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Day 2 of the Milano-Cortina Olympics coincided with Super Bowl Sunday. While there isn’t a direct link between these events, it’s interesting to note that Milan is located in the Lombardy region of Italy, the same name as the trophy awarded to the Super Bowl champion.
Canada had a challenging day with limited medal prospects and failed to secure additional medals after Valérie Maltais’ bronze win in speed skating on Saturday.
Despite high hopes in figure skating’s team event, Canada slipped to fifth place. The United States and Japan were tied going into the men’s free skate, where American star Ilia Malinin claimed the gold with a performance that fell short of his usual standards.
Canadian speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen finished 13th in the men’s 5,000m, and Xavier McKeever secured Canada’s best result in cross-country skiing with a 13th place in the men’s skiathlon. In snowboarding, none of the four Canadian athletes in the parallel giant slalom advanced past the quarterfinals, while Laurie Blouin and Juliette Pelchat missed out on the women’s big air final.
Canada’s disappointment continued in mixed doubles curling as the married pair of Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant failed to qualify for the playoffs after defeats to Sweden and South Korea, dropping their record to 3-5.
Internationally, American alpine skiing icon Lindsey Vonn suffered a serious crash while competing with a torn ACL. The 41-year-old was airlifted off the course with a broken leg, requiring surgery. Breezy Johnson of the U.S. secured the gold, marking her first Olympic medal.
On a positive note, the Canadian men’s hockey team, led by captain Sidney Crosby, has arrived in Italy. The team’s first game is scheduled for Thursday against Czechia.
For a detailed overview of Canada’s performance on Day 2, click here. Additionally, don’t miss the daily recap show, Air Canada Olympic Winter Games Today, hosted by Ariel Helwani, airing