Hilary knight interview. Hilary Knight’s Vision for Women’s Hockey: Fighting for a Sustainable Future

How is Hilary Knight advocating for better conditions in women’s hockey. What challenges do female ice hockey players face in professional leagues. Why did over 200 top players boycott the NWHL in 2019. How does women’s hockey compare to men’s NHL in terms of pay and benefits.

The Shock of CWHL’s Collapse and Its Aftermath

In April 2019, as Hilary Knight and her USA teammates were preparing to depart for the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland, they received devastating news. The Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), one of North America’s two professional women’s ice hockey leagues, was folding. Knight, who had played for Les Canadiennes de Montréal in the CWHL, described the moment as “heart-breaking” in an interview with SportsPro.

Despite the setback, the USA team went on to clinch their ninth world title in Finland. However, they returned home facing an uncertain future for their sport. In response to the CWHL’s collapse and ongoing issues in women’s professional hockey, Knight and over 200 of the world’s top female ice hockey players made a bold move. Using the hashtag #ForTheGame, they announced their decision to sit out the 2019 season of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) and any other North American professional competition.

Why did the players take such drastic action?

Knight emphasized that this was not a boycott, but rather a call to action. “We’re a group of high-quality, elite talented players that have platforms off the ice, have tremendous success on the ice, and we just want something that’s sustainable and viable,” she explained. The players’ stance highlighted the need for significant improvements in the professional women’s hockey landscape.

Hilary Knight: A Champion On and Off the Ice

To understand the weight of Knight’s advocacy, it’s crucial to recognize her stellar career achievements. At 30 years old, Knight’s record rivals that of any athlete in team sports globally:

• Eight-time world championship winner
• 2018 Winter Olympics gold medalist
• 2013 CWHL Most Outstanding Player
• 2015 World Championships Tournament MVP

Beyond her on-ice accomplishments, Knight has been dubbed the face of women’s ice hockey in the United States by media outlets. She has leveraged this unofficial position of authority to draw attention to the inadequate salaries and benefits provided to professional female players.

The Reality of “Professional” Women’s Hockey

Knight’s criticism of the current state of professional women’s hockey is scathing. She argues that the term “professional” has been misapplied to leagues like the CWHL and NWHL for years. “To be honest, I don’t think it’s professional whatsoever,” Knight stated, explaining that the professionalism comes from the dedication of volunteers, athletes, and coaching staff rather than the league structure itself.

What are the financial realities for women’s hockey players?

The stark contrast between men’s and women’s professional hockey is evident in the numbers:

• NWHL salary cap: Cut from US$270,000 to US$100,000 per team in 2016
• NWHL minimum player salary: US$2,500
• NHL top earner (Connor McDavid): Reportedly paid US$15 million in 2018/19 season

While comparing the five-team NWHL to the NHL may seem reductive given the vast difference in revenue generation, it illustrates the enormous disparity in professional opportunities for male and female players.

Challenges Facing Women’s Professional Hockey

Knight highlights several key issues plaguing women’s professional hockey:

1. Insufficient salaries: Most players cannot earn a living wage
2. Lack of benefits: Many players do not receive healthcare
3. Second jobs: Many players must work additional jobs to support themselves
4. Limited growth model: Absence of a clear vision for league expansion and development

“If you pull back the curtain it’s really bare bones,” Knight explains. “Yes, it gave us a place to play and we’re grateful for that, but there wasn’t a grander vision to grow and there was no growth model.”

The Dream of True Professional Status

Knight and her fellow players aspire to reach a level of professionalism comparable to their male counterparts in the NHL. “You think about how they are able to wake up, go out there and do the sport that they love and it’s become their job, I think that’s something we aim to replicate,” she says.

Is achieving NHL-level professionalism realistic for women’s hockey?

While Knight acknowledges that reaching NHL levels of compensation and benefits will take time, she believes it’s a necessary goal. The players’ collective action is aimed at creating a sustainable future for women’s professional hockey, one that offers living wages, proper benefits, and opportunities for growth.

The Impact of Player Unity

The decision by over 200 top players to sit out the 2019 NWHL season sent shockwaves through the hockey world. This unprecedented show of unity demonstrated the players’ commitment to improving conditions in women’s professional hockey.

How has the players’ stance affected the landscape of women’s hockey?

The players’ actions have sparked conversations about the future of women’s professional hockey and put pressure on existing leagues and organizations to address long-standing issues. It has also opened the door for potential new initiatives and partnerships aimed at creating a more sustainable model for the sport.

Looking to the Future: Building a Sustainable Women’s Hockey League

Knight and her fellow players are not seeking to destroy existing structures but rather to build something better. “We’re not looking to destroy anything,” Knight emphasizes. Instead, they are advocating for a league that offers:

• Living wages for all players
• Comprehensive healthcare and benefits
• Professional-level training facilities and resources
• A clear growth model and vision for the future
• Increased visibility and marketing opportunities

The players believe that by addressing these fundamental issues, they can create a truly professional environment that will benefit current and future generations of female hockey players.

What role can fans and supporters play in this process?

Knight encourages fans to continue supporting women’s hockey and to advocate for better conditions for players. Increased attendance at games, engagement with players and teams on social media, and vocal support for initiatives aimed at improving the sport can all contribute to positive change.

The Broader Impact on Women’s Sports

The struggle faced by women’s hockey players is not unique to their sport. Many female athletes across various disciplines face similar challenges in terms of pay equity, professional opportunities, and recognition.

How might the actions of hockey players influence other women’s sports?

The unified stance taken by Knight and her colleagues could serve as a model for athletes in other sports facing similar issues. By drawing attention to the discrepancies between men’s and women’s professional sports, these players are contributing to a larger conversation about gender equality in athletics.

Furthermore, their actions highlight the need for sustainable business models in women’s sports that can support true professional leagues. This could inspire similar movements in other sports, potentially leading to widespread improvements in conditions for female athletes across the board.

The Role of Governing Bodies and Leagues

The collapse of the CWHL and the subsequent player boycott of the NWHL have put pressure on hockey governing bodies and leagues to address the issues facing women’s professional hockey.

What responsibilities do organizations like the NHL and IIHF have in supporting women’s hockey?

There have been calls for the NHL to take a more active role in supporting and potentially operating a women’s professional league, similar to the NBA’s involvement with the WNBA. While the NHL has expressed support for women’s hockey, it has not yet committed to establishing or directly backing a professional women’s league.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) also plays a crucial role in the development of women’s hockey globally. Increased investment in women’s tournaments, development programs, and initiatives to grow the game at the grassroots level could help create a stronger foundation for professional leagues.

Addressing the Revenue Gap

One of the primary challenges in establishing a sustainable women’s professional hockey league is the significant revenue gap compared to men’s leagues. Bridging this gap will be crucial for the long-term viability of women’s professional hockey.

How can women’s hockey increase its revenue streams?

Several strategies could help boost revenue for women’s professional hockey:

• Improved marketing and promotion to increase visibility
• Securing more lucrative broadcast deals
• Attracting major corporate sponsors
• Developing engaging digital content to connect with fans
• Creating compelling events and tournaments to showcase top talent

By focusing on these areas, a women’s professional hockey league could potentially generate the revenue needed to support living wages and benefits for players.

The Importance of Youth Development

Creating a sustainable future for women’s professional hockey also requires a strong focus on youth development and growing the sport at the grassroots level.

How can investing in youth programs benefit women’s professional hockey?

Developing robust youth programs can have several positive impacts:

1. Increasing the talent pool for future professional leagues
2. Growing the fan base from a young age
3. Creating more opportunities for girls to play hockey
4. Fostering a new generation of players who can advocate for better conditions

By investing in youth development, the hockey community can help ensure a bright future for women’s professional hockey.

Learning from Other Women’s Sports Leagues

As women’s hockey players fight for a better future, they can draw lessons from other women’s sports leagues that have faced similar challenges.

What can women’s hockey learn from the WNBA and NWSL?

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) have both made strides in recent years, though challenges remain. Some key lessons include:

• The importance of strong partnerships with established men’s leagues
• The value of collective bargaining agreements in securing better conditions for players
• The potential of innovative marketing strategies to attract new fans
• The role of high-profile players as advocates for the league

By studying these examples, women’s hockey can potentially avoid some pitfalls and accelerate its path to sustainability.

The Power of Media Coverage

Increased media coverage is crucial for the growth and sustainability of women’s professional hockey. Greater visibility can lead to increased fan engagement, sponsorship opportunities, and overall interest in the sport.

How can media coverage of women’s hockey be improved?

Several strategies could enhance media coverage of women’s hockey:

1. More regular broadcast slots on major sports networks
2. Increased digital content creation, including behind-the-scenes features and player profiles
3. Partnerships with streaming platforms to reach younger audiences
4. Encouraging more diverse voices in hockey journalism to tell women’s hockey stories
5. Highlighting international competitions and rivalries to create compelling narratives

By improving media coverage, women’s hockey can attract more fans, sponsors, and potential investors, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable professional league.

The Role of Male Allies in Women’s Hockey

Support from male players, coaches, and executives in the hockey world can play a significant role in advancing the cause of women’s professional hockey.

How can male allies contribute to the growth of women’s hockey?

Male allies can support women’s hockey in several ways:

• Publicly advocating for better conditions and opportunities for female players
• Participating in joint training sessions or exhibitions to showcase women’s skills
• Using their platforms to promote women’s hockey events and players
• Mentoring young female players and supporting youth development programs
• Encouraging their fans to support women’s hockey

By leveraging their influence and resources, male allies can help accelerate the growth and recognition of women’s professional hockey.

Embracing Innovation in League Structure

As players like Hilary Knight push for a more sustainable future, there may be opportunities to innovate in terms of league structure and business models.

What innovative approaches could benefit women’s professional hockey?

Some potential innovations to consider include:

1. A hybrid league model combining club teams with national team players
2. Integration of virtual and augmented reality experiences for fans
3. Player-owned league structures to give athletes more control over their careers
4. Partnerships with tech companies to develop new training and performance analysis tools
5. Creation of a global women’s hockey league with teams from multiple countries

By thinking creatively about league structure and embracing new technologies, women’s professional hockey could potentially leapfrog some of the challenges faced by traditional sports leagues.

The Long-Term Vision for Women’s Professional Hockey

While the current focus is on addressing immediate issues like player compensation and benefits, it’s important to consider the long-term vision for women’s professional hockey.

What does the ideal future of women’s professional hockey look like?

The ultimate goal for players like Hilary Knight is to create a thriving, sustainable professional league that offers:

• Competitive salaries allowing players to focus solely on hockey
• Comprehensive benefits packages including healthcare and retirement plans
• State-of-the-art training facilities and resources
• Regular national and international television coverage
• Robust fan bases in multiple markets
• Opportunities for career development both during and after playing years
• A clear path for young players from youth leagues to the professional level

Achieving this vision will require continued advocacy, innovation, and collaboration between players, leagues, governing bodies, and fans. The actions taken by Knight and her colleagues today are laying the groundwork for this future, aiming to create a legacy that will benefit generations of female hockey players to come.

Hilary Knight on the NWHL and fighting for a better future: ‘We’re not looking to destroy anything’

Hilary Knight and her USA teammates were preparing to fly to Finland for April’s 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship when the phone rang. With suitcases packed and equipment in tow, they huddled around as the individual on the other end of the call informed them that the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL), one of two professional competitions for female ice hockey players in North America, was folding.

