Day 7 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Lindsey Jacobellis won the US' first gold medal of Beijing 2022 in the women's snowboard cross.

Fresh off the back of winning Team USA’s first gold medal of this year’s Winter Games on Wednesday, Lindsey Jacobellis will be back in action at Beijing 2022.

The women’s snowboard cross champion will line up for the mixed team event on Saturday in the hope of adding yet more success.

After near misses at previous Games, the 36-year-old finally topped the podium at her fifth Winter Olympics earlier this week and was elated by her achievement.

It’s been a story of redemption for Jacobellis, who infamously won an Olympic silver in 2006 after throwing away her lead while attempting to showboat.

Safe to say there were no such mistakes this time around.

“This feels incredible because this level that all the women are riding at is a lot higher than it was 16 years ago,” Jacobellis told reporters after winning the gold. “So I felt like I was a winner just that I made it into finals, because that’s been a challenge every time.

“All these ladies out here have the potential to win and today it just worked out for me that my starts were good, that my gliding was great,” she added.

European countries dominated the podium across most events on Day 7 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Take a look at who won the seven gold medals at stake and where the competition stands so far.

Alpine Skiing: Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami won the women’s super-G event.

Biathlon: Norway’s Marte Olsbu R?iseland captured the gold in the women’s 7.5km sprint event.

Cross-Country Skiing: Finland’s Iivo Niskanen took the top spot at men’s 15km classic event.

Short Track Speed Skating: Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands?clinched a thrilling, photo-finish gold in the women’s 1,000m event.

Skeleton: Christopher Grotheer’s gold gave Germany its first ever medal in the men’s event.

Snowboard: Japan’s Ayumu Hirano impressed on his way to the men’s snowboard halfpipe gold.

Speed Skating: Sweden’s Nils van der Poel captured the gold in men’s 10,000m event.?

Here’s the official Olympic medal count so far.

As Day 7 of the Winter Olympics wraps up, take a look back at a few of the best photos from Friday.

US snowboarding legend Shaun White becomes emotional after his final Olympic run in the halfpipe final on February 11. White, the Olympic champion in 2006, 2010 and 2018, finished fourth this time around.

In this photo taken with a slow shutter speed, Germany ski jumper Karl Geiger competes in the men's large hill event on Feb. 11.

Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami celebrates on the podium with her gold medal for winning the women's super-G on Feb. 11

Dutch speed skater Suzanne Schulting crosses the finish line just ahead of South Korea's Choi Min-jeong to win the women's 1,000m short track final on Feb. 11. Schulting also won the gold four years ago at the PyeongChang Games.

Austria's Janine Flock competes in the women's skeleton event on Feb. 11.

See more of the best photos?from the Games so far.

Mikaela Shiffrin skis in the super-G at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Shiffrin posted this picture along with her statement on Twitter on Friday.

Days after?Mikaela Shiffrin crashed out of two events at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the space of three days, the 26-year-old US skiing star tweeted about experiencing “disappointment and heartbreak” and getting back up.

She added, “There’s a lot of disappointment and heartbreak going around in the finish area but there’s also a lot of support.”

Shiffrin was aiming to become the first US skier to win three gold medals at a single Winter Olympics.

“It’s a lot to digest in just one event…let alone the whole rollercoaster ride of an entire Olympics,” she wrote.

After her expressing her disappointment, Shiffrin struck a resilient note.

She expressed her gratitude to her team for supporting her through triumphs and tough times and gave a shout out to the athletes who displayed stellar performances at the Games.

“Today was a good day, so I’m just gonna let it be that,” she concluded.

The ROC's Kamila Valieva in action during the figure skating team event on February 7.

The doping scandal surrounding Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old?Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skater,?has rocked the?Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

She was allowed to compete despite testing positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine, which is commonly used to treat people with angina. The failed test only came to light during the Winter Olympics, and it remains unclear if the drug test controversy will see the gold medal revoked.

Here’s a timeline of the events we know so far:

Dec. 25, 2021: Drug sample is taken from Valieva at the 2022 Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Jan. 15, 2021: Valieva wins 2022 European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.

Feb. 1, 2022: Valieva arrives in Beijing for the Winter Olympics.

Feb. 7, 2022: Valieva helps the ROC win gold in the figure skating team event at Beijing 2022, landing the first ever quadruple jump by a woman in Olympic competition.

Feb. 7, 2022: A lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in Stockholm, Sweden, confirms an adverse analytical finding in Valieva’s sample, WADA said.

Feb. 8, 2022: Valieva is notified and provisionally suspended by RUSADA.

Feb. 8, 2022: The medal ceremony for the figure skating team event is postponed. Later, reports emerge of a failed drugs test by a member of the ROC team.

Feb. 9, 2022: Valieva challenges provisional suspension; RUSADA’s Disciplinary Anti-Doping Committee lifts the suspension.

Feb. 10, 2022?: Valieva trains as normal at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing.

Feb. 11, 2022: The International Testing Agency (ITA) confirms Valieva failed a test for a banned substance in December, adding it will appeal RUSADA’s decision to lift the suspension at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on behalf of the IOC. WADA and the International Skating Union (ISU) also said they will appeal.

Valieva is scheduled to compete at two other events at the Beijing Games — one on February 15 and one on February 17.

Nathan Chen sat down with CNN to discuss his gold medal win and his hopes to do the medal ceremony for the team competition.

Newly-crowned Olympic champion?Nathan Chen?has told CNN that he still hopes to stand on the podium to celebrate Team USA’s figure skating silver in Beijing.

Chen and his US teammates missed the opportunity to collect their medals from the figure skating team event on Tuesday due to an ongoing doping scandal involving Russian athlete Kamila Valieva.

The US was beaten to gold by Valieva and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) on Monday, but the medal ceremony was delayed as news emerged that a member of the ROC’s team had tested positive for a?prohibited substance.

“The medal ceremony is definitely a very special part of the Olympics, and for those that should get a medal, I truly hope that they can,” Chen told CNN’s Coy Wire.

“Whatever happens, happens. But I do hope that we will have this opportunity to share that as a team.”

You can read the full interview here, as the ROC awaits a decision on what will happen next.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Court of Arbitration (CAS) has received applications from both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealing the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) decision to lift a provisional suspension on figure skater Kamila Valieva following a doping violation.

“The applications were received at the CAS Ad Hoc Division in Beijing at 20:45 and 22:20 respectively, on Friday, 11 February 2022 (time of Beijing),” CAS said in a statement, adding that the applications have been registered and that they will be consolidated.

