Key events
Ski mountaineering: Margot Ravinel of France wins the second semi-final and Tatjana Paller of Germany is in second. They will be joined by lucky losers Giulia Murada of Italy and Ana Alonso Rodriguez of Spain in the final.
Thanks Daniel and hello all. Emily Harrop of France and Marianne Fatton of Switzerland have qualified for the skimo final from the first semi.
Righto, I’m off for a little break. Here’s Yara to croon you through the next bit – and it should be a jazzer.
Harrop still leads, and she’s going to win; Alonso Rodriguez can’t catch Fatton, but she might qualify as a fastest loser; her time of 3:09.19 will need bettering by two others to keep her out
“A little note about the Italian national anthem, which you mentioned on Tuesday.,” says Licia. “Its official name is indeed ‘Il Canto degli Italiani’, but it is not the name Italians would use. We call it ‘l’inno di Mameli’ and previously it was also commonly referred to as ‘Fratelli d’Italia – that is, before the name was hijacked by Giorgia Meloni for her own party. I suspect that if you asked random Italians to sing ‘il Canto degli Italiani’, without specifying, most would answer they are not familiar with it!”
I love stuff like this, thanks a lot.
Harrop of France leads, from Fatton of Switzerland, from Alonso Rodriguez of Spain; two go through into the final.
Email! “Not only is Spain a hotbed of ski mountaineering,” writes Meg Cartwright, “but I learnt from Australian Olympic statistician Andrew Hawkins that they are very likely to win gold in the event – and it would be the first gold that Spain has won at the Winter Olympics since 1972 in Sapporo! And that was a shock win in the men’s slalom. In fact, it remains their only gold. So history coming up!”
Here wego!
Well, mates, it was tough but we made it: an hour and 10 without live sport, over in 60, 59, 58….
Coming up next: at 11.55, we’ve the semis of the women’s sprint skimo; the men’s follows at 12.25, then the finals at 12.55 and 1.15 respectively.
In between times, the cross-country aspect of the men’s team sprint, large hill, Nordic combined, gets going at 1pm, with GB taking on Italy in the women’s curling at 1.05pm; they need to win, and need Switzerland to sort out USA.
Then, at 1.40pm, Sweden meet Switzerland in the bronze-medal match of the women’s ice hockey, and at 3.30pm, we’ve the medal race in the men’s 1500m speed skating.
Ouch.
Not directly related to the Winter Olympics but, as we know, everything is everything – and it’s always worth reading Thomas Hauser.
Live sport!
Back to Chen Meiting, I might’ve picked this one.
A banger I found looking for that last photo. Spinks became the only man to take the world title away from Ali in the ring – his other losses came in non-title bouts or as the challenger.
What on earth?!
Photograph: David Davies/PA
Yessssss.
Alreet, we’re bereft of action until the semis of the women’s sprint ski mountaineering at 11.55; unfortunately, a heavy snurr-storm means the final of the men’s aerials and quallies of the men’s halfpipe have been postponed until tomorrow. So we’ll chat over what we’ve seen and what’s to come, then get right back involved.
Here comes Norway’s final shot, they ram stones away and is there a chance for Canada to score two with their final shot? There is not, so the teams shake hands with Norway winnings 8-6; the teams will meet again at 6.05pm, with Switzerland taking on GB.
Canada call a timeout for a blather, working out what they might do to set up their final shot, the last of the match. If they can clip off one stone and career across the house, they’ll have a chance of a two … but they go way too hard, catch it full in the face, and Norway are nearly there.
With two stones left each, each team has two in the house, with Canada a couple of guards too. This is in the balance.
No score in the ninth between Norway and Canada, but Canada retain the hammer for the 10th trailing 8-6, and I’d not be surprised if we see an extra end here. Yes, I am a expert.
Er, our broadcast is interrupted for some breaking news.
Gaaaaah. The men’s aerials and halfpipe qualifying have been postponed until tomorrow, due to snurr; yes, here in the mountains. Who knew?
This means that the Norway v Canada match is only about who plays who in the semis. If Norway win, they finish third in the pool and meet Canada in this evening’s semis, with GB meeting Switzerland in a battle of 1 v 4. If Canada come back to win, they face GB, with Norway taking on Switzerland.
Yup, Switzerland bang away the Italian stone, adding two to confirm a 9-5 win and a 9-0 group stage performance. In so doing, they usher Bruce Mouat and boys into the last four, which will comprise them, Canada, GB and Norway.
Italy are in all sorts, trailing 7-5 playing the ninth, without the hammer, and with two Swiss stones in the house. I’d not be shocked if the handshake comes in two shots’ time, and when Italy remove one rock but hit it full in the face, they remove their gloves, the take-out inevitable.
Shot for Norway, the last of the eighth, and they’re going for two … but knock their own stone away so must make do with a poxy one, and they lead 8-6. But a big end for Canada next up and the 10th is an arse-nipper.
