Category Archives: Daily Olympic Reviews

Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Skeleton, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 13th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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If you were waiting for the US to break out and make a move in the medal count then perhaps Thursday was your day… or perhaps a single event on Thursday was your event. The men’s ski slopestyle cross took the US from nine medals to 12 as the US swept the medals and headlined a good day for the US.

Biathlon

Events:

  • Men’s individual 20 km

Thursday was the men’s 20 km individual event at 9 AM. The first American to start was Tim Burke. Burke got off to a good start as he was 17th after 8 km and a round of shooting. He took a big hit with two missed targets in round two and fell into the 40s. He recovered his position some before two more missed targets in the final round left him with a 44th place finish. Next up was Lowell Bailey. Bailey combined a strong skiing performance with just one missed target to consistently be in the top 20 at checkpoints and eventually move into the top ten and finish 8th, the best ever finish by a US man. Leif Nordgren was in the top 40 through 12 km but a disastrous third round of shooting where he missed all five targets left him well behind the pack and he finished 83rd. Finally Russell Currier missed two targets on each of the first two rounds of shooting as he plummeted to 85th out of 88. He roared back however and didn’t miss another target as he ended up in 50th place.

Results Summarized:

  • Leif Nordgren – Finished 83rd in 58:47.6, 9:15.9 behind the leader. Missed six targets.
  • Russell Currier – Finished 50th in 55:07.5, 5:35.8 behind the leader. Missed four targets.
  • Tim Burke – Finished 44th in 54:21.2, 4:49.5 behind the leader. Missed four targets.
  • Lowell Bailey – Finished 8th in 50:57.4, 1:25.7 behind the leader. Missed one target.

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Alpine Skiing, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Ice Hockey, Luge, Nordic Combined, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 12th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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After a couple of gold-less days for the US they finally grabbed their third gold medal late on Wednesday. It was one of two medals for the US on the day, both in the same event.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • *Women’s Downhill

Four Americans were in the first 12 competitors in the downhill on Wednesday but none of them could move into first when they went down the hill. Jacqueline Wiles was second to go but had some crucial mistakes in her run and finished 26th in 1:44.35. Next up was Laurenne Ross. Ross was much cleaner but her time of 1:42.68 just wasn’t good enough to reach the top and she finished 11th in 1:42.68. Stacey Cook was the third to go and her run also lacked the sharpness necessary as she finished 17th in 1:43.05. The final hope was Julia Mancuso. Mancuso had a really good run but wasn’t quick enough in the middle of the course. She ended up eighth with a time of 1:42.56

Results Summarized:

  • Jacqueline Wiles – Finished 26th in a time of 1:44.35.
  • Stacey Cook – Finished 17th in a time of 1:43.05.
  • Laurenne Ross – Finished 11th in a time of 1:42.68.
  • Julia Mancuso – Finished 8th in a time of 1:42.56.

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

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Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Curling, Daily Olympic Reviews, Freestyle Skiing, Ice Hockey, Luge, Olympics, Short Track Speed Skating, Sochi 2014, Speed Skating

February 10th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Today was the first day of full competition at the Olympics that didn’t feature a US gold. The US took home only a bronze but there was only five events awarding medals so not a ton of opportunities for the US. Curling got underway on both the men’s and women’s side while the US women’s hockey team played their second of three group stage matches.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s super combined – downhill
  • Women’s super combined – slalom

Monday was the women’s super combined event. The first half was the downhill portion with 39 athletes and four Americans in the field. The first one down the hill was Laurenne Ross but she did not finish the downhill as her shoe broke and she went down on the course. Next up was Julia Mancuso who started off great and kept it up all the way down the course leading to the best time of the event at 1:42.68. Mancuso would carry a 0.47 second lead to the slalom half. Leanne Smith finished in 1:45.06, 20th best in the downhill portion, while Stacey Cook did not finish the downhill as well.

Julia Mancuso was trying to become only the third American to medal in three straight Winter Olympics.
Julia Mancuso was trying to become only the third American to medal in three straight Winter Olympics.

Photo Credit: jonwick04 via Compfight cc

In the slalom half Smith wasn’t able to complete the course and got a DNF. That left Mancuso as the last American who could try to finish both events. Mancuso went last among the leaders and knew what she needed to take gold. She made a couple of mistakes however on the course and while she quickly recovered it wasn’t enough as she ended up third place by 0.53 seconds with a time of 2:35.15. Mancuso was thrilled with getting a bronze medal.

Results Summarized:

  • Laurenne Ross – Did not finish the downhill portion.
  • Stacey Cook – Did not finish the downhill portion.
  • Leanne Smith – Finished the downhill in 20th with a time of 1:45.06. Did not finish the slalom portion.
  • Julia Mancuso – Finished the downhill in 1st with a time of 1:42.68. Finished the slalom 13th fastest with a time of 52.47. Total time of 2:35.15 was third best, won bronze medal.

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

February 9th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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Second day of medals awarded and two more medals for the US, another gold and another bronze. Some disappointments as well though for the US today.

Alpine Skiing

Events:

  • Men’s downhill

In the men’s downhill event Bode Miller was the most likely medal contender while three other Americans were part of the field. Steven Nyman was the first down the slopes, both for the US and for the entire competition. Nyman nearly wiped out a couple of times but made some spectacular saves to keep his footing. He finished with a time of 2:09.15 to lead the way. That lead didn’t last long though and the second man down topped it and after five had gone he was out of medal contention.

Next up for the US was Travis Ganong. Ganong skied an aggressive race and despite some parts not perfect he just edged into first with a time of 2:06.64, 0.07 seconds better than anyone else at that point. Ganong was immediately bumped from the gold medal by the next skier but it took 11 men after him before he was bumped from the medals.

