First, the men’s Olympic downhill was postponed several times due to strong winds, then canceled for today. And what else happened last night of the Olympics?
The men’s downhill run scheduled for today has been canceled due to strong gusts of wind. After the start of the race had already been postponed several times, the World Ski Association Fis finally moved the competition to “another day”. More detailed information was not initially available.
“The jury decided together with the organizer in the interests of safety and fairness,” Fis continued to justify its decision. The wind had already led to delays and cancellations during the training days. The German alpine quartet around Romed Baumann, Andreas Sander, Josef Ferstl and Dominik Schwaiger has been nominated for the downhill.
After the German team’s harsh criticism of the conditions for athletes in the quarantine hotels, the organizers promised improvements. “We have to address these things. It is our duty and responsibility,” said Christophe Dubi, Olympic Director of the International Olympic Committee.
It was “very unfortunate” that a corona-infected athlete would not have found good conditions in the isolation facilities. A little later, the DOSB announced that the situation had improved significantly. The German Chef de Mission Dirk Schimmelpfennig described the circumstances in the quarantine at Nordic combined athlete Eric Frenzel as “unreasonable”.
Ten other Olympic participants have tested positive for the corona virus. As the organizers announced, the infected, including six athletes or team members, were discovered among more than 72,000 corona tests carried out the day before. The total number of corona cases has risen to a total of 363 since January 23.
In view of the significantly lower number of cases compared to the previous days, the organizers see their strict measures confirmed. “We hope to continue this trend. With the smaller number of arrivals, there will be fewer positive cases,” said Huang Chun, vice director of China’s organizing committee in charge of coronavirus pandemic prevention.
Toboggan star Geisenberger falls during final training
Four-time Olympic luge champion Natalie Geisenberger fell during final training. After four previous best times, she blundered in curve 13 of the demanding track in the Sliding Center Yanqing in the fifth practice run. But she was unharmed. In the end she was almost four seconds behind Julia Taubitz, who set the best time in the fifth run. But in the last training run, Geisenberger promptly set the best time again.
The six-time German figure skating champion Nicole Schott succeeded in the dress rehearsal for the individual with a strong performance in the short program. With 62.66 points, the 25-year-old from Essen took sixth place.
“It was the best short program I’ve ever run,” said Schott. “I’ve shown that I can compete at a higher level, even though I’m a bit older.” The individual medal fight begins on February 15. Germany did not qualify for the freestyle final of the five best teams and finished ninth overall.
After a long break in competition as a result of a corona infection, biathlete Franziska Preuss will have her first appearance at the Olympics on Monday. The 27-year-old represents the German Ski Association in the heavy individual over 15 kilometers together with Denise Herrmann, Vanessa Voigt and Vanessa Hinz. Preuss was still missing at the start of the Skijäger competitions. Without the Bavarian, the German team ended up in fifth place with the mixed relay in Norway’s Olympic victory.
Freestyle snowboarder Annika Morgan finished eighth in the slopestyle competition. The 19-year-old received 64.13 of the maximum possible 100 points for her best of a total of three runs in the final. In the first run she touched the snow briefly, in the third she fell. “I’m so happy, I can’t complain at all. I wasn’t nervous at all, I had a lot of fun,” said Mittenwalderin and added in sunny Zhangjiakou: “I’d like to continue driving.”
Victory on the demanding course in Zhangjiakou, on which the athletes ride over railings and ramps and jump over a small hut, went to Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. The 20-year-old won New Zealand’s first Olympic gold at the Winter Games.
The German ice hockey players cannot understand reports that the corona conditions at the Olympics in China may be too strict. “It could have hit us much harder. It’s a big step forward that we can go out into the Olympic village and be able to move around freely there,” said striker Tom Kühnhackl.
He and his teammates were used to completely different things from last year’s World Cup in Riga: “At the World Cup we were only allowed to sit in the room.” Strike colleague Patrick Hager also finds the conditions in times of the coronavirus pandemic quite bearable. As a member of the 2018 silver team, the 33-year-old is missing one thing: “Of course we would all like to be in the German House. We don’t need to talk about it. There’s a lot missing that makes the Olympics special.”