Society

Sochi, while you slept: Ski cross gold and silver

And Sochi has its first doping scandal

Andy Wong/AP

Andy Wong/AP

Canada is in love with the extreme sports in Sochi. Marielle Thompson ensured Olympic gold in women’s ski cross would stay on Canadian soil this morning after winning the women’s finals from start to finish.

And if anyone was going to steal the win from Thomspon, it would have been fellow Canadian Kelsey Serwa who came through with the silver medal.

One day after the men’s ski cross team was kept off the podium—Brady Leman couldn’t break up the French podium sweep and finished fourth in the finals—a gold-silver finish for the women was a great way to make amends.

Add the two gold medals from curling and hockey yesterday, and the women are pushing Canada up the medal standings.

Serwa may have won silver, but she was lucky to make the finals. In her semi-finals heat, she was fourth place into the final jump, but the slightest slips from two competitors gave her a chance to finish second in a photo finish. Not leaving anything to doubt, she stuck out her finger to cross the line.

But that photo finish won’t be as memorable as this photo of the Canadians on the podium.

Off the ski hill and into the drug lab, news also came out the first positive doping test of the Sochi Games. Details are scarce for the moment, except that it is a German athlete who tested positive on an “A” sample and they are now testing the “B” sample for confirmation. According to fasterskiier.com, the Olympian is a member of the cross-country ski team or biathalon.

Dispatches from Sochi: (Be sure to follow: @ChasGillis, @JonGatehouse, @kmqyvr, @KrRutherford and @reporterchris)

Jonathon Gatehouse: VIDEO: Russia deflated after men’s hockey loss to Finland

Charlie Gillis: Women’s hockey: How Team Canada denied a team that would not be denied

Ken MacQueen: Jennifer Jones on Olympic gold: ‘Dreams can come true’

Kristina Rutherford: Lada, the unofficial official car of the Olympic games (VIDEO)

Wake up! Still to come today: Canada goes for gold in ski halfpipe, curling and women’s hockey

Canada versus USA hockey. Sound familiar? After the Canadian women shocked the U.S. (and the world) with a late comeback to win gold in overtime, it’s now the men’s turn. Winner goes for gold against either Sweden or Finland (should probably watch that game too), loser faces-off for bronze. The stakes in hockey don’t get higher. You might want to take a few hours off from work. Puck drops at noon EST/9 a.m. PST.

There was a time when Brad Jacobs and Co. were 1-2 in Sochi and folks were wondering if they might not make curling’s playoff round. That seemed like a long time ago as the ‘buff boys’ from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. went on a hot streak. The finished off the rest of the round robin undefeated and beat a strong Chinese team in the semi-finals. Canada’s women won gold in curling yesterday. Will the men follow suit today against Great Britain? Hurry hard to your TV at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 a.m. PST.

Think Canadians don’t win medals in alpine skiing? Jan Hudec should have changed your mind. In today’s women’s slalom, Marie-Michele Gagnon could be Canada’s next surprise podium finisher in Sochi. Find out who the contenders are after the first of two runs at 7:45 a.m EST/4:45 a.m. PST.

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