Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Luge, Olympics, Ski Jumping, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 11th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The US did take home a couple more medals on Tuesday but it’s hard to call the day a total success when you consider all the chances missed by the US.  There were still a lot of great performances and awesome results, but a lot of disappointment for the US as well.

Biathlon

Events:

  • Women’s 10 km pursuit

After disappointment in the sprint event on Sunday, American Susan Dunklee was hoping to rebound in a major way on Tuesday. That was all looking pretty good as she battled her way back from a 16th place start to fifth heading towards the final round of shooting. That’s where she missed three targets (four in the whole race) and the penalty laps that she had to take after that meant she finished 18th. It was another big disappointment for Dunklee.

Two other Americans were in the field but were not a major part of the race. Sara Studebaker was 44th at the start and fell to 51st after missing five targets. Annelies Cook started 53rd and slipped a spot to 54th after missing five targets as well.

Results Summarized:

  • Annelies Cook – Started 53rd, 2:17 behind the leader, missed four targets, and finished in 54th with a time of 36:20.9
  • Sara Studebaker – Started 44th, 1:53 behind the leader, missed five targets, and finished in 51st with a time of 35:00
  • Susan Dunklee – Started 16th, 42 seconds behind the leader, missed five targets, and finished in 18th with a time of 31:11.6

Cross-Country Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Sprint Free Qualification
  • Men’s Sprint Free Qualification
  • Women’s Sprint Free Quarterfinals
  • Men’s Sprint Free Quarterfinals
  • Women’s Sprint Free Semifinals
  • *Women’s Sprint Free Finals

Tuesday was the exciting sprint events for both men and women. The women led things off with their qualification round. Ida Sargent was the first to go for the US and put up a time of 2:39.8 to make the quarterfinals with a 26th place time. Next up was Kikkan Randall who also made the quarterfinals with a time of 2:36.67, 18th best. Jessica Diggins was next up and her time of 2:35.64 was 12th best and moved her into the quarterfinals. The final American to go actually had the best time of all of them, Sophie Caldwell was 9th with a time of 2:35.18

Next up was the men’s qualification round. Andrew Newell went first and his time of 3:35.52 was good enough to make the quarterfinals in 17th. Simeon Hamilton went next and finished 21st in 3:36.12 to join Newell in the final. Torin Koos finished 37th in a time of 3:40.27 and Erik Bjornsen finished 39th in 3:40.39. They did not make the quarterfinals.

In the women’s quarterfinals Sargent went first for the US in the third heat. Sargent stuck with the pack couldn’t keep up down the final stretch and finished fourth in 2:39.05 and was eliminated. Diggins and Caldwell were together in the fourth heat. Both were in the top three headed to the last stretch but it was Caldwell that pulled into second and held off Diggins to advance to the semifinals. In the final heat Randall was dealing with a tough group of competitors and despite being right at the front for most of the race she faded a bit down the stretch and finished fourth by 0.05 seconds. That ended up costing her a spot in the semifinals as the third place finisher did receive a lucky loser spot.

In the men’s quarterfinals Hamilton was in heat one and was part of a real tight group with no one falling off the pace. Hamilton ended up 6th and was eliminated. Next up Newell in heat two was right where he needed to be down the stretch but finished fourth and was eliminated.

In the women’s semifinals Sophie Caldwell was doing great until the final stretch when she started to fade. Caldwell pushed back though and an incredible surge had her coming towards the front in a hurry and she slipped into second to advance to the final.

In the women’s final Caldwell fell about halfway through the race and was out of contention. She finished sixth in the final, the highest ever finish by an American woman.

Results Summarized:

  • Ida Sargent – Time of 2:39.8 was 26th best in qualifying and got her into quarterfinals. Finished fourth in quarterfinal heat and was eliminated.
  • Kikkan Randall – Time of 2:36.67 was 18th best in qualifying and got her into quarterfinals. Finished fourth in quarterfinal heat and was eliminated.
  • Jessica Diggins – Time of 2:35.64 was 12th best in qualifying and got her into quarterfinals. Finished third in quarterfinal heat and was eliminated.
  • Sophie Caldwell – Time of 2:35.18 was ninth best in qualifying and got her into quarterfinals. Finished second in quarterfinal heat to advance to semifinal heat. Finished second in semifinal heat to advance to final. Fell in final and finished sixth.

Curling

Events:

  • Women’s Round Robin – USA vs. Russia
  • Men’s Round Robin – USA vs. China
  • Women’s Round Robin – USA vs. Great Britain

After both the men’s and women’s teams lost their opening matches they had hoped they could rebound on Tuesday. Instead things got worse for the US as they combined to go 0-3 today.

