It was an action-packed showing on Tuesday as the 2022 Winter Olympics neared the end of its first week of competition.
Team USA got off to a promising start on Day 0 but had a subdued showing on Day 1. But the U.S. got back on track during Day 2 and Day 3, earning three medals — all silver — heading into Tuesday.
It was a huge day for Team USA figure skating, as Nathan Chen skated his way to a new men’s world record.
Ten medal events took place on Day 4, which is tied for the most in a single day in Winter Olympics history.
As of Tuesday afternoon ET, the Russian Olympic Committee led the way with 10 total medals, followed by Norway with eight medals.
The United States currently has five medals to its name.
Here are some of the top moments and highlights from Day 4:
Nathan Chen, figure skating
All hail the “Quad King.”
After leading Team USA to a silver medal in the team event, Chen set a new world record in the men’s short program with a score of 113.97, two points ahead of Yuzuru Hanyu’s former WR score of 111.82 set in 2020.
Chen’s two-minute, 40-second skate to opera “La Bohème” had seven virtually flawless elements, including a quadruple lutz — the hardest jump in figure skating.
It was redemption for Chen, who finished 17th in the short program four years ago at the 2018 Games.
American Jason Brown also dazzled in the men’s short program, earning a new personal best at an international competition with a score of 97.24 points — good for sixth overall.
Team USA’s Vincent Zhou, the nation’s No. 2 male figure skater behind Chen, was noticeably absent from the individual event after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Mexico’s flag bearer, Donovan Carrillo, also shined on the ice. He is the first figure skater from Mexico to participate at the Olympics in 30 years. The 22-year-old qualified by placing 20th at the 2021 World Championships — the best result for a Mexican male skater in the history of the event.
Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alpine skiing
Forty-seven racers, including four Americans — Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Travis Ganong, Bryce Bennett and River Radamus — took to “The Rock” at Beijing National Ski Center on Tuesday morning (10 p.m. ET Monday) for a chance to take home a medal in the men’s super-G (giant slalom) event.
And that’s exactly what 29-yard-old Cochran-Siegle did, bringing home silver for the U.S. after finishing just 0.04 seconds behind defending champion Matthias Mayer of Austria. His win comes almost 50 years to the day his mother, Barbara Cochran, won gold in the slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games.
Eileen Gu, freestyle skiing
The 18-year-old Chinese-American freestyle skier, alternatively known as Gu Ailing, took home the Olympic gold medal in the women’s freeski big air final after nailing both at Shougang Industrial Park.
After posting a dazzling 93.75 on Run 1, Gu nailed a double cork 1620 to move into the No. 1 spot.
Although she represented the U.S. for most of her life, Gu made the decision in 2019 to represent China, which now boasts three goal medals in these Games — five overall — with her win.
The California native is also poised to win gold in the upcoming slopestyle and half-pipe events.
Meanwhile, France’s Tess Ledeux won silver, while Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud took home bronze.
Tuesday’s big air final featured the 12 athletes. The lone American to compete was 25-year-old Darian Stevens, who finished 11th overall after taking eighth place in the qualifier with a score of 152.00.
Team USA, hockey
The U.S. and Canada dominated the competition through three games in the preliminary round of the women’s hockey tournament. Heading into Tuesday’s match, Canada had blown its opponents out of the water by a combined score of 29-3, while the U.S. had outscored its opponents by a margin of 18-2.
It was a rematch of the 2018 gold medal game, as the two powerhouse squads took to the ice Tuesday afternoon in Beijing (11:10 p.m. ET Monday) to determine which team would be the top seed heading into the elimination round. Both went into the contest undefeated, but it was the Canadians who came out unscathed.
Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing
Team USA’s Jessie Diggings, who won in the team-sprint freestyle event with Kikkan Randall at the 2018 Olympics, took home a bronze medal in the women’s individual sprint final. It was the first-ever sprint medal in cross-country skiing for Team USA at the Olympic Games. Another American, Rosie Brennan, just missed earning a medal with a fourth place finish.
Sweden’s Jonna Sundling won the event, taking home gold with a time of 3:09.68. Maja Dahlqvist, also from Sweden, earned a silver medal.
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