Heavy snowfall has caused significant disruption to the Winter Olympics schedule, forcing the postponement of multiple events as more than half a foot of snow blanketed the mountain town of Livigno on Thursday morning.
Major Schedule Changes Announced
The Olympic men's ski halfpipe qualifying event, which includes American medal hopefuls Alex Ferreira and Nick Goepper, has been delayed with a new start time yet to be determined. Additionally, the men's aerials competition has been rescheduled to Friday due to the adverse weather conditions.
Women's Events Proceed as Planned
Despite the disruptions affecting men's competitions, women's halfpipe qualifying featuring defending champion Eileen Gu remains on schedule for Thursday evening. Organizers are hopeful that weather conditions will improve significantly for Friday and Saturday, which mark the final two days of Olympic action.
Earlier Weather Disruptions This Week
This latest weather-related postponement follows earlier storms that forced organizers to reschedule snowboard slopestyle contests earlier in the week. Both finals eventually took place under sunny skies on Wednesday, with China's Su Yiming and Japan's Kokomo Murase securing titles in their respective events.
British Athlete's Medal Hopes Dashed
The Big Air final, which featured Britain's Kirsty Muir, was also delayed on Monday following heavy snowfall just before the event was due to begin. The competition eventually proceeded slightly later than planned, ending in disappointment for Muir as she narrowly missed out on a medal for the second time in a week.
After finishing fourth in the slopestyle final, Muir appeared well-positioned to reach the podium as she sat in second place after two runs of the Big Air final. However, she could not maintain her position and ultimately finished fourth once again.
Athlete's Reaction to Performance
Reflecting on her performance, Muir expressed mixed emotions about her Olympic experience. "I'm a bit up and down at the moment. I'm not really sure how to feel," she said. "I put it all out there so I'm really proud of that."
"On the third run, I went for a trick I haven't landed before so I gave it my all and I am taking that with me," Muir continued. "It's a little bit bittersweet but I came into this competition today feeling really grateful and I think I'm still at that point."
Organizers continue to monitor weather conditions closely as they work to reschedule affected events while maintaining the integrity of the competition schedule during the final days of the Winter Olympics.