Some background: Valieva, the 15-year-old?Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) figure skater, was allowed to compete despite testing positive for the banned heart drug trimetazidine, which is commonly used to treat people with angina. The failed test only came to light during the Winter Olympics, and it remains unclear if the drug test controversy will see the ROC’s team figure skating gold medal revoked. Valieva is scheduled to compete at two other events at the Beijing Games — one on February 15 and one on February 17.

“A Panel of arbitrators will be appointed shortly to decide the matter. The Panel will issue procedural directions, including directions for a hearing. The date and time of the CAS decision will be announced after the hearing,” the statement concluded.

From left, Germany's Christopher Grotheer and fellow countryman Axel Jungk celebrate finishing first and second in the men's skeleton on February 11. The medals were Germany's first ever in men's skeleton, despite being a sliding sport powerhouse.

Germany’s Christopher Grotheer won gold with a time of 4:01.01, while fellow countryman Axel Jungk finished 0.66 seconds behind in second place to seal Germany’s first ever medals in men’s skeleton on Friday at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre.

Yan Wengang finished 0.1 seconds behind Jungk to win China’s first ever medal in a sliding sport — and in the process become the second man not from Europe or North America to stand on an Olympic skeleton podium, after South Korea’s Yun Sung-bin won gold at PyeongChang 2018.

A two-time world champion in men’s skeleton, Grotheer couldn’t hide his excitement.

Grotheer’s triumph put Germany on 100 gold medals in Winter Olympic history, making them the third National Olympic Committee to reach the number after Norway (138) and the United States (109).

"I believe I can fly."

You should expect the unexpected at any Olympic event, but Sweden’s Jessica Adolfsson appears to have surprised even her own teammates with her powers of levitation here…

Despite her magical attempts, Adolfsson could do little to stop Canada thrashing Sweden 11-0 in the women’s ice hockey quarterfinals on Friday.

Canada will progress to Monday’s semifinal but do not yet know their next opponent.

Russia's Kamila Valieva attends a training session on February 11.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has “not received applications in relation to the figure skating matter,” it told CNN Friday, adding that if an application is filed, a short media release will be issued on its?website.

The International Testing Agency (ITA), on behalf of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and International Skating Union (ISU) said earlier Friday they would be appealing the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) decision to lift a provisional suspension on figure skater Kamila Valieva following a doping violation.

CAS has set up two temporary offices in Beijing designed to “provide rapid, high quality dispute resolution services immediately before and during the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022,” according to a?press release?issued by the arbitration body on Jan. 18.

The CAS Ad Hoc Division will “resolve any legal disputes submitted to it during the Games within a timeframe compatible with the competition schedule.”

The CAS Anti-Doping Division, which consists of a six-member panel, will be responsible for determining whether or not to reinstate Valieva’s provisional suspension once it receives any applications.

The chairman of the panel is Swiss former federal judge?Ivo Eusebio, who was previously a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) disciplinary commission.

His co-president in the proceedings will be American?David W. Rivkin, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

They will be joined by four other arbitrators: Australian lawyer John Boultbee, CEO of Australia’s National Sports Tribunal; Australian judge Tricia Kavanagh, who was on the inaugural CAS Anti-Doping Division at the 2016 Rio Olympics; Swiss lawyer Rapha?lle Favre Schnyder, a partner at Barandun LLP; and Austrian judge Martina Spreitzer-Kropiunik.

Netherlands' Suzanne Schulting crosses the finish line just ahead of South Korea's Choi Min-jeong in the final of the women's 1,000m short track speed skating event on February 11.

The Netherlands’ Suzanne Schulting has won back-to-back women’s 1,000m short track speed skating gold medals — by the thinnest of margins.

The 24-year-old defended the title she won at the PyeongChang Games four years ago by the slimmest of margins, pipping Korea’s Choi Min-jeong at the finish line by just 0.052 seconds to win in 1:28.391.

“For the Netherlands, it means a lot,” Schulting said.

“I worked so hard for the whole team. I got the gold, but I got the gold for the whole team, and I am super proud.”

Schulting arrived in the final in blistering form and brimming with confidence after breaking the world record in the quarterfinal with a time of 1:26.514.

“I became really confident out there after skating a world record. I was really excited,” she said.

“I was focusing on what I had to do and on my technique and everything. It’s insane.”

A nail-biting finish capped an already dramatic race, with legendary Italian speed skater Arianna Fontana — a 10-time Olympic medalist — crashing out as the skaters rounded for their final lap.

Fontana had taken gold ahead of Schulting in the 500m final on Monday to defend her own title from PyeongChang 2018 but saw her hopes for a second gold slide away in the 1,000m.

Having taken out Kristen Santos of the US in the process, the Italian received a penalty and did not finish.

Nicknamed the ‘Queen of Korean Short Track,’ according to the Olympic website, Choi’s silver adds to the two gold medals she won in her home nation in 2018.

Debuting at her first Olympics, Belgium’s Hanne Desmet took bronze, with Schulting quick to congratulate her friend and training partner.

“I am super proud of Hanne,” Schulting said.

“We train together and we’re friends. It makes it even more special.”

Norwegian biathlete Marte Olsbu R?iseland celebrates on the podium after winning the 7.5km sprint on February 11.?

Norwegian biathlete Marte Olsbu R?iseland triumphed in the women’s 7.5km sprint to win her second gold medal of Beijing 2022.

The 31-year-old finished in 20:44.3 to become the first Norwegian woman to win the event, adding to her gold in 4x6km mixed relay on Saturday and her bronze in the 15km individual on Monday.

Sweden’s Elvira ?berg won silver — a first Olympic medal for the 22-year-old — in a race that also featured her sister Hanna, who finished 19th.

Italy’s Dorothea Wierer completed the podium by winning bronze.

After taking silver in the 7.5km sprint and mixed relay in Pyeongchang four years ago, R?iseland has now gone one better in both at Beijing.

“It feels great. This is my best performance ever and I did it today,” R?iseland told reporters.

“This year, I have enjoyed biathlon even more. I am smiling and having fun. I just feel so lucky that I’m here and that I can race good races. I’m just enjoying it.”

R?iseland revealed she was “disappointed” with her finish in Monday’s 15km event — won by Germany’s Denise Herrmann — but emphatically banished any lingering regrets in the sprint with a composed display of sharpshooting at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre.

