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Winter Olympics 2018 Day 7: Danielle Scott, Laura Peel in women’s aerials final

Australia’s Laura Peel has finished fifth in the women’s freestyle aerials final, failing to land her final jump with a medal in sight.

24 min read
8:17PMFebruary 16, 2018.
Updated 11:21PMFebruary 16, 2018
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Australian Aerial Skier Danielle Scott will join Laura Peel in the final of the women’s aerials. Picture: Getty Images.
Australian Aerial Skier Danielle Scott will join Laura Peel in the final of the women’s aerials. Picture: Getty Images.

Welcome to live coverage of Day 7 of the 2018 Winter Olympics from PyeongChang.

11.14pm: Peel fifth in final

Australia’s Laura Peel has finished fifth in the women’s freestyle aerials final after failing to land her final jump of the competition.

Qualifying for the six-woman super final in third place, Peel only needed to land her final jump to secure a fifth consecutive medal for Australia in the women’s freestyle aerials.

But with strong winds causing havoc for all competitors in one of the lowest-scoring finals seen at a Winter Olympics, Peel wasn’t able to repeat her faultless form leading into the final.

Belarus’ Hanna Huskova won gold with a 96.14 final jump ahead of the Chinese pair of Zhang Xin (95.52) and Kong Fanyu (70.14), with defending gold medallist Alla Tsuper (59.94) in fourth and Peel (55.34) in fifth.

Earlier, Peel’s Australian teammate Danielle Scott crashed out in the first of three heats in the final and failed to progress.

11.08pm: Peel falls at final hurdle

Australia’s medal hopes in the women’s freestyle aerials have been dashed, with Canberra’s Laura Peel crashing out in her third and final jump of the competition.

A clean jump would have put Peel right in medal contention ... and as it stands right now, she’s still in third position. But with the top two qualifiers to come, a medal looks out of reach.

10.53pm: Peel qualifies in third

Laura Peel is in prime position to capture yet another medal for Australia in the women’s freestyle aerials as the no.3 qualifier for the upcoming super final.

Peel’s 85.65 trailed only the Chinese pair of Kong Fangyu (97.29) and Zhang Xin (94.11).

Sochi silver medallist Xu Mengtao won’t be able to go one better in PyeongChang after crashing out in the second heat of the final.

10.42pm: Peel into super final

Australia’s Laura Peel will jump for a medal in a few minutes’ time, with confirmation she’s one of the top six qualifiers from the second heat of the women’s aerials final.

With three competitors to come in the second heat of the final, Peel is in third overall, meaning she can finish no lower than sixth and can start preparing for her third and final jump of the competition.

10.33pm: Peel sticks landing on second jump

Jumping first in the second round of the women’s freestyle aerials final, Australia’s Laura Peel lands a triple-twisting double in windy conditions to score 85.65.

Struggling to get height on her jump, she was marked down by the judges for a jump that could have scored a maximum 105.75 points.

Peel will now have to wait to see if her jump scores well enough to progress to the third and final jump of the competition, in which only the top six competitors take part.

10.20pm: Scott crashes out on first jump

2017 world championship silver medallist Danielle Scott has been eliminated from the women’s freestyle aerials after crashing out on her first attempt in the final.

With all seven of the previous competitors landing their jumps, Scott’s failed landing left her in ninth place, with only the top nine of 12 jumpers advancing.

When China’s Xu Mengtao landed her first jump, it left Scott in 10th position and out of contention.

However, Scott’s teammate Laura Peel is through to the next round, sneaking through in ninth position.

All scores reset in the next round, meaning Peel is not disadvantaged by a low score on her first jump.

10.09pm: Peel in third after first jump

Australia’s Laura Peel nails her first jump in the women’s freestyle aerials final, a double twisting double somersault that she lands perfectly, but with 85.05 points, it’s only good enough for third overall after four jumpers.

With only nine of the 12 competitors in the final to get a second jump, Peel will now have to wait to see if she’ll get a chance to press for a medal.

9.55pm: Moments away from aerials...

We’re just moments away from the start of the final of the women’s freestyle aerials, with Aussies Danielle Scott and Laura Peel to jump for gold.

