Open Thread – Sochi Olympic Spoilers – 2/18
S-O-S!! Spoiler results are posted here
Do not continue past the picture below if you don’t want to know early results.
Some of today’s events:
- Men’s Hockey Playoff Qualification
- Men’s Snowboard Cross – rescheduled for today (fog)
- Men’s ski halfpipe
- Only one curling match today!
Your moment of Zen: Claudia Toth of Austria; Curling
Russian scientists and Al Gore have determined that all the Olympic hotties are causing a localized global warming hotspot, leading to fog on the mountain. This warmth is projected to hit the Midwest by July.
February 18th, 2014 at 8:42 AM ^
Can we improve the uniforms though? Maybe something like what the Russian was wearing in the picture you posted the other day?
February 18th, 2014 at 8:55 AM ^
For those of you planning or looking ahead, the women's curling semifinals are set for tomorrow and will be live at 5 AM - Great Britain versus Canada and Sweden versus Switzerland. On the men's side, you'll be live at 10 AM and you will see Sweden versus Great Britain and Canada versus China. The women's final will then be Thursday and men's will be on Friday.
February 18th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 9:25 AM ^
Slovenia defeated Austria and will now face Sweden in the Quarterfinals. Russia is leading Norway 2-0 with about half the 3rd period left to play.
February 18th, 2014 at 9:33 AM ^
Pierre Vaultier of France wins gold in the snowboard cross . . . two months after tearing his ACL. That is nuts.
February 18th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^
2 months??
Jake MF Ryan should have used this guys surgeon.
February 18th, 2014 at 10:51 AM ^
internet drug connection
February 18th, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
While you can easily tear your ACL in skiing crashes, I don't think you actually need it as much during normal participation in the sport. It may be more crucial to football, and therefore require immediate surgery.
February 18th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^
Hmmm . . . do we also suspect Lindsey Vonn of using steroids? She tore her ACL last November and was competing in December.
February 18th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
Well...yeah, probably.
February 18th, 2014 at 10:44 AM ^
Holy hell, Netherlands sweeps the men's 10k speed skating, and have now won 20 speed skating medals so far - 19 in long track skating, 1 in short track. They lead the medal count and haven't even had to journey outside of the skating track.
February 18th, 2014 at 10:46 AM ^
This is getting a bit ridiculous now. I believe the Dutch lead the overall medal count now, something like 19, and they've only won medals in speedskating events!!
February 18th, 2014 at 10:55 AM ^
The Winter Olympics are awesome this year. Especially with USA's win in Hockey over the Russians. However this is how all olympians should be. Gotta love Usain Bolt!
February 18th, 2014 at 11:02 AM ^
That's AWESOME. Bolt is a class act for sure!
February 18th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
Sounds like they need to adjust the amount of speed skating events. How about we have 20 different alpine downhills at different lengths or 20 snowboard slopeside competitions with different obstacles? Better yet, why not count the medals for each team member in hockey because they are all competitors.
February 18th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
You have a point. I've always been mildly irked by how many different events speed skaters and swimmers tend to be competive in. If the same person can be favored to win multiple events, are they really different events? Or just two runs of the same thing?
Most Olympians only have one or two shots to medal - it takes a lot of the drama out of it when you hear a competitor is just using an event as a warm up for 3 or 4 more events.
February 18th, 2014 at 12:59 PM ^
Eh, it's part of the game. Speedskating is roughly the equivalent of track or swimming in the summer games, and they have a similar number of medals awarded for various distances.
Yes, it's not exactly fair that some sports have more chances to win than others, but it's really not that big a deal.
February 18th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
Swimming is really the worst in this regard to my eye - if you look at a list of winners of multiple medals in a single Games, it's dominated by swimmers and gymnasts. Runners don't show up until the 15th spot on the list, and Carl Lewis is the only medalist of 4 or more running/jumping events in one games since Jesse Owens in 1936.