“I was a bit disappointed because I missed the last shots, so I have worked a lot for three days now to try to focus on today and forget about the last race,” R?iseland said.

“I think I did a really good job in my head before today’s race and, for that, I’m really happy.”

American Katie Uhlaender's patriotic eagle flies high in our style rankings.

If you’re going to throw yourself head-first down an icy track at speeds of over 100km/h, you might as well look good doing it.

Competitors for the skeleton event at Beijing 2022 have been doing just that as they get creative with their helmet designs.

From colorful parrots to patriotic eagles, it seems there is no artwork too imaginative for the track.

But Brazil's Nicole Rocha Silveira has the edge with this colorful macaw motif. Exquisite taste - 10/10.

Helmets in the skeleton are certainly a necessity, as participants balance on small sleds and hurtle down a narrow track.

Athletes compete on the same course across two days, getting four runs each. The competitor with the fastest combined time wins the event.

But perhaps the real winner is one of these rather colorful helmets…

Australian Nicholas Timmings went for a ghost look. It's a bold strategy, but it works for him.

Read more about the skeleton and other events at Beijing 2022 in CNN’s guide here.

Finland's Iivo Niskanen competes in the men's 15km cross-country classic event on February 11.

Finland’s Iivo Niskanen captured cross-country skiing gold in the men’s 15km classic event on Friday, winning by 23.2 seconds ahead of the Russian Olympic Committee’s Alexander Bolshunov.

Norway’s Johannes H?sflot Kl?bo took the bronze medal.

After the event, Niskanen made clear that he has been waiting for this opportunity for the past eight years.

“I was fourth, 0.2 seconds behind the medal in Sochi (2014), at this distance, and it’s been a long eight years to wait for this race again in the Olympic program.

“Now I managed to win it. I have been focusing on it all the time. This is a really big victory for me.”

This is the third Olympic gold medal for the 30-year-old Finnish skier and another win in the bag for the Niskanen family, as his elder sister, Kerttu Niskanen, won the silver medal for the women’s 10km classic event on Thursday.

Chinese freestyle skier Xu Mengtao competes in the mixed team aerials final on February 10.

Featuring balletic techniques and acrobatic skills, the International Ski Federation (FIS) first recognized?freestyle skiing?as a discipline in 1979.

Athletes ski in a motion that is similar to skating. They perform technically challenging moves during their runs and are scored on different aspects of their performance, depending on the competition they’re participating in.

In the aerials events, slopestyle, moguls and halfpipe, judges score competitors based on the finesse of their tricks and the form of their runs.

However, athletes in the big air are judged by the distance and height of their jumps. As for the ski cross, the competition is a timed event — so the athlete who traverses the finish line first takes gold.

Freestyle skiing?made its debut as a demonstration sport at the?Winter Games?in 1988 in Calgary, Canada, and was given medal status at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Eileen Gu, who elected to represent her mother’s native China over the USA, has been the poster child for these Games and was arguably the biggest name participating in freestyle skiing.

Competing under immense pressure, the 18-year-old wasn’t fazed in the slightest and won gold in the women’s big air final to delight of the home fans at Beijing 2022.

Gu’s victory was so popular in China that fans temporarily crashed the country’s leading social media platform, as tens of millions rushed online to celebrate the teenage sensation winning her first gold medal.

Sweden's Nils van der Poel skates on the way to a new world record during the men's 10,000m speed skating event on February 11.

Sweden’s Nils van der Poel smashed his own world record in the men’s 10,000m speedskating event to secure his second gold medal of the Beijing Olympics on Friday.

Van der Poel’s time of 12:30.74, was over two seconds faster than the previous mark he set last February at the World Championships in the Netherlands.?

After the race, van Der Poel said, “Going in, I thought I should be set to beat second. I was sticking to going after that. Technically, I didn’t have my best race, but physically, I am in great shape.

“I didn’t want to risk going too hard too early. With five laps to go, I felt like the world record was in reach, so I just went for that.

“I am very satisfied. This was the main goal when I started three years ago. It turned out a lot better than I could have ever imagined.”

With the victory, the Swede became the first men’s speed skater to win the 5,000m and the 10,000m events at the same Winter Games since Dutch speed skater Jochem Uytdehaage in 2002.?

Patrick Roest of the Netherlands finished with a time of 12:44.59 — 13.85 seconds behind the Swede — to win the silver medal. Italy’s Davide Ghiotto notched a time of 12:45.98 to claim the bronze.?

The gold medal is the fifth for Sweden, which now sits one behind Norway and Germany’s six on the Olympic medal table.

The World Anti-Doping Agency headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced Friday it will lodge an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in relation to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) decision to lift a provisional suspension on figure skater Kamila Valieva following a doping violation.

WADA did not name Valieva in their statement, instead referring to “a Russian Olympic Committee figure skater.”

Per WADA’s Anti-Doping Code, doping violations involving adult athletes carry a mandatory public disclosure. Minors involved in doping cases (anyone under the age of 18) are considered “protected persons,” meaning their identity doesn’t have to be disclosed publicly.

WADA confirmed that a sample was collected in competition by RUSADA on December 25, 2021 before being transported to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Stockholm for analysis.

“On 7 February, the laboratory reported that the sample had returned an Adverse Analytical Finding for the non-specified prohibited substance, trimetazidine,” WADA said in a statement.

“Accordingly, the athlete was notified by RUSADA on 8 February and provisionally suspended, effective immediately.

“Following a hearing on 9 February, the RUSADA Disciplinary Committee decided to lift the athlete’s provisional suspension, allowing her to resume participation in the Games.

“Under the terms of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), WADA has a right to appeal the decision to lift the provisional suspension before CAS and intends to do so on the grounds that the Code has not been correctly applied in this case,” the statement concluded.

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02:25 - Source: CNN

American ice skater?Nathan Chen won his first Olympic gold medal on Thursday, with a flawless performance in the men’s single skating competition.

Chen, who had been the favorite going into the event, became the first American since Evan Lysacek in 2010 to win a men’s figure skating gold medal.

After collecting his medal, he told CNN Sport that the victory was “hard to put into words” and the culmination of years of hard work.

Read more about Chen’s journey to gold here.

Switzerland's Michelle Gisin competes in the women's super-G final on Friday.

After clinching a bronze medal in the women’s super-G on Friday, alpine skier Michelle Gisin revealed she had found an unlikely source of inspiration for her journey to the podium.

Last summer, the Swiss athlete — the Olympic combined champion from PyeongChang 2018 — had been hit hard by a bout of mononucleosis and began to fear her chances of participating at Beijing 2022 were over.

