Winter Olympics day 12: short track skating, ice hockey and more – live!

And that’s it for the medals on this 12th day at Beijing. Sure enough, Norway remain at the top with 13 gold medals, ten of those in cross country skiing in one form or another. Germany have ten of their own in second spot, seven in the sliding centre. By way of comparison, it was the same two countries that led the way four years ago in Pyeongchang with 14 gold medals apiece.

Ice Hockey: Moving from Wukesong and the women’s bronze medal game to the National Indoor Stadium for a men’s quarterfinal between Sweden and Canada. The former had the better of the early stages if the tournament, finishing second in their group. The latter had go via the repechage to reach the final eight, thumping China yesterday. No goals for either team as yet, five minutes into the opening period.

Ice Hockey: The floodgates have opened with Finland piling on three goals in the third and final period. Class from veteran Michelle Karvinen to finish on the near post within the final minute. And here is the siren, Finland win 4-0 over Switzerland. That’s the fourth time they’ve claimed bronze in this event.

Speed skating: Arianna Fontana (ITA) has an 11th Olympic medal – brilliant. It’s unclear what colour it is though, the photo yet to come back between her and Suzanne Schulting (NED) for silver. Meanwhile, Desmet came late but doesn’t get a medal – a fine competitor. And Fontana gets the nod! Schulting, the world champion, has to settle with bronze. Another wonderful final in the women’s short track.

GOLD – Choi Minjeong (KOR) 2:08:44
SILVER – Arianna Fontana (ITA) 2:08:60
BRONZE – Suzanne Schulting (NED) 2:08:69

Speed skating: It is a race in three as the bell rings, Minjeong, Fontana, Schulting… and it’s Choi Mingjeong! She’s defended her title! A mighty performance!

Speed skating: Fontana at the back, Desmet is with her. A move from Han with Schulting going with her to shut down the breakaway. Eight laps to go; they’re back in a bunch. Minjeong, the 2018 champion, is leading the way. Fontana is threading her way through the field, the champion is sitting in fourth. Four laps to go!

Speed skating: To the final of the women’s 1500m. A reminder of the start list:

1. Choi Minjeong (KOR)
2. Yutong Han (CHN)
3. Xandra Velzeboer (NED)
4. Suzanne Schulting (NED)
5. Hanne Desmet (BEL)
6. Lee Yubin (KOR)
7. Arianna Fontana (ITA)

And they’re away in the race for gold!

Ice Hockey: Finland get a second! Early in this final period, Susanna Tapani, the 28-year-old forward, delivers a bit of breathing room in the bronze medal game against Switzerland. The Finnish women are on track to match their result from 2018.

Curling: A correction on what I said earlier about Team GB – they’re actually now in fifth place at 4-4. I didn’t realise they played earlier today before getting tonight’s session off, going down 8-4 to China. Here are the updated scores (and rankings!)

• (7) Korea 3 v (9) Denmark 5
• (3) Japan 6 v (6) USA 2
• (10) ROC 4 v (2) Sweden 2
• (4) Canada 3 v (8) China 3

Speed skating: We’re nearly ready for the women’s 1500m final; it’s about 10 minutes before they jump in the medal final. Here’s the official start list.

1. Choi Minjeong (KOR)
2. Yutong Han (CHN)
3. Xandra Velzeboer (NED)
4. Suzanne Schulting (NED)
5. Hanne Desmet (BEL)
6. Lee Yubin (KOR)
7. Arianna Fontana (ITA)

Storylines everywhere here. Minjeong’s speed was extraordinary when it mattered most in the semi, swooping the field to break the Olympic Record that she set when taking this event four years ago. Fontana, a legend of the sport, is seeking an 11th medal and a third gold – she’s already been a winner here in the 500m. Schulting is the world champion, shooting for a third gold of these Games. And then there’s Desmet, who has skated so aggressively across the program. She could win this.

Curling: Some progress scores from the water cube in the women’s competition.

