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All event times are GMT
- 00:05-02:00: Curling - mixed doubles bronze-medal match
- 01:00-02:40: Snowboarding - women's halfpipe
- 02:30-04:10 & 06:00-07:25: Alpine skiing - men's combined
- 08:30-09:45 & 11:00-13:00: Cross country skiing - men's and women's individual classic
- 10:00-12:11: Short-track speed skating - women's 500m
- 10:30-12:55: Luge - women's final runs
- 11:00-12:45: Speed skating - men's 1500m
- 11:05-13:20: Curling - mixed doubles gold-medal match
Cross-country skiing continues today with the men's and women's individual at the Alpensia Cross-Country Centre in PyeongChang, South Korea.
A quick recap of what’s happened so far in the sport at the 2018 PyeongChang Games:
On Saturday, Swedish skier Charlotte Kalla won her third career Olympic gold medal in the women’s 30km skiathlon. The skiathlon saw Marit Bjorgen, of Norway, become the most decorated female Winter Olympian by getting her 11th Olympic medal — a silver.
Then, Norway swept the podium in the men’s 30km skiathlon Sunday in a race that featured an incredible comeback for Simen Hegstad Krueger. Krueger collided with two skiers on the first lap and found himself 37.8 seconds back at the 6-kilometer point.
Krueger, somehow, found his way to the front of the pack with 5km left and never looked back. Martin Johnsrud Sundby took silver, and Hans Christer Holund got bronze.
Here are a few things to know about both the women’s and men’s individual sprint.
What it is...
The individual sprint — 1.8km for the men and 1.3km for the women — begins with a qualification round, with the top 30 skiers advancing to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals divide the field into groups of six skiers over five heats.
Twelve total skiers advance to the semifinals — the top two finishers from each heat plus two “lucky losers,” which is ski slang for the two skiers with the fastest finishing time in the quarterfinals that didn’t finish first or second in their heats.
Simply put, the 11th and 12th fastest skiers from the quarters also automatically advance to the semis.
The semis are divided into two heats, split up by six skiers. The top two finishers advance to the finals, with two more “lucky losers” joining them.
And the finals are simple. The first skier to cross the finish line wins gold.
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING IS THE OLDEST TYPE OF SKIING. IT EMERGED FROM A NEED TO TRAVEL OVER SNOW-COVERED TERRAIN AND DEVELOPED AS A SPORT AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY.
NORWEGIAN ORIGINS
For centuries in the snow-covered North, skis were required to chase game and gather firewood in winter time. With long distances between the small, isolated communities and hard, snowy winters, skiing also became important as means of keeping in social contact. The word “ski” is a Norwegian word which comes from the Old Norse word “skid”, a split length of wood.
EARLIEST FORM
Different types of skis emerged at various regions at about the same time. One type had a horizontal toe-piece binding. The modern ski bindings are based on the Fennoscandian model of the 19th century. The East Siberian type was a thin board with a vertical four-hole binding. Sometimes it was covered with fur. The Lapps used a horizontal stem-hole binding. Present-day cross country skis were developed from the type used by the Lapps.
FIRST COMPETITION
Norwegian army units were skiing for sport (and prizes) in the 18th century. Skiing for sport appeared in Norway in the mid 19th century; the first race on record is 1842.The famous Holmenkollen ski festival started in 1892, with the focus initially on the Nordic combined event. However in 1901, a separate cross country race was added to the festival.
SCANDINAVIAN DOMINANCE
The men’s event debuted at the first Winter Olympic Games in Chamonix in 1924 and the women’s event debuted at the 1952 Oslo Games. The sport has traditionally been dominated by the Nordic countries.
