Tag: Olympics

North Korea’s Kim meets IOC chief in Pyongyang: KCNA

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP)–North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un has met Olympics chief Thomas Bach in Pyongyang, thanking him for helping to bring about a “dramatic thawing” of tensions on the Korean peninsula, the country’s state media said Saturday. Last month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea triggered a fast-moving rapprochement that will see Kim sit down with the South’s President Moon Jae-in in late April — with a US summit with President Donald Trump planned for […]

Olympics: Five things to watch on day 14

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — The showdown for the women’s figure skating title reaches its climax at the Pyeongchang Olympics on Friday while the top teams in men’s ice hockey battle for a place in the final. Here are the highlights of day 14: Figure skating Russian rivals Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva take their battle for Olympic gold to a final showdown. The two teenagers representing the Olympic Athletes of Russia (OAS) are friends […]

Tears and cheers as unified Korean team bows out of Olympics

by Sunghee Hwang Agence France-Presse GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — The joint Korean women’s ice hockey team ended their historic Olympic run Tuesday with a crushing 6-1 defeat to Sweden but still received an emotional standing ovation from the crowd. The team was hastily assembled following a landmark deal between South and North Korea only a few weeks before the Pyeongchang Games and has 12 North Koreans on its roster. They have found little success […]

Ice Prince’ Hanyu defies injury to retain skate crown

by Nick Reeves  © Agence France-Presse GANGNEUNG, South Korea  (AFP) — Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu disclosed he had never “fully healed” from the serious injury that almost scuppered his Olympics after clinching the first back-to-back men’s figure skating title in more than six decades on Saturday. The 23-year-old cemented his status as the modern day ‘ice prince’ when overcoming a three-month injury hiatus to add Pyeongchang gold to his Sochi 2014 success and emulate American Dick Button, Olympic […]

Oh my quad! US skater Chen makes history with six quads

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — American prodigy Nathan Chen became the first figure skater to land six quads as he set an Olympic record in the free skate at the Pyeongchang Winter Games on Saturday. Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu clinched the title with compatriot Shoma Uno second and Javier Fernandez of Spain third. Chen, 18, was out of contention for a medal after bombing on Friday in a nervy short programme that left him languishing in 17th place […]

Imperious Hanyu on brink Olympic title

by Nick Reeves © Agence France-Presse GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — Japan’s  Yuzuru Hanyu took a giant step towards retaining his Olympic figure skating title with a flawless short program on Friday as arch-rival Nathan Chen’s challenge came disastrously unstuck. The Japanese star showed no ill effects from the right ankle injury that sidelined him for three months as he surged into a four-point lead with a score of 111.68. Six-time European champion Javier Fernandez of Spain […]

Filipino skate pioneer in ‘miracle’ Olympic bid after late call-up

by Nick Reeves © Agence France-Presse GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — Filipino skating pioneer Michael Christian Martinez took to the Olympic ice on Friday — barely three weeks after coming out of retirement. The 21-year-old, who at Sochi 2014 became the first skater from the Philippines to compete at a Winter Games, had been resigned to missing out on South Korea. “I was sixth of seven at the qualifying event in Germany so I said to myself, it’s […]

North Korean skaters made dream Olympic debut

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik produced the performance of their lives to qualify for the pairs final at the Olympic Games on Wednesday. The Pyeongyang-born duo smashed their personal best score to reach the free skate showdown on Saturday. Supported by the 200-plus strong band of North Korean cheerleaders, Ryom and Kim seduced the crowd with an excellent execution of their short program to the Beatles classic A Day […]

Japan Olympic ice hockey forward Ukita banned for one game

GANGNEUNG, South Korea (AFP) — Japanese women’s forward Rui Ukita was suspended for one game of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics on Sunday by the International Ice Hockey Federation due to a kicking incident against Sweden. Ukita will miss Monday’s group-stage contest against Switzerland but will be able to return for Wednesday’s game against the United North and South Korean women. The violation came with 48 seconds remaining in Japan’s loss Saturday to Sweden. During a puck battle […]

Earthquake, wind and fire: extreme conditions hit Olympics

by Peter Stebbings © Agence France-Presse PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — An earthquake triggered an alert and high winds disrupted competition at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Sunday, as officials warned of a severe freeze and urged fans to wrap up warm. After a bitterly cold first night of competition, a shallow 4.6-magnitude earthquake jolted the eastern portion of South Korea overnight, prompting warnings on mobile phones. Early on Sunday, ski officials were forced to postpone the showpiece […]

Russian medalist’s drug suspension ‘special issue’ says IOC

  by Talek Harris © Agence France-Presse PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AFP) — Russian athletes are a “major focus” for anti-doping tests, a senior Olympic official said on Sunday, as it emerged that the first Russian medallist in Pyeongchang served a drugs suspension. Semen Elistratov, who took bronze in the men’s 1,500m short track speed skating on Saturday, was briefly suspended in 2016 after testing positive for meldonium — the same substance that saw Maria Sharapova banned. The […]

Kim Jong Un invites South’s Moon to Pyongyang: Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has invited the South’s President Moon Jae-in for a summit in Pyongyang, Seoul said Saturday. The invitation, delivered by Kim’s visiting sister Kim Yo Jong, said Kim was willing to meet the South’s leader “at the earliest date possible”, said a spokesman for the presidential Blue House. An inter-Korean summit would be the third of its kind, after Kim’s father and predecessor Kim Jong Il met […]