Third day’s a charm, eh? Canada hauled in four medals on Day 3 of full competition in Beijing, including its first gold of the Games and a historic bronze.
Snowboarder Max Parrot launched things off by winning gold in the men’s slopestyle. The 2018 silver medallist once again topped his more heralded Canadian teammate Mark McMorris, who took his third consecutive bronze in this event. Parrot also beat cancer, coming back from a bout with Hodgkin’s lymphoma that caused him to miss the entire season following his first Olympic medal. “Three years ago, I was laying down in a hospital bed with no energy, no muscles, no cardio,” Parrot said. “Today, I’m an Olympic gold medallist and I did the biggest run of my life.”
This morning, short track speed skater Kim Boutin reached her fourth Olympic podium by repeating as the bronze medallist in the women’s 500 metres. And then a shocker: Canada won its first-ever Olympic medal in ski jumping by taking bronze in the new mixed team event. Alexandria Loutitt, Matthew Soukup, Abigail Strate and Mackenzie Boyd-Clowes are the first Canadian ski jumpers to finish better than seventh in the Olympics.
All this good news helped chase the bitterness of last night’s heartbreaking loss by Canada’s mixed doubles curling team. Needing a win over undefeated Italy in the round-robin finale to get into the playoffs, John Morris and Rachel Homan missed by literally a millimetre — the difference between Italy’s closest rock and Canada’s in relation to the pinhole after Homan came in just a touch heavy with the final throw.
For today’s viewing guide, we’ll look ahead to a good medal chance for Canada in freestyle skiing, and maybe a surprise or two in alpine skiing and speed skating. But first, let’s get ready for the renewal of perhaps the best rivalry in all of sports.
Here’s what to watch on Monday night and Tuesday morning:
Women’s hockey is heating up
After blowing out Switzerland and Finland by a combined score of 23-2 to open the tournament, Canada finally got challenged last night — in more ways than one.
The game was delayed by more than an hour because COVID-19 test results for the Russian team, which had six of its members placed in isolation last week after they tested positive, were not available in time. Eventually, the teams agreed to play with masks on. The test results finally arrived by the second intermission, but Canada’s players continued to wear their masks. The Russians did not. Canada beat them easily, 6-1.
The Canadians’ first real challenge of the tournament comes tonight when they take on the United States at 11 p.m. ET. This might be the best rivalry in all of sports. It’s both extremely heated and almost absurdly evenly matched. Their last two meetings in the Olympic gold-medal game, and their last three in the world championship final, have all been decided in either overtime or a shootout.
The stakes for tonight’s game are much lower. The winner will get the top seed for the playoff round, but Canada and the U.S. will almost surely square off again in the gold-medal game for the fourth time in a row. That’s when everyone will truly go all in.
WATCH | Canada routs ROC to continue Olympic dominance in quest for gold:
Canada’s women’s hockey team stays perfect with win over Russian Olympic Committee
15 hours ago
Duration 4:39
Canada’s women’s hockey team stays perfect with win over Russian Olympic Committee 4:39
Canadian medal chances on Monday night/Tuesday morning
As we saw with today’s ski jumping bronze, anything can happen. But here are the podium opportunities we can anticipate, in chronological order:
Freestyle skiing: Women’s big air final at 9 p.m. ET
Twenty-year-old Megan Oldham built momentum for Beijing by taking silver in the big air and bronze in slopestyle at the X Games last month. She kept rolling last night in qualifying, posting the top score as women’s ski big air made its Olympic debut. Oldham has a good chance to reach her second major podium, after her bronze in slopestyle at last year’s world championships.
The other Canadian in the final is 17-year-old Olivia Asselin, who was 11th in qualifying. She took bronze (right behind Oldham) in the big air at the X Games. Unfortunately, former World Cup big air champion Elena Gaskell, who ranks third in the standings this season, is out of the Olympics after blowing out a knee in training.
Oldham and Asselin will battle with France’s Tess Ledeaux and China’s Eileen Gu, the 18-year-old American-born-and-raised star who is trying to win three gold medals in Beijing. Gu is the reigning women’s world champion in both the halfpipe and slopestyle, and she also took bronze in the big air at last year’s worlds.