Unfortunately, former gold medallist Lydia Lassila won’t be competing after crashing out in qualifying, but she’ll be on hand to cheer on her teammates. Both Scott and Peel are real medal chances, with Scott winning silver at last year’s world championships and Peel ranked in the top 10 in the world.

Commentating for Channel 7, Lassila said strong winds on the course tonight would make it difficult for all competitors. She said it was vital for the Aussie women to get a good window when they were jumping to ensure they could safely land their jumps.

9pm: Curling erupts in controversy

A rare moment of controversy in the typically ultra-polite sport of curling erupted Friday over a foul known as a “burned rock” in the Canada vs Denmark women’s match.

The drama unfolded in the fifth end, or period, of the already tense game, when a Danish player touched a stone that was in motion. That is a foul called a “burned rock.” When burned rocks occur, the opposing team has three choices: They can ignore the foul, rearrange the stones to whatever position they think they would have ended up if the stone hadn’t been touched, or remove the stone from play. Canada’s captain, or “skip,” Rachel Homan chose to remove the stone. While such a move was within her rights, it is considered the most aggressive option. Canada, which was behind before the foul, then went on to score four points, taking the lead at 6-4.

Canada's skip Rachel Homan in action against Denmark. Photo: AP
Canada's skip Rachel Homan in action against Denmark. Photo: AP

In most sports, this wouldn’t even be considered a controversy. But curling has a deeply ingrained ethos of good sportsmanship, and players are usually exceedingly polite to their rivals. Tweets from curling fans immediately began to flow, with some criticizing the move as unsportsmanlike.

Denmark tied the score in the final end, forcing the game into overtime. Homan then flubbed her final shot of the match, giving Denmark a steal of one point and a 9-8 victory over the Canadians.

Afterward, Danish skip Madeleine Dupont said she disagreed with Canada’s decision to remove the rock.

“I wouldn’t have done it, but we’re different that way,” she said. “I’m not going to be mad about it. She can choose to do whatever she wants.”

Asked if it felt even better to win the game after the controversy, Dupont replied: “It does.” “I felt like we had a good game,” she said.

Denmark's skip Madeleine Dupont makes a call against Canada. Photo: AP
Denmark's skip Madeleine Dupont makes a call against Canada. Photo: AP

“I think we were just happy to be there and they were just afraid to lose.”

Homan said she was simply following the rules.

“There are options, and we’ve burned rocks in the past and they’ve come off,” she said. “Burning a rock is not something that you can do. So obviously, we’ve done it in the past and they just happened to do that then. So it’s just the rules, I guess.”

— AP

8.15pm: Taufatofua 114th in 15km event

Tongan cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua has finished the 15-kilometre individual race at the Pyeongchang Olympics — and he didn’t even hit a tree.

The 34-year-old Taufatofua, best known for participating in the last two Olympic opening ceremonies without a shirt, says he was pleased he didn’t fall on the course today, particularly in the final 100 metres in front of the grandstand.

As he was nearing the finish line, Taufatofua said he thought to himself, “Please God, not in front of everyone — don’t give me my first fall.”

Taufatofua finished 114th of 119 competitors. Two racers finished behind him, and three others either did not finish or were disqualified.

Race winner Dario Cologna of Switzerland said Taufatofua represented what the Olympics were all about.

Tonga's Pita Taufatofua crosses the finish line during the men's 15km cross country freestyle. Photo: AFP
Tonga's Pita Taufatofua crosses the finish line during the men's 15km cross country freestyle. Photo: AFP

— AP

7.40pm: Can Scott, Peel continue our incredible run?

Danielle Scott and Laura Peel will attempt to pick up where Lydia Lassila left off four years ago as Australia seek a fifth consecutive women’s aerials medal at the Winter Olympics.

The pair moved through to the finals in contrasting fashion. Scott was poised in nailing a triple-twisting double somersault on her first jump to qualify fifth. Peel had to do it the hard way in the second qualifier but landed her jump to move through to the first 12-woman final.

