Olympics

[Vrede too]

Closing Ceremony:

Biles!
I didn't need our anthem for a 41st time.
The Tom Cruise segment was cooler than I would have guessed.
I like the athlete (I assume) who grabbed and kissed him. She'll have a story for all time.

I guess I'm not PC enough

A woman forcibly kissed Tom Cruise at the Olympic closing ceremony. Now it has sparked a consent debate



Him too?

[Vrede too]

Viral Olympian Raygun ranked No. 1 breaker in the world by sport’s governing body





I hope she's figured out a way to get rich off of this because her 15 minutes won't last long.

[O Really]

Well, she's got a real job. She has a PhD in Cultural Studies and is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University Faculty of Arts. But yeah, she won't get rich there for a long time. I don't know enough about break(ing)dancing to understand rankings, but something is amiss somewhere if she's #1. Maybe the real best ones don't have their membership cards updated with the "sports governing body."

[Vrede too]

Well, she's got a real job. She has a PhD in Cultural Studies and is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University Faculty of Arts. But yeah, she won't get rich there for a long time. I don't know enough about break(ing)dancing to understand rankings, but something is amiss somewhere if she's #1. Maybe the real best ones don't have their membership cards updated with the "sports governing body."

The world is less vibrant today :

Raygun retires from breaking after Olympic backlash



Gaining POTUS Trump and losing B-girl Raygun in the same week is almost too much to bear

[Vrede too]

Shades of 1936, 90 years later:

Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games

[Vrede too]

She Made OLYMPIC History… Without Even Knowing It
When Esther Ledecká crossed the finish line… she didn’t even realize she had just SHOCKED the entire world.
She was never expected to win GOLD in skiing
In the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, starting 26th, using BORROWED skis, and nearly crashing, she still beat the leader by ONE TENTH OF A SECOND.
And one week later… she made history again.
A legendary story of courage, risk, and believing in yourself.

[Vrede too]

Lindsey Vonn

Spoiler:

Lindsey Vonn, skiing on torn ACL, crashes in Olympic downhill

Lindsey Vonn, racing on a badly injured left knee, crashed early in the Olympic downhill on Sunday and was taken off the course by a helicopter after the 41-year-old American received medical attention on the snow.

Vonn lost control over the opening traverse after cutting the line too tight and was spun around in the air. She was heard screaming out after the crash as she was surrounded by medical personnel before she was strapped to a gurney and flown away by a helicopter, possibly ending the skier's storied career....

[O Really]

"Possibly"?
I'd really hate to see her unable to walk for the rest of her life over a "just one more" effort.

She gave her best and I'll always admire her, but it's time to hang 'em up.

[supesalemgr2]

"Possibly"?
I'd really hate to see her unable to walk for the rest of her life over a "just one more" effort.

She gave her best and I'll always admire her, but it's time to hang 'em up.

I agree. Very courageous and like too many great athletes. Don't know when to hang 'em up. I guess her time with Tiger rubbed off on her.

[Vrede too]

"Possibly"?
I'd really hate to see her unable to walk for the rest of her life over a "just one more" effort.

She gave her best and I'll always admire her, but it's time to hang 'em up.

Yeah, she's done.

Lindsey Vonn has complex tibia fracture, needs multiple surgeries

A simple fracture is often better than soft tissue injury. A complex fracture necessarily involves soft tissue injury, likely knee, possibly ankle or both.

... "I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever," she wrote.

She added that she has "no regrets."

"Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport," she wrote....

5 inches. She was 3rd in her 1st practice run. Good on Lindsey for trying.

[Vrede too]

...

Is nothing sacred?

Cheating claims, curse words fly in Olympic curling controversy

The often-sedate world of curling has gotten heated at the Winter Olympics as cheating allegations and audible curse words overshadowed a feisty match between two of the best men's teams.

Canada's Marc Kennedy got offended when he was accused by Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson of "double-touching" -- essentially, touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice -- during Canada's 8-6 win in round-robin play Friday.

Kennedy repeatedly used expletives to deny he broke any rules. The match came to a brief standstill as fingers were pointed and Kennedy argued with members of the Swedish team across the ice.

"I don't like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games," said Kennedy, 44.

"So," he added, "I told him where to stick it. Because we're the wrong team to do that to."

