Beijing Olympics Today: Canada’s multi-Olympic medal winners are growing in number

Hello hello! Canada has three new Olympic champions – speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais score gold in the women’s team pursuit. Plus, snowboarder Max Parrot nabbed a bronze medal in the men’s big air final, and Canada’s medal count hits 17.

Here’s what happened overnight:

• Canada’s long-track speed skaters have won gold in the women’s team pursuit, making this Isabelle Weidemann’s third medal of the Beijing Games. She reached the top of the podium Tuesday alongside Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais. They beat Japan to win in an Olympic record time of 2 minutes 53.44 seconds.
• Canada’s Max Parrot captured the bronze medal in snowboarding’s big air final at the Beijing Olympics about a week after winning gold in slopestyle. The 27-year-old from Bromont, Que., fell on his first jump, but landed a huge cab 1800 on his second attempt.
• Brad Gushue hit a tap against two in the 10th end as the Canadian men’s curling team picked up its third consecutive victory with a 10-8 win over China on Tuesday – solidifying his rink’s semi-final chances.
• Max Moffatt is Canada’s lone qualifier for the men’s freestyle ski slopestyle final at the Beijing Olympics. The 23-year-old from Guelph, Ont., placed 11th with 74.06 points.
• Alpine skier Marie-Michele Gagnon tied with Austria’s Mirjam Puchner for eighth spot during the women’s downhill final. The native of Lac-Etchemin, Que., finished as the top Canadian in the event.

• The Canadian men’s hockey team beat China on Tuesday, solidifying a spot in Wednesday’s quarter-final against Sweden. Earlier Tuesday, Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 4-2 in the qualification round for the quarter-final while Slovakia claimed at 4-0 victory over Germany. Canada beats China in Olympic men’s hockey; will play Sweden in quarterfinals
• Another chapter in a decades-long duel is about to be written in Beijing. Canada and the United States clashing for Olympic women’s hockey gold may have been expected. Canada has reached every final since women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, and took on the U.S. for gold in all but one, in 2006. The gold medal match is scheduled for 11:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
• Kamila Valieva has argued that her positive drug test was caused by a mix-up with her grandfather’s heart medication, an Olympic official said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Russian figure skater moved into first place after her short program, earning a score of 82.16 – below her 90.45 world record performance from last month’s European championship.
• Tabitha Peterson is fighting a tricky and troublesome injury as she tries to guide the U.S. women’s curling team to the Olympic medal round. The American skip is losing her voice – no small problem when a big part of your job is shouting instructions to your teammates at the other end of the 44.5-metre sheet of ice.

Globe on the ground

Chinese skier Eileen Gu delivered, once again, when it counts: putting down a massive final run for a score of 86.23 in the women’s slopestyle event. It’s a testament to the quality of the field that this was not enough to earn Gu her second gold medal: She had to settle for silver behind Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, The Globe’s James Griffiths reports.

The Globe’s Cathal Kelly writes that if the Olympics has a bright future, big air is part of it: “There isn’t a whole lot to like about Beijing 2022, but big air, freestyle, slopestyle, snowboard, snowboarders and those who are snowboarders in their hearts, if not on their feet, were a sustained highlight.”

Canadian speed skaters Isabelle Weidemann, Ivanie Blondin and Valérie Maltais seized Olympic gold in the team pursuit after beating Japan in a very dramatic final at the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday. The Canadians crossed the finish line in an Olympic record time of 2 minutes 53.44 seconds to take gold, then took a jubilant victory lap with their Canadian flag, reports The Globe’s Rachel Brady.

The Globe’s John Doyle writes: “As I write this, I’m recovering from watching the monobob at the Olympics. Phew. If you want eye-popping visuals and your nerves jangled, it’s happening at the Beijing Olympics, as seen on TV.”

The Kamila Valieva scandal shows the minimum age to compete in the Olympics needs to be raised, writes The Globe’s Cathal Kelly.

Where Canada stands

What’s on today and tomorrow

TUESDAY, FEB 15:

8:05 p.m. ET Curling women, round robin

8:30 p.m. ET Freestyle skiing men’s slopestyle, final🥇

9:15 p.m. ET Alpine skiing men’s slalom, run 1

11:10 p.m. ET Ice hockey, men, quarter-final

WEDNESDAY, FEB 16:

12:45 a.m. ET Alpine skiing, men’s, slalom run 2 🥇

1 a.m. ET Ice Hockey, men, quarter-final

2:45 a.m. ET Biathlon, women’s, 4x6 km relay 🥇

3:40 a.m. ET Ice hockey, men, quarter-final

4 a.m. ET Cross-country skiing, women’s team sprint classic style, semi-final

5 a.m. ET Cross-country skiing, men’s team sprint classic style, semi-final

6 a.m. ET Cross-country skiing, women’s team sprint classic style, final 🥇

6 a.m. ET Freestyle skiing, men’s aerials, final 🥇

6:30 a.m. ET Cross-country skiing, men’s team sprint classic style, final 🥇

6:30 a.m. ET Ice hockey, women, bronze medal game, Finland vs. Switzerland 🥇

6:30 a.m. ET Short track, women’s, 1500 m, quarter-final

7:05 a.m. ET Curling, women, round robin, Canada vs. China

7:15 a.m. ET Short track, women’s, 1500 m, semi-final

7:32 a.m. ET Short track, men’s 5000 m, relay, final 🥇

8:11 a.m. ET Short track, women’s, 1500 m, final 🥇

8:30 a.m. ET Ice hockey, men, quarter-final

8:05 p.m. ET Curling, men, round robin, Canada vs. Britain

8:30 p.m. ET Freestyle skiing, women’s, halfpipe, qualification

9:30 p.m. ET Alpine skiing, women’s alpine combined, downhill

10:30 p.m. ET Freestyle skiing, women’s ski cross, seeding

11:10 p.m. ET Ice hockey, women, gold medal game, Canada vs. United States 🥇

11:30 p.m. ET Freestyle skiing, men’s halfpipe, qualification

As seen at the Games:

Canadian hockey player Mélodie Daoust is “all smiles” ahead of Wednesday’s gold medal game against the United States.

Which event are you waiting for at the Winter Games? Email us at audience@globeandmail.com and let us know.