Beijing 2022 Paralympics Days Eight/Nine/Closing Ceremony (Catch-Up)

Another catch-up to end the Beijing 2022 Paralympics which covers days eight and nine including the Closing Ceremony.

Medals 

Alpine Skiing- Double joy for Austria and triple for the Aigner family in the Women's Slalom Vision Impaired as V.Aigner (Guide- E.Aigner) took GOLD ahead of B.Aigner (Guide- K.Sykora) scooped SILVER. A.Rexova (Guide E.Trajcikova) (SVK) collected BRONZE while GB's Menna Fitzpatrick (Guide -Gary Smith) and Millie Knight (Guide-Brett Wild) finished fourth and eighth. 

The Women's Slalom Standing saw E.Aarsjoe (SWE) win GOLD after finishing clear of M.Zhang (CHN) who took SILVER while A.M.Rieder (GER) claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD for A.L.Forster (GER) in the Women's Slalom Sitting as she finished ahead of the China duo of W.Zhang who took SILVER while S.Liu claimed BRONZE and GB's S.Brownlee finished ninth. 

The Men's Slalom Vision Impaired saw GOLD won by G.Bertagnolli (Guide- A.Ravelli) (ITA) as he finished ahead of J.Aigner (Guide-M.Fleischmann) (AUT) who scooped SILVER while M.Haraus (Guide-M.Hudik) (SVK) claimed BRONZE and GB's Neil Simpson (Guide - Andrew Simpson) finished ninth. 

In the Men's Slalom Standing, A.Bauchet (FRA) stormed to GOLD ahead of J.Liang (CHN) who took SILVER while A.Hall (NZL) collected BRONZE and GB's J.Whitley finished eighth. 

The Men's Slalom Sitting saw J.Pedersen (NOR) win GOLD as he finished clear of N.De Langen (NED) who took SILVER while R.De Silvestro (ITA) collected BRONZE. GB's D.Sheen and A.Slegg failed to finish.

 

Cross Country Skiing -The Men's Middle Distance Vision Impaired (Free) saw B.McKeever (Guide-G.Nishikawa) (CAN) win GOLD ahead of Z.Modin (Guide- E Joensson Haag) (SWE) who took SILVER while D Suiarko (Guide- O.Nikonovych) (UKR) collected BRONZE. 

In the Men's Middle Distance Standing (Free), C.Wang (CHN) won GOLD narrowly ahead of B.Daviet (FRA) who scooped SILVER while J.Cai (CHN) collected BRONZE. 

GOLD was won by L.Kazmaier (Guide- F.Baumann) (GER) in the Women's Middle Distance Vision Impaired (Free) as she finished ahead of Y.Wang (Guide-Y.Li) (CHN) who took SILVER while C.Edlinger (Guide- L.J.Lampl) (AUT) crossed for BRONZE.

The Women's Middle Distance Standing (Free) saw O.Kononova (UKR) take GOLD as she crossed ahead of N.Wilkie (CAN) who sealed SILVER while I.Bui (UKR) collected BRONZE.  

Double joy for China in the Men's Middle Distance Sitting as Z.Mao won GOLD ahead of P.Zheng who took SILVER while G.Romele (ITA) claimed BRONZE and GB's S.Meenagh, C.Deboys, S.Arnold and S.Thomas finished 16th, 21st, 29th and 32nd. 

The Women's Middle Distance Sitting saw H.Wang (CHN) win GOLD ahead of O.Masters (USA) who took SILVER while J.Ma (CHN) claimed BRONZE and GB's H.Gordon finished in 16th. 

In the Mixed 4x2.5km Relay, USA won GOLD as they finished ahead of China who took SILVER while Canada claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD for Ukraine in the Open 4x2.5km Relay as they finished narrowly ahead of France who took SILVER while Norway crossed for BRONZE. 

Ice Hockey - The Open Team GOLD was won by USA as they cruised to a 5-0 win over Canada who took SILVER while China won BRONZE as they eased to a 4-0 victory over Republic of Korea. 

Wheelchair Curling- After Canada took BRONZE on day eight, China won GOLD with an 8-3 win over Sweden who had to settle for SILVER. 

Closing Ceremony 

The Ceremony began with a focus on the Snowflake before a classical interlude at centre stage showcasing a vinyl record featuring the six sports of the Games. 

This led into a montage of action from the last nine days and introduction of the dignitaries- Andrew Parsons (IPC President) & Xi Jinping (President of China). The Chinese national anthem played alongside the raising of the flag of China. 