A terrible stone from Italy’s Retornaz means what might’ve been a three will only be a two; after eight, Switzerland lead 7-5 and this isn’t over yet.
Eeeee, Canada close to 7-6 playing the eighth, but Norway have the hammer; Italy do too and have three stones in the house, so this one isn’t over yet.
The heats of the sprint ski mountaineering are over; the women’s semis – there are two – are at 11.55 and men’s at 12.25, and we’ll get properly involved in it all then.
Ey up, Canada have closed the gap against Norway to 7-5. That, I imagine, will be welcome news for GB who want the comeback win to avoid Switzerland in the last four. If Italy and Norway are both beaten, GB finish third in the pool, so will play the second-placed Cannucks.
…and it’s a three! After seven ends, Switzerland lead Italy 7-3, and GB are almost in the semis. It’ll take a comeback for the ages to rescue this one for the hosts.
Switzerland are reasserting in the men’s curling but, and though, as I type, Italy land one on the button, here comes the final shot of the seventh end which gives the pool winners a chance at three or four…
I’m not sold on the shade of green, but I do enjoy Mattia Giovanella’s shoes.
Now then. A big shot from Italy, they’re on for three … and end up with two. Switzerland lead 4-3 playing the seventh and with the hammer.
It’s so special when someone special proves their specialness.
It shouldn’t be possible to win an Alpine event by 1.5s – and I guess it isn’t, unless you’re Mikaela Shiffrin.
Spaniards are first and second in the first heat of the men’s sprint ski mountaineering; I didn’t realise there was a hotbed of this. You live and learn.
Also going on:
Ooooh, A double take-out attempt from Norway … and it’s there. They lead Canada 7-2 playing the sixth, and look set for the last four.
The cross-country bit gets going at 1pm, and I’m looking forward to that. It’s a scientific fact that here’s no kind of race a human can devise that is uncompelling.
In the Nordic, teams of two both have a go at ski jumping, and Germany have just leapt into the lead; they’ll start the cross-country portion with no time penalty, because Austria have just completed this part of things, and only landed far enough for fifth. Norway are second, Japan third and Finland fourth.
We’re back under way in the men’s curling. If Switzerland and Norway win, the former will meet GB in the semis, the latter Canada again.
The men’s ski mountaineering is soon to get going, the extent of the things human will invent to compete and entertain themselves never failing to amaze me. There are so many heats and runners we’ve never heard of, it’s not easy to keep track, but we’ll keep watching, intensifying our participation as we move through the rounds.
In the Nordic combined, large hill, Czechia lead, from Slovenia, from China, from Poland, from Ukraine. We’ll properly visit with them when the cross-country aspect gets going a bit later on.
Back with the men’s curling, it’s now 4-1 to Switzerland – defending a 100% record – and that’s the score at half-time. Next door, Norway lead Canada 5-2.
OK, I’ve got the qualifying of the sprint ski mountaineering on – a new event, as per the below – and they’re currently … running up stairs? I think, this time around, I’m enjoying the straight races – your biathlons and cross-countries of this world – events with everyone out together, and with the winner obvious to anyone.
I wonder if either Switzerland or Canada considered taking a view. Of course their competitive integrity would prevent them from so doing, but they’ll have seen how well GB played in caning USA, and deemed it best for all concerned if they were to go out.
Good news ands bad news from the sheet: Switzerland lead Italy 3-1 playing the fifth, but Norway lead Canada 5-4 on the fourth.
Preamble
Buongiorno a tutti e benvenuti alle Olimpiadi invernali 2026 – tredicesimo giorno!
No gentle easing into this one: already under way are the final matches in the men’s curling pool, with GB needing either first-placed Switzerland sort out Italy or second-placed Canada to deal with Norway. If one of those two things happens, Bruce Mouat and lads are into the knockouts – and from there, who knows?
And at lunchtime, the women get going, GB needing to handle Italy with second-placed Switzerland nailing third-placed USA. That happens, they’d also be into the last four.
In between times, we’ve men’s and women’s sprint ski mountaineering – debut event, heats, semi and final – in which we need to watch out for Emily Harrop, French with British parents, who’s favourite. Then there’s the men’s team Nordic combined, both ski jumping and cross-country, along with men’s halfpipe quallies so, plenty to keep us going.
Then, this afternoon, we’ve the Sweden v Switzerland for the bronze medal in the women’s ice hockey and the 1500m final in the men’s speed skating, before all manner of evening behaviour – starting with the free program of the women’s singles figure skating.
Roundabout the same time, Switzerland and Canada take on two of GB, Norway and Italy in the men’s curling semis, while USA meet Canada in the final of the women’s hockey – there might be rancour – with the women’s halfpipe also getting going. That one features Zoe Atkin – a serious medal prospect whose sister Isabel took bronze in the 2018 slopestyle – but Eileen Gu, defending champ and double silver medalist in the big air and slopestyle, is one of various hunting the gold.
Esattamente! Andiamo!
