• Six gold medals have been up for grabs on the fifth day of full competitors within the Chinese language capital.
• The 26-year-old made a shock early exit from the enormous slalom on Monday.
• Shiffrin will compete in three extra particular person occasions in Beijing, with the super-G on Friday, adopted by the downhill on Tuesday and alpine mixed on February 17.

BEIJING: US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin’s Beijing Olympics threatened to show right into a winter nightmare but there was long-awaited redemption for snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis as she received Group USA’s first gold of the Video games on Wednesday.

Six gold medals have been up for grabs on the fifth day of full competitors within the Chinese language capital, but Shiffrin’s wait goes on in her faltering pursuit of a profession third Olympic gold in alpine snowboarding.

The 26-year-old made a shock early exit from the enormous slalom on Monday and with the stress on, suffered the identical destiny within the slalom, with rival Petra Vlhova of Slovakia taking full benefit.

Vlhova produced a shocking second leg to clock a mixed complete of 1min 44.98sec over the 2 runs and edge Austria’s reigning world champion Katharina Liensberger into silver by eight-hundredths of a second.

In stark distinction, Shiffrin slid extensive after only a handful of gates earlier than snowboarding out within the first leg, then plonked herself down on the snow, head in palms.

The American stated she felt “pretty awful”, though added: “But it won’t feel awful forever. I just feel pretty low right now.”

Shiffrin will compete in three extra particular person occasions in Beijing, with the super-G on Friday, adopted by the downhill on Tuesday and alpine mixed on February 17.

Snowboard cross rider Jacobellis stated her notorious fall that price her the Olympic title in 2006 had “kept her hungry” as she finally bought the USA on the gold-medal board.

Jacobellis was comfortably within the lead within the closing on the 2006 Turin Olympics when she tried to “style out” her final leap — and fell simply earlier than the end line, coming second.

“(People) can keep talking about (2006) all they want because it really shaped me into the individual that I am and kept me hungry and really helped me keep fighting in the sport,” stated the 36-year-old.

One other American snowboarder, Chloe Kim, certified high within the halfpipe after a scintillating first run but then suffered a fall in her second.

Together with Shiffrin, the 21-year-old Kim — who made worldwide headlines when she received snowboard gold as an adolescent on the 2018 Pyeongchang Video games — is without doubt one of the stars to observe at this Olympics.

“Well, I fell so it wasn’t great,” she stated of her failed second run which left her sprawled on her abdomen as she tried to land from a trick.

She stated her first run had gone so effectively “that honestly for the second I just wanted to try a different line, I’ve never practised it before so I’m not surprised that I fell.

“But simply having a lot enjoyable out right here… I can’t ask for something extra, simply having fun with the trip.”

‘Fear of unforeseen’

Also in snowboard action, but at the other end of his career to Kim, was 35-year-old Shaun White.

The three-time Olympic champion — who is twice the age of some of his rivals —will retire from competition after Beijing and is determined to go out with a bang.

But he looked more likely to go out in a whimper when he fell in his first run in the halfpipe, before pulling out a far better second effort to reach the final in an ultimately comfortable fourth place.

White admitted he had been worried.

“I knew I might do it, I used to be similar to ‘what if?’ What if I slip or one thing occurs — I hit a snow chunk and it’s over. That’s the large concern, the unexpected,” said the American.

In freestyle skiing, Birk Ruud enjoyed a dominant victory in Big Air — and was so comfortable that he performed his third jump holding the Norwegian flag.

He also wore a gold bracelet on his left wrist in tribute to his father, who died of cancer last April.

“I bought this from my father earlier than he handed away,” said Ruud.

“I wished to say ‘thank you’ to him, he’s with me,” he added, touching the bracelet.

Separately, the International Olympic Committee said the medals ceremony for the team figure skating has been delayed by a legal issue.

The Russian team won the gold medal with the United States taking silver and Japan bronze, but the ceremony was removed from its scheduled slot on Tuesday.

IOC spokesman Mark Adams cited a “authorized session” with the game’s governing physique, the Worldwide Skating Union, with out giving additional particulars.