How Colorado athletes fared in the Winter Olympics so far
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Red Gerard performs a trick during the men's snowboard slopestyle Olympic competition Sunday. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
In the first few days of the 2022 Winter Games, Colorado's Olympians faced huge setbacks that kept them from the podium in major contests.
What to watch: Other local athletes still have a chance to claim a medal.
Here's a quick recap of the results:
Skiing: Two big crashes crushed the women's U.S. team's hopes in the opening race.
- The whole world knows about Mikaela Shiffrin's quick exit and disqualification in the giant slalom competition — one of her strongest disciplines.
- Nina O'Brien, a downhill skier who lives in Denver, stood in 6th place entering the second run when she crashed and skidded through the finish line. She was taken off the course on a stretcher but responsive.
Moguls: Jaelin Kauf, a Vail-born moguls skier who trained for a time in Steamboat Springs, took home the silver medal as the only competitor to break the 27-second mark.
- Olivia Giaccio, who also trained in Steamboat, finished 6th in women's moguls, and Avon's 17-year-old Kai Owens recovered from a bruising crash to finish 10th.
- In men's moguls, Breckenridge's Dylan Walczyk finished 16th and didn't make the final.
Figure skating: Pairs skater Brandon Frazier claimed a silver medal as part of the U.S. team competition.
- He and his partner, Alexa Knierim, finished third in the short program and 5th in the free skate.
Snowboarding: Silverthorne's double threat in snowboarding finished just off the podium in the men's slopestyle competition.
- Red Gerard landed a great first run but got bumped to 4th place as Canadian veteran riders claimed top spots.
- Chris Corning made the final but finished 6th.
Hockey: Lakewood goalie Nicole Hensley posted a shutout against the Russian team as the U.S. women easily won 5-0 in the first round.
Nordic skiing: Carbondale's Hailey Swirbul finished 40th in the women's 7.5km plus 7.5km skiathlon.
- Grand Junction's Joanne Reid crossed the finish line in 57th in the women's 15k individual biathlon.
Don't miss: Olympic medal tracker
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