“I feel confident I have good jumps; hopefully I can put them down,” Peel said.

Lassila, the 2010 champion and 2014 Games bronze medallist, failed to land her jumps and exited the competition along with fellow Australian Sam Wells. But Australia’s successful pair will look to Lassila’s achievements as they seek to continue a run of medal performances that started with a gold medal to Alisa Camplin in 2002.

Russian Alexandra Orlova led qualifying in front of Belarusian Hanna Huskova but the Chinese offer a big threat with three of their stars through, headed by Sochi silver medallist Mengtao Xu.

Australian freestyle Skiers Danielle Scott, left, and Laura Peel. Picture: AFP.
Australian freestyle Skiers Danielle Scott, left, and Laura Peel. Picture: AFP.

— AAP

7.16pm: Ice hockey serving up big hits

How’s this for a shoulder charge? If that’s rugby league, you bet he’d be spending a few weeks on the sidelines. The Olympic Athletes from Russia currently hold a 2-0 advantage over Slovenia.

6.47pm: Hanyu sets Olympic record in short program

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu. Picture: AFP.
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu. Picture: AFP.

Somewhere in the midst of hundreds of cascading Winnie the Pooh dolls stood Yuzuru Hanyu.

Oh yeah, there he was, at centre ice, bowing to a huge ovation for an Olympic- record short program.

At least the defending Olympic champion from Japan knew what to do with the Poohs after he scored 111.68 points Friday, building more than a four-point lead over Spain’s Javier Fernandez.

“I always do this at all the competitions; I will present them to the local community in Pyeongchang and Gangneung,” Hanyu said through an interpreter. He collects the bears, believing they bring good luck, so they have become something of a trademark. “Some people think, ‘Why would you give away the gift that you got from supporters?’ Well, I embrace the

Winnie the Pooh toys are thrown to Yuzuru Hanyu. Picture: Getty Images.
Winnie the Pooh toys are thrown to Yuzuru Hanyu. Picture: Getty Images.

emotion that the fans give me, and every time after the competition I am full of joy. So I really appreciate the support and the bears from the fans.” Thousands of miniature Japanese flags featuring the rising sun waved in the stands to greet Hanyu when he got onto the ice. For Saturday’s free skate, a golden bear might be the best choice of tribute as he tries to become the first man to repeat as Olympic champ since Dick Button in 1952.

Hanyu missed two months of training with an ankle injury and only recently returned to full practices. No matter. He hit every element of a highly difficult program with precision and grace.

“I just wanted to show everyone I’m back, I’m here,” Hanyu said. Was he ever.

In what amounted to a high-wire act complemented by superb spins and intricate footwork amid intense pressure, the top four skaters were magnificent and spotless.

“I probably could get a little bit more points into the program, but not much more,” said Fernandez, who happens to share the same coach with Hanyu, two-time Olympic medalist Brian Orser. “We’re hitting the limits of figure skating right now.” Hanyu’s countryman Shoma Uno was third at 104.17, followed by China’s Jin Boyang at 103.32.

Two-time US champion Nathan Chen, a pre-games favorite, was anything but spot-on. He missed on all his jumps, plummeting to 17th place with a tentative and passionless showing.

— AP

6.26pm: Aussies finish in cross country skiing

allum Watson. Picture: Getty Images.
allum Watson. Picture: Getty Images.

Bellingham and Watson have crossed the line in PyeongChang. Watson performed the better of the pair with a time of 37:53.9, finishing 67th, while Bellingham posted a time of 38:36.2 to finish 73rd.

5.25pm: Pita, Aussies in action in cross country skiing

The men’s cross country skiing has begun, with medals on the line. Two Australians are in action: Phillip Bellingham (who starts at 5.40pm AEDT) and Callum Watson (5.41pm AEDT). Tonga’s Pita Taufatofua will also be in action — make sure you read this on the contrasting tales of the taekwondoka-turned-cross-country skier with that of Shaun White.

5.00pm: Official sacked over altercation

Adam Pengilly, pictured in 2009. Picture: AP.
Adam Pengilly, pictured in 2009. Picture: AP.

