2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games

Germany Takes Lead in Men’s Alpine Combined Skiing: German Thomas Dressen took an early lead in the men’s alpine combined skiing event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Dressen was first in the downhill run with a time of 1:19.24 to finish just ahead of Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal in the opening race of the alpine program at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Austria’s Matthias Mayer, who won gold in the downhill event at the 2014 Sochi Games, finished third. South Korea’s Kim Dong-woo finished in 56th place out of the 62 competitors with a time of 1:24.02. The combined event consists of a downhill and slalom race, with the winner achieving the fastest aggregate time. The slalom event is due to be held later Tuesday.; 2018-02-13
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Teenage Sensation Wins Halfpipe Snowboarding Gold: Anchor: American Chloe Kim has won gold in the women’s halfpipe snowboarding final on Tuesday. The teenage star proved to be too strong for her opponents as she claimed her first-ever Olympic medal in her parents’ homeland. Our Laurence Taylor has more. Report: American Chloe Kim scooped the gold at the women's halfpipe snowboarding final at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Kim dominated her opponents at Phoenix Snow Park to claim the gold medal with a best score of 98-point-25. The final of the halfpipe events consists of three runs with each competitor’s best score determining the final standings. Liu Jiayu took silver with a score of 89-point-75 to become the first Chinese snowboarder to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. Kim’s American compatriot Arielle Gold, who considered retirement last summer, recovered from a poor start to claim the bronze. But it was 17 year-old Kim, who was born in the U.S. to South Korean immigrants, who stole the show as she put on a strong performance in front of her onlooking family. Kim landed a 1080 jump in her first run to finish with a score of 93-point-75, putting her at the top of the rankings, a position she wouldn’t relinquish throughout the final. She performed a near-perfect final run to the delight of the crowd, ensuring that she finished nearly ten points ahead of her nearest challenger. Speaking to reporters after the final, Kim said that it meant a lot to perform in front of her family. [Sound bite: Chloe Kim, American halfpipe snowboarder (English)] “My grandma has never seen me compete before, so just knowing she was at the bottom. I actually found out after my second run that she was at the bottom, and I was like, this one’s for gramps!” Kim is now the first woman to win a medal at both the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games. She also became the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a snowboard event. Laurence Taylor, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-13
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OAR Claim Bronze in Mixed Doubles Curling: Olympic Athletes from Russia(OAR) defeated Norway to win bronze in the mixed doubles curling event Tuesday. The Russian pair of Anastasia Bryzgalova and Aleksandr Krushelnitckii beat Norway's Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten 8-4 in the third place match at the Gangneung Curling Centre. It represents the first-ever Olympic medal awarded in mixed curling as the event made its debut at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The match was close for most of the contest, with OAR holding a narrow 5-4 lead going into the sixth end. However, OAR scored a point in each of the last three ends to claim a deserved victory. Canada and Switzerland will compete in the gold medal match on Tuesday evening.; 2018-02-13
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IOC Chief to Visit N. Korea After PyeongChang Olympics: The International Olympic Committee(IOC) announced on Monday that its president, Thomas Bach, will visit North Korea after the PyeongChang Olympics. Bach's spokesman Mark Adams told AFP that the IOC president would visit North Korea after the games, although no date has been set. Adams said the North extended the invitation at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on January 20th where the IOC and the two Koreas met to discuss the North's participation in the winter sports event. Earlier on January 31st, Bach had told Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency that he received an invitation from the North and that he is currently coordinating views with Pyongyang on his visit.; 2018-02-13
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Sweden Hands Another Shutout Loss to Joint Korean Hockey Team: The joint women’s ice hockey team from South and North Korea took another shutout loss at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in its second preliminary game against Sweden on Monday. At Kwandong Hockey Center in Gangneung, the Swedes trounced the Koreans 8-0, including four goals in the first period and three in the third. South Korea suffered another 8-nil loss to Switzerland on Saturday. With two consecutive victories for each, Sweden and Switzerland have already secured berths to the playoffs available only to the two best teams in Group B. In the other Group B game held early Monday, Switzerland defeated Japan 3-1. The athletes from the two Koreas will team up for the last time at PyeongChang for a matchup against Japan, the object of a shared historical grievance due to its colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula in the past century. The Korea-Japan rivalry will begin at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday.; 2018-02-12
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Wust Wins Women's 1,500M Speed Skating at PyeongChang Games: Irene Wust of the Netherlands has won the women’s 15-hundred-meter speed skating event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Wust clocked 1:54.35 at the Gangneung Oval on Monday, clinching her second medal at the PyeongChang Games, following a silver in the three-thousand-meter event on Saturday. Japan’s Miho Takagi won a silver with a time of 1:54:55, followed by another Dutch athlete Marrit Leenstra with 1:55:26. South Korea’s Noh Seon-yeong finished the race with the 14th fastest time of 1:58.75. With Wust’s victory, the Netherlands swept the first three of 12 speed skating golds up for grabs in Pyeongchang. Sven Kramer won the men’s five-thousand-meter final on Sunday, after Carlijn Achtereekte, Antoinette De Jong and Wust swept the board in the women’s three-thousand-meter final on Saturday.; 2018-02-12