“I was struggling so hard, I almost couldn’t make it up the stairs all day long,” Gisin told the Beijing 2022 website. “I went downstairs once and then sat on the couch all day.”?

But it was during one of those days spent on the sofa watching the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that Gisin’s outlook began to improve.

There were a number of athletes that she began to draw inspiration from, but there was one in particular who stood out: Italian swimmer Gregorio Paltrinieri.

“There was this Italian swimmer that also had mono a couple of months and weeks before and he got bronze in the 10km open water,” Gisin said of Paltrinieri, who also won silver in the men’s 800m freestyle in Tokyo.

“That was so amazing to see. It meant so much to me to see him compete because I was really deep, deep down in the hole and to see him achieve this gave me a lot of hope.”

Italian Olympic skier Luca De Aliprandini, Gisin’s boyfriend, got in touch with Paltrinieri and the swimmer was more than happy to offer his advice on coming back from mono.

“It’s just way too beautiful that it all worked out,” a delighted Gisin said.

A staff member dressed up as Bing Dwen Dwen trying to enter a venue.

Mascots are a huge part of any Olympic Games and Beijing 2022 appeared to have struck gold with its playful panda design.

Fans were loving the character known as Bing Dwen Dwen as it danced around venues and appeared on posters across the world.

But Bing Dwen Dwen supporters got quite the shock after hearing it speak with a deep male voice on a program aired Tuesday by state broadcaster CCTV.

“I have been hurt… when I opened (the online shopping platform) Taobao and wanted to buy a Bing Dwen Dwen key ring, I would think of the voice of a middle-aged man,” one social media user wrote.

“I don’t want to hear the ‘uncle’ voice of the Bing Dwen Dwen. It’s just a little cute panda,” said another.

Olympic mascots are not meant to talk under International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines in order to maintain a gender neutral status and, after the latest backlash, you can understand why…

Read more about the Bing Dwen Dwen drama below:

Bing Dwen Dwen mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Related article Beijing's cute Olympic mascot was a crowd favorite in China -- until it started talking

Shaun White ended his stellar Olympic career with a fourth-placed finish in the men’s snowboard halfpipe final on Friday.

The American snowboarding icon has been the face of the sport since 2006 when he won gold in his Olympic debut but decided to call it a day after struggling with injuries in recent years.

The 35-year-old fell on his final Olympic run, adding afterward that he was having difficulty with his back leg.

Despite not managing to make the podium at Beijing 2022, White can look back on an illustrious career full of flair, success and emotion.

Take a look at White’s career in pictures below:

Shaun White of the U.S. celebrates on the winners podium after the final of the men's halfpipe snowboarding competition at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Bardonecchia, Italy, February 12, 2006. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

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Related gallery Photos: Snowboarding legend Shaun White

There’s still plenty of action remaining on Day 7 of the Winter Olympics, with multiple gold medals up for grabs.

Later this morning (or evening in Beijing), the women’s biathlon 7.5km sprint begins at 7:43 a.m. ET (8:43 p.m. Beijing time) and the women’s 1,000m short track speed skating final gets under way at 8:55 a.m. ET (9:55 p.m. Beijing time).

Then it’s the turn of the men’s skeleton final run, which takes place at 8:55 a.m. ET (9:55 p.m. Beijing time).

Currently in progress are two more finals: the men’s cross-country skiing 15km classic and the men’s 10,000m speed skating.

Shaun White finishes fourth in the snowboard men's halfpipe final on Friday.

Day 7 of the Winter Olympics saw a packed morning of big names and stunning performances, as well as an emotional farewell from a sporting icon. If you missed it, here are the key moments from today so far:

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is “taking measures” to keep its “honestly won Olympic gold medal” in Monday’s team figure skating event, despite its star athlete Kamila Valieva’s doping violation, it said in a statement Friday.

Valieva, 15, submitted her sample in December to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), which was then processed by a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory in Sweden — but the lab didn’t announce the positive result for a banned substance until Tuesday this week. The reason for the delay is unclear.

The teenage prodigy is now at the center of controversy. Valieva was suspended immediately on Tuesday — but RUSADA lifted its provisional ban the next day following a challenge by the skater. The International Olympic Committee is now contesting that decision by the Russian agency.

Responding to the pending case, the ROC said Valieva had “repeatedly passed doping tests” while in Beijing.?

American snowboarder Shaun White, 35, ended his incredible competitive career at the Beijing Olympics today.

At age 19, White exploded onto the scene and won gold at his debut Olympics in 2006.

“I’m trying to figure out where to put it,” White told CNN after that win in Turin. At the time, he still sported what would become an iconic mane of long red hair, which earned him the nickname “Flying Tomato.”

On the flight home after that win, he struck up a conversation with flight attendants who had watched his competition, he said. “I was getting drinks, I was getting snacks,” he told CNN.

In a now-famous exchange, the anchor interjected: “Wait a minute, drinks? You’re 19 years old!” (The US legal drinking age is 21.)

Barely missing a beat, White shot back, “I’m talking about Mountain Dews, baby!” — a line that instantly went viral.

Watch the moment:

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Team USA celebrates after wining the women's quarterfinal hockey game against the Czech Republic on Friday.?

The US women’s ice hockey team faced an unexpectedly tough match today against the Czech Republic — but pulled through in the end to win 4-1, moving them into the semifinals.

The Americans had a slow start, with the Czech team holding Team USA 1-1 for the first two periods of the quarterfinal.

Team USA finally pulled ahead in the third period to score another goal, picking up the pace toward the end with captain Kendall Coyne Schofield scoring the fourth.

China's Su Yiming celebrates during the men's snowboard slopestyle final on Feb. 7.

Chinese fans on social media are outraged that Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot won gold in Monday’s slopestyle competition, beating out 17-year-old Chinese snowboarder Su Yiming.?

As of Friday, a hashtag about the issue had garnered more than 670 million views on China’s leading social media platform Weibo, with fans arguing that Su should have been Olympic champion.

Dispute over points: Parrot was awarded the winning score of 90.96 in his second run, while Su won silver with 88.7. However, unknown to the judging panel at the time, the Canadian grabbed his knee instead of his board during a trick — an error that should have resulted in a points deduction.?

While it is difficult to know if Su would have come out on top, Sumatic acknowledged “the score might have been different.”

“It’s been very tough, there were a lot of hateful comments,” he added, referring to the backlash from fans.