“My initial reaction was that it was heart-breaking,” says Knight, speaking to SportsPro in May. “You think about all the fans and everyone that put in effort – the current players, former players. It’s a bummer that it’s folded, but at the same time I think it’s opened the door for other opportunities to come forward and hopefully we can build a more sustainable future together.”

As it happened, the USA would still leave Finland with their ninth world title, beating the hosts in a shootout in the final. Yet they returned home facing a much more uncertain future. Within weeks, using the hashtag #ForTheGame, Knight and more than 200 of the world’s top female ice hockey players had announced that they would not be participating in the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) in 2019 – or any professional competition in North America, for that matter – in a call to arms to address the current state of the sport.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘boycott’ by any means, because I think that’s the wrong label to it,” says Knight, who played for the CWHL’s Les Canadiennes de Montréal in 2018. “We’re a group of high-quality, elite talented players that have platforms off the ice, have tremendous success on the ice, and we just want something that’s sustainable and viable.”

For those that might be less familiar with Knight, the 30-year-old boasts a record to rival that of any athlete competing in a team sport around the world. Now an eight-time world championship winner, she added a previously elusive Winter Olympics gold to her honour roll in PyeongChang in 2018. On top of that, Knight has picked up countless individual accolades at college, club and international level, including the CWHL’s most outstanding player award in 2013 and tournament MVP at the 2015 world championships.

More pertinent to this discussion, though, is that Knight has also been christened by US media as the face of women’s ice hockey in the country, an unofficial position of authority she has used to draw attention to the insufficient salaries and benefits afforded to professional female players.

The NWHL’s salary cap was cut in 2016 after its inaugural season from US$270,000 to US$100,000 per team, with each player being paid a minimum of US$2,500. In contrast, Connor McDavid alone was paid a reported US$15 million by the Edmonton Oilers during the 2018/19 National Hockey League (NHL) season.

We attached the word ‘professional’ to the CWHL and NWHL for years now and, to be honest, I don’t think it’s professional whatsoever.

Comparing the five-team NWHL – where most players do not earn a living wage and, in many cases, must hold down second jobs – with its male equivalent is admittedly reductive given the stark difference in the revenues generated by the two leagues. For Knight, however, it at least demonstrates that the existing options for female ice hockey players in North America can be described as ‘professional’ in only the loosest sense of the word.

“We attached the word ‘professional’ to the CWHL and NWHL for years now and, to be honest, I don’t think it’s professional whatsoever,” she says. “I think what provides the professionalism is the volunteers and the way that the athletes and the coaching staff approach the way that they see the game and they want to see the game and want to bring it to the next level.

“But then there’s realising that when we were talking about a professional league, living off a couple thousand dollars, and not having healthcare and all these other ancillary issues, there’s nothing professional about that. So I think that’s where the disingenuousness we felt as a group came from.

Hilary Knight (right) and Kendall Coyne-Schofield celebrate winning gold at last year’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang

“If you pull back the curtain it’s really bare bones, and yes it gave us a place to play and we’re grateful for that, but there wasn’t a grander vision to grow and there was no growth model. That’s why you can compare it to the guys, but really it’s a zero to 100 per cent comparison. You think about how they are able to wake up, go out there and do the sport that they love and it’s become their job, I think that’s something we aim to replicate. 

“Granted it’s going to take us many years, we’re not saying we want the same salaries right now by any means, but that’s something that we want to grow to.”

In response to May’s announcement, the NWHL moved quickly to confirm that it is still working towards a start date of October for its 2019/20 season, when it will be offering increased salaries and a 50-50 revenue split from sponsorships and media rights deals.

Knight, though, is in no mood to pull punches. She is adamant that the NWHL – which does not disclose its budget or revenue – is not the solution, and that papering over the cracks in the short term will do no good for the longevity of the sport.

“No, I don’t think it’s sustainable, I don’t think it’s a viable option, and that’s why there are 200-plus women in the world willing to forego playing in it to build something better,” she asserts.  

“When I say that, we’re not out there looking to destroy anything – we’re just looking to build. We have a grander vision of what the sport should look like, not only from a players’ perspective, but also the needs of future generations. So I think that’s where the intent is, to really build and cultivate the best group of women to be able to go and do that.”

Knight (second from left) speaking alongside her USA teammates at the espnW Summit in October

Despite the absence of some of its most recognisable names – including the likes of Kendall Coyne-Schofield, who this year became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skills competition – the NWHL has been able to retain some of its top talent such as Madison Packer, the joint top scorer in the league’s history, who committed her future to the Metropolitan Rivers in May.

Indeed, not everyone is behind the decision of Knight and her peers to leave the NWHL behind. Critics argue that this year did, in fact, offer an opportunity to showcase the world’s female ice hockey stars on one stage. Packer herself has said publicly that she is not entirely clear as to what the group of players absent from this year’s competition are trying to achieve. Meanwhile Anya Battaglino, the NWHL Players Association director, warned in an official statement that the #ForTheGame movement would actually set women’s ice hockey ‘backward’.

Knight is keen to point out, however, that this mission transcends the existence of just one organisation, and is about creating a better platform for female ice hockey players at every level of the sport.

“I think a lot of the criticism has come from: ‘you have built up this phenomenal momentum in the sport and you’re going to lose that’, but I’d argue against that passionately,” she declares. “I think this opens up an opportunity for us to take our traditional game and flip it sort of on its head for a season.

We have a grander vision of what the sport should look like, not only from a players’ perspective, but also the needs of future generations.

“We’re going to go about this creatively, we’re going to continue the momentum and we’re going to create awesome content. We’re going to be in other cities which might not necessarily have seen professional or at least calibre professional hockey before, and we’re just going to make it work this year.”

Knight admits that details are still being ironed out as to exactly what that day-to-day operation will look like, but adds that there are “many different partners” and “a lot of sponsors” that want to be involved. 

“Sponsors and partners are critical to not only our individual success but our sport’s success”, asserts Knight, who herself has worked with Red Bull to create content shining a light on women’s ice hockey. “That’s something when I’m talking to the company and figuring out if we want to work together and if our values align: can I take women’s hockey to the next level? Can I increase visibility? If the answer is yes, then I think we’re in a good working format. ”

Straightening out a lot of the logistics for the next 12 months will no doubt also fall to the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), a new union formed in May to help coordinate training needs and develop sponsor support for those sitting out this season. That organisation launched echoing many of the sentiments that Knight and her fellow players have already trumpeted, but perhaps most notable was that it drove home the need to create better programmes for young girls looking to get into the sport.

“Don’t get me wrong,” says Knight, “it’s going to be great for us whatever we decide to build and partner with or sponsors and whatnot. But really the benefactors are the girls that are growing up now so they have a career path. It’s going to do great for many different reasons, but I think just the fact that more people are going to get involved with the sport and you’ll have more girls active and healthy and athletic is awesome. ”

What will be most important, though, is that those taking up the sport have a pinnacle to aim for. The NWHL itself has said it is open to discussing the possibility of forming a new professional league should the right backers come forward, stating that it will ‘always do what’s best for the game’, even if that were to mean helping to establish a new organisation. However, that particular promise was accompanied by an admission that the NWHL has not yet held discussions with any investors it believes have the necessary funds to create a more sustainable alternative.

Some within the game have argued that the best-case scenario would be for the NHL to step in and create a new women’s league based on the model of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), which has a formal relationship with, and is essentially bankrolled by, its male counterpart. Despite not owning a controlling stake in any professional women’s league, the NHL contributed US$50,000 to both the NWHL and CWHL last season but made no further commitments.

Knight looks on during a visit to the NHL headquarters in March last year

The NHL’s expertise would undoubtedly be invaluable in terms of sourcing sponsorships and broadcast deals, as well as helping to grow attendances, but commissioner Gary Bettman has said that he is not interested in running a women’s league while one still operates. That position was reasserted by deputy commissioner Bill Daly earlier this year, when he noted that the NWHL remains “an existing league with an existing organisation and business plan”, adding that the NHL “do not intend to interfere with their business or their objectives”.

“I think that’s a question for NHL,” says Knight, when asked whether #ForTheGame might stir the men’s organisation into action. “I don’t work for them. I think as a kid you grow up and you watch the NHL and you want to be a part of the NHL. I don’t think that’s ever changed, but in terms of what they’ve done for women’s hockey, I know their support has been extremely generous so far without even having a major stake in either league, and also their support from the grassroots level and the national team has been great, but that’s definitely a question for them.

“I can only emphasise that the future looks extremely bright for our sport, and I’m really excited about opportunities to come, whatever those look like.”

We’re going to go about this creatively, we’re going to continue the momentum and we’re going to create awesome content.

Whatever the outcome of the next year or so might be, Knight says she is prepared to take a stand for as long as it takes. There is no guarantee that the next 12 months will inspire change, nor that a pot of gold will appear at the end of it. Having someone of Knight’s stature and visibility will help, but it is the power of the collective that the American believes will really make people sit up and take notice.

“I think that’s what’s really special about our group is sort of this selflessness,” she explains. “It’s not going to be easy, this year’s going to be extremely difficult. It’s going to be fun and exciting but there is some nervousness and some anxiousness because you want to be able to play the sport that you love – now we’re going to have to put together our own structure to be able to do it.

“To have 200-plus powerful women in the world say we’re going to forego this season to build something better I think that just speaks to the character and the quality of individuals that we have involved. 

“You go about this for many years and you get out of college and you’re really excited and then you realise that the sport’s not where you thought it was, and a couple years down the line you realise: ‘if I don’t change it then who’s going to change it?’ Luckily we’ve got the right group now to do it.”

Yet women’s ice hockey players are not the only female athletes calling for change. Gender inequality in sport has been thrust under the microscope in recent times, and nowhere more so than in North America, where the Fifa Women’s World Cup-winning US national soccer team have been taking on their own federation in a quest for equal pay and working conditions.

And like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan and many of the other female athletes currently driving women’s sport forward, there is a stoic determination about Knight that certainly resonates.

Knight believes the future looks “extremely bright” for women’s ice hockey

“It’s important to maintain that visibility and continue to have these conversations and the dialogue and have people chime in,” she says. “I know people will say women’s sport doesn’t sell enough tickets and comments like that. You can’t combat each one individually but I think our success in the long run is going to silence that backlash for sure.

“This is a difficult sport because it’s not very often that you show up at a rink and you have to plan to be able to play, and it requires a lot of sacrifices from the family, whether that’s financial or time. But once these opportunities truly present themselves and become more readily available and more diverse I think we’re going to see the sport get to new heights that it’s never seen before.

“Part of that is developing other countries at an international level, but if that trickles down it’s going to help the grassroots development as well. So we’re trying to create that vision so people can see it, buy into it and invest in it – but also sign up for it and be a part of it.”

Hilary Knight — How This Olympic Gold Medalist Is Building a Sustainable Future for US Women’s Hockey

Few professional hockey players have experienced sustained success on the ice like Hilary Knight. A native of Palo Alto, California, Knight followed in the footsteps of her future Team USA teammate and past TGP guest, Angela Ruggiero, when she attended Choate Rosemary Hall. Following boarding school, Knight went on to lead the Wisconsin Badgers to two National Championship games, including an NCAA Championship trophy in her Sophomore season, a year when she became the Badgers record-holder for points, goals and power-play goals in one season. She extended that success into her Olympic career where she won silver medals in 2010 and 2014, and most recently a gold medal in the 2018 winter Olympics.

Knight has been a professional hockey player for nine years, and the game has become her personal mission off the ice as an outspoken leader rallying against subpar playing conditions and compensation.

