Today at the Winter Olympics: Teenage star Kamila Valieva shines with rare feat

Zoi Sadowski Synnott also made history for New Zealand on her snowboard while the men’s downhill postponed due to high winds

Pa Sport Staff
Sunday 06 February 2022 15:32 GMT
Kamila Valieva became only the fourth woman to land a triple axel at an Olympics (Andrew Milligan/PA)
Kamila Valieva became only the fourth woman to land a triple axel at an Olympics (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

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With the men’s downhill postponed due to high winds the Winter Olympics had to look elsewhere for headlines on Sunday.

Fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva raised a hand as she lit up the Capital Indoor Arena, becoming only the fourth woman to land a triple axel at an Olympics, while Zoi Sadowski Synnott made history for New Zealand on her snowboard.

Team GB advanced in the mixed curling despite defeat to Norway while Makayla Gerken Schofield made history as the first Briton to feature in an Olympic moguls final, finishing eighth in the women’s event.

Here the PA news agency provides a quick guide to what happened on Sunday at the Winter Olympics – and the highlights still to come.

Star of the day

Zoi Sadowski Synnott marked New Zealand’s national day, Waitangi Day, in exceptional style by becoming her country’s first ever Winter Olympic champion with gold in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event. The 20-year-old was mobbed by her rivals at the finish as she beat Julia Marino to end the American dominance of this event, while Tess Coady claimed Australia’s first medal of these Games with bronze.

Fail of the day

The big story of the day was supposed to be the men’s Alpine downhill final, the traditional blue riband event of any Winter Olympics, but after all the controversy about the amount of fake snow being used in these Games, the event was postponed due to high winds above Zhangjiakou. It is yet to be rescheduled.

Picture of the day

Social media moment

What’s on tomorrow

Jen Dodds and Bruce Mouat will get a shot at guaranteeing a first medal for Great Britain when they play in the mixed doubles curling semi-final against an opponent yet to be determined (2005 UK). James Woods, Kirsty Muir and Katie Summerhayes all go in Big Air qualification, while Ellia Smeding will become Britain’s first female long-track speed-skater since 1980 when she competes in the women’s 1500m.

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