Winter Olympics Day 10: Kiwis in action - All you need to know

NZ Herald

18 Feb, 2018 04:52 PM3 mins to read

Janina Kuzma finished fifth at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Photosport

Three Kiwis are in action in PyeongChang today, however the wait for a medal will have to go on as they are all competing in the qualification stages of their respective events.

There will be just three gold medals handed out today at the Winter Olympics - in bobsleigh (two-man event), ski-jumping (men's final) and speed skating (men's 500m).

The women's ice hockey semifinals also take place today with the USA meeting Finland and Canada facing the Olympic Athletes of Russia.

Janina Kuzma: Freeski Halfpipe
Women's Ski Halfpipe with Qualification Runs 1 and 2 at Phoenix Snow Park from 1.55pm on Sky Channel 57.

Kuzma went oh so close to a medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014 where she placed fifth in the halfpipe. Her form dipped last year with one top-10 finish at a World Cup event, following four top-10s in 2016 including a third in the USA event in Mammoth. She was eighth at the World Ski Championships in Spain last year.

She has had a strong career on the halfpipe circuit with a World Cup victory in 2014 in Colorado along with three podium finishes.

She has also won the NZ Freeski Open Big Mountain event seven times, is a two-time Canadian Freeski Champion and two-time World Heli Challenge Champion.

Britt Hawes: Freeski Halfpipe
Women's Ski Halfpipe with Qualification Runs 1 and 2 at Phoenix Snow Park from 1.55pm on Sky Channel 57.

Hawes will made her Olympic debut at Phoenix Snow Park when she hits the halfpipe. The 27-year-old Wellingtonian was 20th at the World Cup event in Cardrona last year and followed that up with an 11th placing in China in December.

She is a qualified ski instructor and coach at Cardrona Alpine Resort.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Snowboard Big Air

Women's Snowboard Big Air Qualification Heats 1 and 2 at Alpensia Sliding Centre from 1.25pm on Sky Channel 56.

Wanaka Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, 16, is one of the youngest of New Zealand's 21 athletes who are competing at the Pyeongchang games.

She was 13th in the Slopestyle Final last week.

This event will be making its Olympic debut. Austrian Anna Gasser is the favourite in the event and came into the Games off a big air gold at the X Games last month.

In case you missed it

New Zealand speed skating team make semifinals, in medal hunt
New Zealand speed skaters Shane Dobbin, Peter Michael and Reyon Kay are through to the semi-finals of the Winter Olympics team pursuit.

The trio finished fourth in the qualification round on Sunday, holding off Japan by 0.44 seconds to book a semi-final against pacesetters South Korea.

Kiwi Finn Bilous misses out on Ski Slopestyle final by 0.80 points
Kiwis Jackson Wells, 19, and Finn Bilous, 18, will not compete in the final of the Men's Ski Slopestyle following the second round of qualification.

Wells finished his second round only scoring 42.00 with a bizarre backwards run, after Bilous scored 85.00 in his second.

Overall, Bilous finished 13th and just missed out on finals contention, while Wells ended up finishing 25th overall.

The snowboarder who borrowed some skis and caused 'biggest upset in Winter Olympics history'
In one of the most astonishing tales ever scripted at the Winter Games, Ester Ledecka, a Czech snowboarder competing on borrowed skis, snatched gold in the women's Super-G.