The curtain fell on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Sunday evening throughout a snowflake-themed closing ceremony on the Chicken’s Nest stadium attended by Chinese language President Xi Jinping.
Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach described the Beijing Video games as “actually distinctive” earlier than declaring them closed, however these Video games will likely be remembered for a doping scandal that enveloped 15-year-old Russian skating sensation Kamila Valieva.
They had been additionally stalked by politics, with a number of international locations staging a diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights document, and the spectre of invasion of Ukraine by Russia, with President Vladimir Putin attending the opening ceremony in a present of solidarity towards the West with Xi.
Chinese language President Xi Jinping seems on the large display on the Chicken’s Nest Stadium in Beijing.
Sunday evening’s ceremony was capped by a 90-second fireworks show that spelled out “one world, one household,” adopted by a rendition of “Auld Lang Syne”.
Through the ceremony, Bach praised Beijing’s organisers and made a name for unity in addition to common entry to COVID-19 vaccines.
“You embraced one another, even when your international locations are divided by battle,” he mentioned. “The unifying energy of the Olympic Video games is stronger than the forces that wish to divide us: you give peace an opportunity.”
Germany are a dominant power within the bobsled world
Friedrich toasts double-double for Germany
After two golds in Pyeongchang 2018, Francesco Friedrich doubled up once more in Beijing on Sunday, including the four-man bobsled gold to the two-man model he gained earlier within the Video games.
It is the primary time anybody has achieved the double-double in Olympic bobsled historical past and completes one other dominant Video games from Germany within the sliding sports activities.
Friedrich described it as a “nice feeling” as his staff of Thorsten Margis, Sweet Bauer and Alexander Schueller completed their 4 runs in 3 minutes, 54.30 seconds.
“We did all of it to get right here once more,” Friedrich mentioned. “We did a tremendous job these 4 years … with out all the fellows, it isn’t doable to attain such a second.”
Germany additionally grabbed second and had been near finishing the 1-2-3 as they’d within the two-man occasion. But it surely’s nonetheless been a dominant show from the Germans. They’ve gained all however one of many bobsled golds, each skeleton golds, and all 4 within the luge.
Certainly, Germany alone have been extra profitable than the remainder of the world within the sliding occasions. They’ve gained 9 golds and 16 medals total whereas everybody else has one gold (Kaillie Humphries of the USA within the monobob) and 14 complete medals.
Gold medals
Therese Johaug gained a grueling ladies’s 30km mass begin free within the cross nation snowboarding to assert her third gold of the Video games and guarantee Norway high the medal desk in Beijing.
Norway will high the medal desk with 16 golds at Beijing 2022
Nice Britain acquired their first gold of the Video games on the ultimate day, as Eve Muirhead led them to a 10-3 victory over Japan within the ladies’s curling competitors. Staff GB gained the identical occasion 20 years in the past and Muirhead mentioned this one had been “a very long time coming.”
Finland got here from behind to beat the Russian Olympic Committee within the closing occasion of the Video games, the 2-1 win within the males’s ice hockey ending the Russians’ four-year reign as champion.
Germany replace
Whereas sliding success could have been anticipated, there was a shock silver for Germany within the blended staff parallel snowboarding. The staff of Emma Aicher, Lena Dürr, Alexander Schmid, Linus Strasser and Julian Rauchfuss misplaced out narrowly to Austria within the closing race however secured Germany’s first alpine snowboarding medal for eight years, with earlier groups typically going shut however shedding out.
“There was no query that we had been motivated. The medal is extraordinarily good for us,” mentioned Germany’s sports activities director Wolfgang Maier on public broadcaster ARD.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
From Beijing to Milan
The 2022 Winter Olympics ends with the closing ceremony on the Chicken’s Nest Stadium. With Chinese language President Xi Jinping in attendance, IOC President Thomas Bach described the Video games as ‘actually distinctive’ — however they are going to be remembered for a doping scandal that enveloped 15-year-old Russian skating sensation Kamila Valieva. Beijing passes the baton to Milan, the host of the following Winter Video games in 2026.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
German pleasure!
