Winter Olympics Day 6: Kiwis in action - All you need to know

NZ Herald

14 Feb, 2018 05:25 PM3 mins to read

Kiwi RAF weapons technician Rhys Thornbury hopes to be flying in Korea. Photo / Getty Images

Nine gold medals are up for grabs on day four of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Kiwis in action: When and where to watch

Alice Robinson
• Women's Giant Slalom Run 1, Jeongseon Alpine Centre , from 1.55pm on Sky Channel 58. Potential second run at 3.20pm.

It's been two days of waiting for New Zealand's youngest Winter Olympian with high winds postponing her debut this week.

The Queenstown skier will be competing in her favoured event.

"I am so happy to be given this opportunity and am super-excited to be competing at my first Games so young," Robinson said.

"I don't mind being the youngest; I quite like it because I find it a bit more of a challenge."

Last year, the 16-year-old won the Snow Sport NZ's Breakthrough Season Award.

Rhys Thornbury
• Men's Skeleton heats 1 and 2, from 1.55pm on Sky Channel 54.

Among New Zealand's 21 athletes preparing for the Winter Olympics in South Korea, none have a back story to compare with Rhys Thornbury.

You won't have heard of him unless you are a student of the skeleton, not the bony variety but the Olympic sport which combines strength, skill, nerve and boldness as racers fly down a course head-first on a sled. The luge is similar, except the athletes lie on their back and go feet-first.

Thornbury lives in England, works as a weapons technician for the Royal Air Force and has been training full time, on full pay, for three years, courtesy of the RAF.

Duncan Campbell
• Men's Snowboard Cross seeding round, Phoenix Snow Park, from 2.55pm on Sky Channel 55. Finals at 5.25pm.

Campbell will compete in the snowboard cross event which begins with seeding where each rider sets a time down the course. That will be followed by the quarter-final races where the top three of each six person race advance.

Campbell secured fifth place at the World Championships in Spain last year and in a sport where favourites could easily tumble, anyone in the final will have a chance to earn a medal.

• Shane Dobbin has withdrawn from the 10K speed skating to enable optimal preparation for the Team Pursuit event.

Other medals up for grabs

Alpine skiing
• 3.30pm: men's downhill

Biathlon
• 9.15pm: women's 15km individual
• 12.20am: men's 20km individual

Cross-country skiing
• 7.30pm: Women's 10km free

Curling
• 1.05pm: Women's round robin
• 6.05pm: Men's round robin

Figure skating
• 2.30pm: Pairs' free skating

Freestyle skiing
• Midnight: Women's aerials qualification

Ice hockey
• 4.10pm: Finland v Germany (men), USA v Canada (women)
• 6.40pm: Norway v Sweden (men), OAR v Finland (women)
• 1.10am: Czech Republic v Korea (men).

Luge
• 1.30am: Team relay

Speed skating
• Midnight: men's 10,000m