.

In just over an hour, the mixed curling final begins between Italy, who won their semi 8-0 over Sweden, and Norway, who broke Team GB’s heart in a thriller. Then when the medals for the night have been decided, we’ll finish at the women’s ice hockey where Denmark are up against Sweden and Finland take on Not Russia.

Drop me a line any time. Twitter works too, if that’s more your style.

Here are the Winter Olympics stories we’ve published so far today – with Eileen Gu’s big air glory and Great Britain’s curling woe the headlines.

And with that, I’ll hand you over to Adam Collins, who will take you through to stumps.

China will invite more spectators to attend the Winter Olympics as the Covid-19 situation is under control within the “closed-loop” bubble, which separates all event personnel from the public, an official from the Beijing organisers said on Tuesday.

China did not sell tickets to the public amid concerns over the spread of the pandemic but selected a number of spectators from targeted groups of people who are required to undertake strict Covid prevention measures. The Tokyo Summer Games took place without spectators due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

Before the Winter Olympics organisers hoped for capacities of at least 30% at venues with some events, such as the opening ceremony and some outdoor sports, having larger numbers. “In the next step, we will bring in more spectators based on demand, because the current Covid-19 situation within the ‘closed loop’ is under control,” Huang Chun, a director from the Beijing organisers’ pandemic prevention and control office, said at a press briefing on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Helen Davidson

China’s Olympic committee has pledged to increase production of merchandise after unexpected demand from people looking for a way to get involved in the Games led to shortages of the local mascot.

Latest score: Japan 2-2 Czech Republic in the women’s ice hockey! Natalie Mlynkova levels it up for the Czechs, and they will go to overtime in a match that could determine who finishes top of Group B.

Sounds like a great game, but sadly not available to watch here in UK as far as I can see. Not even in the Eurosport app.

If you missed it – our report from earlier on Great Britain’s failure to capture a curling medal:

Donovan Carrillo of Mexico advanced to the free skate portion of the figure skating competition at the Beijing Games on Tuesday, a first for the country, which had not had an Olympic skater in three decades. All it took was the best performance of his life.

“I didn’t want it to end,” Carrillo said. “I wanted to keep skating and living the Olympic dream.” Carrillo said he was so excited when he landed his first jump, a quad toe loop, that he had to tell himself to refocus in order to finish his routine. He also pulled off his difficult triple axel, though he was penalised for a triple lutz-triple toe when he took an extra step, but that turned out to be the only real blemish in an otherwise strong program.

“I was super happy,” Carrillo said of his opening jumping pass. “I tried to calm a little bit because I had the whole program.” Carrillo showed off his national pride throughout his performance, which was set to music by the band Santana. His blade covers displayed the green, white and red colors of the Mexican flag, and he wore a sparkly black and gold costume custom-made by Mexican fashion designer Edgar Lozzano, who offered it to Carrillo for free. (AP)

Japan are back in front in the women’s ice hockey against Czech Republic. Haruka Toko got the goal again, and they lead 2-1 in the third period.

Tess Ledeux of France (left), who was the heavy favourite going into the women’s freeski big air, is comforted by the gold medalist Eileen Gu (centre) and bronze medalist Mathilde Gremaud (right) at the conclusion of the event.

The medal places, it would seem, are all wrapped up in the men’s 20km biathlon:

Quentin Fillon Maillet (France) takes gold, Anton Smolski (Belarus) silver and the defending champion, Johannes Thinges Boe of Norway, takes bronze.

The sun is setting in Hualindong, and it’s a pretty parky -11C at the biathlon venue right now.

In the women’s ice hockey, Japan lead Czech Republic 1-0 in their Group B top-of-the-table encounter, in the second period. Haruka Toko got the goal in the first period.

Before this match, Japan topped the group with seven points from two matches, Czech Republic sit second with six points.

Sean Ingle and Vincent Ni with a fashion update from China:

The wait for Britain’s first gold medal at these Winter Olympics goes on, but Team GB has become a surprise success off the snow and ice after its opening ceremony kit became a sensation on Weibo, the most widely used social media platform in China.

Reaction to the British team, who wore a Ben Sherman duffle coat and Chelsea boots during the ceremony, reached No 8 on the Weibo Hot Topic section, with the Olympics and the start of the Chinese lunar new year the most popular.

Johannes Thingnes Boe finishes in 49’18”. He’s the first across the line … and Tsevetkov comes home second overall! Can Fillon Maillet overhaul them both?

Tsevetkov takes off his skis, and crashes to the snow in exhaustion. Boe is right there, too, but the two athletes don’t acknowledge each other.

Marie-Philip Poulin capped a three-goal run by scoring on a penalty shot with 2‘35“ left in the second period, and Canada upended the defending Olympic champion United States 4-2 on Tuesday to claim the women’s hockey tournament’s top seed entering the playoff round.

Maxim Tsvetkov (ROC) now tops the live standings in the 20km biathlon. Boe (JT) and Boe (T), both of Norway, are second and third respectively.