Hello from Milan and Cortina, where Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the Norwegian cross-country skier, won his ninth gold medal, giving him the most in Winter Olympics history.
Plus, Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone won another gold less than a year after a violent crash, and the Dutch duo of Femke Kok and Jutta Leerdam dethroned American Erin Jackson in the speedskating 500-meter final.
We call this month Legendary February. From the Super Bowl to the Olympics to the NBA All-Star Game, which is played tonight, you can watch it all on NBC. Catch our coverage of the basketball game and all things Olympics on NBC News, NBC Sports and on Peacock.
Live from Milan Cortina
American speedskater Erin Jackson, the reigning gold medalist in the 500 meters, had a chance to defend her title today. She had a strong start, but Femke Kok, this year’s favorite, from the Netherlands, sped past her and finished with a blazing time of 36.49 seconds, an Olympic record.
Afterward, Jackson skated over to Kok, smiling and patting her back in congratulations. Jackson ended in fifth place, 0.05 seconds away from bronze. The Netherlands’ Jutta Leerdam claimed silver after previously winning the 1,000-meter final at these Games.
Meanwhile, American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin failed to medal today in the giant slalom. On Wednesday, she’ll compete in the slalom, her last chance to avoid going medalless at a second straight Olympic Games.
The U.S. men’s curling team upset Sweden today 8-5, and the U.S. men’s hockey team dominated Germany 5-1. With that victory, the Americans won their group and clinched a bye into the quarterfinals; Canada and Slovakia won the other two groups.
The figure skating pairs competition also started today with the short program. The German pair of Nikita Volodin and Minerva Fabienne Hase posted a score of 80.01 and are in first place. The two American pairs are in 7th and 9th place, with the free skate scheduled for tomorrow.
Athlete Spotlight
Italy’s Federica Brignone shouldn’t be here at the Winter Olympics. She tore her ACL and suffered multiple fractures in a crash last April, and only just returned to competition on Jan. 20. But less than a month later, she’s not only participating but dominating.
Brignone, who wears a distinctive helmet featuring a tiger, secured her second gold medal of these Games today when she won the women’s giant slalom. Her combined time over two runs (2:13.50) was nearly a full second better than American legend Mikaela Shiffrin, who took 11th place.
Brignone said the injuries were so bad she “came very close to not being able to be an athlete anymore” and could barely walk.
“Actually, I was just happy to be at the Olympics. For me, it was an achievement, like something special, and that’s why I think I won, because I was just happy already and grateful to be here,” Brignone told NBC News correspondent Molly Hunter after the competition.
Now, she’s won gold in the giant slalom and super-G. Today, as she raced across the finish line, she heard the Italian crowd roar in the background. That’s how she realized she’d won.
“The crowd just, I felt them a lot, and then I turned around and I saw No. 1,” she said.
A historic performance
There’s a new king of the Winter Olympics. Cross-country skiing star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo claimed his ninth career gold medal today, breaking a tie with three other retired Norwegian athletes for the most ever.
Klæbo anchored the 4×7.5-kilometer relay team that took first place. It was his fourth gold of the Milan Cortina Games.
“I’ve just tried to enjoy the moments today,” he said. “Being able to do that and take the ninth one with the team is special, and it couldn’t be a better way to do that.”
The crazy thing? He’s not done yet. Klæbo is expected to compete in two more races. If he wins both, he would join American swimmer Michael Phelps as the only other Olympian to win more than 10 gold medals.
“It was a little bit easier to prepare myself for these Olympics than the last Olympics and the world championships last year,” Klæbo said. “Having fun on the way is also important, and I think it shows in the results.”
Photo of the Day
When to watch
The U.S. women’s hockey team plays Sweden in the semifinals for a spot in the gold-medal game. Pairs figure skating will hand out medals, and a trio of American women are in contention for the podium in monobob.
All times are in Eastern, and an asterisk signifies a medal event:
Monday, Feb. 16
- 3:05 a.m.: Curling, women’s round-robin (Sweden vs. Switzerland, China vs. Canada, Denmark vs. Great Britain)
- 4 a.m.: Alpine skiing, men’s slalom run 1
- 4 a.m.: Bobsled, two-man heat 1
- 5 a.m.: Short-track speedskating, women’s 1,000-meter quarterfinals
- 5:17 a.m.: Short-track speedskating, men’s 500-meter heats
- 5:57 a.m.: Bobsled, two-man heat 2
- 6:06 a.m.: Short-track speedskating, men’s 5,000-meter relay semifinals
- 6:47 a.m.: Short-track speedskating, women’s 1,000-meter finals*
- 7:30 a.m.: Alpine skiing, men’s slalom run 2*
- 8:05 a.m: Curling, men’s round-robin (Great Britain vs. Norway, Czechia vs. Canada, Sweden vs. Germany, Italy vs. China)
- 10:40 a.m.: Women’s hockey, semifinals, USA vs. Sweden
- 12 p.m.: Ski jumping, men’s super team trial round
- 1 p.m.: Bobsled, women’s monobob heat 3
- 1:05 p.m.: Curling, women’s round-robin (USA vs. Italy, Korea vs. China, Switzerland vs. Great Britain, Japan vs. Canada)
- 1:30 p.m.: Freestyle skiing, women’s freeski big air finals*
- 1:43 p.m.: Ski jumping, men’s super team, second round
- 2 p.m.: Figure skating, pairs skating, free skate*
- 2:20 p.m.: Ski jumping, men’s super team final round*
- 3:06 p.m.: Bobsled, women’s monobob heat 4*
- 3:10 p.m.: Women’s hockey, semifinals, Canada vs. Switzerland
That’s it for now! We’ll be back tomorrow.
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