One of those 11 men was Bode Miller. Miller made mistakes in several parts of the course including catching way too much of the flag. It cost him as he was sixth after his run with a time of 2:06.75. The final American was Marco Sullivan who was the 25th man to go. Sullivan just wasn’t nearly fast enough and his time of 2:10.10 placed him 30th in the end. When it was all said and done Nyman was 25th, Miller eighth, and Ganong was in fifth, just 0.31 seconds behind bronze.

Results Summarized:

  • Marco Sullivan – Finished in 30th with a time of 2:10.10
  • Steven Nyman – Finished in 27th with a time of 2:09.15
  • Bode Miller – Finished in 8th with a time of 2:06.75
  • Travis Ganong – Finished in 5th with a time of 2:06.64
Bode Miller will compete for the US in the men's downhill on Sunday.
Bode Miller finished 8th for the US in the men’s downhill on Sunday.

Photo Credit: jonwick04 via Compfight cc

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

February 8th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The first day after the Opening Ceremonies saw the US grab their first medals, a bronze and a gold, and saw the start of the women’s ice hockey tournament. Certainly a lot of bright spots on Saturday for the US.

Biathlon

Events:

  • Men’s 10 km sprint

The men’s 10 km sprint competition was held on Saturday with four Americans in the 87-man field. The competitions involves three 3.33 km laps with two shooting rounds (one standing, one prone) in between the laps. For each missed target the athlete had to ski an extra 100m penalty loop. The final standings in this event are used to set the field for the men’s 12.5 km pursuit event on Monday with each athlete starting behind the leader delayed by as much as they were behind in today’s event.

Tim Burke was the top American in the event and only missed one target in shooting. Burke turned in a time of 25:23.3 to finish 19th, 49.8 seconds behind the leader. The second American across the line was Lowell Bailey who finished 35th, missed two targets, and turned in a time of 26:04.1, 1:30.6 behind the leader. Leif Nordgren was the next across the line in 45th. Nordgren missed none of his targets but his time of 26:17.4 was 1:43.9 behind the top. The final American was Russell Currier. Currier missed four targets on his first round of shooting (tied for the most of any athlete in a round) and finished in 26:58.5. That placed him 61st and since only the top 60 move into the pursuit event he will not be a part of that. He missed a spot in the final by around three seconds.

These times will be used when the pursuit event begins on Monday at 10 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Tim Burke – Missed one target, 19th best time of 25:23.3. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 50 seconds behind leader.
  • Lowell Bailey – Missed two targets, 35th best time of 26:04.1. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:31 behind leader.
  • Leif Nordgren – Missed no targets, 45th best time of 26:17.4. Starts pursuit (Monday at 10 AM ET) 1:44 behind leader.
  • Russell Currier – Missed four targets, 61st best time of 26:58.5. Did not make pursuit event as he was not in the top 60.

Cross-Country Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s 15 km skiathlon (7.5 km classic + 7.5 km free)

The women’s 15 km skiathlon is a mass start race where the athletes ski 7.5 km in the classic style then switch equipment and ski 7.5 km in the free style. Four Americans were in the field of 61.

In the classic portion of the event the top American was Sadie Bjornsen who was 22nd in 19:56.8. Jessica Diggins followed her up closely in 27th with a time of 20:01.7. Just after her was Liz Stephen who was 31st in a time of 20:14.7 while the final American was Holly Brooks in 38th with a time of 20:22.3.

Not a lot of time is gained or lost “in the pits”. Stephen was the fastest American and second fastest overall in 32.7 seconds. The slowest American was Brooks who took 37.1 seconds for 42nd best. Less than 13 seconds separated all 61 athletes.

In the free style portion both Stephen and Diggins heated up for USA. Stephen posted the seventh fastest time at 19:22.2 and finished 12th overall in 40:09.6. Diggins was just behind her in the free style with an eight place time of 19:29.5 but her overall time was quicker at 40:05.5 and she placed eight overall. Bjornsen posted the 36th best time at 20:37 finishing in 31st overall in 41:09.7 while Brooks had the 50th best time at 21:34.6 and ended up 47th overall in 42:34.

Results Summarized:

  • Jessica Diggins – 27th in classic style (20:01.7), 8th in free style (19:29.5). Total time of 40:05.5 as she finished in 8th.
  • Liz Stephen – 31st in classic style (20:14.7), 7th in free style (19:22.2). Total time of 40:09.6 as she finished in 12th.
  • Sadie Bjornsen – 22nd in classic style (19:56.8), 36th in free style (20:37). Total time of 41:09.7 as she finished in 31st.
  • Holly Brooks – 38th in classic style (20:22.3), 50th in free style (21:34.6). Total time of 42:34 as she finished in 47th.

Figure Skating

Events:

  • Team event – Ice dance short dance
  • Team event – Ladies’ short program
  • Team event – Pairs’ free skate

The US entered Saturday’s events in a tie for fifth place knowing they needed to make sure they had good results to ensure they’d be in the top five after the short programs when the bottom five countries were cut. Things started off great when Meryl Davis and Charlie White had the top score for the US in the ice dance short dance. Their 75.98 gave the US ten points and made it quite clear the US would be in the top five.

Ashley Wagner went to the top after her short program score of 63.10 but each of the last three competitors topped her as she finished fourth. Still the seven points she secured left the US in third heading into the second half of the event. After the bottom five countries were cut the free program pairs event was held. Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir put up a good score of 117.94 for the US but still ended up fourth. That leaves the US in third with 31 points with three rounds left. The ten point deficit to second place Canada is basically impossible to make up (if the USA finished 1st and Canada 5th in the three remaining events the US would be two ahead of them) and the Russian lead of 13 on the US is literally impossible to overcome. The US has a three point lead on Italy and a four point lead on Japan. It’s a good position for the US but they will still have to fight for the bronze.

