Germany shocked Canada in the men’s ice hockey, 15-year-old Alina Zagitova won gold in the figure skating and Great Britain lost to Sweden in the curling
All that leaves from here is basically admin. We’ll be back again tomorrow, but until then:
And with that, good day to you.
So then, what kind of day has it been:
This is nice. It’s nice to be nice. From Reuters:
Sweden’s Jesper Nelin has seen plenty of medals at the Pyeongchang Games, but they were mostly around the neck of his girlfriend Hanna Oeberg until he won a relay gold in the final biathlon race of the Games on Friday.
Nelin had supported Oeberg as she claimed gold in the 15km individual race and followed up with silver in the women’s relay, but he came up agonisingly short in his own efforts, including the mixed relay race the two contested together.
“I also want to have these medals and I felt like we had a really good chance today - we took it and I’m really happy about it,” Nelin told reporters after Fredrik Lindstroem cruised to victory waving the Swedish flag.
“This so fantastically big and beautiful, I really wished this for him. It’s so huge,” a tearful Oeberg told Reuters as her partner face a battery of cameras and microphones.
“He has been brilliant for me, been with me and supported me, he has meant so much to me,” she added, her voice cracking with emotion.
Sure, they may have upset the odds massively, are now guaranteed their first men’s ice hockey medal since 1976 and have a shot at their first gold ever, but I think we can all agree that, as said before, the real victory for the Germans is their clobber. What a shirt.
Germany win! What an upset! Defending champs Canada are beaten, and the side rated tenth in the tournament will play the Russians in the gold medal game on Sunday. Where, oh where were the Canadians? And frankly, who cares?
Bit of a siege on the German goal as Canada go all out for the equaliser. They’ve taken their goalie off so they can have six attackers to try and get it. Just over two minutes remaining...
Another goal from Canada! The defending gold medallists are one goal away from a remarkable comeback! Derek Roy skims a cross-shot and it goes through the keeper, I think off a German skate. Just over ten minutes remaining, and the Canadians have a very strong whiff of hope, having been 3-0 then 4-1 down.
Korea win! After that ding-doing tussles in the semi-final of the women’s curling, they produce a fine last stone in the extra end to take one and the 8-7 victory. They’ll face Sweden for the gold on Sunday, while it’ll be Japan vs Great Britain in the bronze medal match. The crowd go wild. Curling sweeps the host nation.
Sweeps. See?
Oh forget it.
This is from last night, but it’s really interesting to worth a look: Sean Ingle investigates why Norway have been so good at these games, and the general answer is...well, read on...
But what Norway’s athletes lack in finances they make up for in camaraderie – which is reinforced by a strict “no idiots” rule. As the skier Kjetil Jansrud, who has won silver and bronze in Pyeongchang, explains: “We believe there is no good explanation for why you have to be a jerk to be a good athlete. We just won’t have that kind of thing on our team.”
Canada have a goal back in the hockey. A sweeping move is finished by Mat Robinson, but it might be too little, too late. 4-2 to Germany with about 16 minutes remaining.
Drama! Extra-time in the curling! Korea make a mess of their final stone in the tenth end and Japan take one, which means it finishes 10-10. An extra end is required...
The other semi in the curling is reaching a crescendo: and Japan have come back to within one in the final end. It’s 7-6 to Korea, and tension mounts...
Eve Muirhead speaks, a quiver in her voice: “Absolutely gutted. We’ve trained hard for the last three or four years, but we were just outplayed. We’ve still got a medal to play for tomorrow so we’ll be going hard for that.”
Another goal for Germany in the hockey! It’s 4-1, as Patrick Hager shoots from way downtown, it takes a deflection and it goes through the goalie’s legs. And then Gilbert Brule apparently doesn’t take that goal well, going in elbow-first to David Wolf and sparking the German out, mid-ice. Brule is dismissed, and Wolf lays prone for a few moments, but is eventually helped off, looking extremely groggy.
And that is that in the curling: Sweden claim a two in the ninth end, making it 10-5, and that’s that. The British team concede and will have to settle for a crack at the bronze medal tomorrow.
Quiz? Quiz! Some Olympic-related questions in here, to test your knowledge of the sporting week.
Wait, sorry, scratch that: my feed for the hockey seems to be on a massive delay, and without me significant things have been occurring. Namely that a shock is on the cards, with Germany now 3-1 - three-one - up over Canada
Meanwhile, the second period is underway in the hockey: Germany surprisingly lead Canada 1-0.
Quick hop over to the other match, where Korea look like they’re heading to the final: they’re 7-4 up going into the ninth end.
Well then: British hopes just about alive in the curling. Muirhead goes for a similar sort of shot to the one she didn’t quite manage in the last end, but makes it this time! She gets it through a narrow, narrow gap of two Swedish stones and bags two, which with two ends to go makes the score 8-5 to Sweden. Sweden still very much in control, but it at least makes the finale a little more interesting...
Fair enough.
Well, I've a Swedish partner and sons called Jesper and Linus, so the "we" feels a bit justified here @NickMiller79!!
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) February 23, 2018
Feels a bit like we're going out on penalties here @NickMiller79. Just when the opposition needs it, they panenka one in. And then we blast one over the bar.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) February 23, 2018
Less of the ‘we’, Gary. I am not Clare Balding.
A decisive end in the curling: Muirhead has a tricky needle-thread of a shot to put a stone between two guarding ones in order to claim a one...but it clips a stone and in the end Sweden get three! That’s 8-3 now to the Swedes with three ends remaining, and Great Britain enter miracle territory if they’re to win this and get through to the gold medal match.
With apologies, in amongst the hockey and the curling, I’ve rather neglected the men’s biathlon relay. That’s all done, the Swedish team of Peppe Femling, Jesper Nelin, Sebastian Samuelsson and Fredrik Lindstrom taking gold, ahead of Norway in second and Germany third.
Goal in the hockey, and Germany take the lead! The Canada-born Brooks Macek carefully lines up a shot and slaps it into the roof of the net, giving his adopted country a 1-0 advantage over the one of his birth.
We’re through six ends: Sweden send down a fine final stone to just gently nudge a GB effort out of the way and claim two. 5-3 to the Swedes, Britain have the hammer in the seventh end. Over in the other game, Korea are 6-3 up over Japan, and they’re into the sixth there.
Those Germany shirts. Lovely scenes.
Meanwhile: hockey! It’s 0-0 with about seven minutes of the first period gone between Germany (wearing an absolutely belting jersey, by the way) and Canada men. This is the semi-final, by the way - the winner will face OAR in the gold medal game on Sunday.
And it’s level! Great shot at the last from Eve Muirhead, boshing a Swedish stone out of the way and grabbing two for Great Britain, which makes it 3-3 after end five, the halfway mark.
Gary has a slightly sadistic streak in him...
I know this diminishes me, but watching the anguish of others (when it's not related to life or death obviously) alongside the serenity of the sliding stones, merely adds to the sport's therapeutic dimension. Could do with the effects mic turning down though @NickMiller79.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) February 23, 2018
Sweden take a one at the end of the fourth, erm, end, but it looked like they thought a stone was in the house on the left hand side and were going for a two. But, closer inspection reveals it was in fact out, so they only gain one. 3-1 to the Swedes, now.