A mass of volunteers entered the area to line up and welcome the Flagbearers with Neil Simpson carrying the GB flag. Once all the flagbearers had entered the stage and presented, they dispersed to the stands. 

Six chosen volunteers were then presented with awards to represent the thanks for all of the hard work during the Games and a video showcasing such efforts played to the crowd. 

The stage setting returned to the vinyl record showcasing with the theme- 'A Call of Love' to the tune of 'You Raise Me Up' followed by the Paralympic Anthem. Next up was the handover of the Paralympic flag from the Mayor of Beijing to Andrew Parsons and finally to the Mayor of Milan. 

A wonderful rendition of the Italian National Anthem followed with a small introduction video featuring Milan/Cortina. Focus then turned to the speeches by Andrew Parsons and Cai Qi (President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee). Andrew Parsons closed the Games with the tradition invitation to meet again at Milan/Cortina in 2026.

A huge clock then appeared at centre stage accompanied by an emphatic drumming performance.

The Ceremony closed with the extinguishing of the Paralympic Flame and a huge firework display.

After four games in the space of a year for Summer/Winter, the blog takes a long break until the transition to Paris 2024. 

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Days Five-Seven (Catch-up)

A busy few days offline means a catchup with Days Five-Seven featuring 23 medal events.

Medals

Cross Country Skiing- The Men's Sprint Sitting saw double joy for China with GOLD won by P.Zheng who crossed ahead of Z.Mao who took SILVER while C.Cameron(CAN) claimed BRONZE. GB's C.Deboys and S.Thomas finished 22nd and 25th. 

GOLD for H.Yang (CHN) in the Women's Sprint Sitting as she finished ahead of O.Masters (USA) who took SILVER while P.Li (CHN) collected BRONZE and GB's H.Gordon finished 17th. 

The Men's Sprint Standing (Free) saw B.Daviet (FRA) win GOLD as he finished ahead of M.Maier (GER) who took SILVER while G.Vovchynskyi (UKR) claimed BRONZE. 

In the Women's Sprint Standing (Free), N.Wilkie (CAN) crossed for GOLD ahead of V.Nilsen (NOR) who sealed SILVER while S.Peterson (USA) claimed BRONZE.

The Men's Sprint Vision Impaired (Free) GOLD was won by B.McKeever (CAN) as he crossed ahead of J.Adicoff (USA) who sealed SILVER while Z.Modin (SWE) collected BRONZE. 

GOLD in the Women's Sprint Vision Impaired (Free) for C.Edlinger (Guide- L.J.Lampl) (AUT) as he crossed ahead of German duo L.M.Walter (Guide- P.Strecker) who took SILVER while J.Recktenwald (Guide-V.Haag) claimed BRONZE. 

Alpine Skiing- The Men's Giant Slalom Vision Impaired GOLD was won by J.Aigner (Guide-M.Fleischmann) (AUT) as he crossed ahead of G.Bertagnolli (Guide-A.Ravelli) (ITA) who scooped SILVER while M.Haraus (Guide-M.Hudik) (SVK) claimed BRONZE. 

In the Men's Giant Slalom Standing, S.Kiiveri (FIN) narrowly took GOLD ahead of T.C.Walsh (USA) who crossed for SILVER while A.Bauchet (FRA) claimed BRONZE  and GB's J.Whitley finished in sixth spot.

The Men's Giant Slalom Sitting saw J.Pedersen (NOR) cruise to GOLD ahead of R.De Silvestro (ITA) who took SILVER while Z.Liang (CHN) claimed BRONZE while GB's D.Sheen failed to finish. 

 

Double joy for the Aigner family in the Women's Giant Slalom Vision Impaired as J.Aigner (Guide-E.Aigner) (AUT) won GOLD and B.Aigner (Guide K.Sykora) claimed BRONZE while D.Zhu (Guide-H.Yan) sealed SILVER. GB's Menna Fitzpatrick (Guide-Gary Smith) and Millie Knight (Guide-Brett Wild) finished in seventh and ninth. 

The Women's Giant Slalom Standing saw GOLD won by M.Zhang (CHN) as she crossed clear of M.Jespsen (CAN) who took SILVER while A.Rothfuss (GER) collected BRONZE.

In the Women's Giant Slalom Sitting, M.Muraoka (JPN) cruised to GOLD as she finished clear of China duo S.Liu who took SILVER and W.Zhang who claimed BRONZE while GB's S.Brownlee finished ninth. 

Biathlon- The Women's Individual Sitting saw double joy for USA as O.Masters took GOLD ahead of K.Gretsch who scooped SILVER while Y.Chan (CHN) crossed for BRONZE. 