Ashley Wagner will compete for the US in the team event on Saturday.
Ashley Wagner was fourth for the US in the ladies’ singles portion of the team event on Saturday.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

On Sunday the final three rounds will be held with the men’s free program at 10 AM ET, the ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and the ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Meryl Davis and Charlie White – Top ice dance short dance score with a 75.98.
  • Ashley Wagner – Fourth best ladies’ short program with a score of 63.10
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Fourth place in the pair’s free program with a 117.94.
  • US Team – Currently in third place with a three point lead on fourth (Italy) and four point lead on fifth (Japan). No real chance of moving up to silver. Three rounds on Sunday: men’s free program at 10 AM ET, ladies’ free program at 11:05 AM ET, and ice dance free dance at 12:10 PM ET.

Freestyle Skiing

Events:

  • Women’s moguls qualification – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 1
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 2
  • Women’s moguls final – Round 3

The moguls event continued on Saturday beginning with a second round of qualification. 16 competitors were left competing for ten more spots in the final. Heather McPhie was the only US competitor and her score of 18.85 placed her sixth and got her safely into the final.

In the first round of the final the 20 finalists would be narrowed down to 12 after only one run each. That knocked out McPhie who finished 13th with a 20.05, just .07 behind 12th, when she was bumped down by the final competitor, fellow American Hannah Kearney. Kearney ended up seventh in the round with a 20.95. The top American in the round was Eliza Outtrim who finished second with a score of 21.81.

In the second round of the final the 12 finalists were narrowed down to six after a single run. Kearney made this one a no-doubter as her score of 21.93 was the top in the field. Outtrim had to sweat it out a bit more as her 21.53 placed fifth but both move on to the final.

In the final Outtrim had a rough run and finished with only a 19.37. That left her in sixth place. Kearney was the last to go and needed to top a 22.44 to win the gold. She could only muster a 21.49 and ended up with the bronze.

Results Summarized:

  • Heather McPhie – Sixth in qualifying round two with a 18.85 to reach final. Eliminated in final round one after her 20.05 left her 13th.
  • Eliza Outtrim – Scored a 21.81 in final round one to place second and move into final round two. Scored a 21.53 in final round two to place fifth and move into final round three. Scored a 19.37 in final round three and finished sixth.
  • Hannah Kearney – Scored a 20.95 in final round one to place seventh and move into final round two. Scored a 21.93 in final round two to place first and move into final round three. Scored a 21.49 in final round three to win the bronze medal.

Ice Hockey

Events:

  • Women’s preliminary round – Group A – USA vs. Finland

The US got the game off to a great start as just 53 seconds in they got an even strength goal from Hilary Knight. They doubled the lead 7:42 into the second period with an even strength goal from Kelli Stack assisted by Knight and Megan Bozek. The US took advantage of a power play to score their third goal with 4:01 left in the second period. This one came from Alex Carpenter with an assist to Anne Schleper. Susana Tapani scored for Finland with 4:38 left in the game to make it 3-1 and that was the final. Jessie Vetter got the start in goal and saved 14 of 15 shots.

The USA women's hockey team will take on Finland Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.
The USA women’s hockey team beat Finland 3-1 on Saturday to open their Olympic campaign.

Photo Credit: _becaro_ via Compfight cc

Results Summarized:

  • US Team – They are tied with Canada in Group A with three points each but the US has a GD of just two while Canada has a GD of five. Likely won’t matter though as this group is likely to be determined when the US faces Canada in the final group stage match. The US will face Switzerland next on Monday at 5 AM ET.

Luge

Events:

  • Men’s singles run 1 – 9:30 AM
  • Men’s singles run 2 – 11:40 AM

The US has three athletes in the 39-man field for the men’s singles luge event. This event is four runs with the total time determining the winner. The first two runs were held on Saturday. In run one the top US competitor was Christopher Mazdzer who finished 10th in a time of 52.744, 0.574 seconds behind the leader. Tucker West came in 21st with a time of 53.142 and Aidan Kelly was 26th with a time of 53.275.

Mazdzer was again tops for the US in the second run with a 52.643 that was 12th fastest and left him in 13th with a time of 1:45.387, 1.238 seconds behind the leader. West was 23rd in the run with a 52.966 and is now 23rd overall with a total time of 1:46.108. Kelly was 26th in the run with a 53.192 and is 36th overall with a time of 1:46.467. All three will be back in action when the third run starts at 9:30 AM ET Sunday and in run four at 11:30 AM ET.

Results Summarized:

  • Christopher Mazdzer – Mazdzer was 10th in run one (52.744) and 12th in run two (52.643). He’s now 13th overall at 1:45.387 and will start 13th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Tucker West – West was 21st in run one (53.142) and 23rd in run two (52.966). He’s now 23rd overall at 1:46.108 and will start 23rd in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.
  • Aidan Kelly – Kelly was 26th in run one (53.275) and 26th in run two (53.192). He’s now 26th overall at 1:46.467 and will start 26th in run three at 9:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Ski Jumping

Events:

  • Men’s individual normal hill – qualification round – 11:30 AM

The individual normal hill event has a 50 man first round. Ten of these spots go to the top competitors based on previous results while the next 40 were awarded in the qualification round today. Four Americans were among the 51 competing for the 40 spots today. Anders Johnson was the top American with a 26th place score of 107.9.

Peter Frenette snuck into the top 40 with a 35th place finish on a score of 105.3 while Nick Alexander grabbed the last spot as his 100.7 was good enough for 40th. The only American not to move on was Nick Fairall who finished 50th with a score of 77.3 The other three are into Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. If they are in the top 40 after the first round they will jump again in the final round at 1:35 PM ET. The two jumps are combined for a total score to determine the winner.