• (7) Korea 3 v (8) Denmark 2
• (5) Japan 4 v (4) USA 2
• (10) ROC 4 v (2) Sweden 2
• (6) Canada 1 v (9) China 3

Ice Hockey: We’re into the third and final period of the bronze medal game and the score remains the same with Finland’s women leading Switzerland 1-0.

Speed skating: Photo finish for third… and it goes Italy’s way!

GOLD – Canada
SILVER – Korea
BRONZE – Italy

Back to Charles Hamelin, he won both this event and the 500m back in 2010 at his home games in Vancouver, the 1500m at Sochi in 2014 and finishes his career atop the podium again. His first medal was in 2006 at Turin in this relay – what a story; a six-time medal winner. He’s an Olympic champion alongside Steven Dubois, who skated a stunning final leg to lock the race down, Maxime Laoun and Pascal Dion.

Speed skating: Canada are skating away! Korea have too much to do – it’s gold! Charles Hamelin gets a fourth gold medal to end his extraordinary career at age 37. “It’s a fairlytale finish for him and a wonderful victory for Canada!” Wow!

Speed skating: 13 laps to go, Canada leading the way with Korea and China second and third but all five teams are skating in file – this is getting quicker and quicker. A fall! China now down! ROC move into third. Nine laps to go, here’s the chaos! Canada, with all their experience, are controlling the tempo. Grandstand finish coming!

Speed skating: The men’s 5000m relay final, with five teams instead of four, this is going to be loose – 20 skaters on the ice at any time. Find a telly for this one. China and Korea, who won silver and bronze at Pyeongchang, are here. As are Italy, Canada and the ROC. Predictions are useless here, anything could happen. Go!

Curling: Over at the water cube, we’re half an hour into the 11th session of the women’s event. A reminder that Team GB have the night off, currently in third position after seven matches in this round-robin stage. Some progress scores, with the table position of the teams coming into this session listed in brackets.

• (7) Korea 2 v (8) Denmark 1
• (5) Japan 4 v (4) USA 0
• (10) ROC 3 v (2) Sweden 0
• (6) Canada 0 v (9) China 3

Ice Hockey: during the B-Final of the men’s 5000m relay (the medal race follows), let’s go around the grounds. To begin, with a few minutes to go in the second period of the women’s bronze medal match, Finland are still 1-0 over Switzerland.

Speed skating: What a move from Choi Min-jeong! With two laps to go she went from fourth to first with a mighty swooping move ! Wow, an Olympic Record too, 2:16:83. From there, they were skating for second – Han Yutong (CHN) got it done. Xandra Velzeboer (NED) is quick enough to get the final qualifying spot from third. Bosh.

I’ll have the starting list for the final shortly, to begin about 45 minutes from now.

Speed skating: The referee, always a big player in short-track speed skating, is reviewing the tape. Who is in strife here? It’s Jaszapati – she’s changed lanes at the wrong time and has lost her chance at making the Olympic Final as a result. Time for semi-final three with Choi Min-jeong (KOR), the winner in 2018, the skater to watch.

Speed skating: Santos (USA) is leading through the middle stages of the race, Schulting (NED) safely tucked away in third, waiting to make her move, followed by Desmet on her shoulder. With six laps to go Schulting and Desmet make their moves in unison; to first and second. Three laps to go, they’ve put a gap in the field to third and take the automatic qualifying spots in style. Petra Jaszapati (HUN) finishes in third, with a quicker time than Boutin from the first semi.

Speed skating: Semi-final two includes the superstar Suzanne Schulting (NED), who is the world champion in this event and already has a couple of gold medals from Beijing 2022. Also present, Hanne Desmet (BEL) who snared a bronze in the 1000m and is a gusty racer, I’ve enjoyed her work across the fortnight. They’re away!

