It was to be the event of the night.
The downhill ski race, one of the queen events of the Winter Olympics, and in which the Frenchman Johan Clarey was engaged, has been postponed due to strong gusts of wind.
Already on Saturday, training had been stopped along the way for the same reasons.
A decision criticized by the tricolor camp since some skiers had still been able to train with the cancellation.
Read alsoWinter Olympics 2022: the wind is still acting up, the last downhill training session is canceled and the skiers are complaining
This night, the question of maintaining the race arose several times after many tribulations.
The descent, which was to start at 4 a.m. in France, was first postponed to 5 a.m. and then to 6 a.m.
While we were slowly but surely heading towards an outright cancellation, the decision was finally taken around 6 a.m. by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
No descent, therefore, but many questions.
When will skiers be able to compete?
Simple question but much more complicated answer since the weather conditions do not seem determined to change one iota for the next few days.
A historic Olympic title in snowboarding
Sport, there was all the same this night in the mountains of Beijing.
A new Olympic champion has even been decorated with the precious metal, and it is historic.
For the first time in the history of slopestyle snowboarding at the Olympic Games, the gold medal does not go to an American.
It was 20-year-old New Zealander Zoi Sadowski Synnott who took the lead with a stunning final run that scored 92.88.
It is, incidentally, the first Olympic gold medal for a Kiwi athlete at the Winter Games.
𝐋𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐞́ 𝐝𝐮 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, ladies and gentlemen 🥲
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, the first New Zealander in history at the Winter Olympics, was carried in triumph by her competitors 👏 Vibrate
👏 Vibrate! with #ChaletClub pic.twitter.com/Q9fTIv4BLw
– Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) February 6, 2022
Nevertheless, it is not entirely a surprise since the snowboarder remains on two consecutive world titles, in Park City in 2019 then in Aspen in 2021. At only 16 years old, she had won bronze at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018.
A legend retires
It was an open secret, it's now official.
These Beijing Olympics will be the last for American snowboarding legend Shaun White.
The triple Olympic champion will end his career after this Olympiad.
Too many physical glitches that have occurred in recent years have motivated the decision of the champion who will still try to fill his trophy cabinet with a 4th Olympic gold medal.