Results Summarized:

  • Anders Johnson – Finished 26th with a score of 107.9 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump fifth in the round.
  • Peter Frenette – Finished 35th with a score of 105.3 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump tenth in the round.
  • Nick Alexander – Finished 40th with a score of 100.7 to qualify for Sunday’s first round at 12:30 PM ET. He will jump first in the round.
  • Nick Fairall – Finished 50th with a score of 77.3 and failed to qualify for Sunday’s first round.

Snowboarding

Events:

  • Men’s slopestyle semifinal – 12:30 AM
  • Men’s slopestyle final – 3:45 AM

The men’s slopestyle semifinal began on Saturday with 20 athletes looking to vie for just four spots including three Americans desperate to reach the final. On run one Sage Kotsenburg went big time with an 89 that left him in second after the run. Ryan Stassel also scored in the top four with an 83.25 that left him fourth. Only Chas Guldemond didn’t have a great result as his 13.25 score left him last.

Run two saw Kotsenburg edge his score even higher with a 90.50, though he was still second overall. Stassel couldn’t improve his score after an 81.75 and eventually slipped from the top four to sixth and missed out on the final. Guldemond was last to go and knew beating a 84.75 would get him into the final. He couldn’t do it though as a 79.75 left him in seventh. Only one American would move on into the final.

In the final Kotsenburg put up a huge 93.50 on his first run. He watched as no one matched it on that run. He tried to top it himself but came up short with an 83.25. And he watched as everyone tried to beat it again. No one could match that run and amazingly Sage Kotsenburg finished eighth in his qualifying heat, advanced from the semifinal on Saturday morning, and won a gold medal for the US.

Results Summarized:

  • Chas Guldemond – 79.75 score in the semifinals left him seventh and not in the final.
  • Ryan Stassel – 83.25 score in the semifinals left him sixth and not in the final.
  • Sage Kotsenburg – 90.50 on run two in the semifinals was the second best and qualified him for the final. In the final hit a 93.50 on the first run and no could ever match it as he won gold.

Speed Skating

Events:

  • Men’s 5000m – 6:30 AM

Three Americans were part of the 26-man field for the 5000m event. Each athlete gets one chance, best time wins. Patrick Meek was part of the first pairing but his time of 6:32.94 was only top after that pair and he finished 20th. Emery Lehman competed in the seventh pairing and put up a time of 6:29.94 and finished 16th. The final American, Jonathan Kuck, was in the tenth pairing and his time of 6:31.53 left him 19th.

Results Summarized:

  • Emery Lehman – Finished 16th with a time of 6:29.94.
  • Jonathan Kuck – Finished 19th with a time of 6:31.53.
  • Patrick Meek – Finished 20th with a time of 6:32.94.
Daily Olympic Reviews, Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Olympics, Snowboarding, Sochi 2014

February 6th – Sochi 2014 – Daily Review

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The first day of competition for the US had some bright spots and several not so bright spots. Three of the four events that began were new to the Olympics so let’s dive right in!

Freestyle Skiing

The only event to begin on Thursday was the women’s moguls event. 30 athletes made up the field for the first qualifying round where each athlete got one run and the top ten scores moved into the final. The other twenty will compete for the last ten spots in the final in a second round of qualifying on Saturday.

One of the worst parts of Thursday for the US was the warm-up crash of 21-year-old and first-time Olympian Heidi Kloser. Kloser injured her right knee and had to be taken to the hospital. Knee injuries are no surprise when you watch moguls, but to have one of the Americans go down injured so quickly on day one was really sad to see.

Things got better though as Eliza Outtrim and Heather McPhie were the first two competitors to take to the slope. Outtrim put up a great 21.51 score that led the field for quite a while before she ended up finishing fourth and easily moving into the final. McPhie put up a good score as well but her 19.92 didn’t stay in the top ten for too long and she ended up 14th. The good news is that makes her fourth best of those who will have to try to qualify again on Saturday and perhaps this will be some good extra practice. She should make the final.

The final American to go was the favorite, Hannah Kearney. Kearney delivered another knockout run and easily qualified for the final on Saturday with a first place score of 23.05.

Results Summarized:

  • Heidi Kloser – Injured right knee in warm-up crash and did not start event.
  • Eliza Outtrim – Fourth best run with a 21.51. Into final beginning at 1 PM ET on Saturday.
  • Heather McPhie – 14th best run with a 19.92. Will have to try to qualify for the final in qualifying round two at 9 AM ET on Saturday.
  • Hannah Kearney – Top run with a score of 23.05. Into final beginning at 1 PM ET on Saturday.

Figure Skating

Thursday was the debut of the new team event and featured both the men’s and pairs’ short programs. The men started things off and the US picked Jeremy Abbott as their participant. Abbott struggled in his program as he fell and received just a 65.65 to place seventh and grab only four points for the US. In the pairs’ program Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir put together a cleaner program but still only scored a 64.25 to grab fifth place and six points. It’s worth noting that the pairs’ event is the weakest for the US so this was a good result and let the US catch both Germany and France to reach a three-way tie for fifth place. That’s important since only the top five get to continue after the short programs.

Jeremy Abbott will skate for the US in the team figure skating event on Thursday.
Jeremy Abbott was a disappointing seventh for the US in the men’s short program portion of the first ever team figure skating event at the Olympics.

Photo Credit: nabechiko29 via Compfight cc

Results Summarized:

  • Jeremy Abbott – Only the seventh best in men’s short program with a score of 65.65
  • Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir – Fifth place in the pair’s short program with a 64.25.
  • US Team – Currently in a tie for fifth place with Germany and France. The next two competitions are the ice dance short dance (9:30 AM ET Saturday) and the ladies’ short program (11:10 AM ET Saturday). After these two rounds the bottom five countries are cut before the top five will have the pairs’ free skate at 1:05 PM ET on Saturday.