GOLD in the Men's Individual Sitting for M.Liu (CHN) as he finished ahead of T.Rad (UKR) who sealed SILVER while Z.Liu collected BRONZE and GB's S.Meenagh and C.Deboys finished in sixth and 18th. 

In the Women's Individual Standing, L.Liashenko (UKR) won GOLD by finishing ahead of Z.Zhao (CHN) who sealed SILVER while B.Hudak (CAN) collected BRONZE. 

The Men's Individual Standing GOLD was won by B.Daviet (FRA) who crossed clear of M.Arendz (CAN) who sealed SILVER while G.Vovchynskyi (UKR) claimed BRONZE. 

In the Men's Individual Vision Impaired, O.Shyshkova (Guide- A.Marchenko) (UKR) won GOLD by finishing ahead of German duo L.Kazmaier (Guide-F.Baumann) who took SILVER while L.M.Walter (Guide-P.Strecker) claimed BRONZE. 

Double joy for Ukraine in the Men's Individual Vision Impaired as O.Kazik (Guide-S.Kucheriavyi) won GOLD ahead of V.Lukianenko (Guide- B.Babar) who sealed SILVER while S.Yu (G.Wang) (CHN) crossed for BRONZE.

Snowboard- The Women's Banked Slalom SB-LL2 saw GOLD won by B.Huckaby who crossed ahead of China duo Y.Geng who scooped SILVER while T.Li claimed BRONZE.

In the Men's Banked Slalom SB-UL, M.Montaggioni (FRA) won GOLD ahead of China duo L.Ji who took SILVER while Y.Zhu claimed BRONZE and GB's J.Barnes Miller finished in ninth. 

The Men's Banked Slalom SB-LL1 saw Z.Wu win GOLD ahead of C.Vos (NED) who scooped SILVER while T.Turner (CAN) collected BRONZE.

GOLD for Q.Sun (CHN) in the Men's Banked Slalom SB-LL2 as outscored M.Suur-Hamari (FIN) who scooped SILVER while GB's Ollie Hill claimed BRONZE just ahead of fellow Brit Ollie Pick who finished fourth and A.Macleod who placed 20th. 

Wheelchair Curling-  After a tough group stage campaign meant GB placed eighth, the Mixed medals began with Canada storming to BRONZE with an 8-3 victory over Slovakia. 

 

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Day Four

After the hosts regained top spot in the Medal Table, Day Four action saw just six events as the slopes took a break for the day.

Medals

Biathlon- A clean sweep in the Men's Middle Distance Vision Impaired for Ukraine as V.Lukianenko (Guide-B.Babar) won GOLD ahead of A.Kovalevskyi (Guide- O.Mukshyn) who took SILVER while D.Suiarko (Guide- O.Nikonovych) claimed BRONZE. 

The Men's Middle Distance Standing saw GOLD won by M.Arendz (CAN) as he crossed clear of G.Vovchynskyi (UKR) who took SILVER while A.Gerlits (KAZ) claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD in the Men's Middle Distance Sitting for M.Liu (CHN) as he finished ahead of M.Fleig (GER) who took SILVER while T.Rad (UKR) collected BRONZE. GB's S.Meenagh and C.Deboys finished in ninth and 18th.

The Women's Middle Distance Vision Impaired saw GOLD won by L.M.Walter (Guide-P.Strecker) (GER) as she narrowly crossed ahead of O.Shyshkova (Guide-A.Marchenko) (UKR) who took SILVER while Y.Wang (Guide-Y.Li) (CHN) claimed BRONZE.

A clean sweep for Ukraine in the Women's Middle Distance Standing as I.Bui took GOLD ahead of O.Kononova who took SILVER while L.Liashenko collected BRONZE. 

Double joy for USA in the Women's Middle Distance Sitting with K.Gretsch winning GOLD, O.Masters scooping SILVER and A.Wicker (GER) claiming BRONZE. 

GB Updates

Wheelchair Curling- The Mixed rink saw another topsy-turvy day as they opened with a 10-5 victory over Estonia before losing out 6-4 to Sweden.

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Day Three

Day three began with the hosts atop the medal table and with 14 medals events ahead out on the slopes. 

Medals

Alpine Skiing- The Women's Super Combined Vision Impaired saw H.Farkasova (Guide-M.Cerven) (SVK) win GOLD ahead of D.Zhu (Guide-H.Yan) (CHN) who took SILVER while GB's Menna Fitzpatrick (Guide-Gary Smith) collected BRONZE with Millie Knight (Guide Brett Wild) finishing fourth.

