February 15: Olympic Journal, Mikaela Shiffrin Falters and United States Men’s Hockey Wins
On February 15, the United States did not win any medals, though they were favored to. American darling and slalom skier Mikaela Shiffrin faltered in the Giant Slalom and finished in 11th place. The United States men’s hockey team beat Germany, plus some freestyle skiing with great American results. United States curling is also red hot.
American hockey and curling are looking very good so far. They are positioning themselves well, and the United States has three of the top 12 qualifiers in the Big Air Freestyle Skiing event. Shiffrin has another chance to win in the slalom event on February 18. Do you think she will?
February 15 Medal Table
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Norway | 12 | 7 | 7 |
| Italy | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| United States | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Sweden | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| France | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| Germany | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Austria | 4 | 6 | 3 |
Mikaela Shiffrin Disheartening Giant Slalom
Shiffrin faltered in the giant slalom today. On February 15, Shiffrin competed in the women’s giant slalom final, hoping to make up for her failure to reach the podium at her first skiing event last week.
However, her individual pursuit did not work out in her favor; she finished 11th with a time of 2:14.42, keeping her off the podium. She is the most decorated skier of all time, but she keeps failing on the biggest stage. This raises questions about her toughness. The Slalom is her best event.
United States Men’s Hockey
The United States men’s hockey team beat Germany by a score of 5-1. They won pool C with a perfect 3-0 record, though by virtue of goal differential, they are the second seeds to the behemoth that is Team Canada. In this game, Team USA cruised to its third win of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. Auston Matthews scored twice, while Zach Werenski, Brock Faber, and Tage Thompson each scored a goal.
The United States did win all of its games in pool play, though each effort showed some warts. Team Canada, the United States, Slovakia, and Finland all receive byes in the next round, but they are seeded in that order. With Canada and the United States on different sides of the draw, they could face each other in the gold medal game.
United States Curling Is Red Hot
Both the men’s and women’s curling have been playing very well. The United States men are 4-2 and in third place in the standings, behind only Canada and Switzerland. The American women are 4-1, winning their last three matches, and are in second place, trailing only Sweden.
Big Air Freestyle Skiing
There is good news for the United States in the big air freestyle skiing qualification. The United States has three of the top twelve qualifiers for the final, including the second overall qualifier. The event is entertaining, with skiers gaining momentum and then skiing over a huge jump hill. They then do a variety of tricks, including flipping 5 and 6 times either vertically or sideways.
Parting Shots
Despite some disappointing results from the United States on February 15, they are set up to do better going forward. Jordan Stolz still has two events left, and the team events, both men’s and women’s hockey and both men’s and women’s curling, look to be in a good position to win a medal this February.
