Milan Winter Olympics 2/6 - 2/22 2026

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

It is not only that he crossed the line backwards. How on earth did he recover from the bounce (you cannot call that a fall)?

[skatingfan]

What's crazy about this is he won this heat because the other skier went out of bounds.

[ti-amie]

Rodger Sherman‬
‪@rodger.bsky.social‬
· 5h
NBC ran a piece where Mary Carrillo went to Norway to find out why they're so good at the Winter Olympics and i was yelling BECAUSE IT'S COLD THERE

then she went to a little tiny ski jump for kids and was like "it's free, equipment is provided, & they don't emphasize results"

and i was like.
oh!

"free/cheap/non-toxic youth sports" feels like one of those skeleton keys that would have knock-on effects accidentally fix 100 unrelated things about America

or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports

[ponchi101]

Because the USA is certainly a pathetic producer of athletes.
They have their system. You have yours.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

I've been watching Short Track but I will watch her skate.

[dryrunguy]

Watch out for the 17-year-old Japanese girl who won the bronze in figure skating (Japan finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th). She jumps like a feather and skates with a decent amount of maturity.

[ti-amie]

I ended up watching the entire Women's Free Skate Program. There were some highlights but of course the highlight was the final group.

The seventeen year old Nakai Ami has a very promising future ahead of her. Her skating is a bit immature but given her age that's to be expected.

I felt Sakamoto Kaori's pain. Having to come after Liu had to shatter your confidence. There were flashes of her greatness but her speed decreased as she went on.

And then there was Alysa Liu. There are people who are able to compartmentalize to the point that pressure doesn't bother her. I was surprised that she chose Donna Summer's version of MacArthur Park but wow did she do it justice. She was almost floating over the ice and her speed didn't decrease at all during her program. As many of us know the original is a slow, sad song. Donna's is the opposite and the joy of being free to face whatever comes came across in Alysa's skate.

One other thing I noticed is that Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski's approach to commentary has matured. They don't talk through people's performances and a lot of the cattiness has disappeared. They are informed, read the notes they're given about skaters, and tried to find the positive most of the time.

I know a lot of people don't like them but the reasons for not liking them, in my opinion have mostly gone away. If only tennis could get rid of the announcer who apparently stopped watching tennis in the 70's and had no idea what is going on in the sport he's commenting on.




If you click on the link to You Tube you can see her performance.

[ti-amie]

Winter Olympics 2026: China reportedly paid U.S.-born athletes, including Eileen Gu, nearly $14 million
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, Feb 14, 2026

Ever since Eileen Gu decided to compete under the flag of China, and not the United States where she was born, her citizenship has been the subject of scrutiny and controversy.

Born in San Francisco, she said her decision to switch allegiance back in 2019 had everything to do with “inspiring” children from the country of her mother at the Olympics in her home country. That would be the 2022 Beijing Games, where Gu won two golds and a silver for China in freestyle skiing.

She’s since become a millionaire many times over, mainly due to her online presence and endorsements, not her skiing. She was the fourth-highest earning female athlete in 2025, earning upwards of $23 million. According to Sportico, all but $20,000 of that $23 million came from endorsements.

Now, she’s back in the Olympics, still competing for China and, reportedly, being paid handsomely to do so.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Gu and Zhu Yi, a fellow American-born figure skater who now competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025 for “striving for excellent results in qualifying for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.” In all, the two were reportedly paid nearly $14 million over the past three years.

The payments were revealed when the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau budget was posted online with the names of Gu and Zhu. Their names have since been scrubbed from the public report.

Gu already has a silver in slopestyle in Italy, while Zhu — born Beverly Zhu in Los Angeles — is not competing in the 2026 Games.

"Sometimes it feels like I'm carrying the weight of two countries on my shoulders,” Gu said after winning silver in slopestyle. “Just being able to ski through all of that, you know. To still show my best and still be so deeply in love with the sport.

"That's really what I care about and I'm so happy to represent that today."

The subject of Gu’s citizenship remains shrouded in mystery. China does not allow dual citizenship, meaning Gu ostensibly had to give up her U.S. passport.

Gu will compete in two more events — women’s halfpipe and big air.


https://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/artic ... 10970.html

[ponchi101]

And why is this news? It is like Kazakhstan, paying Rybakina and Bublik to play under their flag. Or Qatar, which openly pays athletes to compete under their flag.
Gu is a gorgeous woman that is simply making the best of her talents. And you know the USA would not pay her anything extra to play for them.

[ti-amie]

And why is this news? It is like Kazakhstan, paying Rybakina and Bublik to play under their flag. Or Qatar, which openly pays athletes to compete under their flag.
Gu is a gorgeous woman that is simply making the best of her talents. And you know the USA would not pay her anything extra to play for them.

I kept reading all this stuff about Eileen Gu and I had no idea why. It was a big story in the US and I finally went to find out why.

[ti-amie]

[ptmcmahon]

Add in a gold for Gu in women's halfpipe today.