In the Women's Super Combined Standing, E.Aarsjoe (SWE) won GOLD after finishing ahead of M.Zhang (CHN) who scooped SILVER while A.Ramsay (CAN) collected BRONZE.

The Women's Super Combined Sitting saw GOLD won by A.L.Forster (GER) as she crossed ahead of M.Muraoka (JPN) who sealed SILVER while S.Liu (CHN) collected BRONZE. GB's S.Brownlee finished in fifth. 

In the Men's Super Combined Vision Impaired, G.Bertagnolli (Guide-A.Ravelli) (ITA) won GOLD as he crossed ahead of J.Aigner (Guide-M.Fleischmann) (AUT) who took SILVER with GB's Neil Simpson (Guide-Andrew Simpson) collected BRONZE.

The Men's Super Combined Standing saw A.Bauchet (FRA) take GOLD ahead of S.Kiiveri (FIN) who sealed SILVER while A.Hall (NZL) claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD for J.Pedersen (NOR) in the Men's Super Combined Sitting which saw double success for Netherlands as J.Kampschreur scooped SILVER while N.de Langen collected BRONZE. 

Cross Country Skiing- The Men's Long Distance Vision Impaired Classic saw GOLD won by B.McKeever (Guide- R.Kennedy) (CAN) as he finished ahead of J.Adicoff (Guide- S.Wood) (USA) who scooped SILVER while Z.Modin (Guide-E.Joensson Haag) (SWE) collected BRONZE. 

In the Men's Long Distance Standing Classic, T.Kawayoke (JPN) stormed to GOLD ahead of China duo J.Caj who took SILVER while M.Qiu claimed BRONZE. 

The Women's Long Distance Standing Classic saw GOLD won by N.Wilkie (CAN) as she finished ahead of S.Peterson (USA) who sealed SILVER while B.Hudak (CAN) collected BRONZE.

 

In the Women's Long Distance Vision Impaired Classic, O.Shyshkova (Guide- A.Marchenko) (UKR) won GOLD by finishing ahead of German duo L.Kazmaier (Guide- F.Baumann) who took SILVER while L.M.Walter (Guide-P.Strecker) claimed BRONZE. 

 

Snowboard - The Women's Cross SB-LL2 saw GOLD won by C.Hernandez (FRA) as she crossed ahead of L.Dejong (CAN) who took SILVER while B.Huckaby (USA) collected BRONZE. 

A clean sweep for China in the Men's Cross SB-UL as L.Ji took GOLD ahead of P.Wang who scooped SILVER while Y.Zhu claimed BRONZE and GB's J.Barnes-Miller won the small final to place fifth overall. 

The Men's Cross SB-LL1 GOLD was won by T.Turner (CAN) as he crossed ahead of M.Schultz (USA) who scooped SILVER while Z.Wu (CHN) claimed BRONZE. 

In the Men's Cross SB-LL2, M.Suur-Hamari (FIN) crossed for GOLD ahead of G,Geros (USA) who sealed SILVER while B.Tudhope (AUS) collected BRONZE. GB trio O.Pick, O.Hill and A,Macleod placed in 9th, 10th and 17th. 

GB Updates

Wheelchair Curling-The Mixed rink boosted their campaign with a huge 15-1 win over Switzerland before losing out in a 7-3 defeat against Slovakia. 

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Day Two

 After a good opening day for GB and Ukraine topping the medal table, day two sees eight medal events.

Medals

Alpine Skiing- The Women's Super-G Vision Impaired saw GOLD won by A.Rexova (Guide- E.Trajckova) (SVK) as she finished ahead of GB's Menna Fitzpatrick who with Guide- Gary Smith extended her reign as GB'S most decorated Winter Paralympian in taking SILVER. D Zhu (Guide- H.Yan) (CHN) collected BRONZE while GB duo Millie Knight (Guide-Brett Wild) finished fourth.

In the Women's Super-G Standing, M.Zhang (CHN) won GOLD ahead of M.Bochet (FRA) who took SILVER while A.Ramsay (CAN) claimed BRONZE.

The Women's Super-G Sitting saw GOLD won by M.Muraoka (JPN) who finished ahead of A.L.Forster (GER) who scooped SILVER while W.Zhang (CHN) collected BRONZE. GB's S.Brownlee finished in sixth. 

GOLD for GB's Neil Simpson (Guide- Andrew Simpson) in the Men's Super-G Vision Impaired as he finished ahead of G.Bertagnolli (Guide-A.Ravelli) (ITA) who scooped SILVER while J.Aigner (Guide-M.Fleischmann) (AUT) crossed for BRONZE. 

