MILAN, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) — Swiss freestyle skier Mathilde Gremaud successfully defended her title in the women’s slopestyle on Monday at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, while Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam claimed her first Olympic gold in a record-breaking performance in the women’s 1,000 meters.
Gremaud delivered under pressure after China’s Gu Ailing led with 86.58 points in the opening run. The Swiss responded with a strong second run, scoring 86.96 points to edge Gu by 0.38 points and secure the gold medal.
“She was maybe missing one bigger trick on the first jump and that would have been game over for me,” Gremaud said. “I believe she knew she was better on the rails and I knew I was better on the jumps.”
“That was definitely the most intense run I’ve ever done,” the 26-year-old added.
Falling short again to Gremaud after Beijing 2022, Gu said, “I think it’s kind of funny that both Olympics we were within half a point of one another. If anything, I think it’s just testament to the growth of women’s free skiing. It’s so special to be a part of that.”
In speed skating, Leerdam set a new Olympic record of 1:12.31 to win the women’s 1,000m, 0.28 seconds ahead of her compatriot Femke Kok, while Beijing 2022 champion Miho Takagi of Japan claimed bronze in 1:13.95, her eighth medal across five Games. China’s Yin Qi and Han Mei placed 12th and 13th respectively among the 30 participants.
Skating in the final pair, Leerdam, Olympic silver medalist from four years ago, took control early and extended her lead over the final 400 meters. Kok had broken the previous Olympic mark held by Takagi at Beijing 2022.
“I have won a lot of things in my career. I am a world champion, but I have never been an Olympic champion before, so this was really something that was still missing. So it feels very complete, it feels surreal,” Leerdam said.
“I did a lot of good races this year, so I was kind of also the favorite. That is not always easy going into the Olympics. I tried to use the pressure to my advantage and let it make me even sharper than normal,” she added.
Switzerland added another gold in alpine skiing as Franjo von Allmen and Tanguy Nef mounted a comeback to win the men’s team combined event, which made its debut on Olympic program. It also marked Von Allmen’s second gold at Milan-Cortina, after he claimed the Games’ opening gold in Saturday’s downhill race.
“Two gold medals are crazy. This one is a little bit more special because I wouldn’t have made it on my own today,” Von Allmen said afterward. “I can really say thank you to Tanguy – he made the difference today.”
Germany’s Philipp Raimund captured gold in the men’s normal hill ski jumping event with 274.1 points. “It feels absolutely amazing. It is the biggest achievement of my life, the best day of my life so far,” he said.
Japan’s Kokomo Murase claimed gold in the women’s snowboard big air with 179.00 points. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand earned silver, while South Korea’s Yu Seung-eun took bronze. China’s Zhang Xiaonan finished fifth in her Olympic debut, matching the country’s best result in the event.
“It’s a gold medal that brings me immense joy. The moment when winning Olympic gold, something I’ve long aspired to, became a reality,” Murase said. ■