Only one runner has won more than four medals in a single games (a Finnish cross country runner in 1924). Meanwhile, 5 or more medals have been won by the same swimmer at the same games 18 times, the same gymnast 30 times, and the same speed skater 3 times.
Gymnastics is at least more visually different from event to event and athlete to athlete, I suppose.
February 18th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^
Speed-skating events rage from 500 to 10,000 meters. No single athlete can do all that at an Olympic level. It's not that different from swimming or track - individuals have their specialties.
The Dutch just have incredible depth right now. The six gold medals won by the Dutch have been won by six different people. Altogether, 13 (!) Dutch speed skaters have won a medal.
February 18th, 2014 at 2:43 PM ^
I did use the present tense ("no athlete can...").
February 18th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 12:42 PM ^
Do we really want to limit the # of medals in a single sport ?
USA swimmers (and Michael Phelps) might disagree.
February 18th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 2:16 PM ^
This Czech-Slovakia game has turned into an entertaining as all hell, game. Down 4-0 with a few minutes left in the 2nd, Slovakia has 4:00 to tie this back up in a 1 goal game, 4-3 as we speak. Can Slovakia make the unthinkable comeback?! It's worth noting Marian Hossa has been the main figure in mounting this comeback, he's basically taken over the game.
February 18th, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
but the final score doesn't tell the tale of a highly-entertaining 3rd period. Hossa sure made it fun to watch, didn't he?
I just wish Slovakia hadn't gotten sloppy defensively in the last couple minutes; it cost them dearly when they got a slashing minor whistled on them and they gave up an empty-net power play goal with just over a minute remaining.
So it's The Czechs vs USA tomorrow morning...
February 18th, 2014 at 2:24 PM ^
awarded a medal yet only one counts toward the country medal count? Ice dancers each get a medal but only one counts. Swimming relay, track relay, basketball, bobsled, etc.
It's not actually a true medal count. Shouldn't each medal awarded to an athlete count? Point is the US would probably destroy most countries in the medal count if it were done this way but the European led Olympic committee would not go for that. They won't even allow womens softball in because it's viewed as a US dominated sport. Now what are they going to do with speed skating?
February 18th, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
Hockey is a team sport. Each player is part of the team competing - it's not the same as an individual sport where the athlete must win by himself/herself.
I think you are getting too worked up about the medal count. If a little country like Norway (5 million people) or the Netherlands (16 million) wins the most medals, hey, good for them. Frankly, isn't that a more interesting story than seeing the U.S. and its 315 million people (and near-unlimited resources) finishing on top of the medal table for the umpteenth time?
I could understand the fascination with the medal table when the Cold War was going on and the USSR had about the same population as us, and I can sort of get into the rivalry with China in the Summer Games. But here? We're basically the New York Yankees of international sports going up against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
February 18th, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
If we beat the Czech Republic tomorrow, then we would go on to play Canada (assuming they, themselves beat Latvia) in the Semifinals. A Russia rematch would then occur in the Finals.
February 18th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^
February 18th, 2014 at 2:47 PM ^
Sweden-Slovenia, 3am EST
Finland-Russia, 730am EST
USA-Czech Republic, noon EST
Canada-Latvia, noon EST
February 18th, 2014 at 9:28 PM ^
Gold - David Wise in the men's Ski Halfpipe.
Kind of a cool history in the battle of snowboarders vs. skiers (I ski, FWIW). Boarders took to the slopes, scraped all the snow off the hill, and sat down in the middle of the runs. Skiers said "FTFO my mountain!" and many resorts issued a "no boarders" rule. So, some resorts build snowboard parks to attract this group and the halfpipe became a big draw.
Fast forward to today - the skiers are in the halfpipe!
Bronze - Alex Diebold in men's Snowboard Cross
Bobsled - United States 1 is in first and United States 2 is in second after the first two heats!! Going for medals tomorrow.