Su’s response: Despite the controversy, Sumatic said he received a call after the event from the Chinese snowboarder and his coach, saying they were happy with the result and “totally respect” the judges’ decision.

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) decision to lift a provisional suspension on figure skater Kamila Valieva following a doping violation is being appealed by the International Olympic Committee IOC), the International Testing Agency (ITA) confirmed Friday.?

The case will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with a decision needed by Tuesday, ahead of the Russian figure skating star’s next event.?

The 15-year-old’s future and the Russian Olympic Committee’s (ROC) gold medal in the figure skating team event on Monday now hangs in the balance.

Here’s what we know about the drug test timeline:

A complicating factor in Valieva’s case is that her test sample was collected ahead of the Winter Games, which meant any decisions concerning the initial provisional ban fell outside of the IOC’s jurisdiction.?

The delay between Valieva’s initial test in December and her result in February was not addressed by the ITA.?

What is Trimetazidine? The banned substance is used to treat people with angina —sudden pains to the chest, jaw and back brought on by physical effort. It is listed in WADA’s list of prohibited substances under the category of “hormone and metabolic modulators,” banned due to evidence of athletes using them for performance enhancement.

Team USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin reacts after finishing the women's super-G on Friday.

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin said after her super-G competition on Friday it was “a really big relief” to have completed her run — but also highlighted the mental health toll that comes with being a top athlete on the world stage, with every mistake magnified.

“There’s a lot of disappointment over the last week.?There’s a lot of emotions.?(It was) not really easy to reset and know if I was up for the challenge today,” said Shiffrin, who crashed out of her first two events earlier this week. The super-G was the first event she has completed in the Games so far.

She felt more settled once she arrived at the course today, and tried to focus on the race — where she placed ninth. Though it’s far from the gold medal she had hoped to achieve, she said: “I just skied strong, and it’s a really big relief to be here now in the finish, having skied a run well.”

On the mental health challenge: She also spoke on the mental toll of her sport, and how “it’s a little obsessive.”

Last night, she kept dreaming she crashed again in the super-G and skied out on the fifth gate, she said. She would wake up, go back to sleep, and keep dreaming of failure.

Eileen Gu pictured with Stacy Martin (left) and Venus Williams (right) at the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2022 show at Paris Fashion Week last October.

For followers of freestyle skiing and fashion alike, the buzz surrounding Winter Olympian?Eileen Gu?at this year’s Games has come as little surprise.

The 18-year-old’s gold medal performance in the big air competition thrust her into the global spotlight Tuesday, sparking such a furor in China that social media platform Weibo?crashed?under the weight of interest. But Gu has spent years establishing herself as both a top athlete and a hugely bankable model who appeals to brands in both Asia and the West.

In 2021, as she won gold medals at the skiing World Championships and Winter X Games, Gu was also forging lucrative partnerships with fashion houses and luxury labels. Signing for IMG Models, the agency representing Bella Hadid, Kate Moss and Hailey Bieber, she has penned deals with Louis Vuitton, Victoria’s Secret and Tiffany & Co., as well as the luxury Swiss watchmaker IWC and cosmetics brand Estée Lauder, among others.

In fact, the California-born athlete is among the most heavily sponsored athletes at?these Olympics. She arrived in Beijing with more than 20 commercial partnerships, ranging from Beats by Dre headphones to Cadillac.

But it is Gu’s mass appeal in China, where she is known by her Chinese name Gu Ailing and has been nicknamed the “Snow Princess,” that makes her especially valuable to brands.

Having?switched her sporting allegiance?to her mother’s home country in 2019, Gu’s fluency in Mandarin has helped secure her place on Chinese TV ads, billboards and even milk cartons (as the face of Inner Mongolia-based Mengniu Dairy). E-commerce giant JD.com, cafe chain Luckin Coffee and telecoms firm China Mobile are among the growing list of mainland brands that she’s modeled for in recent months.

China is on track to become the world’s largest luxury market by 2025,?according?to consulting firm Bain. The Asian edition of marketing and advertising industry magazine Campaign estimated that new endorsements there could be earning the athlete around 15 million yuan ($2.5 million) apiece — and that was before her gold-medal success.

Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up?here.

Controversy surrounding a drugs test reportedly taken in December, that has only come to light during the?Winter Olympics?in Beijing, continues to delay the medal ceremony of the figure skating team event, which was won by the?Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

But what is trimetazidine, the banned substance at the heart of the controversy?

According to the European Union’s medicines agency (EMA), trimetazidine “is a medicine used to prevent angina attacks, which are sudden pains to the chest, jaw and back brought on by physical effort, due to reduced blood flow to the heart.”

It is listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 2021 prohibited substances under the category of “hormone and metabolic modulators,” a class of drugs that have been banned by WADA due to evidence of athletes using them for performance enhancement.

“This is an interesting choice to be used in this way because I think a lot of times, people might think: to enhance your performance, you’d use a stimulant or something that would increase your heart rate or get your metabolism going,” Dr. Elizabeth Murray, pediatric emergency medicine physician at the University of Rochester Medical Center, told CNN on Thursday.

“An athlete wouldn’t get jittery or necessarily feel all that different, but they would theoretically be able to perform at a higher level for longer. It would increase their endurance, potentially.”

It’s been used by athletes before: The most famous case of doping involving trimetazidine is?Chinese swimmer Sun Yang, who was handed a three-month suspension in 2014 after testing positive for the drug.

Read more:

2022 Beijing Olympics - Short Track Speed Skating - Training - Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing, China - February 1, 2022. Empty stands are seen in the venue.

Related article Trimetazidine: Drug banned by WADA makes 'your heart work more efficiently'

Switzerland's gold medalist Lara Gut-Behrami poses during the women's super-G medal ceremony on Friday.

Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami won her first Olympic gold medal on Friday, finishing first in the women’s super-G event in alpine skiing. It’s the first super-G Olympic gold medal for any Swiss athlete, female or male.

Gut-Behrami, who won bronze earlier in these Olympic Games in giant slalom, now has three Olympic medals to her name. She also won bronze in downhill at Sochi 2014.

Silver goes to Mirjam Puchner of Austria, while Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin wins bronze.

Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka — who shocked the sports world four years ago at the Pyeongchang Games when she won gold in both snowboarding and alpine skiing events — missed the podium Friday, finishing fifth. She did, however, defend her parallel giant slalom Olympic title earlier this week.

