BC-Olympic Digest, ADVISORY

APTOPIX Beijing Olympics Alpine Skiing (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Nihao from Beijing

Today is Day 3 of the Beijing Olympics. Here are AP’s coverage plans. All times are Eastern. For questions, please email Amanda Barrett at abarrett@ap.org. Find the latest Olympics coverage plans on Coverage Plan. For expanded content, visit AP’s Olympics hub on AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 877-836-9477. For questions about the digital news experience or medals tables, please email Barry Bedlan at bbedlan@ap.org.

HAPPENING IN BEIJING

While Mikaela Shiffrin was eliminated early from the giant slalom, there were triumphant storylines including cancer survivor Max Parrot winning the men's slopestyle and diminutive Swiss downhill skier Beat Feuz winning his first Olympic gold.

___

TRENDING NEWS

TEN-PENG-SHUAI-SPEAKS — Nothing to see here, move on. That was the message that Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai delivered Monday in a controlled interview in Beijing that touched on sexual assault allegations she made against a former high-ranking member of China’s ruling Communist Party. Her answers - delivered in front of a Chinese Olympic official - left unanswered questions about her well-being and what exactly happened. By John Leicester. SENT: 533 words, photo. WITH: PENG-SHUAI-DISAPPEARANCES — The drama surrounding Peng Shuai is following a familiar script, in which someone who has run afoul of China’s Communist government disappears from view. SENT: 800 words, photos.

OLY-FIG-TEAM-COMPETITION-US — With poise and precision, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the discipline with a score of 129.17. That gave Team USA the maximum of 10 points and just about locked up its first silver medal in three editions of the Olympic team competition. By Sally Ho. SENT: 662 words, photos.

OLY--NBC-TIRICO — NBC prime-time Olympic host Mike Tirico will have a shorter stay in Beijing than originally planned. Tirico’s final show from Beijing will be Monday night. SENT: 238 words, photo.

OLY-DAY 2-PHOTO GALLERY — Joy on a sunny Day 2 at the Beijing Olympics. SENT: 182 words, photos.

___

TOP STORIES

OLY-SKI-WOMEN’S GIANT SLALOM — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin missed a gate early in the first run of the giant slalom at the Beijing Games. It was the first time she failed to finish a giant slalom since just before she won that race at the 2018 Olympics. By Andrew Dampf. SENT: 838 words, photos.

OLY-FIG-TEAM-COMPETITION — Kamila Valieva became the first woman to land a quad in the Olympics and her historic free skate put a stamp on the Russians’ dominant run to the gold medal in the team event at the Beijing Games. The U.S. earned silver after back-to-back bronze medals at the past two Olympics thanks largely to a winning dance program from Madison Chock and Evan Bates. By Dave Skretta. SENT: 1,029 words, photos.

OLY—INSIDE THE BUBBLE — Officially, the Beijing Olympics are taking place inside what organizers are calling “the enclosed compound activity area.” That’s the fancy way of saying “the bubble.” With hotels surrounded by chain-link fences, entrances and exits blocked off and no way of mingling with non-Olympic personnel, these games are taking place inside their own little world. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 972 words, photos.

OLY--BIG AIR SHOUGANG — The Shougang steel mill that once billowed smoke into smoggy Beijing is sending something else skyward this week -- Olympic skiers. The sprawling industrial park was shuttered in conjunction with Beijing’s efforts to clean up its image and its skies around the 2008 Games. It has since been converted to a sports and culture center, and one of its centerpieces is the Olympic Big Air jump, the first permanent, city-based venue the sport has ever had. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 852 words, photos.

OLY—BEIJING-LUNAR NEW YEAR — As China gets back to business after a muted Lunar New Year holiday that coincided with the start of the pandemic-restricted Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the feeling inside and out of the bubble in this auspicious Year of the Tiger is that festivities for the most sacred and important holiday for the country were limited and underwhelming. By Sally Ho and Ken Moritsugu. SENT: 850 words, photos.

____

SNAPSHOTS AND GLIMPSES

OLY-GLIMPSES-BIG AIR-VIEWS — Canadian freestyle skier Elena Gaskell twists and bends backward to grab her ski as she takes flight off the end of a manufactured ramp covered in snow. Associated Press photographer Jae C. Hong captured her in mid-air on Sunday, framed against a wintry sky and a pair of smokestacks. By Adam Schreck. SENT: 264 words, photo.

OLY-BEIJING-SNAPSHOT-SOUVENIR CRAZE — The race is on to snap up scarce 2022 Winter Olympics souvenirs. By Joe McDonald. SENT: 330 words, photos.

____

THE ATHLETES

OLY-HKO-PLAYERS TO WATCH — Canada’s Eric Staal and Owen Power and the Czech Republic’s David Krejci are among the players to watch at the Olympics without an NHL presence. Staal and Krejci are among the Beijing Olympians who have won the Stanley Cup. By Stephen Whyno. SENT: 1,184 words, photos.

OLY-CUR-PLYS-DOUBLE DUTY — just because he made an early exit from the Olympic mixed doubles curling tournament doesn’t mean the week has been a waste for American Chris Plys. Although the second-time Olympian failed to qualify for the playoffs in the two-person, coed event in Beijing, Plys is also in the men’s field — one of a handful of curlers with a second chance at a medal. By Jimmy Golen. SENT: 792 words, photos.