The IOC has expelled one of the only members who has been critical of its policies from the PyeongChang Olympics over an altercation with a security guard.

Adam Pengilly, a vice president of the International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation, apologized and acknowledged running through the security checkpoint at his hotel and swearing Thursday. He denied accusations that he pushed the guard.

Pengilly, who is British, was one of only two IOC members who didn’t support allowing Russians to compete at the Winter Games.

Reporters pressed IOC spokesman Mark Adams to explain the rapid expulsion Friday. He says it was because it happened during the games and because Pengilly acknowledged his behavior.

There are two other IOC members facing serious criminal charges who have been allowed to take part in Olympic activities. Adams says that’s because their cases are “in process.” Pengilly competed in skeleton at the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. He has been one of the few members critical of IOC President Thomas Bach’s decision to let Russian athletes participate in the Olympics. Pengilly’s term was to have ended on Feb. 25.

The International Bobsled and Skeleton Federation says it issued an apology to Pyeongchang officials for Pengilly’s behavior.

— AP

4.30pm: USA progress ... just

Phew! It was almost disaster for the US in the men’s ice hockey, but they did enough to beat Slovakia 2-1. And what about that finish? The US will face the Olympic Athletes from Russia tomorrow in a huge clash that has massive implications for their group.

3.50pm: Lassila bites back at Magnusen

Lydia Lassila. Picture: Getty Images.
Lydia Lassila. Picture: Getty Images.

Lydia Lassila has hit back at swimmer James Magnussen for suggesting winter sports were less professional then their summer counterparts, saying he’d “probably cry” if he had to compete in one.

Magnussen drew attention in an interview on Fox Sports, saying the public had double standards — with high expectations of summer Olympians but lower ones from the more “laidback, relaxed feel” of the Winter Olympics. He said alpine athletes got to listen to music while competing, with advertising everywhere while summer sports were by contrast “super professional” and “super intense”.

But the retiring Lassila scoffed at Magnussen’s comments, suggesting he had it a lot easier being in an indoor sport and “following a black line”. “He doesn’t have to deal with changing conditions, changing variables,” she said.

“He can come any day and try to do what we do. Not against the best in the world but against the extreme variables that we are facing.

“Forget about it, he’d probably cry.” Olympic Winter Institute boss Geoff Lipshut weighed in on the debate suggesting halfpipe rider Scotty James going up against Shaun White was similar to Magnussen trying to beat swimming great Michael Phelps.

AAP

3.20pm: Tearful Brockhoff shares her pain

A tearful Belle Brockhoff says self-belief helped her push through the severe pain of a chronic knee injury to compete in today’s women’s snowboard cross.

Brockhoff crashed out in her semi-final, missing out on the chance to race for gold in the big final.

However, she said just being able to compete was a victory in itself.

A tearful Belle Brockhoff is interviewed by Channel 7 after the women's snowboard cross. Photo: Channel 7
A tearful Belle Brockhoff is interviewed by Channel 7 after the women's snowboard cross. Photo: Channel 7

“I just wanted to come here and lay at least one good run down because I haven’t been making it down the track,” Brockhoff told Channel 7.

“My knee’s held up all right, I had a hard hit in the semis, it just really hurts. But I made it down and I’m really happy with that.

“It’s been a bit of a rough run in. I had an ACL tear in March and then came back and did my ACL again, so I really wanted to be here so I did everything I could to be here and represent my country and I’m really happy about that, you know. I’m just really overwhelmed right now.”

Brockhoff said despite her injury, she had no thought of not racing in the small final to determine placings seven through to 12. She finished fifth in the small final to be officially 11th overall.

“I like a challenge,” she said when questioned about why she chose to race in the small final.

“My teammates call me stupid or crazy but I have a belief I can make it down the course and that’s what I did.

“I didn’t sign up for this sport for it to be easy. You know, it’s just part of it (but) I still love it more than anything. I guess it just shows how much strength you can have as an individual, you know, self-belief goes a long way and I’ve achieved a lot today and I’m really happy.”

3.04pm: Brockhoff 11th overall

At her second Olympics, Australia’s Belle Brockhoff has finished 11th overall after placing in fifth place in the small final.