Alpine skiing: Men’s super-G at 10 p.m. ET
Jack Crawford came thisclose to winning Canada’s first Olympic downhill medal in 28 years last night when he finished fourth — just 0.07 of a second off the podium — in the men’s event. The 24-year-old has never won a medal in a top-level international race, but his result in the downhill — a similar discipline to the super-G — means he has to be taken seriously tonight. Also, Crawford ranks ninth in the World Cup men’s super-G standings, and he placed fifth last month on the famous Lauberhorn mountain in Wengen, Switzerland.
The other Canadians competing tonight are Brodie Seger, who’s 29th in the World Cup super-G standings but placed fourth in last year’s race at the world championships in Italy; Broderick Thompson, who’s 20th in the super-G rankings after winning a World Cup bronze in December in the U.S.; and Trevor Philp, who’s more of a giant slalom and slalom guy.
Speed skating: Connor Howe in the men’s 1,500 at 5:30 a.m. ET
The 21-year-old ranks third in the World Cup standings for this distance. However, some of the best skaters skipped the last event, so the betting odds probably give us a better picture of Howe’s medal chances. He’s tied for the No. 6 favourite there, with a big gap separating him from the top four.
WATCH | Oldham qualifies with top run in women’s freeski big air event:
Megan Oldham puts down the best run to qualify in 1st place in women’s freeski big air
20 hours ago
Duration 1:39
Megan Oldham of Parry Sound, Ont., had the highest score in qualifying , 91.25 points, as she advanced to the Olympic women’s freestyle skiing big air finals in first place. 1:39
Some other interesting stuff you should know about
Nathan Chen takes centre stage tonight. All eyes will be on the American figure skating star when the men’s event opens at 8:15 p.m. ET. With his unmatched jumping ability, the 22-year-old has dominated his foes throughout this Olympic cycle. Chen captured the last three world titles, the last three Grand Prix Finals and won an incredible 14 consecutive competitions before the streak finally ended back in the fall. There’s one big hole in his resumé, though. Chen’s Olympic debut in 2018 turned nightmarish when he stumbled to a shocking 17th-place showing in the short program before rebounding with a brilliant free skate to finish fifth. Now he’s a massive favourite to win gold in Beijing. But Chen needs to prove he can deliver on the sport’s ultimate stage in order to take the title away from back-to-back champ Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. Canadian men’s champion Keegan Messing will compete, along with Roman Sadovsky, after producing the necessary negative COVID-19 tests just in time to fly to Beijing. Without Messing, Canada placed fourth in the team event, thanks largely thanks to strong performances by 18-year-old Madeline Schizas. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won gold as 15-year-old Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land a quad at the Olympics.
The mixed doubles curling medals will be decided. If you can still bear to watch after that devastating Canadian loss, the gold-medal game should be interesting. Italy’s surprising duo of Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner, who were wonderful last night vs. Canada, look to complete a perfect tournament when they face 2018 bronze medallist Norway at 7:05 a.m. ET. Reigning world champion Great Britain plays Sweden for bronze at 1:05 a.m. ET.
And finally…
Ireen Wust is going out on top. The 35-year-old Dutch speed skating icon broke the Olympic record in the women’s 1,500 metres this morning and became the first athlete to win individual gold medals at five different Olympics. She now owns six Olympic golds and 12 medals — all but two of them in solo events. Despite her continued excellence, Wust insists she’s sticking to her plan to retire after this season. “I really want to have children. So at one point you have to quit,” said Wust, who will also race in the 1,000m in Beijing. “I’m happy that I can quit on my highest level.”
How to watch live events
They’re being broadcast on TV on CBC, TSN and Sportsnet. Or choose exactly what you want to watch by live streaming on CBC Gem, the CBC Sports app and CBC Sports’ Beijing 2022 website. Check out the full streaming schedule (with links to live events) here and read more about how to watch the Games here.
If you’re located outside Canada, you unfortunately won’t be able to access CBC Sports’ coverage of the Games on the app or the website. That’s due to the way the Olympics’ media rights deals work. But if you’re in the northern United States or other international regions, such as Bermuda, that regularly offer the CBC TV network, you can watch the Games there.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
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