In the Men's Super-G Standing, J.Liang (CHN) won GOLD by narrowly finishing ahead of M.Salcher (AUT) who sealed SILVER while A.Guimond (CAN) collected BRONZE. GB's J.Whitley finished in 19th. 

The Men's Super-G Sitting GOLD was won by J.Pedersen (NOR) who finished ahead of C.Peters (NZL) who took SILVER while T.Morii (JPN) claimed BRONZE.

Cross-Country Skiing-The Men's Long Distance Sitting saw double joy for China as P.Zheng won GOLD ahead of Z.Mao who took SILVER while C.Cameron (CAN) claimed BRONZE. GB's S.Meenagh finished in 12th.

In the Women's Long Distance Sitting, H.Yang (CHN) won GOLD ahead of O.Masters (USA) who took SILVER while P.Li (CHN) collected BRONZE. 

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Day One

After a superb Opening Ceremony, the Winter Paralympics got underway with twelve medal events on day one. 

Medals

Alpine Skiing- The Men's Downhill Vision Impaired saw J.Aigner (Guide- M Fleischmann) (AUT) win GOLD ahead of M. Marcoux (Guide- T.Rodgers) (CAN) who scooped SILVER while H.Deleplace (Guide-V.Giraud-Moine) (FRA) took BRONZE. GB's N.Simpson (Guide A.Simpson) finished in seventh. 

The Men's Downhill Standing GOLD was won by A.Bauchet (FRA) as he finished ahead of M.Salcher (AUT) who took SILVER with T,Gmuer (SUI) collecting BRONZE. GB's J.Whitley finished ninth. 

GOLD for C.Peters (NZL) in the Men's Downhill Sitting as he finished ahead of J.Pedersen (NOR) who scooped SILVER while T.Morii (JPN) claimed BRONZE. 

The Women's Downhill Vision Impaired saw GOLD won by H.Farkasova (Guide-M.Motyka) (SVK) as she crossed quicker than D.Zhu (Guide-H.Yan) (CHN) who took SILVER while GB's Millie Knight (Guide-Brett Wild) collected BRONZE and Menna Fitzpatrick (Guide- Gary Smith finished fifth. 

In the Women's Downhill Standing, M.Jepsen (CAN) won GOLD ahead of M.Zhang (CHN) who sealed SILVER while E.Aarsjoe (SWE) crossed for BRONZE. 

The Women's Downhill Sitting saw M.Muraoka (JPN) win GOLD as she finished ahead of A.L.Forster (GER) who took SILVER while S.Liu (CHN) claimed BRONZE.

Biathlon- A clean sweep for Ukraine in the Men's Sprint Vision Impaired as V.Lukianenko (Guide-B.Babar) won GOLD ahead of O.Kazik (Guide- S.Kucheriavyi) who took SILVER and D.Suiarko (Guide- O.Nikonovych) who collected BRONZE. 

The Men's Sprint Standing GOLD was won by G.Vovchynski (UKR) as he crossed ahead of M.Maier (GER) who scooped SILVER while M.Arendz (CAN) claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD for Z.Liu (CHN) in the Men's Sprint Sitting as he finished ahead of T.Rad (UKR) who took SILVER while M.Liu (CHN) collected BRONZE. GB's S.Meenagh finished ninth.

The Women's Sprint Vision Impaired saw GOLD won by O.Shyshkova (Guide- A.Marchenko)(UKR) as she crossed ahead of the German quartet of LKazmaier (Guide-F,Baumann) who took SILVER while L.M.Walter (Guide-P.Strecker) claimed BRONZE.

In the Women's Sprint Standing, Y.Guo (CHN) won GOLD ahead of L.Liashenko (UKR) who took SILVER while Z.Zhao (CHN) claimed BRONZE.

GOLD for O.Masters (USA) in the Women's Sprint Sitting as she finished ahead of Y.Shan (CHN) who scooped SILVER while K.Gretsch (USA) crossed for BRONZE. 

GB Updates

Wheelchair Curling- An early blow for the Mixed team as they lost out 7-5 to Norway before claiming their first win with a 10-6 victory over USA. 

Beijing 2022 Paralympics Opening Ceremony

The ceremony began with a flash back to previous Winter games before the centre of the arena focused on a countdown around a Curling rink and once the countdown ended, the dignitaries were introduced to the arena crowd alongside the entry of the Chinese flag which was carried by both impaired and unimpaired flag bearers. 