Speed skating: Okay, we’re to the semi-final stage of the women’s 1500m short track, three races to follow. There are seven skaters in the first of these, which includes all-timer Adianna Fontana (ITA) and Kim Boutin (CAN) who took bronze in this event four years ago and has never won Olympic gold. But it’s Lee Yubin from Korea who is leading the way at the business end, seeing of Fontana – coming around the outside – to take the win. Boutin finishes in third – she won’t qualify automatically for the final; we’ll know at the end of the third semi if her time is enough to sneak in.

Ice Hockey: En route to the speed skating, a score update in the bronze medal game with Finland’s women 1-0 up over Switzerland early in the second period. Viivi Vainikka, the 20-year-old forward, was the scorer, of the go-ahead goal.

Freestyle aerials: Burov isn’t taking on the 5.0 jump, instead opting for a 4.525 back full-full double full… and he’s on the money! If the judges assess it as perfect he can leapfrog into gold but that degree of difficulty will hold him back. 129 is the magic number, does the Russian get there? No! 114.93 – it’s bronze, he’s elated! But Qi Guangpu is the Olympic champion – at long last, at his fourth Games, he will have a gold medal around his neck. An emotional response; flag in the air. “The best final that has ever taken place in the event,” says the TV caller. Brilliant stuff.

GOLD – Qi Guangpu (CHN) 129.00
SILVER – Oleksandr Abramenko (UKR)
BRONZE – Ilia Burov (ROC)

Freestyle aerials: 129 is the score to beat for Pirmin Werner of Switzerland. The 22-year-old is up, he’s through the tricks… but the form and the landing, neither are perfect. Qi Guangpu is going to stay in the lead with just the ROC’s Ilia Burov standing between him and an Olympic gold medal! Werner goes to third, 111.50. Over to Burov, the younger brother of the superstar Maxim, who can stun the world.

Freestyle aerials: Christopher Lillis sticking with the quin-twisting back double full-full double full… and he’s done as his countryman and over-rotated the landing. “Oh no!” he says when skiing over to the cameras. So close to something special – that won’t be enough for a medal, he’s in fourth with 103. Two jumpers to go!

Freestyle aerials: Qi Guangpu (CHN) is third to go. It’s the same jump for the third time in a row and it’s the best of the set! He hits the snow with a mighty thud but he’s upright! Gosh, he got up so high – magnificent. He’s a double world champion, surely that puts him into the lead in this Olympic Final. It does, 129 on the dot! Christopher Lillis (USA) is next, who hit a 135 when it mattered most to win the team final. Go!

Freestyle aerials: Justin Schoenefeld to start the final! Here we go! And he botches his landing on the back double full-full-double full – the most difficult jump of the night. Barring something wild, 106.50 won’t get him a medal. Abramenko (UKR) the defending champion, is next… and he gets down, just, on a five-twist 5.0, the same just as the American. There was a hand touch; there will be a deduction. 116.50 is where the judges land. That small touch costs him big time. Four jumpers to go!

Freestyle aerials: Jia Zongyang (CHN) crashes his landing on the back full-full-double full! After dominating qualifying, he won’t be adding to his bronze medal in this event from 2018. Qi Guangpu (CHN) to finish – he’s already safe, in fourth spot – a 114.48 is his score, hitting the 4.525 safely and cleanly without any pizzazz. And we have out six Super Finalists, Schoenefeld earning the last spot. The following group will jump just once in the super final – everything on the line, best score wins.

1. Ilia Burov (ROC) 129.50
2. Pirmin Werner (SUI) 126.24
3. Christopher Lillis (USA) 125.67
4. Qi Guangpu (CHN) 125.22
5. Oleksandr Abramenko (UKR) 123.53
6. Justin Schoenefelt (USA) 123.53

Freestyle aerials: Noe Roth nearly over-rotates on the landing but keeps his hands off the snow. With a 4.525 he needs a lot to go right to move into the six… not to be. 110.41 is his score after some landing deductions. His competition is over. So, four qualifiers confirmed with just the Chinese pair to come: Burov (ROC), Werner (SUI), Lillis (USA) and Qi Guangpu (CHN).

