11 of the Biggest 2018 Winter Olympics Fails

The Olympics always bring out the best athletes every two years, both at the Summer Games and Winter Games. But even these great athletes have terrible days and the Pyeongchang Games have featured a few awkward moments on the ice and snow.

The Games have not been great overall for Team USA. There is no chance for Team USA to catch up with Norway, which has 37 medals with two days left of the Games. The U.S. athletes have won 22 medals, including eight gold, which is enough to put them in fourth place. The U.S. also finished second at Sochi four years ago with 28 medals. Back at the 2010 Vancouver Games, the U.S. finished in first, winning a whopping 37 medals.

Here is a look at some of the worst moments of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games.

Team USA’s Ice Skating Performance

Team USA once dominated women’s figure skating, but it did not look that way on Friday. While Russia’s Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva and Canada’s Katelyn Osmond were on the podium, American skaters had no reason to celebrate.

It was the first time an American did not finish in at least fourth since 1964, when Americans finished sixth, seventh and eighth, reports USA Today.

This year, Bradie Tennell, Karen Chen and Mirai Nagazu came in ninth, 10th and 11th. Each of them made mistakes during their programs that cost them a chance.

North Korea Failes to Medal at All

North Korea might have hoped to take advantage of its Southern neighbor hosting the Games to put on a show for an international audience, but it did not work. The isolated country’s athletes finished their Olympics on Thursday without winning a single medal.

As Yahoo Sports notes, the DPRK’s best finish was in the pairs free skating, when Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik came in 13th out of 16. Since making its debut at the 1964 Winter Olympics, North Korea has only won two medals: a silver in speed skating and a bronze in short-track speed skating. North Korean athletes have won 54 medals at the Summer Games since 1972.

Monkey Pouch Streaker

On Friday morning, a streaker crashed the Men’s 1,000m speed skating event. The man wrote “Peace” and “Love” on his chest, and wore a pink tutu.

Thankfully, he covered his penis with a monkey pouch. While this might sound funny, the man failed to bring peace to all. But at least we laughed.

 

Emily Sweeney Survives Dramatic Crash

On Feb. 13, the crowd in Pyeongchang held its collective breath when American luger Emily Sweeney crashed during one of her runs. Thankfully, she walked away from the crash, but was taken to a hospital.

“I’m very sore, and pretty stiff,” she told NBC. “I’m going to get an X-ray on my back after this, but I wanted to have the last word. So thanks for all the support, you guys. It’s a bummer, for sure, and I know that I’m better than that. But here we are — it happens.”

Canadian Hockey Player Takes Off Her Silver Medal

One of Team USA’s biggest wins of the Games was beating Canada for gold in the women’s hockey tournament. But the discussion after the gold medal game was dominated by Jocelyne Larocque’s decision to take off her silver medal. She later apologized for it, saying she let her emotions get the better of her. 

“In the moment, I was disappointed with the outcome of the game, and my emotions got the better of me. I’m proud of our team, and proud to be counted among the Canadian athletes who have won medals at these Games,” she said. “Being on the podium at the world’s biggest sporting event is a great achievement and one that I’m thankful I was able to experience with my teammates.”

Great Britain Snowboarder Falls on Her Face

As the Telegraph points out, Team GB snowboarder Aimee Fuller landed flat on her face during her second run in the snowboard big air final. Fuller was okay and took to Instagram to joke about it. She posted a photo of herself, face-down in the snow, on Instagram.

“To the grill,” she wrote. She then posted pictures of her black and blue marks on Twitter!

Swiss Skier Crashes Into Photographers

Just 17 seconds into her run in the slalom skiing event, Switzerland’s Lara Gut lost control. She crashed straight into a group of photographers on the side of the course. Thankfully everyone was OK. Saturday Night Live‘s Leslie Jones provided commentary.

Russian Curler Reportedly Fails a Drug Test

The International Olympic Committee officially banned Russia from the Games because of doping, but allowed some Russians to compete as part of the “Olympic Athletes from Russia” team.

However, that decision has come under scrutiny after some Russian athletes tested positive once the Games began. A source told Reuters that curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii tested positive for the banned substance meldonium after he won bronze in mixed doubles with his wife. He was stripped of his medal. A second Russian athlete, boblsedder Nadezhda Sergeeva, also failed a drug test.

Speedskating Crash Makes it Possible for Team USA to End Speed Skating Drought

In sports, one man’s victory is another’s defeat. The final lap of the men’s 1,000m short-track speedskating final was a disaster for most of the skaters. Three racers crashed, leaving just Samuel Girard of Canada and John-Henry Krueger of the U.S. standing. Girard won gold and Krueger took silver. It was the first time the U.S. medaled in an individual speed skating event since the 2010 Vancouver games.

NBC’s Broadcast Team Flubs

There are countless hours of sports events during the Olympics, and there is a strong chance that some NBC commentator is going to make a mistake. It’s guaranteed every two years and they always start during the Opening Ceremony.

Even an experienced, well-traveled journalist like Katie Couric ends up telling viewers that speedskating is an “important mode of transportation” for the Dutch. (She later apologized.)

Analyst Josh Cooper was removed from the broadcast team after suggesting that Japan’s brutal occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945 helped South Korea’s economic transformation.

Things got so bad, we put together a list of NBC’s biggest gaffes four days into the Olympics.

 

 

Ice Skaters’ Wardrobe Malfunctions

There were two unfortunate ice skating wardrobe malfunctions.

South Korean figure skater Yura Min almost had a malfunction with her skating partner, Alexander Gamelin. They completed their routine, and were praised on social media for their poise.

France’s Gabriella Papadakis really did experience a wardrobe malfunction, exposing a part of her body no one should have seen. She powered through the performance with partner Guillaume Cizeron. They bounced back 24 hours later to win silver.