After starting the Olympics with two shocking DNFs (did not finish), American superstar skier Mikaela Shiffrin crossed the finish line for the first time in the Beijing 2022 Games, finishing ninth.

Shaun White and Ayumu Hirano hug each other after the snowboard halfpipe final on Friday.

Social media users in Japan gushed over the heartfelt hug shared between Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano, who won gold today at the halfpipe, and American icon Shaun White, who finished fourth in his last-ever Olympics.

One Twitter user said the hug made them cry, and appeared to represent the symbolic passing of the baton from a legend to an emerging star.

Another social media user alluded to how White and Hirano — athletes from different generations — had grown up competing alongside one another.?

While tweets in Japanese praising Hirano’s gold flooded Twitter on Friday, many also took to the platform to thank White for inspiring them to take up snowboarding.

Snowboarder Ayumu Hirano poses with the flag of Japan after claiming gold on Friday.

Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano said he had achieved “one of my childhood dreams” after winning gold at the halfpipe on Friday.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” the 23-year-old said.

After being dissatisfied with his first two runs, he dove into the third and final run, and “I did what I wanted to do right at the end,” he said. He had been in silver medal position after the second run, trailing Australia’s Scotty James — “but I managed to express my anger well at the end,” he said.

The gold medalist also competed alongside his younger brother Kaishu Hirano, 19, who finished ninth and pulled off a massive jump meters into the air. “Us brothers making this stage and winning it myself was also great for both of us,” Ayumu Hirano said.

He also paid tribute to five-time Olympian Shaun White, who ended his snowboarding career with a fourth-place finish at age 35.

Team ROC figure skater Kamila Valieva is seen during a training session on Friday.

In a statement on Friday, the International Testing Agency (ITA) that leads the anti-doping program for the Beijing Winter Olympics said 15-year-old skater Kamila Valieva had failed a drug test taken in December.

The sample was taken at the Russian Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg on Dec. 25, but it took until Feb. 8 for a laboratory in Sweden to report it had detected a banned substance — one day after the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won gold at the team even in Beijing.

Valieva was immediately given a provisional suspension by Russia’s anti-doping agency, which automatically prohibits athletes from participation in all sports.

Valieva challenged the suspension on Feb. 9 and at a hearing that same day, the Russian anti-doping agency decided to lift the provisional ban — allowing her to continue competing at the Olympics, according to the ITA statement.

The ITA added that since the sample was collected by the Russian agency ahead of the Games, the case was not within the jurisdiction of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and not managed by the ITA. However, the IOC has the right to appeal the decision to lift her suspension — which it and the ITA are now doing.

So who won the team event? Though the ROC team won gold, it remains unclear if the drug test controversy could see the medal revoked. “The decision on the results of the ROC team in the Team Figure Skating event can be taken … only after a final decision on the full merits of the case has been taken,” the ITA statement said.

Is Valieva allowed to compete? This is also yet undetermined, though she has been seen training on the rink since the scandal broke. If allowed to continue competing, Valieva is tipped to win the women’s figure skating event next week.

Team ROC's Kamila Valieva?performs during the figure skating team event?on Feb. 7.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has confirmed that 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva failed a drug test taken in December, ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.?

Valieva, who helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) take home gold in Monday’s figure skating team event, was allowed to compete despite failing the test, according to the ITA. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) lifted the provisional suspension that had been placed on her over the matter — clearing her path to the Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is now appealing RUSADA’s decision, according to a statement from the ITA released Friday.?

Some context: Russian newspaper RBC Sport reported on Wednesday that a failed drug test was taken in December and has only come to light during the Winter Olympics — sparking a scandal that continues to delay the medal ceremony of the team event.

Team USA's Shaun White, 35, finished fourth in the men's snowboard halfpipe final on Friday.

American snowboarder Shaun White thanked his supporters and fellow competitors after placing fourth in the halfpipe final on Friday, saying, “This is it for me.”

White announced last week he is retiring after the Beijing Games, citing a number of injuries that had built up over his illustrious career spanning more than two decades.

He fell on his final run today, adding afterward that he was having difficulty in his back leg. “It was giving out on every run, I don’t know why,” he said. “Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was just exhaustion. Really challenging, but that’s OK, that’s it, I’m done. I’m so thankful for my career, thankful to China for having us.”

He added that though he wishes he could have nailed his last run, he was proud of the runs he completed.

“It’s been a journey, I’m just so happy, and thank you all from the bottom of my heart. A lot of emotions are hitting me right now, the cheering from the crowd, some kind words from my fellow competitors at the bottom, I’m so happy,” he added.

Team USA's Mikaela Shiffrin makes a jump during the alpine skiing women's super-G on Friday.

Team USA’s alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin completed her first race at the Beijing Olympics on Friday, competing in the women’s super-G — but she won’t be on the podium.

Shiffrin had crashed out of her first two events, the slalom and giant slalom — a massive disappointment for the champion, who has previously won Olympic gold in both events. And she came into these Games with high hopes of making history as the first US alpine skier to win three medals at a single Winter Olympics.

“It feels like a really big let down,” Shiffrin said on Wednesday following the second crash.

She had a good start at the super-G today — but lost time as she made her way through the course, placing provisional eighth. The event is ongoing.

Workers in hazmat suits work in a hotel restaurant, which is part of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics closed-loop system on February 10.

The Beijing Olympic Committee identified 11 new Covid-19 cases among Games-related personnel on Thursday, it said in a statement Friday.

Of the new cases, two were found in airport arrivals and nine from people inside the “closed loop” system, which separates Olympic athletes, staff and participants from the Beijing public.

Seven of the new cases involved athletes or team officials, five of which were already inside the closed loop system.

Since the bubble officially began on Jan. 23, officials inside have administered more than 1.17 million Covid tests for 13,275 arrivals, the statement said.

Czech Republic's Ester Ledecka competes in the alpine skiing women's super-G final on Friday.

Czech snowboarder and alpine skier Ester Ledecka had hoped to win another historic double — a gold medal in both sports — but her hopes were dashed today on the ski slopes.

She became the first athlete to win a gold medal in both snowboarding and alpine skiing four years ago at the Pyeongchang Games, which she was looking to repeat in Beijing. Her chances looked good after she won gold in snowboard parallel giant slalom on Tuesday — but she failed to medal at the women’s super-G alpine skiing competition.

The other athlete to watch today is USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin, who has had a tough start to the Olympics after crashing out in her first two events: the slalom and giant slalom.