Snowboarding

Another event debuted on Thursday, the men’s and women’s slopestyle competitions. Before the men’s event had even begun Shaun White had pulled out leaving just three Americans in the field. Chas Guldemond was in the first heat where he put up an 86.00 on his first run to place second. Unfortunately he got topped by three guys on their second runs and he couldn’t improve so his score left him in fifth place, just missing out on an automatic berth into the final. Guldemond will be in the semifinal which begins at 12:30 AM ET Saturday morning.

Heat two featured Sage Kotsenburg and Ryan Stassel. This heat saw some top scores in the first run and Kotsenburg’s 86.50 left him fifth while Stassel scored 81.00 and was still sixth. Neither athlete could improve on the second run and they slid to eighth and ninth in the heat so both will be in the semifinal on Saturday morning at 12:30 AM ET.

On the women’s side all four Americans were in heat two. Ty Walker was first up but decided not to try to make the final today due to some injuries she’s suffered this week. Instead she just came down the course not attempting jumps in order to qualify for the semifinal on Sunday morning at 1:30 AM ET. She’s hoping she’ll be feeling better by then and can make a run at a berth in the final.

Jamie Anderson was healthy on the other hand and her first run of 93.50 was the best of the first runs. She was so far ahead of most of the field that she elected to skip her second run and go with that score. She was plenty safe in the end as she ended up second and fifth place was all the way back at 77.75, no danger at all. Anderson will be in Sunday’s final at 4:15 AM ET.

That left Karly Shorr and Jessika Jenson who were the last two on each set of runs. Run one left Shorr with a 45 and Jenson with a 34 knowing they’d have to land a better run to advance straight to the final. Shorr’s second run needed to beat 77.75 and she did that easily by posting a 84.75 and moving into fourth. Jenson was the only one left who could bump her from advancing straight to the final but Jenson scored only a 58.50 and finished seventh. Shorr moved straight into the final at 4:15 AM ET on Sunday while Jenson will have to try and qualify for it out of the semifinal at 1:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Results Summarized:

  • Chas Guldemond – Fifth best in his heat with an 86.00. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Sage Kotsenburg – Eighth best in his heat with an 86.50. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Ryan Stassel – Ninth best in his heat with an 81.00. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Saturday at 12:30 AM ET.
  • Ty Walker – Dealing with injuries scored a 1.00 by skipping tricks. That allows her to try again in semifinals though. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Sunday at 1:30 AM ET.
  • Jamie Anderson – After scoring a 93.50 on her first run she skipped her second and finished second in her heat to advance to the final on Sunday at 4:15 AM ET.
  • Karly Shorr – Scored a 84.75 on her second run to jump into fourth. She held on for the last spot from the heat into the final on Sunday (4:15 AM ET).
  • Jessika Jenson – Second run score of 58.50 was only good enough for seventh in her heat. Will have to qualify out of semifinal on Sunday at 1:30 AM ET.
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Olympic Review – August 10th

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Athletics

Things started with the men’s pole vault final on Friday. Brad Walker skipped the 5.50m height but then went 0-3 at the 5.65 meter height to finish in 13th with no mark in the final.

In the women’s 4x400m relay 1st round the US put up a time of 3:22.09 in the 2nd heat which was the best of the round. The US has now qualified for Saturday’s final. The team on Friday consisted of Keshia Baker, Francena McCorory, Diamond Dixon and DeeDee Trotter.

In the men’s 4x100m relay 1st round the US set a national record with a time of 37.38 and were the fastest in the round by .01 seconds over Jamaica.  Things will be different tomorrow when Usain Bolt steps into the team, but the US will have a stronger team as well. The 1st round team consisted of Jeffery Demps, Darvis Patton, Trell Kimmons and Justin Gatlin.

In the women’s 5000m final Molly huddle finished in 11th (15:20.29) while Julie Culley finished 14th (15:28.22).

Next in the women’s 4x100m relay the US team of Tianna Madison, Allyson Felix, Bianca Knight, and Carmelita Jeter smashed the world record enroute to a gold medal winning 40.82!!

In the women’s 1500m final Shannon Rowbury finished in 6th with a time of 4:11.26. Morgan Uceny had a heartbreaking night as she tripped with a lap to go and did not finish the race.

In the men’s 4x400m relay final the US had a season best time of 2:57.05 but the team of Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay and Angelo Taylor came in 2nd to a surprising Bahamas team.

Basketball

The US reached the final on Friday when they defeated Argentina 109-83. The US will now face Spain on Sunday for their second consecutive gold medal.

Canoeing

In the men’s K-1 200m competition Tim Hornsby advanced out of the heats with a 36.560, the fastest time among the three sixth-place kayaks. In the semifinals he finished last in his heat, just 1.5 seconds out of 4th. He will be in the B Final on Saturday.

Carrie Johnson was in the women’s K-1 200m on Friday and finished 6th in her heat as well to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals she also finished last, ending her Olympics.

Cycling

In the women’s BMX semifinals Brooke Crain used a 5th, 4th, and 5th place finish to propel her into 3rd overall in her heat and into the final while Alise Post crashed on the last run and missed out on 4th by three points, finishing 6th overall.  In the one-run final Crain finished last. Still this was a result she never could have imagined when the Olympics started.

In the men’x BMX semifinals Connor Fields got 4th on his 1st run but won the next two to move into the final.  David Herman started off well with a 3rd place finish but two 6th place finishes after that, including getting taken out on the last run, left him in 5th with 15 points, four behind fourth. In the men’s final Connor Fields crashed and finished 7th, 25 seconds after the leader.

Diving

In the preliminary round on Friday Nichols McCrory finished in 8th with 480.90 while David Boudia had to sweat it out and finished in 18th with 439.15. Both qualify for the semifinal on Saturday.

