PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — On a snowboard and skis, Ester Ledecka is a history-making Olympic gold medalist. One of the surprising breakout stars of the Winter Games, the Czech…
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — On a snowboard and skis, Ester Ledecka is a history-making Olympic gold medalist.
One of the surprising breakout stars of the Winter Games, the Czech pulled double-duty on the slopes in Pyeongchang and became the first to win snowboarding’s parallel giant slalom and skiing’s Alpine super-G.
She outraced Selina Joerg of Germany to the line in the final of the snowboarding event Saturday and won by .46 seconds. That came seven days after she won the super-G by.01 seconds — and shocked everyone, including herself.
“It was a great day,” Ledecka said Saturday. “I enjoyed every run and I’m very happy to be here and stand on the highest place.”
That’s also where the United States’ curling team is after winning the men’s final, beating Sweden 10-7.
The upset was only the second curling medal in U. S. history, with the first coming in a bronze-medal game at the 2006 Turin Games.
“It feels almost unbelievable,” Team USA’s Matt Hamilton said, “but we came out here with great intensity and just had to believe we could do it, and make our shots.”
Switzerland won the debut of the Alpine team event, but Norway’s third-place finish gave it a record 38 medals at a single Winter Olympics.
“Even underneath the suit, I get goosebumps talking about it,” Norway’s Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen said.
Iivo Niskanen of Finland took gold in cross-country’s 50-kilometer mass start, Sebastien Toutant of Canada won the men’s Big Air snowboarding event and Nevin Galmarini of Switzerland was the winner of the men’s parallel giant slalom.
Two more gold medals were scheduled to be awarded later Saturday: the men’s and women’s mass start events in speedskating.
Also, Japan and Britain were playing for the bronze in women’s curling, and the Czech Republic was taking on Canada for bronze in men’s hockey.