Shaun White reacts after finishing his last run in the snowboard men's halfpipe final on Friday.

Although snowboarding superstar Shaun White failed to win a medal at the halfpipe finals today, he was met with a standing ovation as the legend — who has been the face of the sport for almost two decades — bows out.

After falling, he rode to the bottom, where he was met with applause from everyone in the crowd — fans, officials, journalists, other athletes and teams, and volunteers.

He was clearly emotional at the bottom of the halfpipe, smiling at the crowd and wiping away tears.

White had been under high pressure today after coming in fourth at the qualifying earlier this week — and he faced tough competition from a number of emerging new stars, including the three medalists.

White has competed in every Olympics since his debut in 2006, winning gold in all but one. He announced last week he will retire after the Beijing Games, citing a spate of injuries collected over his long and illustrious career.

Read more about Shaun White’s final Olympic appearance:

USA's Shaun White reacts after his final Olympic run in the men's snowboard halfpipe final at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Related article Team USA snowboarding legend Shaun White crashes out on final Olympic run

Japan's Ayumu Hirano wins the snowboard men's halfpipe final on Friday.

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano swept to victory on Friday at the snowboarding halfpipe, landing not one but two triple cork 1440s — an immensely difficult and technical trick that had never before been landed in Olympic history.

The 23-year-old also landed a frontside, a cab, two double cork 1260s and a frontside double cork 1440 — a flawless run that was given a final score of 96.

He narrowly beat Australia’s Scotty James, who also performed well on his final of three runs — but he lost some speed, placing him in a solid silver position.

Hirano’s younger brother, 19-year-old Kaishu Hirano, was also competing in the halfpipe finals today. Though he crashed out in the last run, he also pulled off an incredible jump that launched him several meters into the air, to roaring applause from the crowd.

Japan's Ayumu Hirano wins the snowboard men's halfpipe final on Friday.

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano has won the snowboarding halfpipe with a massive score of 96, narrowly beating out Australia’s Scotty James.

Switzerland’s?Jan Scherrer takes bronze, with US legend Shaun White just inched out of the podium at fourth place.

Shaun White gestures after his final run in the snowboard men's halfpipe final on Friday.

Snowboarding legend Shaun White fell on his last run on the halfpipe, which places him out of reach of the podium at his final Olympic Games.

He landed a frontside 1440 to open, but couldn’t land his next trick, and skated to the bottom to applause from fans in the crowd.

With a best second-run score of 85, he now sits in fourth place.

He announced last week he would retire after the Beijing Olympics, citing a spate of injuries.

White bows out as a five-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist in halfpipe.

Japan’s Kaishu Hirano competes in the men's snowboard halfpipe final?on Friday.

Japan’s Kaishu Hirano pulled off a massive jump during his final run at the snowboarding halfpipe, as the crowd roared its approval.

The 19-year-old hung in the air for several seconds, keeping his grab on his board until the last minute, achieving incredible height.

He fell after attempting another trick, with a third-run score of 15.75 — making his first-run score the best of three, at 75.5.

It’s all change after the riders completed the second round of runs in the men’s snowboarding half pipe.

Australia’s Scotty James is in first place with a second-run score of 92.50, followed by Japan’s Ayumu Hirano (91.75) and Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer (87.25)

US legend Shaun White is in fourth with a best score of 85.

Team USA’s Shaun White competes during the men's halfpipe final on Friday in Beijing.

US snowboarder Shaun White just smashed his second run on the halfpipe, nailing every trick to post a score of 85 and vault into the silver medal position.

He picked up his speed during the second run compared to the first, gaining big air and sticking stronger landings.

He still has one run to go, with the best score of three runs taken as the final result.

Currently, Australia’s Scotty James is in first place with a second-run score of 92.50.

Team USA’s Shaun White competes during the men's halfpipe final on Friday in Beijing.

Team USA’s Shaun White had a successful first run at the snowboard halfpipe on Friday, pulling off all his tricks without much issue for a score of 72.

He included his signature trick, the Tomahawk — also known as the Double McTwist 1260 — which he unveiled during his victory lap at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

Though he landed slightly flat after a Cab Double Cork, the run puts him in fourth place.

The snowboarders have two runs left, with the best score among the three taken as their final result.

Testing vials arranged to read "2022" and a heart shape, at a Covid-19 testing station inside the Beijing Olympic bubble.

The mandatory daily Covid-19 test is usually the least pleasant part of the day for those inside Beijing’s Olympic bubble.

But the experience turned into a moment of human connection for one CNN reporter, who showed up to the testing center to see a number of soon-to-be-used test vials arranged into the pattern of a heart and “2022.”

It struck a contrast to previous days of testing, which felt sterile and impersonal, with volunteers and staff hidden behind layers of protective gear and face masks. When the reporter asked staff why they arranged the vials that way, they said they knew being tested daily was uncomfortable, and wanted to do something to make people feel more welcome.

When asked what the experience has been like for them so far, the staff responded that they missed their families — a sentiment our reporter could relate to. They pulled out their phones and showed each other photos of their families.

The demands of the bubble: The “closed loop” separates Olympic athletes, support staff, media and volunteers from the rest of the Beijing public — but the stringent requirements are exacting, with an especially high cost for Chinese volunteers.

The first batch of volunteers, including health care workers, drivers, cleaners and chefs, entered the bubble on Jan. 3 — and they’re all required to stay until the Games end on Feb. 20. Once they leave the bubble, they must then undergo 21 days of strict quarantine at a designated facility.

That means they must spend more than two months away from family and had to miss Lunar New Year, which took place last week and is the biggest festival in China. It’s the most important time for families to gather, likened by some to Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Years combined.

As Winter Olympians vie for gold in Beijing, global attention has turned to events in the extensive?Olympic “bubble”?— a zone sealing off visiting athletes, media and participants from the rest of the host city to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

But in a different part of Beijing, prominent human rights activist Hu Jia is again living in another kind of bubble: what he says is a house arrest imposed by authorities who want him out of public view during the Games.

“In China, people like me are called ‘domestic hostile forces’… that’s why they have to cut me off from the outside world,” said Hu, who gained international prominence as a champion of human rights in the early 2000s and was a friend to late Nobel Peace Prize winner and?dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Hu says he has been restricted to his residence, with the exception of trips to care for his ailing mother, since Jan. 15. It’s an escalation of the round-the-clock state surveillance Hu says he has been under for?nearly two decades.

