Thursday's Olympics roundup: Canada wins gold in women's curling

This one was for Sarah.

Braid spinning in the chilly mountain air, Maddie Bowman of the United States soared to the first-ever gold in women's Olympic halfpipe skiing, edging Marie Martinod of France in the final on a night the sport paid tribute to late Canadian freestyle skiing icon Sarah Burke.

Burke, a leading advocate to have several events — including halfpipe — added to the Olympic program, died after a training accident in 2012. Her parents watched as Bowman made history.

Bowman, 20, put together the two highest-scoring runs of the finals, her 89.0 in the second run winning it.

Martinod scored 85.40 for silver. Avana Onozuka of Japan scored 83.20 and won the bronze.

Her gold medal-clinching rock wasn't even halfway to the house when Canada skip Jennifer Jones put her hands to her face, soaked in the moment, then jumped up with her broom hoisted in the air.

Jones didn't need to see the result. After a 16-year wait, Canada's women were Olympic curling champions.

Canada denied Sweden a third straight Olympic title with a tension-filled 6-3 victory Thursday, completing an unbeaten tournament of 11 wins — an unprecedented achievement in the women's game.

"We played so consistent all week on the biggest stage for sport," Jones said. "We came out and played our best."

Just shy of an elegant and historic finish in a sport where both are in short supply, France's Jonathan Midol provided a comic reminder Thursday that in skicross, chaos reigns

Seconds after countrymen Jean Frederic Chapuis and Arnaud Bovolenta grabbed gold and silver in the Olympic final, Midol was headed across the finish to join them when he washed out landing the final jump. Gravity did the rest.

Instead of a picturesque moment with arms aloft in triumph after France's first-ever medals sweep in the Winter Olympics, Midol slid to bronze on his behind, skis splayed, poles flopping. And the moment entirely undiminished.

Norway won its second Nordic combined gold medal in three days, taking Thursday's large-hill team event. That gave the Scandinavian country its fourth medal of the Games in three events.

Germany finished second and two-time defending champion Austria third.

The Americans, who won a silver medal in this event at Vancouver in 2010, finished sixth. The team included Todd Lodwick, competing in his sixth Olympics. He plans to retire after Sochi.

"I just took in the moment," said Lodwick, who carried the U.S. flag at the Opening Ceremony.

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