Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Biggest Surprises from Day 12
Sochi has seen its share of surprises during these Olympics and Wednesday was no exception. As action unfolded across the Winter Games spectrum, unforeseen developments stole the spotlight.
From an abysmal failure for the host country to career-best performance for a Frenchman on the slopes, we recap another wild day in southwest Russia.
Skier Steve Missillier Steals Silver in Giant Slalom
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Frenchman Steve Missillier exceeded expectations with an astounding second run in the men's giant slalom competition. The 29-year-old started the afternoon with an opening run that left him in 10th place but rallied on his next opportunity to claim silver, his first medal in Olympic competition.
Missillier, who also represented France at the 2010 Vancouver Games, undoubtedly came through with the greatest performance of his career. The runner-up result is better than any he's secured in a race throughout his time on the World Cup circuit.
"It's a perfect run, I pushed hard, I made no mistakes. Second place is incredible for me," Missillier told Reuters reporter Mark Trevelyan (h/t Yahoo! Sports).
His effort was bested only by American Ted Ligety. French teammate Alexis Pinturault finished third to secure a stunning double-podium showing for the nation.
Finland Capitalizes on Fall to Claim Gold in Team Cross-Country Sprint
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The surprise here isn't that Finland finished on the podium for cross-country success in the team sprint. It's how Sami Jauhojaervi and Iivo Niskanen ended up atop the medal stand.
The duo seemed destined for silver entering the final descent, as German Tim Tscharnke appeared ready to cap off a gold-medal effort for his squad. Instead, Tscharnke tumbled after a brief collision with Jauhojaervi.
The development opened the door for Finland and momentarily interrupted the progress of Russian Nikita Kriukov, who ultimately settled for silver.
The unexpected wreck plummeted Germany into sixth place and secured glory for Finland.
"It's amazing, you can't realize it," Niskanen told Associated Press reporter Mattias Karen (h/t ABC Sports). "It's a long way, many, many years. Now we've made it together."
Germany protested the result but that move was swiftly rejected, reports Yahoo! Sports.
Four American Women Win Bobsled Medals... and None Are Named Lolo Jones
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Two-time Summer Olympian Lolo Jones was lauded as one of the United States' chances at the podium in women's bobsled action. It turns out her teammates were the real stars all along.
Jones and Jazmine Fenlator settled for 11th place, but a pair of American duos medaled Wednesday after four total runs.
Lauryn Williams and Elana Meyers earned silver, while Aja Evans and Jamie Greubel followed in third place. The four women bump the U.S. up in medal standings while making a name for themselves in a sport that Jones quickly brought national attention to.
Meyers and Williams rode a scintillating start to silver. They established a track record for the course with a time of 57.26 seconds during the first heat.
Canadians Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse came from behind on the final run to claim gold.
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Parallel Feats for Wife, Husband in Parallel Giant Slalom
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Alena Zavarzina made the most of her second Olympic opportunity. The 24-year-old Russian edged out Austria's Ina Meschik by 0.82 seconds in her second heat to earn bronze in women's parallel giant slalom snowboarding.
Zavarzina finished 17th in the event during the 2010 Vancouver Games and earned her only world championship medal three years ago. She qualified for the medal tournament with a sixth-place effort in qualifying.
The most amazing facet of her medal-winning performance is it occurred about 15 minutes before her husband reached the podium for Russia in the same event. Vic Wild won gold in the men's parallel giant slalom.
“For both of us to have success on the same day, it’s truly incredible,’’ Wild told news.com.au. “I don’t know how this happened.’’
Finland Eliminates Russia in Hockey Quarterfinals
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Finland ensured Russia's reign on its home ice ended swiftly in Sochi. The host squad didn't survive its quarterfinal matchup with the Finns, falling 3-1 in front of a deflated crowd.
The U.S. enjoyed its "Miracle on Ice" at home three decades ago. Russia is only left feeling dejected.
"I can only apologize to the fans for the results," Russia coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov told the Associated Press (h/t FOX Sports). "It was unfortunate for us. Expectations were quite different. I can only say words of apology."
Finland star Teemu Selanne scored a goal early in his team's impressive victory. Even he understood how devastating the loss is for Russia.
"To be honest, I'm a little bit sad, also, for them," Selanne said. "Obviously, they had a big dream to win the gold medal here, and then it doesn't work, so it's kind of disappointing in many ways, because that would be a great story."
For Finland, a surprising storyline is unfolding. Meanwhile, the Russians can only watch as Finland advances into the semifinals, where western rivals await.
Martina Sablikova Halts Dutch Speedskating Momentum
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Dutch speedskaters have been on a tear in Sochi, claiming 21 of the 30 medals up for grabs so far in long-track competition. Czech Republic star Martina Sablikova rose up to defend her title and turn away two impressive performers from the Netherlands.
Sablikova beat out Dutch skaters Ireen Wust and Carien Kleibeuker to reach the top of the podium. She overcame Wust during the final stretch, finishing with a time of 6:51.54.
Wust won the gold medal in 3,000-meter action so this serves as payback for Sablikova, who secured gold in the 5,000-meter race at the Vancouver Games.
Her effort was fueled by the intense Dutch competition.
''When I saw my competitor was going ahead, I told myself, 'Really, aren't you going to get her?''' Sablikova told Associated Press writer Paul Newberry (h/t Yahoo! Sports). ''It gave me extra energy. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could do it again.''
Mao Asada Has Disastrous Short Program, Finishes in 16th Place
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It was pure heartbreak on ice for Mao Asada on Wednesday.
In what she has announced to be her final Olympic Games, the Vancouver silver medalist faltered in her short program from start to finish. Instead of being in contention for the gold headed into Thursday, she's in an unfathomable 16th place.
Asada has struggled with her triple axels all season, but she kept the jump in her program knowing that it would take the highest degree of difficulty to challenge rival Yuna Kim for the gold.
But she fell on her opening triple axel and unravelled from there.
Asada has been one of the best figure skaters of the past eight years and is one of the most celebrated athletes in Japan. This was a shocking, devastating way for her to perform on the Olympic stage in her farewell.
Latvia's Men's Hockey Team Nearly Upsets Canada in Quarterfinals
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Latvia's men's hockey team nearly gave the entire country of Canada a heart attack on Wednesday, as it pushed the defending champions to the brink in the quarterfinals before ultimately falling, 2-1.
Latvia was seeded No. 11 in the tournament and it was massive underdogs going against the No. 3 seeds from Canada.
But the game was tied at 1-1 for almost two full periods, and it wasn't until Shea Weber scored with 13:06 left in the third period that the Canadians were able to right the ship.
It was a powerhouse performance by Latvia's goalie, Kristers Gudlevskis. Latvia was outshot 57-16, but Gudlevskis' 55 saves put a huge dent in the morale of the Canadians. To make matters worse, Canada's forward John Tavares went down with a knee injury and is out for the rest of the Games.
Canada survived and will play the United States on Friday in the semifinals, but Latvia certainly put the hockey world on notice.
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