It’s also treatment he has become used to during sensitive political events in China. Hu said he was originally told to leave Beijing altogether and relocate to Guangdong during the Olympic period but an outbreak of Covid-19 prevented him from going.

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BEIJING, CHINA - JANUARY 29: Guards secure the gates and barriers after a bus arrived at a hotel that is part of the closed loop bubble to protect against the spread of COVID-19 for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on January 29, 2022 in Beijing, China. Athletes, officials, and journalists arriving to China for the Winter Olympics are required to stay in a bubble to prevent the spread of coronavirus as China continues to maintain its zero COIVD policy. The games are set to open on February 4th. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Related article As the Olympics heat up, China clamps down on dissent

It’s Day 7 of the Winter Olympics, and some big names are headed to the slopes today with seven medal events scheduled. Here’s what to watch for:

?? Megastar’s last hurrah: Three-time Olympic gold medalist Shuan White, an icon of snowboarding, is shooting for one last gold medal at the halfpipe today as he prepares to retire after the Beijing Olympics. The American faces competition from Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who led the way in the qualifying — beating out Australia’s Scotty James, who has dominated the event in recent years.

?? Will we see another historic double? Czech snowboarder and alpine skier Ester Ledecka became the first athlete to win a gold medal in both sports four years ago at the Pyeongchang Olympics — and she’s looking to repeat her historic double. She already won gold in snowboard parallel giant slalom on Tuesday; today will determine if she can pull off the same victory in the women’s super-G alpine skiing competition. US star Mikaela Shiffrin is also set to compete in the event, after a difficult start to her Olympics.

?? ROC controversy rumbles on: Russian teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva, who is at the center of a drug testing controversy, has received the support of Moscow — but a Kremlin spokesperson would not confirm reports of a positive drug test among the figure skating team. Valieva is tipped to win the women’s figure skating event next week. The controversy has continued to delay the medal ceremony of the figure skating team event, which was won by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

????Speed skating head-to-head: Italian star Arianna Fontanna, the most decorated short tracker in both men’s and women’s events, claimed a record-extending 10th Olympic medal at the 500-meter event on Monday. Today, she takes to the ice again for the 1,000-meter final — but faces a challenge in her Dutch rival, world record holder Suzanne Schulting.

After almost a week of Winter Olympics action in Beijing, the medal count is led by European nations — with Team USA hot on their heels.

The United States, which had been in 10th place at the start of Thursday, has pulled itself up to fourth place with four golds, five silvers and one bronze.

Meanwhile, China has dropped several places down to seventh. The hosts have won three golds and three silvers.

Russian teenage figure skater?Kamila Valieva, who is?at the center of a drug testing controversy?at?Beijing 2022, has received the support of the Kremlin back in Moscow, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not confirm reports of a positive test among the Russian figure skating team.

It remains unclear exactly when the positive test was taken, but Russian newspaper RBC Sport reported on Wednesday that a failed drug test was taken in December and has only come to light during the Winter Olympics.

The controversy has continued to delay the medal ceremony of the figure skating team event, which was won by the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

Multiple sources have told CNN Sports analyst Christine Brennan the athlete from the figure skating team event on the ROC team who tested positive for a prohibited substance is a minor.

The only minor on the ROC figure skating team is the 15-year-old star Valieva, who made history in the team event this week as the first woman to land a quad jump at the Winter Olympics.

Valieva is the favorite to take gold in the women’s figure skating event — probably the most celebrated event at the Winter Olympics. That competition gets underway on Feb. 15.

RBC Sport reported on Wednesday that a member of the ROC’s figure skating team tested positive for trimetazidine, according to a source familiar with the situation and a source in the Russian Figure Skating Federation.

CNN has reached out to the ROC for comment but has not yet received a response.

Trimetazidine is a drug used to treat people with a heart condition known as angina, a condition in which a person has chest pain due to poor blood flow to the heart. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list.

The ROC team won gold in the team event ahead of the USA in silver and Japan in third.

Read more:

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 04: A general view inside the stadium as flag bearers Olga Fatkulina and Vadim Shipachyov of Team ROC carry flags during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium on February 04, 2022 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Related article Kremlin won't confirm positive drug test reports while backing Kamila Valieva and all Russian figure skaters

American snowboarder Chloe Kim shows off her gold medal during the medal ceremony for the women's halfpipe on Thursday.

The United States had some notable wins on Day 6 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Here’s who took the eight gold medals that were at stake on Thursday.

Alpine skiing:?Austria’s?Johannes Strolz?captured the gold in the men’s alpine combined event.

Cross-country skiing:?Norway’s?Therese Johaug?won the women’s 10km classic event.

Figure skating:?Nathan Chen?brought home the gold for the United States in the men’s singles skating event.

Freestyle skiing:?Team USA?also won the mixed team aerials event.

Luge:?Germany?clinched the gold in the team relay event for their third straight victory in the event.

Snowboard: Austria’s?Alessandro H?mmerle?emerged victorious in men’s snowboard cross event.??

United States’?Chloe Kim?retained her title in the women’s snowboard halfpipe event.

Speed Skating:?Irene Schouten?of Netherlands?captured her second gold of the Games in the women’s 5,000m event.?

Two months before the Beijing Winter Olympics began, a few hundred?snow cannons?were already at work, pumping out fresh powder to coat the slopes of the Alpine Ski Center in Yanqing, about 56 miles from central Beijing.

Aside from these strips of glistening white snow, the mountains, which rise to an altitude of more than?2,000 meters?(6,500 feet), are dry and covered in brown scrub. Beijing 2022 will be the first Winter Olympics to rely almost entirely on?fake snow, which some athletes have warned could create dangerous, icy conditions.

But it’s unlikely to be the last, as the climate crisis is shrinking our winters. If global greenhouse gas emissions remain on the current trajectory, by the end of the century, only one of 21 previous Winter Olympics locations will have enough snow and ice to reliably host the Games, according to?a recent study by the University of Waterloo, in Canada.

Among these locations is Squaw Valley, in the Sierra Nevada, California, which hosted the Winter Olympics in 1960. Now known as Palisades Tahoe, it’s one of the local resorts for professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones.

A legend in big-mountain freeriding — earning Snowboarder Magazine’s Big Mountain Snowboarder of the Year title 11 times — Jones has spent much of his life on top of mountains, as well as carving down their steepest faces with a spray of powder in his wake. Over his three-decade career, he has witnessed the effects of climate change firsthand.

Read more:

Related article Winter sports are on thin ice -- this snowboarder wants to preserve their future