Field Hockey

The US women ended their Olympics with more disappointment as they couldn’t hold an early 1-0 lead and fell 2-1 to Belgium in the 11-12 Classification match. The US finished the Olympics in 12th.

Gymnastics

Julie Zetlin scored 24.250 with the ribbon and 24.225 with the clubs to score a 96.675 for the competition and finish in 22nd.

Sailing

Amanda Clark/Sarah Lihan finished last in the women’s 470 medal race, but still ended the Olympics in 9th place.

Swimming

Alex Meyer had a good swim in the men’s 10km open water swim and finished 10th in 1:50:48.2, less than a minute behind the winner.

Taekwondo

The US had disappointment early in taekwondo on Friday when Steven Lopez lost 3-2 to Ramin Azizov of Azerbaijan in the 80kg preliminary round. Azizov lost in the quarterfinals so Lopez did not get a chance at bronze. Paige McPherson started things off with a 5-1 win over Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain in the 67kg preliminary round. She then lost 6-1 to Nur Tartar of Turkey in the quarterfinals, but got a repechage chance when Tartar made the final. In the repechage McPherson beat Andrea St. Bernard of Grenada 15-2 and then defeated Franka Anic of Slovenia 8-3 to win a bronze medal!

Water Polo

In men’s water polo the US lost a tight match to Spain 8-7 in the 5-8 semifinals and will now face Australia on Sunday to determine the 7-8 classification.

Wrestling

Samuel Hazewinkel started Friday vs. Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the 55kg round of 16.  Hazewinkel suffered a tough 3-1, 2-0 loss and was eliminated when Niyazbekov failed to make the final.  In the 74kg round of 16 Jordan Burroughs beat Francisco Daniel Soler Tanco of Puerto Rico 4-0, 6-0 to move into the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals were a bit more challenging but Burroughs beat Matthew Gentry of Canada 2-1, 1-1 to move into the semifinals. In the semifinals Burroughs faced a real challenge in two-time world champion Denis Tsargush of Russia. The match went three rounds but Burroughs pulled it out 3-1, 0-2, 2-1 to reach the final.  In the final Burroughs claimed a gold with a tight 1-0, 1-0 victory over Sadegh Goudarzi of Iran.

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Olympic Review – August 9th

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Athletics

Entering day 2 Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee were 1-2 in the decathlon. They started the day in the 110m hurdles where Trey Hardee ran a personal best 13.54 (1035) and Ashton Eaton ran a 13.56 (1032). They continued to be 1-2 in the overall standings after the hurdles.

Then the women’s high jump qualification round started with Brigetta Barrett (1.93m) and Chaunte Lowe (1.93m) making the final while  Amy Acuff (1.90m) came up a bit short. The final will be on Saturday.

Next in the men’s decathlon discus throw Ashton Eaton threw 42.53m (716) and Trey Hardee threw 48.26m (716). Through seven events they continued to lead the decathlon.

Next up was the 1st round of the men’s 4x400m relay. The US team of Maurice Mitchell, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay, and Bryshon Nellum easily qualified finishing 2nd in 2:58.87, a season best. This was remarkable considering that Maurice Mitchell BROKE HIS LEG halfway through his 400m. Incredibly he still finished in 46.1, 5th fastest of anyone in his leg. The team will be in the final on Friday.

Next the decathlon headed to the pole vault where Ashton Eaton cleared 5.20m (972) and Trey Hardee cleared 4.80m (849) to maintain their top two rankings with two events to go.

To start the afternoon off the decathlon headed to the javelin where Ashton Eaton threw a personal best 61.96m (767) and Trey Hardee threw a season best 66.65m (838). These scores meant Eaton and  Hardee would head to the 1500m still in the 1-2 positions they started in.

Then the men’s triple jump final will begin with Will Claye and Christian Taylor in the field.  Will Claye got out to an early lead with a 17.54m on his second jump. Christian Taylor struggled and went into his third jump needing a top eight mark to reach the final three jumps. He pulled it off with a 17.15m jump that placed him in 5th. In Taylor’s fourth jump he went 17.81m to take the lead from Claye and never relinquished it as he won gold with Claye getting silver.

Then in the women’s 800m semifinal Alice Schmidt (4th – 2:01.63) and Geena Gall (8th – 2:05.76) did not make the final while Alysia Johnson Montano (4th – 1:58.42) grabbed the final spot based on time.

Next up was the men’s 800m final where Duane Solomon (4th – 1:42.82) and Nick Symmonds (5th – 1:42.95) both ran personal bests but couldn’t medal in a race that saw the world record fall and everyone but one runner finish in a personal best. And that runner finished in a season best!

Then the women’s 4x100m relay began with the 1st round. Tianna Madison, Jeneba Tarmoh, Bianca Knight, and Lauryn Williams made up for the team for the US and finished in a season best 41.64 to head into the final on Friday the heavy favorite.

Next in the men’s 200m final Wallace Spearmon ran a season best 19.90 but came up just short of a medal with a 4th place finish just .06 seconds behind bronze.

Finally in the 1500m portion of the decathlon Ashton Easton finished in 4:33.59 (721) while Trey Hardee finished in a personal best 4:40.94 (674) to slam home any chance of falling to the bronze medal. The final result had Ashton Eaton winning gold in the decathlon with 8869 points and Trey Hardee won a silver with a season best 8671.

Basketball

In the women’s basketball semifinals the US struggled with Australia 22-20 after one quarter and 47-43 after the 1st half. A strong 3rd quarter gave them a 65-59 lead and they held on to win somewhat comfortably 86-73. The win put the US into the gold medal game against France on Saturday.

Boxing

Looking for a gold, and the first ever women’s boxing gold medal for the US, Claressa Shields beat Nazezda Torlopova of Russia 19-12 to take home a gold medal in the middlewight division. Shields, a 17-year-old became the youngest boxer to win a gold medal in 88 years. The victory gave the US a positive end to an otherwise unremarkable run in London.