Rather than settle for less, Knight, along with more than 200 other professional hockey players walked away from the game to form the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). 

Today, Knight has teamed up with other players on the 2021 Dream Gap Tour, a group of PWHPA players traveling around the US and Canada to call attention to the game of Women’s Hockey. The tour kicks off later this month on February 28 with the first-ever professional women’s hockey game hosted at Madison Square Garden.

About The Game Plan

The Game Plan is a weekly SportTechie podcast hosted by venture capitalists Jay Kapoor and Tim Katt. The show features professional athletes and their business interests beyond sports.

You can follow us on Twitter (@thegameplanshow) and Instagram (@gameplanshow) for show news and updates, to recommend guests, and for bonus content! Follow co-hosts Jay Kapoor (@JayKapoorNYC) and Tim Katt (@Tim_Katt) for all things sports, media, tech, and venture capital.

Question? Comment? Story idea? Let us know at [email protected]

Hilary Knight on reaching the gold-medal game

Team USA defeated Finland 5-0 to reach the gold-medal game in women’s ice hockey. After the game, our hockey analyst in PyeongChang, Colby Cohen, caught up with Hilary Knight.

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Hilary Knight Interview Part 1: On Growing the Game

Hilary Knight Interview Part 1: On Growing the Game

Originally Posted: Today’s Slapshot, October 17th, 2015

By, Kaitlin Cimini

Hilary Knight is one of the hardest-working women in women’s hockey. From appearances to speeches, women’s empowerment campaigns, films and then, of course, actually training for and playing ice hockey, Knight is scheduled from the time she wakes up through next Sunday.

“There aren’t enough hours in the day for what I have to do,” she told me, chuckling a little before the start of a phone interview. She feels a responsibility to represent women’s hockey, she said, and to that end she’s painfully generous with her time, even re-recording answers that glitched out the first time around. (Author’s note: I hate my recording app.)

This is the first of a two-part interview, the first of which focuses on a recent film collaboration by the Mundo Sisters and espnW that focused on Knight, aptly titled “KNIGHTER.” We discussed just how accurate a representation the film was of her drive to grow women’s hockey, as well as her training in and of itself.

The second half centers more around her recent signing with the NWHL and what prompted her move from the CWHL, which had been her hockey home for years, to the startup league based in New York.

Kate Cimini for Today’s Slapshot: Talking about the film itself – what was your impression of it, and how did the very serious tone sit with you?

Hilary Knight: My first impression was that it was very intense. I think it captured the tone very well because what I’m trying to do and what my teammates are trying to do is very intense. At the same time I’m a very lighthearted, make-other-people-laugh kind of person, so I’d obviously like to show that at some point, too.

Though the documentary is about me but at the same time there are so many other people with me who’ve helped me to be who I am.

My teammates are obviously a driving force in that support system. It’s great being a part of the documentary, but there are so many other teammates who play into this picture. I can’t score a goal unless there are four or five plays made before the puck actually gets to my stick.

There’s a lot of hard work that goes into this for you. What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day is: I’m up at 5:50 or 6, and in the gym at 6:50, no later than 7. We work out for two hours, and then I’ve got treatment at the gym. That leads me to 10:30, 11. At 11 I’m going to grab a bite to eat, pick up my hockey bag and head over to the rink for some small skills sessions. Then after that I’m doing emails, phone calls and developing different projects to continue the momentum and the buzz of women’s hockey, and really to make a pop culture shift and align women’s ice hockey with the right people to continue to gain traction as a sport.

What inspired you to continue to work and grow women’s hockey, the sport and the awareness of it?

To be honest, I thought when I graduated college that I could make money doing something that I loved, just being able to play hockey. I thought I could make money from this skill I had developed. Those professional players you see on tv, I thought that would be me. And then realizing once I graduated college that was really far from the truth. I had to pick up a lot of side things to supplement my dream of just being an Olympic athlete.

What was the turning point for you?

Moving to Boston with $1500 in my pocket. [Laughs.] There was a lot of knocking on doors and getting them shut in my face, a lot of, “we think you’re great, but we don’t know what we can do with you.”

I remember one day sitting in a parking lot at Stop & Shop, seeing this guy collect carts. I called my mom, just crying. Nothing against this guy, but he’s pushing shopping carts and he’s getting paid more than I am. And here I am, I have a college degree, I’ve been to the Olympics and I’m training for another one. I don’t know how to make this all work.

It was really scary at the time, and my mom said, ‘Well, why don’t you just get another job?’

Not that anyone would understand unless they’ve been to the Olympics, but it’s very hard to put your full whole-heartedness into not just training for the Olympics, but being the best in the world.

Supplementing that with a side job really impedes what you’re trying to do in the smallest ways: whether it’s not getting that extra hour of free time to get your mental capacity back, not getting sleep or the conference you’re at doesn’t provide the right nutrition to fuel your body; there’s all these little things that over the course of time, really compound into something greater and detract from your ultimate goal.

You said you were working to build women’s hockey as a sport. Do you think you’ve accomplished that?

Yeah, in part. This is only the beginning, to be honest. It was so hard to even convince people that there was a market there. And now people are convinced, they see the market, they see the viewership isn’t only contingent on the Olympics and can be continued through the other three years leading up to the Olympics.

It’s a very exciting time to be in this sport but at the same time we’ve done a lot of legwork to get it to this part.

What is it like to be a pro woman athlete and train at an elite level? Is it freeing, or is it lonely, is it exciting?

I’m really lucky because I made the decision to stay in Boston and train with my other teammates who live there. We’ve got our support system there. But on the other hand, you are making personal sacrifices. You’re not going out with your friends all the time. If I log into Facebook a lot of my friends are getting engaged, having babies or moving on with their lives. At some point you hit that lull and you wonder what you’re doing with your life.

You have to remind yourself that you’re chasing a dream. You’re fulfilling this journey you set out on and it’s going to be the most satisfying thing when you get to the end of that journey and bring home what you put all this hard work into.

It’s just important to surround yourself with really good people so when you do hit those lulls you can kind of lean on them, they can lean on you and you can gain motivation and inspiration from one another.

I think that’s the easiest way to put it. It’s definitely challenging. You have to make a lot of sacrifices because in the end, it’s going to be worth it because you’re doing something you love.

Let’s backtrack for a quick second and let’s talk about the media’s embracing of you after the 2014 Olympics. How did you manage that?

Day by day. [Laughs] Sometimes you’re getting all these interviews and you have to respond to all these emails and you’re traveling all over the world and it gets really tiring. But when I sit and think about it I am very lucky and very fortunate to be in the position that I’m in and have the voice that I have. I think voice is the biggest thing. I’ve worked so hard just to play hockey that on the back end of that I’ve developed this stage to speak about different issues, whether it’s body image or just inspiring people through social media.

It’s also realizing that it’s not just about me, and what I feel, it’s about how I can impact other people worldwide in a positive way. It does get heavy at times, but at the same time I’ve got my teammates around me and we’re all in this together.

To read the original story, click through to Today’s Slapshot.

Posted on: October 21, 2015

Permalink | Posted in: Hilary Knight, Hockey, News |

‘She was an instant bestseller and has been in print ever since’

Offstage, Kay loved ad-libbing in the character – and voice – of a six-year-old called Eloise. DD Ryan urged her to turn this character into a book. Kay wrote some pages. I made some drawings. DD marched us off to see a publisher, and he snapped it up, giving ‘Eloise’ the subtitle, ‘A Book For Precocious Grown-Ups.’

Kay wrote marvellous free-flowing scat cadenzas, like song lyrics, with glorious Eloise-isms like ‘skibble’ and ‘sklank’. I pictured Eloise in continuous motion, skibbling [bustling] through the lobby of the Plaza. Visually, I drew on various inspirations for Eloise, including the work of my parents, both distinguished artists. I also adored English illustrators like Ronald Searle with his anarchic St Trinian’s schoolgirls.

As in so many classics for children, Eloise’s parents are conspicuously absent. Her mother phones once a year on Christmas Eve, but her father is never so much as mentioned. Groucho Marx, one of her admirers, once said: ‘I admire Eloise enormously – and am very happy that I am not her father.’ In loco parentis is Nanny, a delightfully indulgent English retainer who lives with Eloise, and her pets – a pug named Weenie, and Skipperdee the turtle – in a vast suite on the Plaza’s top floor.

Eloise was an instant best-seller and has been in print ever since. Her fans included Noel Coward, Liza Minnelli, Lauren Bacall and Groucho Marx. When Kay flew to Paris to co-star in the film Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire, we produced Eloise in Paris. Later, Eloise at Christmastime, Eloise in Moscow and Eloise Takes a Bawth joined the list.

Since then, Eloise has featured in two films – with Julie Andrews (natch) as her devoted Nanny – and an animated TV series. Now, she even has a website, and my portrait of Eloise, which hung for many years at the Plaza Hotel, will be one of the exhibits at The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles when it opens next year.

Over the years, I’ve illustrated more than 50 books and written a few myself, but Eloise was the first.

—Interview by Philip Glassborow

Hilary Knight: Drawn from Life, a lavishly illustrated autobiography, will be published soon.

The Eloise books are published by Simon & Schuster

“A Rare Privilege”: Entering Modigliani’s Studio

Art & Photography

“A Rare Privilege”: Entering Modigliani’s Studio

Director of Digital for Tate, Hilary Knight explains how virtual reality made it possible to revisit the studio of one of art history’s greatest names

How is Tate using technology to transform the way we experience art?

Hilary Knight: Our mission at Tate is to increase the public’s enjoyment, engagement with, and understanding of art. Access is at the heart of that mission, and we’re putting Tate’s Collection online, so that it can be viewed by people who can’t necessarily visit our galleries.

We’re also creating content and experiences that encourage greater engagement with art, while providing insight into how we collect. Tate is international in focus, and we want to show art that is relevant to people from all over the world. But we’re also a national institution, with a collection that is for the UK – we want to show that it’s for everyone, and that everyone has the right to art.  As an organisation, we also have a responsibility to make sure we’re using technology, so that everyone can access our art – from the internet and social media, to VR.  

Can you introduce Modigliani’s Ochre Atelier?

We were working on a significant exhibition of Modigliani’s works and wanted to integrate a digital experience that would provide visitors with a form of interpretation that was different to the texts on our gallery walls. We quickly chose virtual reality as a way of doing that, as it’s such a powerful, visceral way of communicating.

It was important for us that we fully embraced this technology, and that the experience was very much part of the exhibition. We worked closely with Preloaded, and initially thought of recreating a Parisian café which we knew the artist had frequented, to provide biographical context.

While planning the exhibition, however, the curator was introduced to a lady who owned Modigliani’s studio. We were given a unique opportunity to visit and knew that we wanted to create a personal experience. Visiting the studio of such a famous artist, so long after his death, was a rare privilege which we wanted to share with our visitors.  

How did virtual reality transform visitors’ experience?

The experience makes it possible to spend a few minutes in Modigliani’s personal work space, which we reimagined through rigorous historical research. We read through letters from friends who visited the studio, people who had decorated it, and models who sat for him. We looked at sketches his partner Jeanne made while she was living there, to see what was in the background – things like his stove, which we created in VR.

At the same time, we researched Modigliani’s materials. A detailed technical study of one of his portraits revealed the chemical content of his paint, establishing that he bought ready-mixed colours, rather than grinding his own pigment – telling us about the materials he would have had in his space.

