Quick hits: An Aussie’s pain and a pooch invasion as US star pops the question

A pair of US athletes announce their engagement as Ally Hickman’s medal bid turns bitter, and a canine steals the present on the cross-country snowboarding.

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Listed here are the fast hits from day 12 on the Winter Olympics.

1. Norwegian star ties Winter Olympic document

Norway has dominated the Milano Cortina Video games, however by that dominance, one athlete has stood out above the remainder: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

Already the proud proprietor of 4 gold medals at these Video games, Klæbo added a fifth on day 12, as Norway took out the gold medal within the males’s workforce dash, beating the USA and Italy. 

Klæbo — who has a complete of 10 Olympic golds all through his profession — made the break on the ultimate climb, and he skied into historical past as the gang went loopy.

Earlier than at the moment, the all-time finest particular person efficiency at a single Winter Olympics was American pace skater Eric Haden, who received 5 gold medals in pace skating on the Lake Placid video games in 1980.

“It is clearly very satisfying to make this occur,” the 29-year-old stated. 

“The workforce dash is without doubt one of the most enjoyable occasions, but in addition one of many hardest.”

2. American pace skater and hockey star announce their engagement

A medal is not the one souvenir Hilary Knight is bringing again from the Milan Cortina Video games.

There may be additionally an engagement ring after the US ladies’s hockey captain posted a video of her proposing to American speedskater Brittany Bowe.

Beneath the heading “Olympics introduced us collectively,” the video on Instagram exhibits Knight dropping to 1 knee and presenting Bowe with a hoop. Bowe nods sure, and Knight then slips the ring on her finger.

The 2 first met on the 2018 Pyeongchang Video games. And each have stated this yr’s Olympics will probably be their final, with Knight showing in her Staff USA ladies’s hockey document fifth Video games.

The video was posted a day earlier than Knight, and the People face Canada within the gold medal remaining. Bowe is a two-time Olympic bronze medallist.

This yr, she didn’t medal in her first two occasions, ending fourth within the 1,000 metres and the ladies’s workforce pursuit. She’s going to shut the Video games, competing within the 1,500 metre race.

3. Canine on the course

As Argentinian skier Nahiara Diaz Gonzalez approached the road within the ladies’s workforce dash qualification, the Tesero Cross-Nation Stadium immediately got here to life.

Sadly for Diaz Gonzalez, spectators had been largely trying previous her to a pitch invader of the canine selection.

The Czechoslovakian wolfdog mugged for the track-side digital camera earlier than turning to comply with Greece’s Konstantina Charalampidou and Tena Hadžić of Croatia to the road as they completed near the again of the pack.

“The race was not so good, I’m not that pleased with myself, however it’s what it’s,” the Greek competitor stated.

“I grew to become well-known with a canine that got here throughout the end line, and everybody desires to interview me now. It’s the first time I’ve given any interviews.”

“After the end line, he was nonetheless cute, going to everybody. I needed to pat him however I didn’t have the time and couldn’t discover him afterwards,” she added.

After sniffing a number of racers and making his manner in direction of the combined media zone, the canine was corralled by occasion officers.

US outlet NPR reported that the canine’s identify is Nazgul and that he belongs to the house owners of a close-by mattress and breakfast, who left the home within the morning for a biathlon occasion.

“He was crying this morning greater than regular as a result of he was seeing us leaving — and I believe he simply needed to comply with us, he at all times seems to be for individuals,” the proprietor advised NPR.

They described Nazgul as “cussed, however very candy”.

4. Shiffrin lastly ends excruciating Olympic medal drought

Talking of Shiffrin, her turbulent, 12-year Olympic journey got here full circle when she received the slalom by an enormous 1.50 seconds to interrupt her lengthy medal drought on the Winter Video games.

Shiffrin put in two dominant runs in attractive situations amid the jagged peaks of the Dolomites to point out, once more, why she is regarded by many as the best Alpine skier of all time.

It was the third-largest margin of victory in a ladies’s Olympic slalom, the occasion she received as a fresh-faced teenager in Sochi in 2014 to underline her standing as a snowboarding star.

Twelve years later, she delivered once more in her favorite race, and the feelings got here out within the end space after being embraced by world champion Camille Rast of Switzerland, who took silver, and bronze medallist Anna Swenn Larsson of Sweden.

The 30-year-old Shiffrin pumped her fists to the gang after which was combating again tears as she approached her mum and coach, Eileen, for a protracted hug on the sidelines.

Shiffrin stated it was “actually laborious to grasp and course of” her victory.

“Possibly,” she added, “simply at the moment, I realised what occurred in Sochi. It is loopy.”

5. Aussie teenager Hickman despatched for X-rays after terrifying fall

Ally Hickman has been one in all Australia’s breakout stars at these Winter Olympics, and had put herself in place for a medal by reaching the ladies’s slopestyle remaining.

Competing shortly after Danielle Scott received Australia’s sixth medal of Milano Cortina, the 16-year-old Hickman’s medal try went horribly pear-shaped throughout her second run.

Hickman went for a bit of bit an excessive amount of on the run, failing to stay her touchdown after coming off the second rail, leading to her physique pitching ahead and basically face-planting into the snow.

As has been the case after any crash at these Olympics, there was a deathly silence across the course as Hickman lay immobile on her again awaiting medical help.

A stretcher was introduced out, however a lot to everybody’s aid, Hickman was miraculously in a position to stroll away from the incident.

Hickman confirmed super braveness to finish her third run, however after one other fall on her remaining soar, which jarred her sternum, she was despatched for X-rays.