... On Saturday, World Curling said it spoke to Canadian team officials after the match and issued a verbal warning because of the language Kennedy used. World Curling said "further inappropriate behavior ... would result in additional sanctions," including possible suspension.

The rules state that a stone must be delivered using the handle that sits on top of the rock and that it must be released from the hand before it reaches the hog line. At the Olympics, that is the thick green line at each end.

Replays appeared to show Kennedy releasing the stone using the handle then touching it again -- this time on the granite, not the handle -- with an outstretched finger as it approached the hog line, which isn't allowed.

... Curling does not use video replays to review game decisions....

Cheating, lying, swearing, more lying - O Canada, shameful Canada.

[Vrede too]

On a brighter note:

Taylor Swift congratulates American skier Breezy Johnson on Olympic engagement

... Johnson's longtime boyfriend, Connor Watkins, proposed to her near the finish line while surrounded by members of the U.S. ski team.

Reciting lyrics from the Taylor Swift song "Alchemy," Watkins slipped a ring of blue and white sapphires set in white gold on the ring finger of Johnson's left hand. She tearfully accepted, then turned the ring toward the sea of cameras to celebrate a dream that turned into reality.

"It felt fitting to combine two of my loves," Johnson said. "It's a special place at the Olympics. I feel like there's a lot of mystique around it."

She then added with a laugh, "Also you get free photography."

Swift evidently noticed her lyrics' role in the proposal, offering her congratulations in a comment on Johnson's Instagram post.

"'Where's the trophy? He just comes running over to me' CONGRATULATIONS!!!," the star singer/songwriter wrote, referencing another set of "Alchemy" lyrics.

"I don't know what's better, Olympic gold or this comment. Sourdough engagement gift please????" Johnson replied, adding a crying emoji. "Would love to teach you to ski."

Johnson and Watkins met on a dating app a few years ago, with Watkins unaware that Johnson happened to be one of the best skiers on the planet. It wasn't until Watkins asked about 10 minutes into their first date, a brunch, that Johnson fessed up.

"I was a little taken aback," said Watkins, who works in construction in the U.S. "I had very little knowledge of ski racing and everything else, and over the last couple of years I've grown to really love it."

Aww.

The joyful proposal came about an hour after Johnson's bid to reach the podium in the super-G ended with a crash high in the course when her right pole clipped a gate and sent her tumbling into the catch fence. Johnson pulled herself to her feet and was unharmed.

Down in the finish area with the ring in his pocket, Watkins briefly wondered if he might need to switch to Plan B just in case the moment wasn't right.

Turns out, having Watkins there was exactly what Johnson needed.

"I was feeling kind of stupid, which I think is kind of the moment you want the people you love around you, like when you're just feeling dumb and childish," Johnson said. "You're like, 'Tell me that I'm OK.' Just seeing him, 'It's nice to see you,' and let's go commiserate together. And then, obviously, everything else happened."

Something that took an already surreal stay in Cortina to another level entirely.

"Most people want to peak at the Olympics," Johnson said. "I just extra peaked."

Johnson's Instagram post and other select comments:

breezyjohnsonski

Hey guys... meet Connor! My ex boyfriend! And current fiancé!!! Thank you to everyone who made this moment possible. It was everything I ever dreamed of. Kind of like Connor!

AND right before Valentine's Day?! Smooth... real smooth

lindseyvonn

So happy for you two what a week!!

Gold medal engaged @taylorswift commenting on your post not sure where you go from here!

THE OLYMPICS HAS 6 RINGS THIS YEAR.

Imagine winning an Olympic gold medal, being proposed to by the love of your life, and then having Queen @taylorswift comment her own song lyrics onto your engagement post I would explode. Congrats on ALL the joy and incredible achievements!!

skimagazine

“ex-boyfriend” you’re so silly @breezyjohnsonski congrats from the SKI team!!

[Vrede too]

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen wins Olympic giant slalom gold

Brasil? Tropical Brasil???
It's got an artificial snow Ski Mountain Park and indoor Snowland Gramado. That's it.

Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen turned in a powerful final run to win the Olympic giant slalom Saturday and earn South America's first medal at a Winter Games.

... Pinheiro Braathen comes from a family where his mother is Brazilian and his father is Norwegian. He started racing for Norway until abruptly retiring before the 2023 season, only to return a year later representing Brazil....

Aha, Norway. Now I get it.
Norway took 5th, 7th and 11th in the Giant slalom.

