Have you been keeping track of the Olympics this year? The winter olympics are taking place and in full swing in Beijing, China. After the 2020 Tokyo summer olympics, it feels like we were just watching the Olympics. Because of the global pandemic that altered the usual timing, all athletes must follow very strict protocols with mask wearing, testing, and quarantining. If one of the players tests positive, they will be forced to leave the games and withdraw. 

An example of this is US figure skater Vincent Zhou. According to NBC, he was ‘visibly shaken and disappointed’ to leave the Olympics because of covid. This is quite sad considering these people have trained for years to be able to attend the games in Beijing. 

There are a few notable things that have happened so far this year. For example, the USA hadn’t won a gold medal for six days. On a positive note, the first gold for the United States was won by snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis on February 8. 

Other great wins to date for Team USA include Nathan Chen, USA figure skater, who won a record amount of 113.97 points in the men’s short program. That is the highest score ever won in this program, and this gave the USA a silver medal. 

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin predicted to win gold, but, unfortunately, failed to complete one of her runs, and missed two of her chances at winning. She now faces a lot of pressure after her unexpected mishaps. 

Watching the competitions is a fun way to pass the time and to follow winter sports including bobsledding, hockey, figure skating, curling, biathlon, multiple different types of skiing, sledding, and more.