The women started things off with a matchup with Russia and despite a 4-1 early lead they saw Russia score two on four occasions after that and lost 9-7 to fall to 0-2.

[table]Teams, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Total
Russia, 0, 1, 0, 2, 2, 0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 9
United States, 1, 0, 3, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 7[/table]

On the men’s side the US faced China and fell behind early 4-1. They battled back and were down 7-4 entering end eight. Despite going last in end eight they gave up two to China making it 9-4. The US conceded at that point to fall to 0-2. They face Denmark at 12 AM ET Wednesday next.

[table]Teams, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Total
United States, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 1, 0, 0, X, X, 4
China, 1, 0, 3, 0, 2, 0, 1, 2, X, X, 9[/table]

The women wrapped up the day with a matchup with Great Britain. Things started average trailing 2-1 after three ends but it was end four that became a disaster for the US. A seven spot for Great Britain broke it wide open and while the  US rallied to make it 9-3 after end five when they gave up three more in end six they trailed by nine with four ends left and conceded. They are now 0-3 and they face China at 5 AM ET on Wednesday.

[table]Teams, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Total
Great Britain, 1, 1, 0, 7, 0, 3, X, X, X, X, 12
United States, 0, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, X, X, X, X, 3
[/table]

Results Summarized:

  • US Women – Lost to Russia 9-7 and Great Britain 12-3. Face China at 5 AM ET tomorrow.
  • US Men – Lost to China 9-4. Face Denmark at 12 AM ET tomorrow.

Figure Skating

Events:

  • Pairs’ Short Program

In the pairs short program two pairs of Americans competed. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir went first and scored a 67.44 which placed them 9th in the end. Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay scored a 56.90 and finished 14th. Neither pair was expected to medal so this was not a surprise. They both compete in the free program at 10:45 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay – Scored a 56.90, 14th best in short program. Compete in free program tomorrow at 10:45 AM ET.
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Scored a 67.44 ninth best in short program. Compete in free program tomorrow at 10:45 AM ET.

Freestyle Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s Ski Slopestyle Qualification
  • *Women’s Ski Slopestyle Final

Three Americans took to the slopestyle course in the qualification round and all three advanced to the final. Keri Herman didn’t get a clean first run in but her second run of 72.40 placed her 11th in qualifying to reach the 12-woman final. Devin Logan had a top five run on her first go-around and improved it slightly on her second. The 80.40 score left her fourth and easily into the final. Julia Krass was in the top five on her first run and had to rely on that as the second didn’t help. Her 78.40 score had her eighth in the qualification round.

In the final Krass couldn’t get a clean run on either occasion and her first run score of 42.40 gave her an 11th place finish. It was a similar story for Herman who got 10th place after a 50.00 first run. Logan had a different story in the event and a first run of 85.40 left her in second place. With a tall score to try and chase in first place she didn’t get a clean second run but did hold on to the silver medal… by 0.40 points!

Results Summarized:

  • Julia Krass – In qualification round she advanced to the final in eighth on a 78.40 from her first run. In the final her first run of 42.40 was only 11th best.
  • Keri Herman – In qualification round she advanced to the final in 11th on a 72.40 from her second run. In the final her first run of 50.0 was only 10th best.
  • Devin Logan – In qualification round she advanced to the final in fourth on a 80.40 from her second run. In the final her first run of 85.40 was second best as she won a silver medal.

Luge

Events:

  • Women’s Singles – Run 3
  • Women’s Singles – Run 4

The women’s singles event wrapped up on Tuesday. There was little movement among the field with all three Americans staying in the same spots from the first day. Summer Britcher was 15th overall with a time of 3:24.143. She had a 51.082 in run three and a 50.909 in run four.

Kate Hansen was tenth with an overall time of 3:22.667. She had a time of 50.793 on run three and a sixth best 50.499 on run four.

Finally Erin Hamlin started the day in third place and won the bronze medal with a time of 3:21.145. Hamlin had a 50.165 in run three and a 50.348 in run four. She is the first American woman to ever win a medal in luge. I imagine we’ll see her again in the team relay event.

Results Summarized:

  • Summer Britcher – Finished 15th in 3:24.143. Was 16th in run three (51.082) and 14th in run two (50.909).
  • Kate Hansen – Finished tenth in 3:22.667. Was 13th in run three (51.793) and sixth in run two (50.499).
  • Erin Hamlin – Finished third in 3:21.145. Was third in run three (51.165) and third in run two (50.348).