Freestyle aerials: Oleksandr Abramenko (UKR) doesn’t get the love from the judges either, he stays in fifth place on the back of his 123.53 in the first round. Four jumpers to go – Eric Loughran the first… and the American is on his back at the landing! That’s him done. Just Noe Roth (7th), Jia Zongyang (7th) and Qi Guangpu (4th) to come.

Freestyle aerials: The first of the Ukranians, Oleksandr Okipniuk, and he’s going for the quin-twister too with the 4.9 degree of difficulty and he’s landed it! He was in 12th spot at the halfway mark but the judges don’t like it, 122.01 – he’s only 9th. He had four points deducted. To the naked eye, looks unlucky there. Christopher Lillis now, who started this round in second and doesn’t improve on 125.67, having to settle with 122.17. A stressful wait ahead of him with the defending champ next.

Freestyle aerials: Pirmin Werner (SUI), who was the leader after the first round, follows Burov with the back double full-full-full… and he’s just got it down. Does it outscore his 126.24 from the first time though? Nup, 114.93. He stays in second spot.

Freestyle aerials: Stanislav Niktin’s turn at the popular back full-double full-full and it doesn’t go as well as Schoenefeld’s with the judges, his 119 won’t be enough for a berth in the Super Final. His ROC teammate now, Ilia Burov – remember that his brother, the world champion Maxim, didn’t reach the final 12. A higher degree of difficulty on the back double full-full-full and it’s good! “The first quin-twister of the night!” says the TV commentator. And the judges are very into it! The Russian moves into first position with 129.50 – he’ll surely get to the medal round with that.

Freestyle aerials: In the second round, you can’t repeat the jump from the first time around. To begin Stanislau Hladchenka and it’s a beauty! At 4.425, the Belarusian requires just about full points to push into the mid 120s – not quite; 116.29 is his score, placing him in ninth. He won’t reach the Super Final. Next up: Justin Shoenefeld, who won a gold medal in the team event. The same jump and it’s outstanding. The judges like it, a 123.53 – that’s enough for fifth. A tense wait whether it will remain enough by the end of the run… unlikely but possible.

A busy little burst here. The second round of the men’s freestyle aerial jumps are about to begin, which I’ll stick with for the most part. Also starting now: the 1500m quarterfinals in the women’s short-track speed skating and the bronze medal game of the women’s ice hockey, Finland v Switzerland. I’ll try to stay on top of it all.

Freestyle aerials: “You’re good!” roars Jia Zongyang’s coach as he’s midair with his back full-double full-full – he sure is, outstanding! The same jump as Roth with a 4.425 degree of difficulty but so much more air. To the top? Not quite – into fourth with 123.45. Difficult to see him not getting through to the Super Final. Over to Qi Guangpu (CHN), the double world champion, with the same jump once again. Gosh, that’s very good too. A lower degree of difficulty but so precise, and enough for third – 125.22 pops him just behind Lillis (USA) and Werner (SUI). A brilliant first round of jumps. They’ll tidy up the snow and go again shortly. Here are the top six so far – the qualifying spots for the Super Final ahead of the second attempts.

1. Pirmin Werner (SUI) 126.24
2. Christopher Lillis (USA) 125.67
3. Qi Guangpu (CHN) 125.22
4. Olesksandr Abramenko (UKR) 123.53
5. Jia Zongyang (CHN) 123.45
6. Noe Roth (SUI) 122.13

Freestyle aerials: Eric Loughran is the third of the Americans but he’ll have to do better than his 111.95 the second time around – he didn’t quite get the landing right, leaving him in seventh position. No such issues for Noe Roth, back full-double full-full – no worries! He’s fourth with 122.13, behind his Swiss teammate Pirmin Wermer who remains in first place with 126.24 with just the two Chinese superstars to go.

Freestyle aerials: Oleksandr Abramenko, the gold medallist in 2018, is into third after sticking a back full-full-double-full. And as TV explain, that’s on the back of no training having to endure seven days of isolation. Never write off a champion.