Brockhoff was close to tears as she waited to begin the small final, and immediately after finishing the race, she collapsed to the snow, her disappointment at missing the final written all over her face.

Just a few weeks ago, Brockhoff was considered little to no chance of competing in PyeongChang as she recovered from a serious knee injury. She raced today in severe pain and without an ACL ... but at 25 years of age, there is still plenty of time for her to get her knee right and reset for a shot at Olympic gold in Beijing.

In a thrilling finish in the big final, Italy’s Michela Moioli won the gold from 16-year-old Frenchwoman Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau and 2014 gold medallist Eva Samkova, of the Czech Republic.

2.50pm: Brockhoff crashes out

She gave it everything, but Australia’s Belle Brockhoff has crashed out in the semi-finals of the women’s snowboard cross and won’t get the opportunity to race for a medal.

In fourth position and pushing hard to move into the top three to earn a place in the final, Brockhoff went down as she approached a jump in the second half of the course.

Without an ACL and in enormous pain throughout the competition, she’ll now compete in the small final. Racing for the medals in the big final are Czech defending gold medallist Eva Samkova take on American Lindsey Jacobellis, French pair Chloe Trespeuch and Julia Pereira de Sousa Mabileau, Italy’s Michel Moioli and Bulgaria’s Alexandra Jekova.

2.32pm: Brockhoff through to semis

Australia’s Belle Brockhoff put her knee problems behind her to qualify for the semi-finals of the women’s snowboard cross with a third placing in her quarter-finals.

Brockhoff was limping noticeably after her run, which is no surprise — she doesn’t have an ACL in one of her knees after a shocking injury last year.

But she fought through the pain with a near-flawless run to earn a place in the semi-finals, which are due to start shortly.

“I don’t need an ACL, I’m through to the semi-finals!” commentator David Culbert exclaimed for Channel 7.

“Just limping a little bit there, it’s not easy, there’s a bit of pain there.”

She’ll need to again finish in the first three in the second semi-final to earn a chance at a medal in the big final.

2pm: South Korea wins gold in skeleton

The home crowd gold the gold medal it was cheering for when South Korea’s Yun Sungbin won the men’s skeleton, beating Olympic Athlete from Russia Nikita Tregubov and Great Britain’s Dom Parsons.

Australia’s John Farrow finished in 19th, while a poor fourth heat cost New Zealand’s Rhys Thornbury, who dropped from seventh to 14th.

1.25pm: Farrow in 19th in skeleton

Australia’s John “The Arrow” Farrow completes his 2018 Winter Olympics with a 51.53 effort in the fourth heat of the men’s skeleton.

He’s currently in 19th place overall, which means it’s unlikely he’ll be able to improve on his 17th place from the Sochi Olympics, which remains the best performance by an Australian in the event.

1.20pm: Kerry advances in figure skating

A brilliant short program for Australia’s Brendan Kerry, the 23-year-old scoring a season best 83.06 to safely qualify for the free skating round of the men’s figure skating.

He’s currently second overall, trailing the USA’s Vincent Zhou, who notched 84.53 ... but there are still 20 skaters to hit the ice.

Kerry chose a version of Tears for Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World for his routine. He successfully landed a quad toeloop, triple lutz and triple toeloop and a triple axel and has promised to throw a second quad into his routine in the free program.

12.55pm: Kerry ready to go

Here’s Australia’s Brendan Kerry warming up for the men’s figure skating short program. He’s up shortly.

12.45pm: Brockhoff through to quarters

Australia’s Belle Brockhoff is straight through to the quarter-finals of the women’s snowboard cross, qualifying in 10th position with a time of 1:20.34, 3.5 seconds behind Sochi gold medal winner Eva Samkova.

The top 12 qualifiers from the first heat earn an automatic pass into the knock-out phase, with the remaining competitors to now battle it out for the last positions in the quarter-finals.

We’ll next see Brockhoff when the quarter-finals begin at 2.15pm AEDT.