Other artworks told us where he bought his canvases and stretchers, and we used Google maps to find the shop, which was just three minutes from his studio. While none of his paint tubes survive, it’s extremely likely that this is also where he bought his paint and brushes. We have brushes in our Tate Archive, which we were able to scan and recreate in VR.

We looked at the background of things he painted at the time and know from first-hand accounts that he repainted the walls of his studio in patches to correspond with these colours. While the extent of our research isn’t immediately apparent, it does mean that the experience stands up to academic scrutiny and can be trusted as a source of genuine insight.  

What was your favourite thing about the project?

The research was really special – it felt like detective work. But I was also delighted to attend the exhibition opening and see the response of the people who had loaned some of the works – an elderly couple who had lived with the art, experiencing Modigliani’s studio in VR.

We put a lot of work into making an experience that was as frictionless as possible. When visitors took off their headsets, they were delighted and moved – and, crucially, felt that they had learned something. Witnessing the joy that the Ochre Atelier brought people, both young and old, remains one of my favourite things about the project.  

What’s the future for Virtual Reality in museums like Tate?

I think we’ve demonstrated that there a place for virtual reality in the gallery, as a way of helping people to connect on an emotional level – understanding art through feeling, as well as learning facts. I think there is something interesting about using VR to take people to places they couldn’t otherwise access, and it’s also something that an increasing number of artists are exploring.   

Hilary Knight Phone Number, Address, Public Records

90,000 For this magazine, Zlatan, Conor and Serena were shot naked. And also – a runner with a prosthesis and a 77-year-old golfer – Siesta – Blogs

Inside – not only photos, but also stories.

At the end of the 2000s, the economic crisis hit the American media giant ESPN: there were fewer advertising pages in its magazine (by 24%), because people bought gloss less often. We got out of the situation with dignity: in October 2009, ESPN presented a special issue of Body Issue. The format is as simple as possible: famous athletes pose naked, sometimes playing on some movement characteristic of their sport.ESPN formulated the mission of the special issue as follows: to praise the strength of athletes.

The Body Issue already had a powerful competitor. Back in the 60s, the American magazine Sports Illustrated came up with an annual issue with athletes and models in swimsuits (it is mega-profit, brings 7-10 percent of SI’s annual revenue). ESPN’s concept is slightly different: a more obvious connection with sports, including men and athletes of different physiques posing. The photo session is always accompanied by an interview; over time, Body Issue has also become a platform for athletes to speak out.

This year, Body Issue celebrates its 10th anniversary, during which time more than 200 athletes from different sports (from football to golf) participated in the filming, including superstars: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (interviewed in his own manner – he said that he how wine grows prettier over the years, and haters motivate it, but over time even they become fans), Serena and Venus Williams, Conor McGregor, Manny Pacquiao and even Megan Rapino. In 2011, Russian tennis player Vera Zvonareva starred for the magazine (then she was in the top of the women’s tour).

Body Issue took off thanks to Serena. She was the first to agree to shoot

ESPN needed a big front cover star to get it off the ground and make Body Issue a commercial success.

Serena Williams became her. In 2009, the American collected titles and fiercely competed with Dinara Safina. In April, the Russian woman became the first racket, but Serena finished the year on the first line. In the Australian Open final, she beat Safina in two sets and took third Wimbledon.

Serena was easily convinced. The ESPN Editor-in-Chief approached her on the red carpet at the ESPY Athlete of the Year Awards and outlined the idea of ​​the Body Issue to her. Serena asked, “Would you put me on the cover?” The editor said yes.

20 athletes posed for the first number. The debut issue featured six alternative covers featuring Serena, race car driver Carl Edwards, NFL player Adrian Peterson, basketball player Dwight Howard, fighter Gina Carano (MMA) and paratriathlete Sarah Reinertsen.

The first Body Issue sold twice the regular ESPN numbers, with 35% more revenue than the regular issue. It was the number with Serena on the cover that sold most powerfully.

In 2016, another Body Issue superstar was Conor McGregor. He was photographed with bare buttocks, this photo made it to the main site of ESPN. Readers flooded the editorial office with angry letters.

ESPN editor Jim Brady conducted a study: absolutely all respondents under 30 did not mind the photo, everyone over 40 (except one) considered the photo inappropriate for the main page.Brady’s conclusion made such a younger generation more free. The internet and social media have removed the barriers that once hid profanity and nudity from the general public.

The most textured heroes: Paralympic athlete of Ukrainian origin; transgender triathlete; 77-year-old golfer

The success of Body Issue in the contrast of athletes, ESPN poses no barriers: neither in field, nor in age, nor in physique. Below is some evidence.

Paralympic athlete Oksana Masters in 2012 posed for Body Issue without prostheses – she did rowing, and then switched to winter sports (at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang she took gold in the 1. 1 km ski sprint and 5 km race).

The girl has a very difficult fate. Oksana was born in Ukraine, in the city of Khmelnitsky. The girl was born with developmental defects: deformity of the legs (the left one is about 15 cm shorter than the right one), five fused fingers (there were no thumbs) and six toes on the feet.Her parents abandoned her, until she was seven years old, Oksana was brought up in a poor orphanage in terrible conditions. “If we were lucky, we got a little soup. But mostly they only gave a piece of bread, and sometimes we went to bed without anything at all, ”Oksana recalled.

In the shelter, the girl was physically and sexually abused. At the age of 7, she was adopted by an American. Soon after moving to the United States, doctors decided that Oksana should have her leg amputated, and a few years later the other was also amputated. But Masters found herself in sports.

Body Issue is a very important platform for Oksana: “When my legs were amputated for the first time, it was difficult to stay positive and feel pretty. Many people do not know that a person with a disability can be a strong, handsome and successful athlete. I am proud of my back. And my forearms are pretty steep.

True, I was not always confident in myself. Yes, I am proud that I have prostheses and that I do my own thing.But I fought for a long time. Rowing and my boyfriend helped. He makes me feel comfortable and the most beautiful girl in the world – sounds so silly, but it’s true. For a long time I did not want to admit that I was different, that I had no legs. But I noticed the beautiful parts of my body. ”

***

In 2013, legendary 77-year-old golfer Gary Player posed for the Body Issue. He agreed to a photo shoot to declare war on old age. “I want to show the world that at this age it is not necessary to just accept old age.I still work at the ranch, design golf courses, travel seven months a year. You need to constantly move. If you sit on your ass and watch TV all day, you will die. ”

In 2015, 25-year-old Amanda Bingson, the US record holder in hammer throw with a non-standard figure, got on the cover. “Usually, when you look at athletes, you see their muscles and everything. I have nothing like that. I would call myself dense. I think it’s important to show that athletes come in all shapes and sizes. “Bingson said that she loves her body, and if she takes a prize at the Olympics, she will just drink a beer (unfortunately, she performed poorly).

The real breakthrough came in 2016: triathlete Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender athlete to star in a special. “I’ve wanted to get into Body Issue for over a year. I was inspired by the fact that I finally feel in harmony with the body. I was in a body that was not suitable for me for 29 years, now I feel very comfortable. “

The magazine is criticized for sexual objectification. Tennis player Radwanska was expelled from the religious organization after filming

Despite regular filming of people with unusual appearance for many readers, ESPN Body Issue is also criticized for sexual objectification (treating a person only as an object for sexual gratification).

Ice Hockey Player Hilary Knight

Tennis player Daniela Gantukhova

Surfer Stephanie Gilmore

Gymnast Alicia Sacramone

Surfer Claire Bevilacqua

American Female Golfer

Huffingon Post columnist Hayley Halverson thinks Body Issue is so popular because ESPN understands so well that sex is for sale.Brian Smith, author of the sports organization website Athletes in Action, called the Body Issue light porn and accused ESPN of generating traffic through lust. In support of his words, the man quoted the Gospel of Matthew: “Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

In 2013, Polish tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska posed for Body Issue. The girl is very religious and even starred in a promotional video urging young Poles to be proud of the Catholic faith.

After filming, Agnieszka was removed from her post as ambassador of the Catholic church group Youth Crusade, which considered her appearance in the magazine immoral. “It’s a shame that the one who spoke about love for Jesus now encourages men who look at a woman as a thing, and not at a child of God, worthy of respect and love,” explained the priest Marek Dziewiecki.

Radwanska quickly reacted and explained everything in detail: “The Body Issue celebrates the beauty of the bodies of the best athletes in the world.For him, both men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes are filmed. For example, Colin Kaepernick, 77-year-old golfer Gary Player and pregnant Kerri Walsh Jenning. My fellow tennis players also took part: Serena Williams, Daniela Gantukhova and Vera Zvonareva.

The photos were not meant to offend anyone, and they cannot be called immoral without considering the context of the magazine. I train very hard to keep my body in shape, that was the essence of the interview and the magazine.

Some media have suggested that I was paid for the photo shoot.But this is not the case at all. Neither me nor the other athletes were paid. I agreed to participate to help young people, especially girls, play sports, stay fit and healthy. ”

***

In September, ESPN released the last print edition of the Body Issue. As always, there are many celebrities in the room: Chris Paul, Evander Kane and Amanda Nunez. And also – 31-year-old runner Scout Bassett, who lost her right leg in a fire (this happened when she was a baby).

She explains why she took the photo: “Sometimes the girls tell me, ‘I’m not sure I want to run, these prostheses are so scary.’It just kills me. This is why I was filming for Body Issue. I want the girls to see me and say, “This is strong, beautiful and stunning.”

Photo: espn.com

Beautiful athletes. | Blogger Ballinta on SPLETNIK.RU April 17, 2015

Daria Klishina, athletics

Sloane Stevens, tennis

Anastasia Yankova, Thai boxing

Kiira Korpi, figure skating

Sally Fitzgibbons, surfing

Stephanie Rice, voyage

Michelle Jennecke, running

Alex Morgan, soccer

Antonia Misura, basketball

Marta Menegatti, tennis

Lesya Makhno, volleyball

Saniya Mirza, tennis

Alexandra Saitova, curling

Skylar Diggins, basketball

Maria Sharapova

Lindsay Vonn, alpine skiing

Hope Solo, soccer (goalkeeper)

Alena Alekhina, snowboard

Malia Jones, surfing

Silier Norendahl, snowboard

Gina Carrano, fighting without rules

Sisters Anna and Olga Dmitriev, single combats

Danica Patrick, auto racing

Anna Rawson Golf

Biba Golik, table tennis

Kelly Cartwright, running

Hillary Knight, hockey

Sandrine Gruda, basketball

Su Yong Lee, table tennis

(c) zozhnik. ru, rusfan.ru

Updated on 17/04/15 16:23 :

Olga Funny, snowboard

Thanks to Tanya_P for the tip!)

Updated on 17/04/15 16:28 :

Natalia Obmochaeva (Goncharova), volleyball

Thanks to oly for the tip.

Updated on 17/04/15 17:38 :

Alena Zavarzina, snowboard

Thanks to oly and tazla for the tip.)

Updated on 17/04/15 17:50 :

Anna Fenninger, alpine skiing

Lara Gut, alpine skiing

Julia Mancuso, alpine skiing

Thanks to Foxi2012.

Updated on 17/04/15 17:54 :

Ekaterina Vandaryeva, Thai boxing

Thanks to Aenye.

Updated on 17/04/15 18:01 :

Mari Laukkanen, biathlon, skiing

Thanks to Moryachka

Updated on 17/04/15 18:24 :

Eugenie Bouchard, tennis

Thanks to Madchen.

Updated on 17/04/15 18:29 :

Liv-Grete Poiret Biathlon

Thanks to kristabelle.