Centre stage then lit up to welcome the Games Mascot - Shuey Rhon Rhon and begin the Athletes parade with 600 entering the arena overall who will compete in six different sports and the musical accompaniment fanged from classical to upbeat. The GB flagbearers were Wheelchair Curlers-Meggan Dawson-Farrell and Gregor Ewan as they led out a team of 25 for the games and China closed the parade with the largest group of Athletes numbering 96.

The next segment was the speeches by the dignitaries -Cai Qi, President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee and Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee. This was followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping announcing the Games officially open leading into a huge firework display.

Performers entered the arena stage with a mix of impaired and unimpaired in a feature entitled 'Beautiful People' with an array of light across the arena floor and whimsical choral music with a meeting of the emotions between both unimpaired and impaired groups and showcasing the Paralympic logo and the message ' Change Starts With Sport'. 

The Paralympic flag was then carried into the arena accompanied by the Paralympic anthem and the procession of the Paralympic torch which culminated in the lighting of the Paralympic Snowflake which was formed of each of the mini signs introducing each nation in the earlier parade. The sky above the Bird's Nest stadium lit up with a huge firework display as the Snowflake rose to signal the end of the ceremony. 

Beijing 2022 Days 16/Closing Ceremony

The final medal events of Day 16 and the Closing Ceremony form the final catch-up post of the current blog.

Medals 

The Mixed Team Parallel saw GOLD won by Austria as they finished ahead of Germany who took SILVER while Norway claimed BRONZE. 

Double joy in the 4-Man event for Germany as Francesco Friedrich won GOLD ahead of Johannes Lochner who scooped SILVER while Justin Kripps (CAN) collected BRONZE. GB's Brad Hall finished in sixth.

A first GOLD of the games for GB in the Women's competition as they stormed to a 10-3 win to force Japan to settle for SILVER. The GB quartet matched the Miracurl on Ice from Salt Lake City 2002 with the triumph. 

Closing Ceremony

The Closing Ceremony began alike its predecessor with the dignitaries being seated including Thomas Back (IOC) and Xi Jinping (President of China). The staging opened with a cheery childlike celebration below the huge Olympic Snowflake which ended with the BEIJING 2022 logo appearing atop the Olympic Rings.

The stage then became a sheet of ice featuring twelve giant skates each representing a sign of the zodiac and creating a spiralling snowflake combining the air and stage floor. The flag bearers entered the arena with GB represented by Men's Curling Silver Skip Bruce Mouat.

Athletes then began to parade into the arena accompanied by classical music and after parading into centre stage, the procession moved into the stands. Highlights of the games themselves then played showing triumph and joy.

Next up, the final medal ceremonies with the Cross Country Skiing Women's 30km mass start free with Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) claiming BRONZE, Jessie Diggins (USA) scooping SILVER and Therese Johaug (NOR) winning GOLD. The Men's 50km mass start free followed with Simen Hegstad Krueger (NOR) taking BRONZE, Ivan Yakimushkin (ROC) collecting SILVER behind team-mate Alexander Bolshunov who won GOLD.

Applause filled the arena to thank a group of six Games volunteers before welcoming the newest addition to the IOC Athletes Commission in  Martin Foucault (FRA). Each of the volunteers were presented with a Chinese Lantern to symbolise all of the work and effort put in by the mass of volunteers across the last 16 days. 

The stage lit up with to showcase a huge group and a pillar of light that transformed the snowflake into spring before a montage of the action and the national anthem of Greece and the Olympic anthem with the latter sung by a choir. 

Ahead of the next Winter Olympics, the transition from Beijing to Milano Cortina took place with Thomas Bach presenting the Olympic flag to the representatives from Italy before the playing of the Italian national anthem. The Italian flag was then raised with a globe being pushed across a figurative sheet of thin ice to reval the message - 'Duality, Together'. 

A montage of the landscapes in Milan and Cortina played before the meeting of both in the form of dance with Milan (Orange) and Cortina (Pink) combining to then reveal the emblem for the 2026 games. The flags of the 91 countries were brought into the arena before the speeches to thank the athletes and everyone involved in the games. 

before Thomas Bach declared the 24th Winter Olympic games closed. Centre stage saw the Olympic Rings form and raise to meet the Flame Snowflake and pass through while the flagbearers congregated around in a circle as the Olympic flame was extinguished. 

A huge firework display above the arena included the message of 'One World, One Family' and officially ended the ceremony with the invitation to reconvene in 1440 days as the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Of course as this blog covers both Summer and Winter games for both the Olympic and Paralympics, the posting will resume with the upcoming Paralympics from March 4th.

