Women’s Halfpipe
Chloe Kim is a phenom – whose breathtaking athleticism is surpassed only by her endearing personality. But I can think of no better way to hail her Olympic performance than to say it was every bit as awe inspiring as Shaun White’s was at the 2006 Turin Olympics. White won gold at those Games, where the Halfpipe debuted as an Olympic sport.
Mind you, I watched Hannah Teeter win the women’s event in Turin. But I’m comparing Kim to White because, as impressive as Teeter was, she looked like a Halfpipe beginner compared to White. By contrast, the athleticism Kim displayed was every bit as pioneering as that which White displayed back then. What’s more, it was comparable to that which White and other male Olympians are displaying today.
In other words, Kim has closed the athleticism gender gap in this sport beyond what women like Teeter could have imagined just 12 years ago.
- Chloe Kim of the United States won gold; Liu Jiayu of China, silver; and Arielle Gold of the United States, bronze.
Incidentally, nothing indicates the level of hype surrounding Kim quite like NBC featuring this 17-year-old on promotional posters as one of Team USA’s triumvirate, alongside the 31-year-old White and 33-year-old Lindsey Vonn. Arguably, she lived up to hers. It remains to be seen if the other two can live up to theirs.
Mind you, unlike these one-event wonders, Mikaela Shiffrin is a triple threat. Therefore, she might wonder why every promotional poster does not feature her front and center.
That said, this seems a good occasion to commend the diversity of Team USA. This constitutes a redoubtable strength, which no other team can match. As the daughter of South Korean immigrants, Kim personifies this diversity.
No surprise, then, that South Koreans took as much pride in her Olympic triumph as Americans. And, with all due respect to the xenophobic President Donald Trump, such common bonds foster comity not just between South Korea and the United States but among all nations.
Apropos of diversity, it speaks volumes that eight different countries won the eight gold medals awarded in eight different events today (namely, Austria in men’s Alpine, Sweden in women’s Cross Country, Norway in Cross Country, Canada in Curling, Germany in Luge, Italy in Speedskating (Short Track), USA in Snowboard, and the Netherlands in Speedskating).
Women’s 500m Speedskating (Short Track)
I try to limit commentary to events that inspire awe. But I cannot resist sharing the derision this event evokes.
For the uninitiated, Short-Track Speedskating is to Long-Track Speedskating what Arena Football is to the National Football League, or what Bumper Pool is to Billiards. And, at the risk of offending its fans, this sport seems like little more than Roller Derby on ice – complete with bumps landing skaters on their ass and out of contention.
Elise Christie of Great Britain is the world record holder in this event. She bumped her way to an unprecedented trifecta of disqualifications in Sochi (in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m).
Therefore, she must have spent the past four years praying for redemption. And it seemed at hand after she cruised into yesterday’s final by setting a new Olympic record in her qualifying heat.
Alas, she fell, she cried, and then she whined:
I was knocked over, I didn’t fall on my own. I’ve worked so hard for the 500 and it was taken away from me.
(Reuters, February 13, 2018)
- Arianna Fontana of Italy won gold; Yara Van Kerkhof of the Netherlands, silver; and Kim Boutin of Canada, bronze.
MEDAL COUNT: Norway 11; Netherlands 10; Canada 10
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