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US Wins Slopestyle Snowboarding Gold Amid Blustery Conditions: Anchor: American Jamie Anderson won the ladies’ slopestyle snowboarding at the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games on Monday to claim her second consecutive Olympic gold in the event. However, the event will be better remembered for the tough weather conditions which caused the majority of the finalists to fall. Our Laurence Taylor has more. Report: American Jamie Anderson managed to keep her composure amid challenging weather conditions to win gold in the ladies’ slopestyle snowboarding at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Monday. Anderson was one of the few boarders to make it down the course at Phoenix Snow Park without falling, and secured her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the event with a score of 83-point-00. Canada’s Laurie Blouin claimed the silver medal, with Finnish boarder Enni Rukajarvi taking home bronze. Anderson, who won the first ladies’ slopestyle snowboarding competition at the 2014 Sochi Games, landed a double-cork 1080 jump in her best run to stay ahead of her rivals. Her win will cement her position as the leading female slopestyle rider in the world, however the event will be best remembered for the high winds which caused havoc for the competitors. The extreme weather had already affected the event even before Monday’s final, as the qualification round was cancelled due to the blustery conditions. That meant that all 27 boarders advanced to the final, although two pulled out before the event to leave a final field of 25. There were concerns that the final itself would be postponed to a later date, but following a 75-minute delay, the winds calmed enough for the event to go ahead. All but five of the boarders suffered a fall during their first runs. Most of the crashes occurred following a jump which was severely affected by the extreme winds. Anderson’s win meant that Team USA claimed gold in both the men’s and women’s slopestyle snowboarding, following one from Red Gerard’s victory in the men’s event on Sunday. Laurence Taylor, KBS WORLD Radio News.; 2018-02-12
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Food Summit in Pyeongchang Showcases Unique Flavors of Hansik: Anchor: On the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, South Korea is holding a two-day Global Food Summit, sharing the unique flavors of Korean cuisine. South Korea's agriculture minister has pledged efforts to promote healthy food and to support food security around the world through humanitarian aid. Oh Soo-young has this report. Report: South Korea is showcasing the diverse flavors and health benefits of hansik, or Korean cuisine, to visitors from around the world attending the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs opened a food summit on Monday at the Olympic host city, inviting experts from all over the globe to discuss the future of the food industry and next-generation technologies for food production. In an interview with KBS World Radio, Agriculture Minister Kim Yung-rok explained the excellence of Korean cuisine and ingredients in promoting nutritious and innovative food. [Sound bite: Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok (English)] "Korean cuisine is internationally acclaimed as balanced, nutritious food, containing an eight to two ratio of vegetable oil to animal oil. Also, soy sauce, soy bean paste and other fermented products are some of the world’s most advanced fermented foods. We take great pride in Korean cuisine’s excellence and uniqueness -- in the case of kimchi, it is one of the world’s top five healthiest foods." The minister encouraged those visiting Pyeongchang to stop by the K-Food Plaza which offers 60 colorful dishes, including beef marinated in soy sauce, spicy chilli chicken stew, buckwheat pancakes and bibimbap -- a mixed rice bowl topped with colorful marinated vegetables and meat. He also stressed the role of Korean food in promoting food security and tackling global hunger. He noted South Korea had recently joined the Food Assistance Convention, pledging food aid to developing nations. [Sound bite: Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Kim Yung-rok (English)] "There are many people around the world grappling with hunger so we are reaching out with the World Food Programme to deliver aid-- 50,000 tons of rice worth 46 billion won but as income levels in our country are set to hit $30,000 per capita, we will strive to seize the opportunity to expand our aid." The minister expressed his hope that the harmonious balance of hansik flavors would contribute to the world, beginning with a "peaceful Olympics" event in Pyeongchang. Oh Soo-young, KBS World Radio News.; 2018-02-12
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Canada Wins Gold in Team Figure Skating: Canada won gold in the team figure skating competition on Monday following a strong performance from Patrick Chan in the men’s free program. Canada’s Chan earned his season’s best score of 179-point-75 points to take first place in the men’s event at the Gangneung Ice Arena. Chan’s victory put Canada in a strong position in the overall rankings and it secured the gold medal when Gabrielle Daleman took third place in the ladies’ free program. Russian skater Alina Zagitova won the event with a score of 158-point-08. Daleman’s performance ensured that Canada held an untouchable lead over Olympic Athletes from Russia(OAR) going into the ice dance free program, which was the final event of the competition. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir rounded off a great day for Canada, easily winning the ice dance event with a score of 118-point-10. OAR secured the silver medal, with the U.S. claiming bronze.; 2018-02-12
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Canada Beat Norway to Reach Mixed Doubles Curling Final: Canada is through to the gold medal match of the mixed doubles curling after they defeated Norway 8-4 in their semifinal match Monday. The Canadian duo of Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris beat Norwegians Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten to secure their seventh win in eight matches at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. It was a close affair for much of the match at the Gangneung Curling Centre, with Canada narrowly holding a 5-4 lead going into the seventh end. However, the Canadian team managed to score three points in the seventh end to secure their place in Tuesday’s final. Canada will play the winner of Monday’s other semi-final between Switzerland and Olympic Athletes from Russia.; 2018-02-12
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