Ten things to know from last week. February 1-7, 2022: Winter Olympic action, Race of Champions, Winter Triathlon...
- Moguls upsets. Mikäel Kingsbury (CAN) has dominated the moguls freestyle ski competitions for years but was unable to complete an extremely successful cycle with the Beijing 2022 gold medal. The 2014 Champion was defeated in the final by Walter Wallberg (SWE), who had never won a world-class competition. Jakara Anthony (AUS) winning the women’s competition was slightly less of an upset, except it was surprising that the two women that have won the majority of World Cup events during the last seasons, Perrine Laffont (FRA), and Anri Kawamura (JPN) missed the podium, in 4th and 5th.
- Dream team. Norway fielded a ‘dream team’ for the Mixed Team 4 x 6 km relay with four competitors that have been World Champions at least ten times (Marte Olsbu Røiseland, Tiril Eckhoff, Tarjei Bø, and Johannes Thingnes Bø). They did not disappoint and took gold. Denise Herrmann (DEU) won the Women’s 15 kilometers. Another mixed team competition was in Ski Jump, where Slovenia won. Ryōyū Kobayashi (JPN) won the normal hill gold. In the women’s competition, Urša Bogataj (SVN) had a big breakthrough win, taking the gold, as Marita Kramer (AUT) was absent due to covid. Another mixed team competition took place in figure skating, where the Russian Olympic Committee took gold ahead of the United States of America and Japan.
- Ludwig’s gold. Johannes Ludwig (DEU) won the Beijing 2022 Individual Men’s Luge gold medal after winning three of four runs, two with a track record. He was followed by Wolfgang Kindl (AUT) and Dominik Fischnaller (ITA) while historic Felix Loch (DEU) barely missed out from the podium.
- Momentum. Sarah Hector (SWE) has been the best in the Women’s Giant Slalom World Cup season and she also won gold in Beijing 2022, ahead of Federica Brignone (ITA) and Lara Gut-Behrami (CHE). In Men’s Downhill, Beat Feuz (CHE) -who has also had a great World Cup season- won gold ahead of 41-year-old Johan Clarey (FRA), and Matthias Mayer (AUT).
- Speed Skiing. Women’s World Record holder, Valentina Greggio (ITA), won her fourth World Speed Ski Championship, with a speed of 201.29 km/h, a bit off the 247 km/h she has achieved in the past. Billy Simon (FRA) won the Men’s Championship with a speed of 208.32 km/h, improving from 2nd place in 2019.
- Gold medals in six Games. Ireen Wust (NED) was already the most successful female speed skater of all time before the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games and now she increased her legacy, by winning the women’s 1,500 meters, even without having the best season prior to the Games. She now became the first competitor to win a gold medal in five different Olympic Games. She now has a total of 6 Olympic golds and 22 World titles won. Another Dutch, Irene Schouten, on the women’s 3,000 meters, while Nils van der Poel (SWE) won the men’s 5,000.
- Judges’ calls. Short track saw several judges’ call decide the outcomes. China won the first ever Mixed 2,000 meter relay after having gone through the semis after two teams were penalized for obstruction. In the Men’s 1,000 meters, gold medal favorite, Hwang Dae-heon (KOR) was disqualified for an “illegal late pass” in the semis and Liu Shaolin (HUN) from the Final for a lane change and an arm block. China did the 1-2 with Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong.
- First kiwi gold. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL) won the first Winter Olympic gold medal ever for New Zealand, winning the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle in Beijing 2022 ahead of Julia Marino (USA) and Tess Coady (AUS). Max Parrot (CAN) won the me’s competiton, ahead of the local Su Yiming (CHN), who said his idol is Mark McMorris (CAN), the bronze medalist that had cancer at some point during this Olympic process.
- Loeb equals Auriol. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) equaled countryman Didier Auriol -who made a comeback appearance in this edition- by winning the Race of Champions for the fourth time. He beat Sebastian Vettel (DEU) on the ice track set up in Sweden. Norway won the Nations’ Cup with a father-and-son combination of Petter and Oliver Solberg.
- Winter Triathlon. Pavel Andreev (RUS), eight-times individual World Champion, was unable to even get on the individual podium of the 2022 Winter Triathlon World Championships in Andorra, as he was disqualified from the race for not fully completing a penalty loop. Franco Pesavento (ITA) won his first individual World Championship, and he also won the Winter Duathlon world title, while Anna Medvedeva (RUS) won the women’s competition. Andreev however won the Mixed Team world title, along Daria Rogozina, who also won the women’s individual world title, and three of the last four.