Olympics

If you wonder how Ocala could have a reputation for champion ice skaters, it’s because they start out on wheels on Renee Hildebrand's inline racing team.

"The only difference I see is I'm a black young lady," U.S. sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson said, after the Russian figure skater is allowed to compete at the Olympics despite a failed drug test.

Jackson became the first Black woman to medal in speed skating at a winter Olympics, and the first American woman to win the competition since 1994.

The 2022 Beijing Olympics are White's last competition as a professional snowboarder. He is the first, and only, snowboarder to win three Olympic gold medals.

"Coming back out and getting the chance to race again was just the perfect thing to do, actually," Shiffrin said. She had failed to finish qualifying runs in two events earlier this week.

Skeleton is a heart-racing event where a single racer flies face-first down a frozen track. The inherent pressure of being "the first" and "only" isn't fazing her, Kelly Curtis says.

Kim dominated the leaderboard after her stellar first run at the women's snowboard halfpipe event on Thursday in Beijing. She's the first woman to win multiple Olympic golds in the halfpipe.

Jacobellis, a five-time Olympian, won her first gold medal during the women's snowboard cross event on Wednesday. She is also the oldest American woman to win a Winter Olympics gold medal.

Diggins snared a hard-won bronze medal in the grueling event after Swedish skiers took an early lead. The only other time a U.S. athlete has won an individual medal in cross country came in 1976.

Majestic and composed, Chen exulted at the end — shaking off his terrible short performance four years ago at the Pyeongchang Olympics and setting him up to win gold after Thursday's free skate.

The Beijing Games are just the latest winter sporting event to use nearly all human-made snow for competitions. Winter sports experts say this is just the new reality.

The Winter Games kicked off Friday night in Beijing with an eye-catching but scaled-back opening ceremony. The city has made history as the first to host both the Summer and Winter Games.