Beijing 2022 Days 13-15

 Another catch up post after a busy few days offline sees Days 13-15 with a combined 18 medal events. 

Medals

Double joy for Switzerland in the Women's Alpine Combined as Michelle Gisin won GOLD ahead of Wendy Holdener who took SILVER while Federica Brignone (ITA) collected BRONZE. 

The Women's 12.5km Mass Start saw GOLD for Justine Braisaz-Bouchet (FRA) as she finished ahead of Norwegian duo Tiril Eckhoff who claimed SILVER while Marte Olsbu Roeiseland took BRONZE. 

GOLD for Johannes Thingnes Boe (NOR) in the Men's 15km Mass Start as he finished ahead of Martin Ponsiluoma (SWE) who scooped SILVER while Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen (NOR) claimed BRONZE.

 

The 2-Women event saw double joy for Germany as Laura Nolte/Deborah Levi won GOLD ahead of Mariama Jamanka/Alexandra Burghardt who took SILVER while Elana Meyers Taylor/Sylvia Hoffman (USA) claimed BRONZE.

GOLD for Sweden in the Men's competition as they edged a 5-4 win over GB who took SILVER while Canada won BRONZE as they secured an 8-5 win over USA.

The Women's Semis saw Japan advance with an 8-6 victory over Switzerland and GB stage a huge comeback from 4-0 down to win 12-11 in an extra end against Sweden. The battle for BRONZE saw Sweden successful as they clamed the 9-7 win over Switzerland.

Double joy for ROC in the Women's Single Skating as Anna Scherbakova won GOLD ahead of Alexandra Trusova who took SILVER while Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) claimed BRONZE. This meant the medals could be awarded due to the controversy threatening them avoided with Kamila Valieva (ROC) finishing in fourth.

Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) won GOLD in the Pair Skating- Free Skating as they out scored the ROC pairs of Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov who scooped SILVER & Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov taking BRONZE. 

The Women's Ski Cross saw Sandra Naeslund (SWE) win GOLD as she finished ahead of Marielle Thompson (CAN) who sealed SILVER while Daniela Mayer (GER) claimed BRONZE. 

GOLD for Eileen Ailing Gu (CHN) in the Women's Freeski Halfpipe as she outscored Canadian duo Cassie Sharpe who sealed SILVER and Rachael Karker who claimed BRONZE. 

In the Men's Ski Cross, there was double joy for Switzerland as Ryan Regez crossed for GOLD ahead of team-mate Alex Fiva who sealed SILVER while Sergey Ridzik (ROC) collected BRONZE.

GOLD for Nico Porteous (NZL) in the Men's Freeski Halfpipe as he outscored USA duo David Wise who took SILVER while Alex Ferreira collected BRONZE. 

The Women's final saw Canada win GOLD after a 3-2 win over USA who took SILVER while in the Men's competition, Slovakia eased to BRONZE with a 4-0 victory over Sweden. 

In the Team Gunderson Large Hill/4x5km, Norway stormed to GOLD ahead of Germany who sealed SILVER while Japan claimed BRONZE. 

The Women's 1000m saw an OLYMPIC RECORD time of 1:13.19 as Miho Takagi (JPN) won GOLD ahead of Jutta Leerdam (NED) who sealed SILVER while Brittany Bowe (USA) claimed BRONZE. 

In the Men's 1000m, Thomas Krol (NED) won GOLD ahead of Laurent Dubreuil (CAN) who took SILVER while Haavard Lorentzen (NOR) collected BRONZE. 

The Men's Mass Start saw Bart Swings (BEL) win GOLD ahead of Korean duo Won Jae Chung who sealed SILVER while Hoon Seung Lee claimed BRONZE.

GOLD for Irene Schouten (NED) in the Women's Mass Start as she finished ahead of Ivanie Blondin (CAN) who crossed for SILVER with Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) taking BRONZE. 

Beijing 2022 Days 10-12

A busy few days mean a need for a catch-up post covering days 10,11 and 12 with a total of 22 medal events. 

Medals

The Women's Downhill saw GOLD won by Corinne Suter (SUI) as she narrowly finished ahead of Italian duo Sofia Goggia who took SILVER and Nadia Delago who collected BRONZE. 

GOLD for Clement Noel (FRA) in the Men's Slalom as he crossed quicker than Johannes Strolz (AUT) who sealed SILVER while Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR) who claimed BRONZE. GB duo Dave Ryding and Billy Major placed 13th and DNF.