Oh, and if you’re in PyeongChang and happen to spot Vendula Hopjakova as she tries to track down Channel 7 commentator David Culbert, tell her he’s headed back to Australia ... or things could get ugly.

12.35pm: Farrow through to fourth round

Australia’s John “The Arrow” Farrow has qualified for the final round of the men’s skeleton, squeezing into the top 20 in 19th place after three rounds.

South Korea’s Yun Sungbin remains in the lead from Latvia’s Martins Dukurs and Great Britain’s Dom Parsons, with Kiwi Rhys Thornbury in seventh overall.

Ghana’s Akwasi Frimpong wasn’t able to progress, finishing in last place of the 30 competitors ... but he still holds the honour of being his country’s first competitor in the event.

12.16pm: Second run likely for Brockhoff

Australia’s Belle Brockhoff, still struggling with a knee injury, produces a 1 minute 20.34 run in qualifying to be seventh fastest of the nine competitors to complete their runs.

With only the top 12 automatically going through to finals, Brockhoff will likely need a second run in qualifying to progress.

She was more than 3 seconds off the hot pace set by Italian Michela Moioli, who clocked a blistering 1:16.97 run.

12.10pm: Farrow sizzles in skeleton

Australia’s John “The Arrow” Farrow moved into 18th place overall with a 51.40 second run in his third heat of the skeleton.

It was his second-fastest effort of the competition so far, only marginally behind his 51.31 second heat two run but more than two-tenths better than his first.

With only competitors ranked behind him in the cumulative standings to come, he looks a strong chance to remain in the top 20 overall and secure a fourth run later today.

11.58am: Kiwi delight in skeleton

New Zealand’s Rhys Thornbury is one of the big movers in the third round of the skeleton, a 50.65-second run moving him into seventh overall, just two seconds behind overall leader Yun Sungbin, of South Korea.

John Farrow, of Australia, is 19th after two runs and will be looking for a run under the 51 second mark to remain in the top 20. He’s up in about 10 minutes’ time.

New Zealand's Rhys Thornbury competes in heat three of the men’s skeleton. Photo: AFP
New Zealand's Rhys Thornbury competes in heat three of the men’s skeleton. Photo: AFP

11.40am: South Korea leads in skeleton

We’re underway in the third of four heats in the men’s skeleton, with South Korea’s Yun Sungbin leading the way after a 50.18 second run, just 0.11 seconds slower than his effort in the second heat.

Australia’s John Farrow is up soon.

11.05am: Skeleton, snowboard cross to come

John Farrow will be in action for Australia as heat three of the skeleton kicks off at 11.30am (AEDT). He’ll be hoping to remain in the top 20 (he’s currently 19th) ahead of a fourth run.

Then we’ll have Belle Brockhoff tackling the brutal snowboard cross course in the seeding runs and finals, with the action starting at noon (AEDT).

10.45am: Brockhoff ‘still hasn’t finished course’

Australian snowboard cross star Belle Brockhoff yesterday admitted she still hadn’t managed to complete the snowboard cross course in training as she struggles with a knee injury in the lead-up to today’s heats.

In a video posted to Twitter yesterday, Brockhoff — who had surgery after a training crash in December, requiring medical clearance to compete at her second Winter Olympics — thanked her supporters.

“I’ve had some really hard slams the last few days and haven’t managed to get down the track yet,” she laughed.

“But (today) I’ll be throwing down and I hope everyone enjoys it.”

After her injury-interrupted season, Brockhoff was no.34 on the World Cup leaderboard for the snowboard cross leading into the PyeongChang Games.

10am: Now THIS is a champion

She had just experienced the biggest disappointment of her career, crashing out in the qualifying rounds of the women’s freestyle aerials at her fifth Winter Olympics.

But Lydia Lassila showed what a true champion is made of with his interview just minutes afterwards.

9am: Bloemen’s priceless reaction

The roots of Ted-Jan Bloemen will have many saying his Olympic gold medal in speedskating is at least part Dutch. Forget it. His recipe for victory in the 10,000 metres was as Canadian as maple syrup.

“Everything changed for me,” Bloemen said of his move to North America. “I had a whole different country, different continent, different culture, different team around me, different coach.”

