New Zealand and Australia are also out of the fight on the snow

Four years after winning a bronze medal at just 16 years old in figure skating, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott became New Zealand’s first Olympic champion in Winter Games history.

She scored 92.88 points in her third and final “run”, defeating American Julia Marino (87.68 points) and Australia’s Tess Cody (84.15 points), all smiling true to the spirit of “snow”, a young New Zealander in all-black to celebrate her coronation.

Double Kiwi Party

“I am so proud to have shown what a kiwi can do,” she replied to this New Zealand national holiday.

Sadovsky-Synot, who single-handedly won half of his country’s medals at 24 Winter Games, admitted it.

The new Olympic champion entered not only the sporting history of her country. It also put an end to the reign of American Jimmy Anderson who won his first two titles since he was discipline in the program and who this time couldn’t do better than the ninth.

Rescheduled Monday

In the evening, the Australian Jakara Anthony tamed the big Zhangjiakou square with 83.09 points in the Super Final, ahead of American Jaylene Kauf (80.28 points) and Russia’s Anastasia Smirnova (77.72 points), while the 2018 Olympic champion, French Perrin Lafon took fourth place (77.36 points) .

The Queen of Alpine Skiing event, the men’s downhill skiing was to be the main event of the day. But strong winds that swept across The Rock, the Yanqing track, forced organizers to delay the start several times before the race was pushed back to Monday at 12:00 pm local time (05:00 in French).

In skiing, the expected confrontation between two cross-country ski stars, Johannes Hosflot Kleibo and Alexander Bolshunov did not happen: the Russian disgusted his great Norwegian rival, who had never participated in the game, and the competition for the Olympic title at the age of 25. From his career after his four Olympic medals 2018 (three silver, one bronze).

take off kramer

Bolshunov was ahead at the end of the 15 km classic followed by 15 km “skate” (in the skater’s step) compatriot Denis Spetsov, by 1 minute 1 second, and Finn Ivo Niskanen, by 2 minutes, while Kleibo crossed the line, in 40th place, More than nine minutes away from the winner of the day.

On the speed skating rink in Beijing, a page in the history of this sport is undoubtedly turned. Dutchman Sven Kramer, winner of the last three Olympic titles in the 5,000 metres, finished ninth in his favorite distances.

In the 5,000 meters in 2010, 2014 and 2018, Kramer took silver in 2006 on his Olympic debut, but this time failed very far from the podium, more than seven seconds off third.

Kobayashi flying

The title went to Swede Nils van der Poel, who beat Dutchman Patrick Rost, in second place (6:09.31), and Norway’s Hallger Ingebraten (6:09.88) with a time of 6 minutes 8 seconds 84/100.

Finally, Japan’s Ryoyo Kobayashi, 25, was unmoved by his status as the favorite in ski jumping events and won the Olympic title on the normal hill with 275 points, ahead of Austrian Manuel Wittner (270 points, 8 points) and pole David Kobaki (265.9 points).