The Men's 4x7.5km Relay GOLD was won by Norway (Sturia Laegrid, Tarjei/Johannes Thingnes Boe, Vetie Christiansen) ahead of France (Emilien Jacquelin, Simon Desthieux, Quentin Fillon Mallet, Fabien Claude) who scooped SILVER while ROC (Said Khalili, Alexander Loginov, Maxim Tsvetkov, Eduard Latypov) collected BRONZE. 

In the Women's 4x6km Relay, Sweden (Linn Persson, Mona Brorsson, Hanna/Elvira Oeberg) won GOLD ahead of ROC (Irina Kazakevich, Kristina Reztsova, Svetlana Mironova, Ullana Nigmatullina) who sealed SILVER with Germany (Vanessa Hinz, Vanessa Voigt, Franziska Preuss, Denise Herrmann) taking BRONZE.

Double joy for USA in the Women's Monobob as Kaillie Humphries won GOLD ahead of Elana Meyers Taylor who scooped SILVER while Christine De Bruin (CAN) collected BRONZE. 

A Germany clean sweep in the Two Man Bob as Francesco Friedrich/Thorsten Margis won GOLD ahead of Johannes Lochner/Florian Bauer who took SILVER while Christopher Hafer/Matthias Sommer claimed BRONZE. GB's Brad Hall/Nick Gleeson finished 11th. 

The Women's Team Sprint Classic saw GOLD won by Germany ahead of Sweden who took SILVER while ROC claimed BRONZE.

GOLD for Norway in the Men's Team Sprint Team Classic as they finished ahead of Finland who took SILVER while ROC collected BRONZE.

The Ice Dance saw GOLD won by Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) as they outscored Nikita Katsalapov/Victoria Sinitsina (ROC) who scooped SILVER while Zachary Donohue/Madison Hubbell (USA) collected BRONZE. GB duo Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson finished 10th. 

GOLD in the Women's Aerials for Mengtao Xu as she finished ahead of Hanna Huskova (BLR) who took SILVER while Megan Nick (USA) took BRONZE. 

The Women's Freeski Slopestyle saw Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) win GOLD ahead of Eileen Ailing Gu (CHN) who took SILVER while Kelly Sildaru (EST) collected BRONZE. GB duo Kirsty Muir and Katie Summerhayes finished in eighth and ninth. 

Double joy for USA in Men's Freeski Slopestyle as Alexander Hall won GOLD ahead of Nicholas Goepper who scooped SILVER while Jesper Tjader (SWE) collected BRONZE.

The Men's Aerials saw Guangpu Qi (CHN) win GOLD ahead of Oleksandr Abramenko (UKR) who sealed SILVER while Ilia Burov (ROC) took BRONZE. 

The Women's competition saw Finland claiming BRONZE after securing a 4-0 win over Switzerland. Canada face USA in the battle for GOLD on day 13.

The Individual Gunderson Large Hill/10km saw double joy for Norway as Joergen Graabak won GOLD ahead of Jens Lurass Oftebro who scooped SILVER while Akito Watabe (JPN) crossed for BRONZE. 

In the Men's 5000m Relay, Canada won GOLD ahead of Republic of Korea who took SILVER while Italy claimed BRONZE.

The Women's 1500m saw Minjeong Choi (KOR) win GOLD by finishing ahead of Arianna Fontana (ITA) who scooped SILVER while Suzanne Schulting (NED) collected BRONZE. 

The Men's Team saw GOLD won by Austria as they finished ahead of Slovenia who scooped SILVER while Germany claimed BRONZE. 

Anna Gasser (AUT) won GOLD in the Women's Big Air as she outscored Zoi Sadowski Synnott (AUS) who scooped SILVER while Kokomo Murase (JPN) battled for BRONZE. 

The Men's Big Air GOLD was won by Yiming Su (CHN) as he outscored Mons Roisland (NOR) who sealed SILVER with Max Parrot (CAN) collecting BRONZE. 

An OLYMPIC RECORD time of 2:53.44 in the Women's Team Pursuit as Canada took GOLD by defeating Japan who took SILVER while Netherlands sealed BRONZE after defeating ROC. 

Norway won GOLD in the Men's Team Pursuit as they defeated ROC who took SILVER while USA sealed BRONZE after defeating Netherlands. 

GB Updates

Joy for the Men's Rink as they ended the Round Robin on top after a 6-5 win over Switzerland and 7-6 success against Sweden before rounding off with an 8-6 triumph over ROC. 

The Women's Rink suffered a 7-3 loss to Canada before a superb 10-4 victory over Japan. Their semi-final hopes hung in the balance though after an 8-4 loss to hosts China.