Bloemen finally broke the Dutch hold on the top step of the podium at the oval on Day 6 of the Pyeongchang Games with a race that not only brought him the Olympic record, but also total vindication of his decision to leave the Netherlands.

But it was his reaction when he knew he’d secured the gold medal that got social media talking.

Defending champion Jorrit Bergsma took silver and Dutch teammate Sven Kramer again failed to win the one Olympic race he most craves. Missing power and pace, Kramer slumped to sixth, well behind surprise bronze medalist Nicola Tumolero of Italy.

— AFP

8am: Gaffe #2 on Day 6

Australia’s former aerials world champ Jacqui Cooper wasn’t the only commentator caught up in controversy over an on-air remark yesterday.

Bode Miller. Photo: AP
Bode Miller. Photo: AP

US skiing great Bode Miller was forced to apologised after suggesting that marriage was to blame for a slow slalom run by Austria’s Anna Veith at the Winter Olympics.

Miller, gold medallist in the 2010 Olympics, was forced to backtrack on his television commentary concerning Veith’s performance.

Veith, who won gold at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, has recently recovered from a knee injury and has struggled to recapture her best form in PyeongChang and during the World Cup.

However Miller suggested her 2016 marriage to long-time partner Manuel might also be a factor in her performances in South Korea.

“The knee is certainly an issue,” said Miller.

“I want to point out, she also got married. It’s historically very challenging to race on World Cup with a family or after being married.

“You know, not to blame the spouses, but I just want to toss that out there that it might be her husband’s fault.”

The comment was widely panned across social media, prompting Miller to issue a hurried clarification.

“I apologize. That was an ill-advised attempt at a joke,” Miller said.

“I was an athlete that competed after marriage and I know how beneficial it is. I know the support team you need. I relied on my friends and family. And if you have the luxury of relying on a spouse I know they are inevitably your biggest supporter.”

He later added on Twitter: “To be clear I was not seriously blaming Anna Veith’s lack of results on her husband.

“It’s a changing of priorities that is historically hard, male or female.”

7.15am: Scott in fine form

If you missed Danielle Scott qualify for the women’s aerials with just one jump last night, here’s her effort.

And if you’re not a winter sports tragic but think Scott’s face is very familiar, there’s a very good reason ... you’ve probably seen her in a few advertisements featuring Nick “The Honey Badger” Cummins.

It seems the pair of them share a similar sense of humour, as this blooper reel shows.

6.40am: ‘They all look the same’

The Seven Network has defended former aerial skier turned Winter Olympics commentator Jacqui Cooper who made an awkward gaffe during their Games telecast.

Commentating on Chinese aerial skier Yan Ting the five-time Winter Olympian said: “Very Chinese. They all look the same. Very hard to tell who is who.”

Cooper took to Twitter to explain her comments.

“I’ve noticed a whole bunch of comments about my remarks re the Chinese. I need to make it clear I was talking about the jump. The Chinese are trained by one coach with one technique. Their aim is to all jump the same.”

Seven also quickly issued a statement saying what Cooper said was in context of the aerial manoeuvres the Chinese performed and “was not racist”.

“During tonight’s commentary of the women’s aerials, commentator Jacqui Cooper, a former Olympian and world champion — noted that an aerial manoeuvre was in a technical and style sense, very Chinese. Meaning that the whole of the Chinese aerial team are trained in the same way — and the manoeuvre referenced was a classic, technically perfect, trademark of that team’s style.

“At no time was the commentary racist, intended to be racist or offensive.”

— AAP

6.30am: Will Brockhoff be fit?

Belle Brockhoff’s recovery from back-to-back knee injuries to reach PyeongChang has been remarkable but question marks remain over the snowboard cross star’s fitness.

The 25-year-old saw fellow Australians Jarryd Hughes, who won silver, and Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin reach the men’s final a day before her competition on Friday.

The long track has provided plenty of spills during the 2018 Games, with more than one rider sledded off with injuries.