Updated on 17/04/15 18:33 :

Kari Tro, freestyle

Thanks to kristabelle.

Updated on 17/04/15 18:37 :

The real Natalia Goncharova (Obmochaeva), earlier in the photo under this signature was Tatyana Kosheleva.

Updated on 17/04/15 18:47 :

Dorothea Wierer, biathlon

Ann Christine Flatland Biathlon

Thanks to Moryachka

Updated on 17/04/15 19:08 :

Gabriel Rees Beach Volleyball

Thanks shams.

Sabina Altynbekova, volleyball

Thanks to Keerso.

Updated on 17/04/15 19:11 :

Ekaterina Gamova, volleyball

Thanks to irresistible7

Updated on 17/04/15 21:03 :

Marie Dorin-Habert Biathlon

Thank you eliza4

Updated on 17/04/15 21:11 :

Serena Williams, tennis

Thanks to Kaisa

Updated on 17/04/15 21:19 :

Kaisy Mäkäräinen Biathlon

Thanks to iEva.

Updated on 17/04/15 21:50 :

FIX: Lindsay Vonn Alpine Skiing

Lara Gut, alpine skiing

I’m sorry, Google and I sometimes get confused!)))

Thanks for the meticulousness of Konold.

Updated on 17/04/15 22:50 :

Dorothea Wierer, biathlon

Previously, under this name there was a photo of Nadezhda Pisareva, also a biathlete. ((((

90,000 results of the 14th day of the Olympics – RT in Russian

The 14th day of the XXIII Winter Olympics ended in Pyeongchang.The battles for medals took place mainly without the participation of Russian athletes. The exceptions were short trackers Ekaterina Efremenkova and Alexander Shulginov, as well as alpine skier Alexander Khoroshilov. However, Efremenkova and Shulginov failed to qualify for the semifinals, and Khoroshilov took 17th place in the slalom. Also on Thursday, the US women’s ice hockey team won gold at the Games for the first time since 1998, and Belarusian biathletes won the relay. The results of the Olympic day are in the RT material.

20 years later

One of the main events of the 14th day of the Olympics was the final of the women’s ice hockey tournament.The fate of the gold medals was determined in the confrontation between the main favorites of the competition – the national teams of Canada and the United States. For the first time, women’s hockey appeared at the 1998 Games in Nagano. Then the Stars and Stripes won, but that was where their successes ended. In Salt Lake City, Turin, Vancouver and Sochi, Canadians invariably won gold, and in three decisive matches out of four, they defeated their geographical neighbor.

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From the very beginning, the athletes from the USA showed their determination to win. They more often threw at the opponent’s goal and forced the Canadians to break the rules. With 26 seconds before the end of the first period, Robb Stauber’s charges took the lead – Hilary Knight scored. However, it took the Canadians only seven minutes to restore parity and come out ahead – the washers were thrown by Hayley Irwin and Marie-Philip Poulin.

Nevertheless, girls from the Country of the Maple Leaf failed to become five-time champions of the Games.Six minutes before the end, Monique Lamuro-Morando equalized the score in the match. The 28-year-old American scored the puck after a gross error of her rivals, who went to replace the whole five and missed a counterattack.

The fate of the meeting was decided in a series of post-match shootouts, where luck was on the side of the Americans. The Stars and Stripes won 3-2 and won Olympic gold for the first time in 20 years.

After the match, the Canadians struggled to find words to describe what had happened.

“We are very upset.Not with such a medal, we wanted to leave the ice today. But we fought to the last, represented our country with dignity, and we have nothing to reproach ourselves with. I think it’s awful that the fate of the Olympics gold was decided by shootouts, where everything depends on individual merits, not team merits, but these are the rules, ”RIA Novosti quotes the goalkeeper of the Canadian national team Shannon Sebados.

Weak consolation for the losers was the award for the most valuable player in the Olympics, which was given to forward Melody Ven. In five matches of the tournament, she scored seven points (three goals and four assists).

Triumph

In biathlon, medals were played in the women’s relay. The Russians did not take part in it due to the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to invite a number of athletes to the competition. As a result, only Tatyana Akimova and Ulyana Kaisheva went to South Korea.

The race took place in difficult weather conditions. The biathletes had to fight not only with rivals, but also with heavy snowfall, which interfered with both moving along the track and working on the firing lines.

The representatives of Belarus, headed by Daria Domracheva, coped with the elements best of all. They worked most accurately on the firing lines: they spent only nine additional rounds and did not run a single penalty loop. The second place was taken by the representatives of Sweden and France. As a result, Hannah Oeberg surpassed Anais Bescon with a move and brought her team silver medals.

As for Domracheva, she became the first biathlete to win four gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games.The 31-year-old athlete has won the highest medals in the pursuit, mass start and individual race at the 2014 Games in Sochi, as well as a triumph in the women’s 4 × 6 km relay at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The main losers can be considered the German national team. The Germans approached the race in the status of the main favorite, but could not cope with the shooting. Franziska Preuss, Denise Herrmann and Franziska Hildebrand had to enter the penalty loops, leaving the team no hope for medals. As a result – only eighth place.

Without Russians

In addition to biathlon, without the participation of Russians, medals were played in four types of programs. The first were the performances of snowboarders in the big air discipline. Gold was won by Anna Gasser, who outstripped American Jamie Anderson and New Zealander Zoe Sadowski-Sinnott. It is noteworthy that at the Games in Sochi, the 26-year-old Austrian performed in slopestyle and became only tenth.

American David Wise became the gold medalist in the halfpipe, just 0.8 points ahead of his compatriot and World Cup leader Alex Ferreiro.The future winner thwarted the first two attempts, but in the third he showed the best result of the day. Bronze went to Niko Porteos from New Zealand.

In downhill skiing, the Vancouver Olympic champion in this discipline Lindsay Vonn showed the best time. However, in slalom, the American missed one of the gates and dropped out of the fight for awards. As a result, Swiss Michelle Gisin and Wendy Holdener won gold and bronze medals, and Michaela Shiffrin from the USA won the silver medal.

The medalists in the ski nordic combination tournament have been determined.In ski jumping, the Austrians showed the best result, thanks to which they secured a groundwork for the ski relay. However, at a distance they were not so strong and eventually won only bronze, losing more than a minute to the winners. Gold went to athletes from Germany and silver to Norway.

Veteran

In the men’s slalom, the Swede Andre Muhrer became the Olympic champion. The 35-year-old athlete began his career in 2004, but only 14 years later was able to win his first Games gold. Prior to that, his best achievement at the Olympics was bronze in Vancouver. Austrian Ramon Zehnhoisernu climbed to the second step of the podium, losing only 0.34 seconds to the winner. The third was the Austrian Mikael Matt.

Russia in this discipline was represented by Alexander Khoroshilov. The 34-year-old was very unsuccessful in the first attempt, showing only 21st time. In the second, he finished fifth, but this was not enough to get into the top ten. According to the results of the competition, the Russian took 17th place, losing to Muhrer a total of 1.74 seconds.

“By the way the whole season was going, it was difficult to claim anything more. Still, the season was not successful: in 2-3 starts I was close to the podium, but I got off. And the rest did not go as planned. Although the preparation went well, and there were all the prerequisites for the season to be completely different, “RIA Novosti quotes Khoroshilov.

According to the Russian, the final result was predetermined by failure in the first attempt, although he could not call the second ideal.

Failure

Most of the hopes of Russian fans on the 14th day of the Games were placed on short trackers.Alexander Shulginov and Ekaterina Efremenkova successfully passed the qualification at distances of 500 m and 1000 m, respectively, and were preparing to compete for reaching the semifinals.

However, Shulginov could not resist his rivals in the quarterfinals and finished fourth. In addition, on the last loop, the last Russian fell and knocked down the Polish athlete Bartosz Konopko.

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“On the whole I am satisfied with how I ran at the first Olympics. True, I wanted to perform better at 1000 meters, but I ran with a temperature. Then I recovered, now I feel better. There was a chance, but it was a little jittery, my legs were shaking very hard, ”the athlete told RIA Novosti.

The gold medal was won by Wu Dajing, who simultaneously set two world records. In the quarterfinals, he covered the distance in 39.8 seconds, and in the final he was more than two tenths faster.Silver and bronze went to South Koreans Hwang Dae Hon and Lim Hyo Chun.

In the struggle for reaching the semifinals, Efremenkova lost to the future champion of the Games at this distance – the Dutchwoman Suzanne Schulting. Canadian Kim Buten finished second, and Italian Arianna Fontana took third place.

“Of course, I would like to perform better, but I made tactical mistakes. I felt calmer than at the previous distance. I think that in a couple of years we will be fighting for awards at this distance, ”Efremenkova told TASS.

The Russians did not take part in the men’s 5000m relay. In their absence, the Hungarian national team won, setting a new Olympic record of 6 minutes 31.971 seconds. The Chinese were content with silver and the Canadians with bronze.

Sensation

Finalists have been determined in the men’s curling tournament. Athletes from the USA and Sweden will compete for gold medals of the Olympics.

Swedish “Tre Krunur” left no chances to rivals from Switzerland.After four ends, the Scandinavians were leading with a score of 6: 1 and in the end they confidently won – 9: 3.

A real sensation was brought by a team from the USA. The Americans beat three-time Olympic champions from Canada with a score of 5: 3. Until the eighth end, the score remained equal, but in the end the Stars and Stripes acted more confidently and got themselves a ticket to the final.

Unsportsmanlike behavior

Curlers Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitsky were deprived of the Olympic double-mixed bronze medals. This happened due to the positive doping test of the Russian athlete, which showed the presence of meldonium in his body.

As a result, their award went to the Norwegians Christine Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten, and the official reason for the disqualification is “unsportsmanlike behavior”. At the same time, the IOC expressed hope for the earliest possible transfer of the award to the Scandinavian athletes.

“Once the results are approved by the World Curling Federation (WCF) and given that Krushelnitsky has admitted an anti-doping rule violation, the IOC will do everything possible to ensure that the medal redistribution ceremony takes place here in Pyeongchang,” the IOC said in a statement.

Injury

The Dutch skaters were so happy about winning the bronze medal in the relay that they injured two fans. As the Associated Press reports, at the end of the race, athletes threw a giant fake Olympic medal into the stands, crushing fans. As a result, one of them received assistance on the spot, while the other had to be taken to the hospital for examination.

Later, four-time Olympic champion Sven Kramer personally apologized to the victims and wished them a speedy recovery.

Ban on filming

Fans are eagerly awaiting the semifinal match of the hockey tournament, in which the national teams of Russia and the Czech Republic will meet. On Thursday, the rivals of the “red car” held a pre-match training session, during which there was a conflict between the head of the Czech delegation Jan Cerny and the operator of one of the Russian TV channels.

Cerny asked the operator not to remove the team’s occupation, after which he applied force to him and tried to push him down the stairs.At the same time, the Czech did not react to the calls of the TV man not to touch him.

“According to the rules of IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation. – RT ), representatives of foreign media cannot film the training of other teams,” Cherny TASS quotes.

However, this rule did not apply to all countries. In particular, the Czechs had no complaints about the Swedes, who calmly recorded the team’s training session on camera.

“This is the decision of the coaches. We prohibit filming by foreign media, ”added Zdenek Sigmund, press officer of the team.

