The best of the best in Beijing.
The 2022 Winter Games in Beijing are underway and so far there’s been plenty of action on the ice and in the snow. From all the breathtaking figure-skating performances to the gravity-defying stunts on the slopes, we’re recapping the best moments of the Olympics so far.
Shaun White’s final Olympic ride
White’s final ride down the Olympic halfpipe ended with a fall. The 35-year-old — knowing his run wasn’t enough to land him back on the medal stand — rose, took off his helmet, and soaked in the applause.
White, who’s won four medals in five Winter Games, became emotional in an interview after the event. “A lot of emotions are hitting me right now,” he said, before breaking down into tears. “I just want to thank everyone for watching. Everyone at home, thank you. Snowboarding, thank you. It’s been the love of my life.”
Olympic history on the halfpipe
Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano landed a triple cork, a trick which consists of three flips considered the hardest stunt in the sport, for the first time ever at the Games. He went on to win gold in the event. Watch his amazing run below:
Nathan Chen wins Olympic gold
With a healthy lead going into the final men’s singles event, Nathan Chen nailed his routine in the free skate. His nearly perfect performance, which was set to an Elton John medley and was full of high-flying jumps, secured the American’s place on top of the podium and cemented his status as the best in men’s figure skating. It also was an act of redemption for the 22-year-old, who four years ago failed to medal in PyeongChang.
“I can’t even describe it,” Chen said. “You can’t imagine what it might feel like, but it’s just amazing.”
Chloe Kim does it again
Chloe Kim defended her Olympic title in the halfpipe with a phenomenal first run that earned the American an untouchable score of 94. She’s now the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the event.
“Not to discount any of these riders, but she has a bag of tricks that not anyone else does,” Kim’s coach told the New York Times. “And she showcased that in her first run.”
Nathan Chen wows in short program
The 22-year-old American has set out to redeem himself after a disappointing run four years ago in PyeongChang. And after a stunning short program in the men’s singles event in which he stuck two quadruple jumps, Chen has set himself up to claim gold. He earned a score of 113.97 — the highest marks ever for the event — placing him comfortably above Japanese competitors Yuma Kagiyama (108.12) and Shoma Uno (105.90).
Another Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu, the two-time defending Olympic champion, was considered Chen’s main rival in the event. He finished eighth after botching a quad attempt.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle wins gold
After breaking his neck just one year ago, American Alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle has earned himself a silver medal. Cochran-Siegle finished the Olympic super-G course in 1 minute and 19.98 seconds, just four hundredths of a second behind Austrian skier Matthias Mayer. Watch his triumphant comeback here:
The new Queen of Quads
Russian skater Kamila Valieva became the first woman to ever land a quadruple jump at the Winter Olympics. The 15-year-old landed two of the three quads she attempted during her long program in the team figure skating competition on Monday, helping the Russian Olympic Committee win gold, ahead of the U.S. and Japan.
“She is a triple threat — technician, artist, and she is so mentally tough,” Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinski said of Valieva.
A first for New Zealand
Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand’s first ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics. A remarkable run on the slopestyle course put her just ahead of American Julia Marino, who won silver, and Australian Tess Coady, who took bronze.
But there were no hard feelings among the competitors. After the Kiwi’s run, Marino and Coady both wrapped her in a hug and wrestled her into the snow.
“She’s the one that’s taking the sport to the next level,” Marino said of Sadowski-Synnott. “I’m just happy to be a part of it.”
A Georgian luger competes after his cousin’s death
Nodar Kumaritashvili was on track to become the first Georgian luger to compete at the Olympics when he was killed in a training accident just hours before the opening ceremony in 2010. Now, his cousin Saba Kumaritashvili has fulfilled his dream by competing in the men’s singles event on Saturday.
“Every generation of our family had at least one luge sportsman, and now my father and I are continuing in Nodar’s footsteps,” Saba said. “Thinking about him is painful but gives me strength as well.”
The games begin!
The Winter Games kicked off with a more low-key ceremony than the spectacle that opened the 2008 Summer Games, which were also held in Beijing. The focus of this year’s event were the dazzling LED lights that covered the stadium floor, and as always the lighting of the Olympic torch.
Two Chinese athletes, Zhao Jiawen, who competes in the Nordic combined event, and cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang, who’s from China’s Uyghur community in Xinjiang, were chosen for the honor. It made a major political statement and acknowledged the heightened political tensions around these Games. (The U.S. and a handful of other nations have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics to protest the human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang region. Here’s more on the situation.)