Australian snowboard cross competitor Belle Brockhoff is battling a knee injury. Photo: Getty Images
Australian snowboard cross competitor Belle Brockhoff is battling a knee injury. Photo: Getty Images

Brockhoff had surgery after a training crash in December, requiring medical clearance to compete at her second Winter Olympics.

She has earned the chance to improve on her semi-final elimination in Sochi four years ago, with her latest injury occurring on the cusp of her competitive comeback from a torn ACL suffered in March.

Pullin, who crashed in the six-man final to finish last, was unsure if Brockhoff’s knee would hold up.

“Hard to say. There’s so many things that come into play,” he said after competing yesterday.

“She’s been working really hard. She knows what she needs to do. She’ll make those right decisions.

“At the end of the day, it has to be up to her. You can only really do it properly when you stand in the gate and you can tell yourself, ‘yeah, I’ve got this’.

“She knows that. We’ve had a couple of chats about the track and that sort of thing. We’ll hopefully be able to catch up later today and talk about how the racing was and how the course was and the conditions.”

Belle Brockhoff in action in Sochi. Photo: Getty Images
Belle Brockhoff in action in Sochi. Photo: Getty Images

— AAP

6.25am: Topless Tongan ready to perform

Tongan cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua joked that he has two immediate goals when he competes in his first Winter Olympic event today: Don’t hit a tree and finish before they turn off the lights.

Tonga's flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua, who’ll compete in cross country today. Photo: AFP
Tonga's flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua, who’ll compete in cross country today. Photo: AFP

The medal podium is far from the mind of the “shirtless” Tongan, who qualified for the cross-country event despite having taken up the sport less than a year ago and having spent less than 12 weeks of his life on snow.

The 34-year-old Taufatofua said his real long-term goal is to inspire others from the South Pacific to give the Olympics a shot. He’s doing a good job so far as one of a very few athletes to compete in the Summer and Winter Games.

“I won’t medal on Friday, but in four years someone from Tonga might, in eight years someone from the Pacific might,” Taufatofua said.

“These kids who are watching now, they’ll have access to something they never knew existed before.”

You’ve probably heard about — or at least seen — Taufatofua by now. He became a TV and internet hit in 2016 when he walked shirtless into the opening ceremony at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro carrying the Tongan flag, his bare chest oiled up, showing off his muscular physique.

He didn’t fare so well in taekwondo at those games, losing his first match 19-1. But shortly after that, the persistent Taufatofua decided to make a run at qualifying for the Winter Games — even though it almost never snows where he comes from. He took up cross-country skiing because he said it was the most challenging of all Olympic events, training on roller skis at home and in Australia.

Only recently did he see the white stuff.

He managed to qualify for the Olympics in a remote location, sacrificing nearly everything he had financially to make his dream come true.

When he arrived in PyeongChang he said he wouldn’t march without a shirt, but when the opening ceremony began there he was topless and carrying the Tonga flag despite bone-chilling temperatures.

Tonga flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua of Tonga chats with other athletes. Photo: Getty Images
Tonga flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua of Tonga chats with other athletes. Photo: Getty Images

The crowd roared with approval.

“If my ancestors can sail across the Pacific Ocean for 1,000 years, not knowing where the next piece of land is going to be, not knowing where their next meal is going to be, going to war, then I can walk for 25 minutes through an opening ceremony without a shirt on,” Taufatofua said. “Because that’s what they wore for 1,000 years.”

— AAP

6am: Aussies in action on Day 7

FIGURE SKATING
* 12pm: Brendan Kerry (men’s short program)

SKELETON
* 11.30am: John Farrow (men’s heats)
* 10pm: Jaclyn Narracott (women’s heats)

SNOWBOARD
* 12pm: Belle Brockhoff (women’s snowboard cross)

CROSS COUNTRY SKIING
* 5pm: Phllip Bellingham (men’s 15km free)

FREESTYLE SKIING
* 10pm: Danielle Scott, Laura Peel s (women’s aerials final)

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/winter-olympics-2018/winter-olympics-2018-day-7-danielle-scott-laura-peel-in-womens-aerials-final/news-story/50d3d88a9ebcb9d1ff483e80f26079ae