OLY--LUG-THE SLIDING DOCTOR — The doctor is in (the Olympics). Meet Elsa Desmond, an actual surgeon from Ireland who’ll make her Olympic luge debut on Monday night. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 600 words by 8 a.m., photos.

OLY--LUG-US-MEN’S FUTURE — USA Luge’s Chris Mazdzer had X-rays on his aching right foot a few days ago, and the results were as he expected. It’s still broken. With that, it became official: the U.S. men’s luge team was never fully healthy at any point this season. And now an offseason of change for the men’s program is here. By Tim Reynolds. SENT: 650 words, photos.

OLY-BIA-US-BIATHLON-MEDAL — The United States has won medals in every sport at the Winter Olympics except one: biathlon. American biathlete Leif Nordgren, who has competed in the last two Winter Games, said because of that he regularly hears the question — Will this be the year? By Martha Bellisle. SENT: 533 words, photos.

____

THE GAMES WE PLAY

OLY-SKI-MEN’S DOWNHILL — Beat Feuz finally has the one major victory missing from his overflowing collection of downhill achievements: Olympic gold. The diminutive Swiss skier mastered a tricky course that had never been raced before by the world’s best and finished a slim 0.10 seconds ahead of 41-year-old Johan Clarey of France on Monday. By Daniella Matar. SENT: 289 words, photos. Will be updated to 700 words, photos.

OLY-SKI-WOMEN'S-GS-HECTOR'S GOLD — Swedish skier Sara Hector capped a recent career resurgence by winning the gold medal in the women’s giant slalom at the Beijing Olympics. The win is her first individual victory at a major championship. By Andrew Dampf. SENT: 543 words, photos.

OLY-FRE-BIG AIR — Eileen Gu’s goal of three Olympic medals nearly blew off in the wind. The American-born freestyle skier who spurned Team USA for China ahead of the Beijing Games risked missing the finals in women’s big air when she lost a ski on her second run and crashed into do-or-die position entering Round 3. By Jake Seiner. SENT: 483 words, photos.

OLY-SBD-MEN’S SLOPESTYLE — Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot took home the Olympic gold medal in men’s slopestyle just over three years removed from being diagnosed with cancer. Parrot was technically superior on his second of three runs and scored a 90.96 to hold off the field. By Pat Graham. SENT: 519 words, photos. WITH: OLY--SBD-SU'S SILVER — Chinese teenager Su Yiming was a surprise silver medalist in the Olympic men’s slopestyle competition. By Pat Graham. SENT: 564 words, photos.

OLY--SPD-SPEEDSKATING — Brittany Bowe looks to give the U.S. its first individual speedskating medal since 2010 in the women’s 1,500 meters, but she’s facing tough competition that includes defending gold medalist Ireen Wust of the Netherlands and Japan’s Miho Takagi. By National Writer Paul Newberry. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos. Starts at 3:30 a.m. EST.

OLY-BIA—BIATHLON-WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL — Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg will try to defend her Olympic title when women compete in the 15-kilometer individual biathlon race. By Martha Bellisle. UPCOMING: 450 words by 5 a.m.

OLY--JUM-SKI JUMPING-MIXED TEAM — For the first time at the Olympics, women and men will compete in a mixed team ski jumping event By Larry Lage. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos. Competition starts 6:45 a.m.

OLY--SPD-SHORT TRACK SPEEDSKATING — Short track speedskating medals are awarded in the women’s 500 meters and men’s 1,000 meters at the Beijing Olympics. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Begins 7:45 a.m.

OLY--SPD-SHORT TRACK — Short-track speedskating gets even crazier with the Olympic debut of the mixed team relay in Beijing. By Beth Harris. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Begins 6 a.m.

OLY--LUG-WOMEN'S LUGE — Germany’s Natalie Geisenberger starts the quest Monday night for what would be a third Olympic gold medal in women’s luge, when the first two runs of the four-run event are held. The medals will be decided Tuesday. By Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 500 words by 10 a.m., photos.

____

UP TO THE MINUTE

— OLYMPICS ROUNDUP — Highlights of the day from the 2022 Winter Games.

— BEIJING OLYMPICS-THE LATEST — Real-time updates and photos from every venue around the Winter Games.

— BEIJING OLYMPICS-WHAT TO WATCH — A guide to key storylines each day. Moves after 1 a.m.

— MEDAL BRIEFS — A roundup of the day’s gold medals.

____

FEATURED IMAGES

OLYTH111 — Mikaela Shiffrin of United States loses control and skis off course during the first run of the women’s giant slalom.

OLYFF115 — Ben Loomis, of the United States, prepares for his jump during a ski jumping training session in the Gundersen normal hill Nordic Combined event.

OLYAG309 — Simo Peltola of Finland competes during the men’s freestyle skiing big air qualification round.

OLYRM401 — Daniel Hemetsberger, of Austria, bleeds after finishing the men’s downhill.

OLYKS179 — China’s Su Yiming competes during men’s slopestyle finals.

OLYJR136 — Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, of the Russian Olympic Committee, compete in the team ice dance program during the figure skating competition.

____

GRAPHICS

Beijing Winter Games Schedule: The full discipline schedule of competition events, including medal and ceremony days for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Print graphic. Now available.