Miserable Day On Slopes For American Stars Shiffrin, Gerard
Feb 7, 2022, 10:31 AM | Updated: 10:49 am
BEIJING (AP) — It was a miserable day on the mountains outside of Beijing for American stars Mikaela Shiffrin and Red Gerard. Shiffrin’s opening race in the Beijing Olympics ended quickly with a rare mistake and a rare Did Not Finish.
Shiffrin was favored to defend her gold medal in the giant slalom but instead crashed out a few seconds and five gates into the race.
All grown up. @redgerard and @yung_hails back for round two. #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/aXV2Y24zLC
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) January 26, 2022
She lost control coming around a left-turn gate and fell onto her hip on a course known as The Ice River at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center.
Gerard was the defending gold medalist in men’s slopestyle but was knocked off the podium.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
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