Milan (Italy) (AFP) – Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen joined the Olympic greats on Wednesday by winning his third gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Games, while Chloe Kim stayed on track to make her own history in snowboarding. On the slopes in Bormio, Von Allmen was victorious in the super-G event, adding that gold to his titles in the downhill and the team combined.
Von Allmen entered the pantheon of Olympic male alpine skiing greats to have three events at one Games, alongside Austrian Toni Sailer at the 1956 Winter Games, and France’s Jean-Claude Killy in 1968. Croatia’s Janica Kostelic is the only woman to have achieved the feat, at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Von Allmen hit speeds of 120km/h (75mph) in the super-G, an event that combines the speed of downhill with the precise turns of giant slalom. American Ryan Cochran-Siegle won silver in the event for a second successive Games while Switzerland’s defending world champion Marco Odermatt rounded out the podium, picking up a medal after his bitter disappointment at missing out in the downhill.
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US superstar Chloe Kim began her quest for her own piece of history as she tries to become the first snowboarder — man or woman — to win three gold medals at consecutive Olympics. Two athletes have missed the chance to do so earlier in the Games in Italy, but in her first appearance at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, Kim produced a sparkling run to top qualifying for the halfpipe event. Kim, who is still only 25 despite winning golds at the two previous Winter Olympics, said “muscle memory” had kicked in as she began her quest. “I’ve been doing this for 22 years, OK? Muscle memory is a thing. I might be better at snowboarding than I am at walking,” she said. Kim was almost ruled out of the Olympics last month by a dislocated shoulder but said it had not bothered her during her qualifying performance.
The International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday it will try to convince Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych to not wear a banned helmet that depicts victims of the war with Russia at the Milan-Cortina Games. However, Heraskevych has already said he has no intention of backing down and he was wearing the helmet again in training at the Cortina Sliding Centre on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s heats. The gesture has been defended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but Heraskevych risks being disqualified as gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter. “We will contact him today, and we will reiterate the many, many opportunities that he has to express his grief,” IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said. Athletes are permitted to express their views in press conferences and on social media, and on Tuesday the IOC said it would “make an exception” for Heraskevych, allowing him to wear a plain black armband during competition. “We want him to compete. We really, really want him to have his moment. That’s very, very important.”
Meanwhile, in a story that has tongues wagging, the ex-girlfriend of a Norwegian biathlete who won a bronze medal and then confessed on live television to an affair, says it is “hard to forgive.” Asked by Norway’s NRK on Tuesday to share his feelings after his bronze in the 20km individual, a teary Sturla Holm Laegreid broke down and admitted he had cheated on his girlfriend. “Six months ago, I met the love of my life, the most beautiful and best person in the world,” said the 28-year-old. “And three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and I was unfaithful,” he continued. On Wednesday, the woman in question, whose name has not been disclosed, said in a message to the Verdens Gang (VG) newspaper: “It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I didn’t choose to be put in this position and it’s painful,” she added.
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