Hit the rink. Russia failed to stop the best team in the world, losing to the USA 0: 6

© iihf.com Caught under the rink
The Russian national team took a successful start at the women’s ice hockey world championship. In the starting game, our girls outplayed the Swiss team (3: 1). Having conceded first, Evgeny Bobariko’s charges lost to their rivals 0: 1, but managed to turn the tide of the match and win the first victory in this tournament. In the next match, the Russians met with the hosts of the championship – the Canadian national team.For 27 minutes, ours managed to keep their gates intact. But the class of teams is not too equal – the Canadians scored five goals in a row, as a result, having won a landslide victory – 5: 1.
Russia set a record at the World Championship – our team didn’t concede from Canada for almost half a match!

In the third game, the Russian women had to measure their strength with the main favorite of the tournament – the US national team. Since 2008, there have been nine Women’s Ice Hockey World Championships. In this time period, the Stars and Stripes have won eight victories in this time period, losing only once (in 2012) to the representatives of Canada in the decisive match.Moreover, the last time American hockey players were defeated in a world championship game was 8.5 years ago – in 2013, the Canadians beat the Americans in a group stage match (3: 2 B), but the Stars and Stripes took revenge in the final. In 2014, Canadians won gold medals at the Sochi Olympics. And since then, the American women have won four world championships in a row, at the same time celebrating success at the Olympics in South Korea.
A period-long feat. Even Kovalchuk did not help contain Canada
Before the start of the current World Cup, Russia and the United States held a test match in which the Americans won a major victory – 6: 0. With two victories, the “Stars and Stripes” started at the world forum itself, beating the teams of Switzerland and Finland with the same score 3: 0. And if someone, looking at not the largest accounts, could begin to experience illusions about the result of today’s match, then it was necessary to look a little deeper. In the game with Finland, the Americans threw their rivals almost four times – 39:10, and only the magnificent game of the goalkeeper Meeri Raisanen saved the bronze medalist of the past Olympics from a total defeat.The Russians in Pyeongchang remained fourth, losing to the Finns (2: 3) in the match for third place.
So in the reporting game, our girls had to jump over their heads in order to at least impose a worthy resistance on the best team in the world. The Americans opened the scoring in the 12th minute of the first period, when Britta Curl scored. The best sniper of the US national team at this World Cup, Grace Zumwinkle, could not beat the goalkeeper of the Russian team Anna Prugova in close combat, but Curl, who came to the rescue on the rebound, turned out to be the most agile on a penny, sending the puck into the gates of our national team with finishing. The ratio of shots on target at the end of the starting 20 minutes of the game recorded the overwhelming playing advantage of the Americans – 21: 4.
The nature of the meeting did not change at the start of the second period – Prugova repeatedly entered the game, neutralizing the threats performed by the American team. Amanda Kessel, the sister of NHL star Phil Kessel, could have scored the majority, but Anna trapped the puck. But after a few moments, she was no longer able to cope with the throw of Hilary Knight. In the fourth minute of the second segment, the American striker, with a throw in the fall, consolidated the advantage of her team in the long run.The video copyright belongs to the International Ice Hockey Federation. The video of the goal can be viewed on the official IIHF Twitter.
With this goal, 32-year-old Knight became the highest scoring player in the history of the women’s world championships, breaking the record of her compatriot Cammy Granato. Knight had 45 accurate shots, while the retired Granato had 44 goals. At the same time, Knight caught up with Granato in the number of points scored in the world championships.
In a match with the Russian national team, Hilary Knight set a record for the world championships among women
In the middle of the segment, Knight could draw up a double, but having rolled out one-on-one with Prugova, she sent the puck into the post.The skeleton saved the Russian team several times during this match, but 2.5 minutes before the end of the second period, the puck still found its way into the gates of the Russians – defender Lee Steklein perfectly kissed the blue line.
In the final period, two more goals flew into the gates of Anna – when playing in the majority, Kelly Pannek and Abby Murphy hit the goal. After the fifth conceded goal, Prugova, who had reflected 44 shots, lost her place at the gate of Valeria Merkusheva. But she did not remain “dry” for long – the sister of Colorado striker Jesse Comfer celebrated the success.The Russian national team could not stop the American rink, having suffered a final defeat with a score of 0: 6. The final statistics of the match recorded the superiority of the American women in shots on target – 55:11. The best team in the world continues its confident winning streak at the world championships.
Russian girls should not worry too much, because two defeats in meetings with North American teams in the group stage were obvious and expected long before the start of the tournament. Tomorrow Bobariko’s charges will have to play the last game at the preliminary stage of the world championships – the rivals are the Finnish national team.The rival of the Russian girls in the quarterfinals will depend on the outcome of this meeting. According to the rules of the competition, all five teams from the strongest group advance to the playoffs, and three more teams get from the parallel quintet.
Russia started with a victory at the World Championship. Our team turned the match in 13 seconds!

If they win tomorrow’s match, the Russians will secure the third place in their group, and in the first playoff game they will almost certainly play against the Czech national team, which should take first place in group B. Whereas in the event of a failure in the game with the Finnish team, the Russians will drop to fourth place in their five, and in the most important match of the tournament they will again fight with the unyielding Switzerland. This is the format of the women’s world championship.

90,000 15 Winter Olympians to follow on Instagram [PHOTOS]

We’ve already told you who will follow on Twitter for the 2014 Winter Olympics. But Instagram took off after the 2012 Games, becoming ubiquitous among most people.It is also the favorite social media app for a growing number of famous athletes.

See also: The Sochi Olympics began a stormy start even before the start of

With that in mind, here are 15 Winter Olympians to follow Instagram for updates, photos and videos during the Sochi Games. These stars have all corners covered from photos of the meeting place to filming action movies and candid shots that are just plain silly.

1. Jason Brown

Country: USA Sports: Figure Skating What You Will See: Lots of enthusiasm. Brown’s performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month went viral, and the infectious positivity that made him such a hit is also felt on his Instagram account. Take, for example, this video conveying his excitement the day before leaving for Sochi.

2. Belle Brockhoff

Country: Australia Sports: Snowboard What You’ll See: Everything from political statements to silly animal photos. Brockhoff is openly gay, which is interesting given Russia’s tough anti-gay laws.Let’s see if she makes any Instagram statements like this from December:

3. Sebastian Kraupp

Country: Sweden Sports: Curling What You See: Kraupp posts a lot of curling ice footage. It should be a fun way to learn about the little-known sport of curling, which happens every four years and becomes world famous.

4. Sean White

Country: USA Sports: Snowboard What you see: a little bit of everything. White is arguably the biggest name for the Games (at least in the US), but that doesn’t stop him from posting an outright randomness like this photo from a Russian McDonald’s:

5. Hilary Knight

Country: USA Sports: Ice Hockey What You’ll See: Knight often posts pictures of his female ice hockey teammates. This European trip pokes fun at how close a pair of single beds are:

6.Axel Lund Svindal

Country: Norway Sports: Alpine skiing What you see: Awesomeness. From sprayed action shots to views from the ski lifts, Swindal’s skiing ability and engaging content have earned him over 100,000 Instagram followers. This video shows an appreciative crowd in Switzerland:

7. Lolo Jones

Country: USA Sports: Bobsleigh What You See: Lots of Lolo.Hobbler-turned-bobsledder often posts humorous photos and videos. Many of them show themselves:

8. Keith Hansen

Country: USA Sports: Sanno What you see: Abundance and stupidity. With a strong sledding performance, the 21-year-old cheerful personality and fun-loving nature could make her one of the Games’ first social stars.

9. PK Subban

Country: Canada Sports: Ice Hockey What You’ll See: Subban likes to post pictures with his family and his NHL teammates.We hope it gives us a lot of indoor access to one of the most exciting sports in the Winter Olympics.

10. Evgeny Plushenko

Country: Russia Sports: Figure Skating What You’ll See: Plushenko hasn’t posted much on Instagram since joining in September. But we still include him on this list, because it would be interesting to see the Sochi Olympics from the point of view of one of the biggest stars in Russia.

11.Michaela Shiffrin

Country: USA Sports: Alpine skiing What you see: A lot of snow. Shiffrin is generous in sharing photos from the slopes, so she should keep a good eye on her as the US team is looking for her for a medal in Sochi.

12. Hege Byokko

Country: Norway Sports: Speed ​​Skating What You See: Bekko is consistently positive, whether you post photos from training, after events or in your personal life.

13. Tobias Arvidson

Country: Sweden Sports: Biathlon What You’ll See: Photos showing what it’s like to compete in one of the most casual Olympic sports – biathlon combines cross-country skiing and target shooting. Arvidson also has a killer sense of humor.

14. Hannah Teter

Country: USA Sports: Snowboard What You See: Lots of shots from the slopes if Teter continues his typical frequent stride in Sochi.

15. Lauryn Williams

Country: USA Sports: Bobsleigh What You See: Williams is another track star who has been recruited into the American bobsleigh team. Her passion for her new sport is evident and interesting on the Internet.

St. Petersburg | USA defeated Russia dry at the women’s World Hockey Championship

Russian women’s ice hockey team.FHR Photos

The USA national team won a major victory over Russia in the group stage match of the women’s world ice hockey championship – 6: 0. American goals were scored by Britta Curl, Hilary Knight, Lee Steklane, Kelly Pannek (in the majority), Abby Murphy (in the majority) and Jesse Comfer.

After three games, the Russians with one victory (3: 1 against Switzerland) and two defeats (1: 5 against Canada, 0: 6 against the USA) occupy the third place in the table of group A. Finland.

Recall that all five participants of Group A will advance to the quarterfinals, where the three best teams of Group B will also make their way. In the preliminary round, the teams will determine their opponents in the first stage of the playoffs, which will take place on 28 August.

The Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship has been held 19 times. Canada has won 10 times, the United States has won 9 times, and the Americans have won the last five finals in a row. In the previous draw, for the first time in history, not two North American teams met in the final – the United States played with Finland.The Russian national team won bronze medals three times – in 2001, 2013 and 2016.

Text: Nikolay Kuznetsov

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90,000 Live broadcast of the competitions of the third day of the Olympic Games – Rossiyskaya Gazeta

08.02.2014

23:28

Yuri Zubko

This concludes our broadcast! Tomorrow morning we will continue to inform you about all the events of the Olympics! Stay with us!

23:25

Yuri Zubko

Justine Dufour-Lapuente from Canada became the Olympic champion – she got the judges at 22.44. Her sister Chloë Dufour-Lapuente won silver – 21.66. “Bronze” by Hanna Kearney from the USA – 21.49.

23:14

Yuri Zubko

Only a female mogul remains, where medals will be drawn.There are no Russians in this discipline, Regina Rakhimova finished the fight in the second final round, finishing in eighth place.

23:09

Yuri Zubko

The result of Klimov and Stolbovoy allowed our team to strengthen its leadership in the team figure skating tournament. The Russian national team currently has 47 points. In second place is the team of Canada (41 points), in third – the team of the United States (34).

23:02

Yuri Zubko

The guys skated very well.Yes, once Stolbova stumbled, but the Russians left a pleasant overall impression.

23:02

Yuri Zubko

135.09 receive Slobova and Klimov! Congratulations to them!

22:53

Yuri Zubko

The Canadian pair Mau Towers and Moskovich earned 129.74. They came out on top. Slobova and Klimov are performing now.

22:46

Yuri Zubko

Italians receive 120.83. This is the best result so far

22:44

Yuriy Zubko

It looks like Burton has an injury, she barely leaves the ice.The audience gave her a standing ovation!

22:43

Yuri Zubko

Let’s return to the Iceberg stadium. Stefania Burton and Ondřej Gotarek performed their program. Burton fell while performing a triple jump. It is unlikely that there will be high marks.

