Day 15: Winter Olympics 2022, Beijing, China
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Saturday, February 19, 2022
Women’s Mass Start — speed skating in a rink
Li, Blondin, and Golubeva are ahead. Netherland, Norway, and Belarus are top 3. Canada’s Blondin, Poland’s Crysceron, and Belarus’ Zuyeva. In the 2nd race, Schouten and Lollobrigida are top 2. Kazakhstan, Belarus and Russia are top3. Takagi falls. Lollobrigida, Blondin, Guo, and Netherland’s Schoutin, and Boreum advance. In the final, a large group of skaters race together in mass chaos. Maltais, Li, and Groenowoud appear to be moving ahead. Netherland’s Schoutin wins Gold, Canada’s Blondin wins Silver, and Italy’s Lollobrigida wins Bronze.
Men’s 50KM cross country marathon race has been shortened to 30KM cross country marathon race because of today’s strong windy weather in Beijing, China. 61 athletes participated in 0 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. They all start skiing in mass chaos. I don’t know how this large group of skiing are able to ski so close together with their long skis.
Norway’s Holund is in the lead, before Russia’s Maltsev moves into the lead. Krueger and Bolshunov are top 2. France’s Parisse is in 3rd place, followed by Klaebo. Norway’s Klaebo is now in the lead. Bolshunov and another Russian athlete are close behind, followed by France’s Parisse. Russia’s Maltsev is now in the lead. Many Norway skiers switched their skis to faster skis. Russia’s Bolshunov, Russia’s Maltsev, and Norway’s Roethe move ahead. Norway’s Krueger, Bolshunov, and Russia’s Yakimushkin are now top 3. One more lap left in the race, and the top 5 race toward the finish line. Bolshunov, Yakimushkin, Maltsev, Krueger, and Parisse are the top 5. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov wins Gold, Russia’s Ivan Yakimushkin wins Silver, and Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krueger wins Bronze. USA’s Scott Patterson finishes in 8th place.