Cycling

The US had three riders in the Men’s BMX quarterfinals on Thursday. Connor Fields was in the 2nd heat and won the first three runs to advance to the semifinals on Friday. David Herman and Nicholas Long were in the 3rd and heat and involved in a major crash on the 1st run. Long finished 7th and Herman came in 8th with a DNF, though both were able to continue the competition. What started then was a big push for getting back into qualifying position. Herman finished 3rd, 4th, and 1st in the next three runs while Long finished 4th, 5th, and 2nd. They went into the final run knowing it would take help to get both of them through. Long won the final run but didn’t advance as Herman finished 2nd and Roger Rinderknecht of Switzerland finished 3rd. Herman and Rinderknecht finished with 18 points and Long had 19. David Herman and Connor Fields will be in the semifinals on Friday.

Diving

The women’s 10m platform semifinal was on Thursday morning and a disappointing showing by Brittany Viola (300.50) and Katie Bell (296.80) left them both outside the top 12 with Viola finishing 15th and Bell finishing 16th.

Equestrian

The US had one last chance to medal in the grand prix freestyle portion of the individual dressage competition. Steffen Peters on Ravel finished with a 77.286% in 17th place to end that chance.

Gymnastics

In rhythmic gymnastics on Thursday Julie Zetlin competed with the ball and the hoop during the first day. She scored a 24.450 with the ball and a 23.750 with the hoop to find herself in 22nd after the 1st day. She’ll compete with the clubs and the ribbon on Friday.

Sailing

The sail-off with the Netherlands was cancelled on Thursday as the winds were non-existent. The decision was made to award the US 5th place based off their group stage performance instead of trying to make up the race later.

Soccer

The US went for their 3rd straight gold medal in women’s soccer against Japan on Thursday and behind a Carli Lloyd brace (8′ and 54′) the US got out to a 2-0 lead. Japan came back and scored in the 63rd minute and had a lot of chances to tie things up, but Hope Solo and the US held and won the game 2-1.

Swimming

In an incredible women’s 10km open water swim Haley Anderson swam stroke for stroke with the leaders and pushed with Eva Risztov of Hungary at the end to pull away. In the end Anderson came up just .4 seconds short of gold, but took a silver in an amazing event.

Taekwondo

To star the day of Terrence Jennings, in the men’s 68kg competition, lost to Servet Tazegul of Turkey 8-6 in the preliminary round. Tazegul went on to win gold so Jennings got a repechage chance. He took advance defeating Hryhorii Husarov 3-2 and Diogo Silva 8-5 to win a bronze medal!

Diana Lopez started the women’s 57 kg competition in the preliminary round losing 1-0 to Yuzhuo Hou of China. Hou made the final, taking silver, so Lopez got into the repechage bracket. Unfortunately her chance to medal ended with a 9-4 loss to Suvi Mikkonen.

Volleyball

In the women’s volleyball tournament the US moved into the final by sweeping Korea 25-20, 25-22, 25-22.  The win moved the US into a final rematch with Brazil for the gold medal.  Brazil finished 4th in the group stage, including a 25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21 loss to the US, but has played well in the knockout round to reach Saturday’s final. This one should be a fantastic exciting battle.

Water Polo

The US and Spain had tied in the group stage after a late Spain rally but Thursday’s gold medal match turned out a bit differently. Backed by a 8-1 run the US took an 8-2 lead early in the 4th quarter and held on to win their first gold by defeating Spain 8-5.

Wrestling

The final day of women’s wrestling started with Ali Sue Bernard losing to Jenny Fransson of Sweeden 3-0, 3-1 in the 72kg qualification round. The other US wrestler was Kelsey Campbell who lost 1-0, 1-0 to Saori Yoshida of Japan in the 55kg round of 16. Yoshida won gold so Campbell got a repechage chance but was defeated 4-0, 1-0 by Yuliya Ratkevich of Azerbaijan in the repechage match.

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Olympic Review – August 8th

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Athletics

First up was the men’s pole vault qualification round. Jeremy Scott (5.50m) and Derek Miles (No mark) failed to make the final while Brad Walker (5.60m) did qualify for Friday’s final.

In the women’s hammer throw qualification, Jessica Cosby (14th  – 69.65m), Amber Campbell (13th – 69.93m), and Amanda Bingson (28th – 67.29m) all failed to make the final.

Then the men’s decathlon got underway with the 100m. Ashton Eaton ran an Olympic record 10.35 to get 1011 points while Trey Hardee ran a season best 10.42 to get 994 points. They were 1-2 after the 100m.

Next on the track was the men’s 5000m 1st round Lopez Lomong (4th – 13:26.16), Galen Rupp (6th – 13:17.56) and Bernard Lagat (4th – 13:15.45) all earned a spot in the final on Saturday.

Meanwhile the decathlon moves to the long jump where Ashton Eaton jumped 8.03m (1068) and Trey Hardee jumped 7.53m (942). They continued to be 1-2 in the decathlon.

Next on the track was the women’s 800m where Alysia Johnson Montano (1st – 2:00.47), Alice Schmidt (2nd – 2:01.65), and Geena Gall (4th – 2:03.85) all advanced to Thursday’s semifinal.

The final morning event on Wednesday was the men’s decathlon’s shot put competition. Trey Hardee went 15.28m (807) and Ashton Eaton went 14.66m (769). They continued to be 1-2 in the overall standings.

The first event in the afternoon was the high jump portion of the decathlon. Ashton Eaton cleared 2.05m (850) while Trey Hardee cleared 1.99m (794). They were still 1-2 in the standings.