22:41

Yuri Zubko

Meanwhile, in the mogul, Regina Rakhimova advanced to the second round of the final competition. Marika Pertahia and Ekaterina Stolyarova dropped out of the medal competition.

22:33

Yuri Zubko

American pair Kastelli – Schnapir looked pretty confident.They performed to music from James Bond films of different years. The judges rated the performance of the Americans at 117.94 points.

22:24

Yuri Zubko

A duet from Japan – Takahashi and Kihara – received 86.33. There were several mistakes Takahashi made when landing.

22:11

Yuri Zubko

It became known that the sports pair Ksenia Stolbova – Fedor Klimov will represent Russia in a free program at the figure skating team tournament.

21:59

Yuri Zubko

The qualification in ski jumping from the K-95 springboard has ended.Four Russian athletes entered the main competition – Ilmir Khazetdinov, Denis Kornilov, Mikhail Maksimochkin and Alexey Romashov. The final of the competition will take place tomorrow at 22:35.

21:48

Yuriy Zubko

We still have sports couples ahead of us, who will present free programs. Don’t go anywhere!

21:37

Yuri Zubko

The Italian Carolina Costner has finished performing. The audience liked the performance of the athlete. As well as to the judges.Costner put 70.84 points. She is the second after Lipnitskaya.

21:26

Yuri Zubko

The Russian national team continues to lead in the team figure skating tournament after the performance of athletes in four short programs (men, sports couples, dance couples, women).

The medals will be awarded on Sunday, when the free programs for men, women and dance couples take place.

21:19

Yuri Zubko

Excellent skiing at Lipnitskaya.The judges gave her 72.90. This is her personal best! Congratulations to Julia! She is the first!

21:11

Yuri Zubko

And Yulia Lipnitskaya appeared in figure skating on ice. We look, we believe.

21:09

Yuri Zubko

The male sledges have a second attempt. German Felix Loch set a record for the Olympic track in Sochi with a score of 51.964 seconds.

Russian Albert Demchenko is currently second, 0.294 seconds behind Loch in two attempts.Recall that in the first attempt, Demchenko was faster than Loch.

20:52

Yuri Zubko

Qualification has begun in the K-95 springboard. Russia is represented by Ilmir Khazetdinov, Alexey Romashov, Denis Kornilov and Maxim Maksimochkin. Khazetdinov flew 113 meters away. So far, this is the fourth intermediate result.

20:46

Yuri Zubko

In Sochi, on the Medalz Plaza square, located next to the Fisht arena, the first awarding of the medalists of the Games took place, RIA Novosti reports.The first to win the right to receive awards at Medals Plaza were skiers. Let us remind you that the gold medal in the skiathlon was won by the Norwegian Marit Bjorgen, the silver medal was won by the Swede Charlotte Kalla, and the bronze medal was won by the Norwegian Heidi Veng.

20:27

Yuri Zubko

In the team figure skating competition, girls present their short programs. You can follow what is happening online using our online broadcast. We cheer for Yulia Lipnitskaya!

20:09

Yuri Zubko

It turns out that after today’s victory Björndalen repeated the record achievement in terms of the total number of medals won at the Winter Olympics.Now the Norwegian has 12 awards – seven gold, four silver and one bronze.

Previously, the sole record holder for the number of medals was the Norwegian skier Björn Delhi, RIA Novosti informs.

19:58

Yuri Zubko

Let’s now turn our attention to figure skating. Dmitry Soloviev and Ekaterina Bobrova took third place in the short dance. The couple received a score of 70.27 from the judges. The first place was taken by the Americans Meryl Davis / Charlie White (75.98).The second – from Canadians Tessa Virtu and Scott Moir (72.98).

Thus, the Russian figure skating team retained its leadership in the overall standings based on the results of the dance pairs performances. Great news!

19:52

Yuri Zubko

Anton Shipulin is very upset with his fourth place.

“It’s a shame to tears. He deprived himself of a medal. 20 minutes ago, the fate of my happiness, my dream was being decided. Now I need to collect my thoughts, tune in to the next race.It can be seen that shooting decides a lot, almost everything. We need to shoot to zero, “Shipulin said on the Russia 1 TV channel.

19:41

Yuri Zubko

Now officially. Ole Einar Bjørndalen won the sprint and became a seven-time Olympic champion. Congratulations to the 40-year-old Norwegian, this is historical achievement.

The Austrian Dominik Landertinger won silver, Jaroslav Soukup won bronze.

19:35

Yuri Zubko

We already wrote that Ekaterina Stolyarova reached the final of the mogul.She was joined by Marika Pertahia and Elena Muratova. We have someone to root for! Medals will be drawn today at 11:10 pm. Do not miss!

19:20

Yuri Zubko

Shipulin had a chance to win the race. If not for the annoying mistake in the last shot. As a result, Anton is only the fourth. And in the first place is the great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen. And there is a feeling that no one will be ahead of him.

19:07

Yuri Zubko

Anton Shipulin shot cleanly in the sprint, and the main favorite of the race, Emil Svendsen, missed.Evgeny Ustyugov has already finished, but he will not be able to compete for medals – the Russian has an intermediate fourth result.

19:00

Yuri Zubko

Don’t forget about the sleigh. Albert Demchenko showed the best result in the sixth training attempt – 52.553 seconds. The second place was taken by the German Felix Loch, the third was by the Austrian Reinhard Egger.

18:53

Yuri Zubko

Meanwhile, some of the players and the coaching staff of the Russian Olympic hockey team arrived in Sochi.Recall that the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Olympic Games will be held from 12 to 23 February.

18:43

Yuri Zubko

Evgeny Ustyugov, the first of ours in biathlon, made one smell at the first shooting range. So far, he has only sixth place. It’s a shame.

18:36

Yuri Zubko

Freestyle athletes compete in parallel with biathletes. It is already known that Ekaterina Stolyarova reached the final in the mogul discipline, guaranteeing herself to be in the top ten in the second qualifying round.

18:30

Yuri Zubko

Evgeny Ustyugov, Evgeny Garanichev, Dmitry Malyshko and Anton Shipulin will represent Russia in this race.

18:25

Yuri Zubko

We are moving to the Laura biathlon stadium, where the biathletes will sprint 10 kilometers. Let’s hope we’re lucky here.

18:13

Yuri Zubko

The results of the Russians: Denis Yuskov – sixth, Ivan Skobrev – seventh, Alexander Rumyantsev – eleventh.

18:09

Yuri Zubko

The entire pedestal was occupied by the Dutch.Sven Kramer won gold with an Olympic record (6: 10.76), Jan Blockhuissen – second (+4.95), Jorrit Bergsma – third (+5.90).

18:07

Yuri Zubko

These athletes could not interfere in the fight for medals. Patrick Beckert was only eighth (+10.42), Lee Seung-Hoon was 12th (+14.85).

18:02

Yuri Zubko

Last pair: Patrick Beckert from Germany and Lee Seung-Hoon from South Korea.

17:59

Yuri Zubko

Jan Blockhuissen won against Bergsma – now he is the second.Lagging behind Kramer +4.95. Bart Swings is fourth (+7.03).

17:53

Yuri Zubko

Belgian Bart Swings and another Dutchman Jan Blokhuisen ran.

17:52

Yuri Zubko

As a result, Bergsma ousted the Russians, but lost to Kramer (+5.90). Pedersen also showed an excellent time (+8.08 to the leader). Yuskov is now fourth, and Skobrev is fifth.

17:47

Yuri Zubko

Bergsma is just a little behind Kramer with 4 laps left (+ 0.88).

17:44

Yuri Zubko

Another pair: Dutchman Jorrit Bergsma and Norwegian Sverre Lunde Pedersen

17:41

Yuri Zubko

Kramer set an Olympic record !! Sven beat Yuskov 8.75. The new benchmark is 6: 10.76!

17:39

Yuri Zubko

But Kramer accelerated. With three rounds before the end, 1.98 has already won.

17:37

Yuri Zubko

The Dutchman is not yet forcing events.He is almost 2 seconds behind Yuskov, seven laps before the finish

17:35

Yuri Zubko

And here he is – Sven Kramer. Together with him, the American Jonathan Cook

17:30

Yuri Zubko

We continue the conversation. Four more pairs should perform

17:14

Yuriy Zubko

This time we are leaving for the break as leaders. Denis Yuskov and Ivan Skobrev showed a good time. But the great and terrible Sven Kramer had not yet fled. We are waiting for

17:11

Yuri Zubko

Passed at the end of Alexander – while the current fifth place.+ 5.42 sec. by the time of Yuskov, Dmitry Babenko – eighth (+8.75 sec.)

17:06

Yuri Zubko

Rumyantsev is still going to the third result – 4200 meters.

17:02

Yuri Zubko

Another Russian, Alexander Rumyantsev, is fleeing with Dmitry Babenko from Kazakhstan.

17:00

Yuri Zubko

Skobrev came running almost at the same time as Yuskov – only 0.32 seconds behind. Ivan is dissatisfied with the result, but this is understandable.He counted on something else today

16:58

Yuri Zubko

Skobrev started to increase the pace! At 4200 meters he loses to the leader 2.45 seconds

16:56

Yuri Zubko

Six laps before the end Vanya loses almost 5 seconds to Yuskov

16:54

Yuri Zubko

And now Ivan Skobrev will run! The stands greeted him with a standing ovation. Shane Dobbin from New Zealand is against him!

16:52

Yuri Zubko

Yuskov won +3.33 at Bekko. The time of the Russian is 6: 19.51. Emery Lemen lagged behind Yuskov by more than ten seconds.

16:50

Yuri Zubko

4600 meters – 4.62 wins!

16:48

Yuri Zubko

Denis started well! Win 5.89 seconds at 3000 meters.

16:46

Yuri Zubko

And now we welcome Denis Yuskov ! American Emery Leman runs with him.

16:44

Yuri Zubko

Howard Bekko beat Shamanski +3.51. Now the leader’s time is 6: 22.84. Moritz Geisreiter is second. He has 6: 24.79.

16:37

Yuri Zubko

The competition resumed. The Norwegian Howard Boekko and the German Moritz Geisreiter ran.

16:15

Yuri Zubko

Alexey Baumgertner – 6: 34.35 (+8.00), Simen Speeler Nielsen – 6: 42.47 (+16.12). Now there is a short pause – the ice will be poured, after which the athletes will continue their performance. In the meantime, Pole Jan Szymanski is in the lead. There are three races ahead with the participation of Russians.

16:07

Yuri Zubko

Now the Norwegian Simen Spieler Nielsen and the German Alexei Baumgertner are running.

16:06

Yuri Zubko

Kim Chol-Min – 6: 37.29 (+10.94), Shane Williamson – 6: 42.88 (+16.53). Seventh and eighth places, respectively.

15:58

Yuri Zubko

Fourth pair: Korean Kim Chol-Min and Japanese Shane Williamson. The first of ours – Ivan Skobrev – will run in the eighth pair

15:57

Yuri Zubko

At Fernandez – 6:31.08, Giovanini showed 6: 30.84.

15:49

Yuri Zubko

Now on the ice the Frenchman Even Fernandez and the Italian Andrea Giovanini.

15:48

Yuri Zubko

Jan Szymanski becomes the intermediate leader – 6: 26.35, Mathieu Giroud came running with a time of 6: 35.77.