Back to a bummer:

Ice dance controversy: Inside French scoring, allegations


Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States applaud as gold medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France receive their gold medals

I blame DonOLD and his destruction of NATO on behalf of Putin.

[O Really]

To make matters worse, Chock/Bates and Beaudry/Cizeron are friendly IRL and train under the same group of coaches in Montreal. Maybe a bit awkward?

[O Really]

Cheating, lying, swearing, more lying - O Canada, shameful Canada.

Canadians swearing? Naaa, they were just speaking hockey, eh?

[Vrede too]

Cheating, lying, swearing, more lying - O Canada, shameful Canada.

Canadians swearing? Naaa, they were just speaking hockey, eh?

The Swedes showed up for gentlemanly curling and a hockey game broke out?

[Vrede too]

Host Italy has won 8 golds, a record for the country. Good on them!

[Vrede too]

Women’s hockey.

Women’s Figure Skating. I may have to change my opinion of:
viewtopic.php?p=132505#p132505

Oh noooooo! Not MacArthur Park!

An alternate opinion:

The Worst Song Ever-MacArthur Park By Richard Harris | Music Review Podcast

Spoiler:

ALYSA LIU WINS GOLD skating to it!

She did it!!

Alysa Liu won individual gold at the 2026 Games, ending a two-decade drought for the U.S. She is the first American woman to win an individual medal at the Olympics since 2006, when Sasha Cohen won silver, and the first since Sarah Hughes in 2002 to win gold. Absolutely incredible.

From OAKLAND! Represent.



Second and third place went to Japan's Kaori Sakamoto (25) and Ami Nakai (17), respectively.

Overall, Team USA finished as follows:

Alysa Liu, 20, 1st (226.79)
Amber Glenn, 26, 5th (214.91)
Isabeau Levito, 18, 12th (202.80)





Article
Sorry, O Really.

[GoCubsGo]

Women’s hockey.

Women’s Figure Skating. I may have to change my opinion of:
viewtopic.php?p=132505#p132505

Oh noooooo! Not MacArthur Park!

An alternate opinion:

The Worst Song Ever-MacArthur Park By Richard Harris | Music Review Podcast

Spoiler:

ALYSA LIU WINS GOLD skating to it!

She did it!!

Alysa Liu won individual gold at the 2026 Games, ending a two-decade drought for the U.S. She is the first American woman to win an individual medal at the Olympics since 2006, when Sasha Cohen won silver, and the first since Sarah Hughes in 2002 to win gold. Absolutely incredible.

From OAKLAND! Represent.



Second and third place went to Japan's Kaori Sakamoto (25) and Ami Nakai (17), respectively.

Overall, Team USA finished as follows:

Alysa Liu, 20, 1st (226.79)
Amber Glenn, 26, 5th (214.91)
Isabeau Levito, 18, 12th (202.80)





Article
Sorry, O Really.

[Vrede too]

Women’s hockey, different articles:

Spoiler:

Article

Megan Keller's Beautiful Gold Medal-Winning Goal for Team USA Had Sports World in Awe

Canada was about two minutes away from securing a women’s ice hockey gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Instead, they’ll settle for silver, thanks to some late heroics from Hilary Knight, who scored an equalizer late in the third period, and Megan Keller, who dazzled with a sensational overtime winner.

Two minutes, ouch.

Keller secured the third Olympic gold medal in Team USA’s women’s ice hockey history with her jaw-dropping goal in overtime, during which she expertly deked out a Canadian defender before fitting the puck under the pads of Ann-Renee Desbiens.

It was a majestic move to shed her defender, deking to her right and re-collecting the puck before finishing the job with a fantastic finish. But let’s not forget the otherworldly pass from within her own zone from Taylor Heise, which set up Keller for her magnificent game-winner....

Hilary Knight Made Olympic History With Goal to Send Gold Medal Game to OT
Team USA won its third women’s hockey Olympic gold medal on Thursday.

... On top of the United States winning its third gold medal in women’s hockey, the legend Hilary Knight broke an Olympic record during the game. Canada held the U.S. scoreless until there were about two minutes left of regulation. Knight then scored the game-tying goal to eventually send the game to overtime.

With this goal, Knight now holds the record for the most goals scored by an American player in Olympic women’s hockey history. It was her 15th goal and her 33rd point, both of which are now Olympic records. It was Knight’s third goal during a gold medal game in her career....

x 15