The Olympics are a display of the best athletes in the world and this year’s competition did not disappoint. Hosted by the city of Pyeongchang, this year’s athletes have shown how amazing and dangerous sports can be.
Women’s Hockey: After a close three periods of regulation were over, not even overtime and a five round shootout could resolve the 2-2 tie between Team USA and Canada. That was until the sixth round, where USA forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson pulled out a stealthy move that no goalie would be able to stop.
Starting with a fake shot that sent Canada goalie Shannon Szabados onto her back, Lamoureux-Davidson finished the deception with a fake backhand, which allowed her to easily put it into the net. With Canada now required to score to keep the shootout going, USA goalie Maddie Rooney made the final stop to secure the win.
“The shootout was back and forth and very entertaining to watch,” sophomore hockey player Scotty Collinson said. “Although I am Canadian you have to admire the skill that Lamoureux showcased whilst sending the goalie the wrong way and tucking it home to ultimately win gold for USA,” Collinson said to source.
Snowboarding: American snowboarder Chloe Kim displayed her skill on the halfpipe when it was time for her final run. Already close to securing victory, she still did not slack off on her final lap. She landed two 1080’s back-to-back, earning her first gold medal at age 17.
Despite Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Australia’s Scotty James giving American snowboarder Shaun White tough competition, White used his final run to bring out his biggest and most dangerous tricks. After landing a frontside double cork 1440 (two flips and four rotations), White attempted a cab double cork 1440, a move that sent him to the hospital in 2017 for 62 stitches. After landing the move beautifly, White celebrated at the base with his gold medal. “That was an amazing run,” sophomore Molly Burns said.
Speedskating: In the men’s 500m event, North Korean skater Kwang Bom Jong fell only a few seconds into the race before attempting to trip Japanese skater Keita Watanabe by grabbing his skate. Even after the race was restarted due to the fall, Jong still attempted to interfere with his opponent by pushing Watanabe. This lead to the 16-year-old skater’s disqualification.
Curling: USA curling team won their first gold medal ever against Sweden, the top-ranked team in the world. John Shuster, Tyler George, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner and Joe Polo won five consecutive games to take the gold. After Shuster’s previous four Olympic attempts, which resulted in miserable failure – last place in 2010 and second to last place in 2014 – he finally got to stand on the podium with his teammates. “As a big curling fan, I was happy to see the boys win the gold,” freshman Jeremy Ullman said.
Riley Jordan
Staff Writer
