Day 12 began where most days at Vancouver have started: on the slopes of Whistler. Tuesday was the Men’s Giant Slalom, and it was the first Alpine event in these Olympics in which an American has not medaled. A pre-race U.S. favorite, Ted Ligety, managed just a ninth-place finish, while Bode Miller missed a gate on his first run and failed to finish.
Winter Olympics Day 12 Results: Bode Misses A Gate, Kramer Misses A Lane, Kim Misses Nothing
In Men’s Speed Skating, Holland’s Sven Kramer raced out to the fastest time in the 10,000m Tuesday afternoon, blowing everyone else away by a full four seconds. And then he was disqualified. Kramer, the world record holder and three-time world champion in the event, turned in the fastest time, but failed to switch lanes after the midway point of the race, and as a result, was disqualified. He was a tad bit upset after the race.
The United States claimed their second silver medal of the Nordic Combined competition at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday afternoon, finishing behind Austria in the 4x5-kilometer relay at Whistler Olympic Park. Before Vancouver, America had never won a Nordic Combined medal in the Olympics; now, in just a 10-day span, they have won two silvers.
Women’s Figure Skating began competition with the Short Program, which was dominated by South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na, who set a new high score record. A pair of Americans sit in fifth and sixth, within striking distance for a medal on Thursday night in the Free Skate.
Men’s Hockey had some sense of order restored to it on Tuesday when Canada routed Germany, 8-2. Their reward: a quarterfinal match-up with Russia. In the other early game, Switzerland needed a shootout to survive Belarus, and will now play the No. 1 seed Team USA. (By the way, it’s looking like NBC is planning to tape delay the men’s hockey gold medal game on the West Coast on Sunday afternoon. Yep.)
For the American teams, Curling came to a merciful end on Tuesday. The Men leave Vancouver with 2-7 record and in last place, while the Women were 2-6 when this was written (and losing 7-3 after six ends). The Men’s Canadian team finished round robin play 9-0; the Women were well on their way to a 8-1 mark late Tuesday night.
Elsewhere in Vancouver on Tuesday: Russia won Women’s Biathlon 4x6km Relay, beating France and Germany ... The first ever Women’s Ski Cross medal went to Canada’s Ashleigh McIvor, who battled both the course and a snowstorm ... After the first two runs (of four), USA2 is second in Women’s Bobsled; they slide for a medal Wednesday night.
More: SB Nation’s full coverage of the Winter Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics Medal Count Tracker.
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