Back to the day’s events.
About a medal. The tricolor delegation will leave Beijing and the Olympic Games very close to its objective of fifteen medals. But the counter remained stuck at fourteen. The fault in particular of an early elimination during this last day of the Olympic fortnight, on the occasion of the team event, in alpine skiing. The Blues, who competed with Mathieu Faivre, Coralie Frasse Sombet, Alexis Pinturault and Tessa Worley were beaten by the Norwegians in the quarter-finals… by two hundredths.
Frustrating, of course. “We are all disappointed that it ended so soon, we had lots of big ambitions, we have a great team”lamented Tessa Worley. “The morning was windy and cold. I think she is relatively frustrating”, confirmed Mathieu Faivre. After beating the Czech Republic in the round of 16 on a parallel giant format, the French were therefore eliminated by the Norwegians, future bronze medalists.
Austria won the Olympic title against Germany, in a competition whose format continues to question. This one is telegenic, but not a skier’s favorite.
Well deserved a morning party. While more than 6,000 kilometers away, near Beijing, the Finnish men’s team won its very first Olympic title in ice Hockey, a few Helsinki residents braved the cold around 8 am to celebrate a historic victory in the streets of the capital. In the final, the Finns beat the Russian Olympic Committee (2-1), Olympic champions in 2018, after conceding the first goal.
On the other hand, no scene of jubilation in London. There was however enough to celebrate the first Olympic title of these Games for Great Britain. The latter therefore limits the damage with a second medal during this fortnight, won in curling in the women’s tournament. Twenty years after their only title in the women’s discipline, the British won against Japan (10-3) and avenged the men, who had offered a first bitter medal to the British delegation, losing Saturday in the final against the Sweden (4-5).
Empress Therese ends her Olympics in style. The Norwegian Therese Johaug had gleaned the very first medal of the fortnight, during the skiathlon on Saturday February 5, and she closed the cross-country skiing events in the same way on Sunday. Untouchable during the mass start, she won the race with a lead of one minute and forty-three seconds over her pursuer, the American Jessie Diggins. The French Delphine Claudel finishes 7and.
Perfect end to the Olympic career for Therese Johaug! ? The Norwegian wins the 30km and wins her 3rd m… https://t.co/rzNvAC2GwO
Therese Johaug therefore leaves Beijing with three gold medals in her suitcases, with the one won during the 10 kilometres. An end to Dream Games, like Francesco Friedrich, the boss of the bobsleigh. Already titled in the two-man bob on Tuesday, the German achieved the double in the four-man, alongside his compatriots Candy Bauer, Thorsten Margis and Alexander Schueller. The French Romain Heinrich, Dorian Hauterville, Jérôme Laporal and Lionel Lefebvre finish 19are.
The Olympic Games are over, but the Paralympic Games begin on March 4 (to end on March 13). Otherwise, we meet with snow and ice in four years in Italy, in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. And without jet lag!
The Games in a snapshot.
It is the end. And since the fortnight was also sporty for them, the volunteers who worked on these Games took advantage of a last moment all together on the ice of the omnisports center of the capital.
The Olympians on the microphone.
“My partners have been incredibly supportive during these Olympics. They deserve to know how much I love them. »
Mikaela Shiffrin has not had the easiest of Olympic fortnights. Announced as the huge favorite in alpine skiing, the 26-year-old American never knew how to find the right settings and fell three times in slalom, giant and combined. With an 18and place downhill and a 9and in super-G, Shiffrin disappointed and faced harassment on social media, with some netizens blaming him for his poor performance.
The leader of the general classification of the World Cup still decided to participate in the team event this Sunday, concluded at the 4and place with his American teammates. She paid tribute to them: “I had a lot of disappointments during these Games, but today this team event is my best memory. (…) My partners were incredibly supportive during these Olympics. They deserve to know how much I love them and how much I wanted to help and win a medal. »
97,000
Like the number of spectators who attended these Olympic Games, the organizing committee announced on February 19. All were invited because no tickets had been put on sale to the general public, due to the health restrictions applied in China. There will therefore not have been a crowd during these Games, which brought together ten times fewer people than the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.
Snapshot of our special envoys.
The Chinese winter is coming to an end – at least for the followers of the 2022 Winter Olympics. World left Zhangjiakou, aboard the futuristic Chinese TGV, heading to Beijing for the very last days of competition. Some lessons from our Chinese fortnight:
1) The Chinese authorities did not lie on one point: they have developed green energies. Wind turbines and solar panels line the route to the capital, sometimes with a surprising urban logic.
2) We complained about the slow transport in Zhangjiakou… It’s worse in Beijing. Because, yes, it is logical: you have to add the caps.
3) We undoubtedly experienced one of the historic moments of these Games for China when we witnessed the victory of the couple Sui Wenjing and Han Cong in figure skating, in front of three Russian duos and a large and passionate audience.
The Chinese winter is coming to an end and, even if it was nice, we are very happy to be back!