The men’s javelin throw qualification round was held with Cyrus Hostetler (32nd – 75.76m), Sean Furey (37th – 72.81m) and Craig Kinsley (23rd – 78.18m) all failing to make the final.

The first track event of the afternoon was the men’s 110m hurdles semifinals. Jason Richardson (1st – 13.13) and Aries Merritt (1st – 12.94) made the final, later in the afternoon, while Jeff Porter (5th – 13.41) was eliminated.

The next track event is the women’s 1500m semifinals where Morgan Uceny (3rd – 4:05.34) and Shannon Rowbury (5th – 4:05.47) made the final on Friday while Jennifer Simpson (12th – 4:06.89) did not.

Then the women’s long jump final was held with Brittney Reese going 7.12m on her 2nd jump and watching that stand up to win her a gold medal. Janay Deloach went 6.89m on her 5th jump to edge out Ineta Radevica by .01m for the bronze.

In the men’s 200m semifinals Wallace Spearmon (2nd – 20.02) made the final while Isiah Young (8th – 20.89) and Maurice Mitchell (4th – 20.56) both missed out.

Next the women’s 400m hurdles final was held. Lashinda Demus was the fastest of the three Americans in the field and won the silver in a season best 52.77. Georganne Moline finished 5th in a personal best 53.92 and T’Erea Brown finished 6th in 55:07.

The in the women’s 200m final Allyson Felix finally won the Olympic gold she’s been seeking running a 21.88. She was followed closely by Carmelita Jeter in 3rd who won the bronze with a 22.14. Finally Sanya Richards-Ross finished 5th in 22.39.

In the men’s 110m hurdles Jason Richardson and Aries Merritt dueled it out for the top two spots with Aries Merritt winning the gold by running a personal best 12.92. Richardson ran a 13.04 to finish 2nd and claim the silver.

The day ended with the men’s decathlon 400m. Trey Hardee ran a 48.11 (904) while Ashton Eaton ran a 46.90 (963). They continue to be in 1st (Ashton Eaton – 4661) and 2nd (Trey Hardee – 4441) halfway through the decathlon. 3rd place is Damian Warner of Canada who has 4386.

Basketball

In the men’s basketball quarterfinals the US took on Australia and came away 119-86 winners in a game that was never really in doubt but wasn’t a blow out until the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant led the way with 20 points while Deron Williams had 18 and Carmelo Anthony had 17 points. The US next faces Argentina on the semifinals on Friday.

Beach Volleyball

On Wednesday two-time gold medalists Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh Jennings became three-time gold medalists Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh Jennings when they defeated April Ross/Jennifer Kessy 21-16, 21-16 to claim the gold over their fellow Americans.

Boxing

Marlen Esparza was the first American boxer to try to reach the final when she met Cancan Ren of China the flyweight semifinal. Esparza lost a 10-8 decision and earned a bronze medal for reaching the semifinals. In the middleweight competition Claressa Shields beat Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan in the semifinals 29-15. Shields will be fighting Nadezda Torlopova of Russia in the final on Thursday.

Cycling

In the women’s BMX seeding runs Alise Post finished 8th (39.890) while Brooke Crain crashed and DNF her run. Both will be in the 1st heat of the semifinals on Friday. In the men’s BMX seeding run Connor Fields finished 4th (38.431), Nicholas Long finished 7th (38.601), and David Herman finished 15th (38.955).  Fields will be in heat 2 on Thursday while Long and Herman will be in heat 3 of the quarterfinals.

Diving

It was a tale of two halves in the women’s 10m platform diving preliminary round. In the 1st half of the round Brittany Viola was near the top and Katie Bell was struggling near the bottom. By the end of the round though Bell had risen all the way to 9th and Viola ended up 14th. Both made the semifinal on Thursday but will need to be at their best to ensure a top 12 finish and a spot in the final.

Equestrian

Mclain Ward on Antares did not make the 2nd round of the individual jumping final after getting 12 penalties on his 1st run and finishing 29th. Rich Fellers just barely made the field as he finished 20th with 5 penalties. In the final run Rich Fellers finished with 0 penalties and ended up in 8th place overall. He would have needed only 1 penalty or fewer to reach the medals.

Sailing

In the women’s 470 races Amanda Clark/Sarah Lihan finished in 17th (race #9) and 9th (race #10) to finish 9th heading into the medal race on Friday.

In the elliott 6m competition the US beat Finland in race three but couldn’t extend the competition in the 4th race as they were eliminated from medal contention. They will now face the Netherlands on Thursday in a 5-match sail off for determining placement between 5th and 8th.

Volleyball

In the men’s volleyball quarterfinals the US men suffered a huge disappointment and were upset 28-26, 25-20, 25-20 by Italy. The loss ended the US’s tournament.

Water Polo

It was asking a lot to think the US could beat undefeated Croatia in water polo, and in the end it was asking too much. The US fell down 5-0 and briefly rallied to get within three at 5-2, but they ended up losing the quarterfinal match 8-2. The US will now be in a semifinal to determine 5th-8th placement against Spain on Friday.

Wrestling

Women’s wrestling started on Wednesday. Clarissa Chun is in the 48kg division and faced Shasha Zhao of China in the qualification round. She won that match 5-0, 1-0 to move into the round of 16. In the round of 16 she faced Mariya Stadnyk of Azerbaijan and lost 2-0, 3-0. She was given a second chance however as Stadnyk went on to win silver. In the repechage bracket Clarrisa Chun faced Iwona Matkowska of Poland and game back to win on a fall in the 2nd period, 0-1, 4-0. She fought for bronze against Irini Merleni of the Ukraine and won 1-0, 3-0 to take home the bronze.

In the 63kg division Elena Pirozhkov took on Anastasija Grigorjeva of Latvia in the round of 16 and lost 0-2, 5-0, 2-0 to end her Olympics.