15:42

Yuri Zubko

Here is the second pair: Pole Jan Szymanski and Canadian Mathieu Giroud

15:40

Yuri Zubko

Mik’s time is 6:32.94, at Drushkevich – 6: 37.16. The numbers are not very good

15:33

Yuriy Zubko

The competition has begun! The first to run were the Pole Sebastian Drushkevich and the American Patrick Meek. Experts say that to fight for medals, you need to show the result 6 minutes 10 seconds

15:25

Yuri Zubko

And now we have speed skating according to our plan – running 5000 meters for men. Our main hope is Ivan Skobrev, who has a birthday today. I really want to hope that Vanya will make a gift not only to himself, but to the whole country!

15:16

Yuri Zubko

Yulia Chekaleva, who took 17th place, said that she was disappointed with her result.“I can tell right away that the race was not a success, I was getting ready to fight. To hit the podium. Disappointed with such a distant place,” the Russian woman told RIA Novosti.

15:09

Yuri Zubko

So the first comments of our skiers arrived in time. Olga Kuzyukova said she hoped for a higher place.

“In the“ classic ”I wanted to hold out, my“ horse ”is weaker. I hoped, of course, but nothing worked. The track is prepared at the highest level, everything is fine.Both classic and skating skis – everything worked well, “RIA Novosti quotes Kuzyukova.

14:55

Yuri Zubko

And the US women’s ice hockey team beat Finland in the first match of the Olympic hockey tournament. with the score 3: 1 in favor of the Americans.

14:47

Yuri Zubko

The results of the Russians:
15.Yulia Chekaleva – +1.38.0
17. Natalia Zhukova – +1.41.9.
24. Olga Kuzyukova – +2.09.6.
28.Irina Khazova – +2.26.7.

14:39

Yuri Zubko

And here it is – the finish line! Norwegian Marit Bjorgen comes first, Swedish Charlotte Kalla comes second, Heidi Veng comes third from Norway !

14:37

Yuri Zubko

Very soon the skiers will reach the finish line. They passed the mark of 13.3 kilometers.

14:37

Yuri Zubko

Bjorgen and Kalla fled from the main group. Together they will compete for the “gold”

14:34

Yuri Zubko

Marit Bjorgen developed a speed of 73 kilometers per hour on the descent.Impressive!

14:30

Yuri Zubko

11.25 km. Johaug, Bjoergen, Kalla. Of the Russians, Zhukova is now closest to the leaders – 13th place. Lag – 41 seconds

14:25

Yuri Zubko

Mark 9.5 km. Kuzyukova 12th, Zhukova 14th, Chekaleva 17th, Khazova 29th.

14:22

Yuri Zubko

Changed the skis of the athlete. Now Calla is in the lead, Kuzyukova, unfortunately, dropped out of the top ten.

14:18

Yuri Zubko

At mark 5.Bjorgen still leads the group for 4 kilometers. Calla, Johaug and Kowalczyk are very close.

14:14

Yuri Zubko

Chekaleva closes the top twenty – 15 seconds lag

14:13

Yuri Zubko

Kuzyukova is eighth so far. The Norwegians, as expected, are in the lead. Marit Bjorgen and Terese Johaug are already breaking away from their rivals

14:09

Yuri Zubko

The rules of this discipline are as follows – athletes will run 7.5 kilometers in the classic style and the same amount – free

14:03

Yuri Zubko

The race has begun.Russia is represented by Yulia Chekaleva, Olga Kuzyukova, Irina Khazova and Natalia Zhukova. Favorites – Norwegians

14:00

Yuri Zubko

Well, we go further. We have a 15 km women’s skiathlon ahead!

13:53

Yuri Zubko

As a result, the American Sage Cotsenburg (93.50) becomes the first Olympic champion in Sochi. Stole Sandback from Norway won silver (91.75), Canadian Mark McMorris – bronze (88.75). Congratulations to the winners!

13:49

Yuri Zubko

Canadian Parro received – 87.25. He remains without medals!

13:46

Yuri Zubko

Stole Sandbek from Norway breaks into the top three medalists – 91.75. The last participant remained – Maxence Parrot. A lot depends on him

13:43

Yuri Zubko

Peetu Piyroinen managed to dial 81.25. But these good numbers allowed him to become only the fourth

13:35

Yuri Zubko

Swede Sven Torgren confidently completed his attempt – 87.50. He displaced the American Sage Kotsenburg from the second position

13:28

Yuri Zubko

Jamie Nicholls made a lot of mistakes. He worsened his result – only 46.50

13:25

Yuri Zubko

Mark McMorris cleanly walked the track, but the judges were greedy and rated his rental at 88.75. At the moment it is “silver”

13:16

Yuri Zubko

Only Peetu Piyroinen could get close to this three. The Finnish athlete has 78.50. We look forward to the second attempts!

13:10

Yuri Zubko

Sven Torgren just fell short of Nicholls – 83.75. The Swede is still in third place

13:00

Yuri Zubko

Briton Jamie Nicholls also drove well – 85.50. The second position is with him.

12:55

Yuri Zubko

Sage Cotsenburg from the USA perfectly implemented his attempt – 93.50. This is an application for a medal

12:50

Yuri Zubko

Canadian Mark McMorris, who was considered the favorite of the competition, again did not impress.The fall did not allow him to count on good grades – only 33.75

12:46

Yuri Zubko

And we are already starting the final in the slopestyle. We will know the name of the first Olympic champion of the XXII Winter Games very soon!

12:35

Yuri Zubko

It turns out that the Olympics also helps to improve the demographic situation in the country. On the opening day of the Games in Sochi, 24 boys and 10 girls were born. This is a record number of daily births of babies over the past 10 years, reports Interfax.

12:23

Yuri Zubko

The first match in the women’s hockey tournament – USA – Finland is taking place these minutes. And an account has already been opened in the game. American Hilary Knight became the author of the first puck at the Olympics. Let’s remind that the Russians will play tomorrow. Opponent – Germany national team

12:06

Yuri Zubko

In the morning on the ice of the Iceberg Sports Palace, Russian Yevgeny Plushenko held a training session. He flawlessly performed all the elements, including a cascade of a quadruple toe loop, triple toe loop and double rittberger, and a cascade of triple axel and triple toe loop.Plushenko is good, you won’t say anything. In the short program of the team tournaments, he proved it. We are waiting for the same at the random rental, which is scheduled for Sunday.

11:48

Yuri Zubko

Only yesterday the opening ceremony of the Games took place, and today the Sochi-2014 organizing committee promises a “secret show” at the closing ceremony of the Olympics.

“The stadium (at the opening ceremony) was completely filled, not a single empty space … We expect a lot of interest in the closing ceremony, we even prepared a secret show,” RIA Novosti quotes Chernyshenko.Intrigued, of course, the organizers, but we have not even had time to enjoy the Olympics. All the competition is yet to come. And this is great!

11:35

Yuri Zubko

Not very pleasant news came. Freestyle skier Maggie Voisin of the US national team has decided to withdraw from the Olympic competition. She suffered an ankle injury and will not have time to recover by the start of qualification, which will be held on February 11.

It is worth noting that the 15-year-old Voisin was to become the youngest participant in the Winter Olympics from the United States since 1972.It’s a shame, it’s a shame.

11:28

Yuri Zubko

For now, let’s talk about other sports. Swiss alpine skier Dominika Gisin became the best in downhill training (1.42.56). Elena Yakovishina became the best Russian woman, taking 18th place (1.44.73). Maria Bedareva – 29th (1.48.49).

11:20

Yuri Zubko

Now in the final, which will be held today at 12:45, three Canadians, two Finns, two Britons and two Norwegians will perform. A Swede, an American and a Japanese will dilute this whole company.

11:12

Yuri Zubko

So, four athletes from this group made it to the finals. The first was the British Billy Morgan (90.75 – the best result), the second was the American Sage Cotsenburg (90.50), the third was the Canadian Mark McMorris (89.25), and the fourth was the Japanese Yuki Kadono (84.75).

11:06

Yuri Zubko

Billy Morgan fell on one of the slides, so only 35.50. However, this did not really upset the Briton, because he still goes to the final without any problems.

10:55

Yuri Zubko

Yuki Kadono in the second attempt to score worse – 80.50. American Ryan Stassel, who was fourth, earned 81.75, Sage Cotsenburg 90.50. Billy Morgan’s performance is awaiting

10:46

Yuri Zubko

The Russian performed much better this time – he got 57.50. Unfortunately, these marks do not allow him to reach the final. Of course, in the first attempt it was necessary to gain more. But let’s not get upset. We’d better say a big thank you to Alexey! He still has everything ahead

10:40

Yuri Zubko

Sobolev appears at the start

10:31

Yuri Zubko

Well, the second attempt immediately began.No breaks are foreseen

10:28

Yuri Zubko

“The very fact that I got to the Olympics makes me very happy. Sometimes it happens that you go and before the springboard you decide to change the trick, to do something more difficult. We will try and try, “Sobolev said on the Russia 2 TV channel.

10:23

Yuri Zubko

All athletes have finished performing. Alexei Sobolev finished 17th on the first try. Billy Morgan is the first, the American Sage Cotsenburg is the second, the Japanese Yuki Kadono is the third.

10:15

Yuri Zubko

Let’s go back to the snowboard. Briton Billy Morgan gets 90.75 from the judges! He becomes the leader of the competition

10:08

Yuri Zubko

Meanwhile, RIA Novosti, citing the Olympic organizing committee, reports that the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Games in Sochi was watched by 3 billion spectators. More than 12 thousand people were involved in the performance itself. The parade of athletes was attended by 3.5 thousand people. Impressive numbers!

09:59

Yuri Zubko

Charlie Adam needed the help of doctors – the Canadian hit hard on the snow during his arrival

09:52

Yuri Zubko

Eh, Alexei fell after one of the jump.And, of course, the estimates are very small – 20.00. He has one more attempt, but it is already clear that he will not be able to count on high places

09:48

Yuri Zubko

Here is Sobolev! Let’s wish him good luck!

09:45

Yuri Zubko

The first athletes in slopestyle have already skated. Yuki Kadono – 84.75, Seamus O’Connor – 60.75, Janne Korpi – 41.00, Torgeir Bergrem – 37.50, Mathias Weissenbacher – 14.00. Our Sobolev has not played yet

09:37

Yuri Zubko

The fans of our team are already ready for the performance of athletes.By the way, it is the snowboarders who will compete for the first medals. There won’t be long to wait – the final will take place at 12:45!

09:28

Yuri Zubko

In a few minutes the semifinals of snowboarding in slopestyle discipline will begin. Russia is represented in these competitions by Alexey Sobolev

09:23

Yuri Zubko

Hello, dear fans! We are starting our broadcast!

On Friday, the opening ceremony of the XXII Olympic Winter Games was held.And today in Sochi 17 competitions will be held, the first 5 sets of medals will be played.

At 09:30 Moscow time, male snowboarders will meet in the slopestyle semifinals. Here we will cheer for the Russian Alexei Sobolev. By the way, you can read an interview with him on our website. At 12.45 – the final in this discipline.

Women’s skiathlon will take place at 14:00. Athletes will run 7.5 kilometers in classic style and the same amount in free style. Our country will be represented by Anastasia Dotsenko, Irina Khazova, Natalia Zhukova and Yulia Chekalova.

Skaters will start competing at 15:30. Distance – 5000 meters. Russia will be represented by Alexey Esin, Denis Yuskov, Evgeny Seryaev, Alexander Rumyantsev and Ivan Skobrev. The latter has the best chance of winning a medal against the Dutch Sven Kramer and Jorrita Bergsma.

At 18:00 we will be able to watch the qualification in the women’s mogul, and the first final will take place at 22:00.