Francesco Friedrich throws his arms aloft after securing a double-double. The German bobsled pilot gained gold in two and four-man bobsled at Pyeongchang 2018 and repeated the dose in Beijing. Sunday’s win within the four-man bob meant Germany have gained all however one of many gold medals on supply within the sliding sports activities. It additionally ensures they end second on the medal desk, behind Norway.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Flailing in useless
The puck eludes the outstretched goalie stick of the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) Ivan Fedotov, as Swedish captain Anton Lander (58) ranges the rating of their males’s ice hockey match semifinal. The ROC gained the match in a penalty shootout and moved on to attempt to defend the gold medal they gained in Pyeongchang in 2018. Finland additionally superior, beating Slovakia 2-0 within the different semi.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Utter despair
Determine skater Kamila Valieva had a horrible free skate, which noticed her go from a favourite for gold to failing to succeed in the rostrum. The 15-year-old Russian had been underneath unbelievable strain following information of a constructive doping take a look at and a CAS choice permitting her to proceed to compete. As an alternative of consoling her after the free skate, her coach demanded an evidence: Why did you let it go? Inform me,”
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Up shut and private with Jon Sallinen
Ski freestyler Jon Sallinen of Finland crashed right into a cameraman throughout one among his jumps within the halfpipe. Sadly, the crash ended Sallinen’s probability of profitable a medal. The excellent news is that each skier and cameraman emerged unhurt.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Quintuple tornado
Qi Guangpu accomplished a Chinese language freestyle snowboarding aerials double when he gained the lads’s particular person gold on Wednesday, two days after Xu Mengtao gained the ladies’s occasion. Qi, the previous double world champion, delivered a spectacular quintuple tornado and nailed the touchdown for 129 factors to complete effectively clear. The 31-year-old had are available fourth, seventh and seventh within the final three Olympics.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Essential crash
There was devastation for Japan within the ladies’s velocity skating as Nana Takagi (proper) slipped through the staff pursuit on February 15. Japan had been on observe for the gold medal earlier than the incident, with Canada taking benefit to seize the win. Her teammates Miho Takagi (left) and Ayano Sato (heart) waited for her earlier than crossing the road collectively to win silver.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Dazzling debut
Kaillie Humphries on her strategy to profitable the first-ever gold within the monobob on February 14. The self-discipline was added for the Beijing Olympics and is unique to feminine athletes. The person model of bobsleigh joins the preexisting two-person and four-man occasions.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Magnifique!
French duo Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron broke the world document to win the “medaille d’or” within the ice dance, or “patinage artistique,” on February 14. The pair have recognized one another for the reason that age of 9, when Papadakis’ mom, an ice dancing teacher, paired them collectively at their ice skating membership. Seventeen years later, they’ve made historical past in Beijing.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Concord
Norwegian brothers Johannes Thingnes Boe and Tarjei Boe each completed on the rostrum for the ten km biathlon dash race on February 12. Johannes, left, took the gold as Tarjei took the bronze. “It is a fairy story, to be on the rostrum with Johannes,” mentioned Tarjei. “It’s massive for me… there may be a whole lot of pleasure but in addition aid… to share this collectively each as a staff and for the remainder of our lives.”
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
A legend bows out
Saying goodbye to a legend: Shaun White has been a snowboarding pioneer for the previous twenty years, from profitable gold on the 2006 Turin Winter Video games to inspiring the following technology of stars. His fifth and closing Olympics led to heartbreak, as a fall on his closing run on February 11 noticed him miss out on the rostrum. However he retires with three golds, and a legacy that may by no means been tarnished.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Seemingly weightless
Determine skater Nathan Chen conjured up a efficiency as technically sound because it was artistically spectacular in males’s determine skating on February 10. The American executed strikes of the very best issue one after one other, remained nearly flawless in all components of his routine and claimed a hard-earned gold.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Out of nowhere
An unbelievable comeback! Petra Vlhova may hardly come to phrases together with her gold medal win. After her first run within the slalom, the Slovak was solely in seventh place and an opportunity at a medal appeared to be gone. However, with a flawless second run on February 9, she overtook all her rivals to her complete shock and delight.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Between the cultures
“In America I am American, in China I am Chinese language.” Eileen Gu repeats this sentence like a mantra at nearly each press convention. The 18-year-old is already the face of the Video games, and was so even earlier than the beginning in Beijing. Born and raised in america, the ski freestyler has been competing for China for a while and gained gold within the massive air competitors in Beijing on February 8.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Say it ain’t so
Absolutely, not once more? After her early exit within the big slalom, gold medal favourite Mikaela Shiffrin was additionally eradicated on February 8 within the slalom after only a few gates. On this powerful second, the 26-year-old American’s thoughts turned to her father, who died in a tragic accident two years in the past. “I would love to name him now,” Shiffrin mentioned tearfully. “However he is not right here anymore.”
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Beware the bend
Even earlier than the luge occasions start, all of the athletes tremble a bit on the considered the exit of the thirteenth bend. In the event you stray from the best line right here, a fall is nearly assured. That is precisely what occurred to gold medal favourite Julia Taubitz. After setting a course document within the first run on February 7, she crashed on the key level in her second, and any probability of a medal fell away, too.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Sweeping all earlier than them
“Piu, piu, piu” — “extra, extra, extra” — Stefania Constantini referred to as out to her companion, Amos Mosaner, repeatedly when she wished him to brush more durable. The Italian pair set the usual in mixed-doubles curling on February 6, profitable each sport on their strategy to gold.
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Beijing 2022: Memorable moments on the Winter Video games
Warming win
Ache or pleasure? It is not straightforward to inform Therese Johaug’s prevailing emotion after her victory within the skiathlon. On the end line, the Norwegian, who sprinted away from the competitors in temperatures of -16 levels Celsius (3 F), was definitely hurting at first, however the euphoria got here quickly after. The win on February 5 was her first particular person Olympic victory and the primary gold awarded in Beijing.