Ski Jumping

Events:

  • Women’s Normal Hill Individual 1st Round
  • *Women’s Normal Hill Individual Final Round

The women held the first ever women’s ski jumping event on Tuesday. Sarah Hendrickson went first overall and despite her lingering knee problems scored a 112.4, 19th best. Lindsey Van was the top American on the first heat with a 116.4, 11th best. Jessica Jerome was 12th best with a 116.3

In the final round Hendrickson scored a 105.2, 21st best in the round, and finished 21st with a 217.6. Jerome scored a 117.8, tenth best on the second jumps, and moved up to 10th with a 234.1. Van struggled on jump two and her 110.8 was just 15th best and she fell to 15th with a total score of 227.2.

Results Summarized:

  • Sarah Hendrickson – Finished 19th in the first round with a 112.4 and 21st in final round with a 105.2. Total score of 217.6 was 21st.
  • Lindsey Van – Finished 11th in the first round with a 116.4 and 15th in final round with a 110.8. Total score of 227.2 was 15th.
  • Jessica Jerome – Finished 12th in the first round with a 116.3 and tenth in final round with a 117.8. Total score of 234.1 was tenth.

Snowboarding

Events:

  • Men’s Halfpipe Qualification
  • Men’s Halfpipe Semifinals
  • *Men’s Halfpipe Finals

Despite concerns about the condition of the halfpipe, the event began as scheduled. Only one American was in the first heat of qualification: Greg Bretz. Bretz had a 71.75 in run one that placed him seventh and got him into the semifinals.

In heat two three Americans took to the halfpipe. Taylor Gold put up an 87.5 on his second run for a fifth place finish in the heat and semifinal berth. Shaun White had a great first run and his 95.75 was best of anyone in the heats and moved him straight to the final. Danny Davis had a 92.0 on his first run and that put him third in the heat and also into the final.

In the semifinals Gold was unable to get a real good run in and his second run score of 60.75 was just eighth best. Bretz fared a bit better and his first run score of 83.0 was the second best of the semifinal and put him in the final.

In the final Bretz couldn’t recapture the magic and after two poor runs he finished 12th with a 26.50 second run score. Danny Davis was better, but not much better. Davis had a 53.0 on his first run and couldn’t top that on his second as he finished in tenth. That left it all up to Shaun White. His first run was not clean and he had it all to do on his second run. The second run was better but not clean enough and he finished fourth with a 90.25.

Results Summarized:

  • Taylor Gold – Finished fifth in heat two after an 87.5 on his second run to advance to the semifinals. Finished eighth in semifinals after a 60.75 second run and was eliminated.
  • Greg Bretz – Finished seventh in heat one after a 71.5 on his first run to advance to the semifinals. Finished second in semifinals after an 83.0 first run and advanced to the final. In the final his best run was a 26.50 on his second run and he finished 12th.
  • Danny Davis – Finished third in heat two after a 92.0 on his first run to advance to the final. In the final his best run was a 53.0 on his first run and he finished 10th.
  • Shaun White – Finished first in heat two after a 95.75 on his first run to advance to the final. In the final his second run score of 90.25 was just fourth best and he missed out on the medals in fourth.

Speed Skating

Events:

  • Women’s 500m – Race 1 of 2
  • Women’s 500m – Race 2 of 2

The women’s 500 m event was on Tuesday and Sugar Todd was the first American to go. Todd’s time of 39.278 was the 28th best in the first race. Lauren Cholewinski was next to go and put up a 12th best 38.54. The top American in race one was Heather Richardson who had a 37.73, good for fourth place. Brittany Bowe was the final one to go and was 17th with a 38.81.

In race two Todd finished with a 39.25 and an overall time of 78.53, good for 29th place. Bowe was the next to go and her 38.37 gave her a 13th best total time of 77.19. Richardson and Cholewinski raced side by side with Richardson coming out on top in the pair but both slipping down the standings. Cholewinski had a time of 38.80 and finished 15th with a time of 77.35. Richardson had a time of 38.02 and her overall time of 75.75 to finish eighth.

Results Summarized:

  • Sugar Todd – Finished race one in 39.278 (28th place). Finished race two in 39.25 and finished 29th overall with a time of 78.53.
  • Lauren Cholewinski – Finished race one in 38.54 (12th place). Finished race two in 38.80 and finished 15th overall with a time of 77.35.
  • Brittany Bowe – Finished race one in 38.81 (17th place). Finished race two in 38.37 and finished 13th overall with a time of 77.19.
  • Heather Richardson – Finished race one in 37.73 (fourth place). Finished race two in 38.02 and finished eighth overall with a time of 75.75.

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