Good Sports: Olympics Vocabulary for Champions

She started skating at 5 or 6 years old, motivated to attend practice every week by her coach, who said her purple skating costume made her his best-dressed pupil. Los Angeles Times (Feb 7, 2018)

Whoever emerges victorious with a place on the podium in Pyeongchang, the fans are guaranteed to be winners of the event as the big air looks to shine on Olympics debut. Reuters (Jan 8, 2018)

The NHL's decision not to allow its players to represent their homelands in these Winter Games sent national hockey federations scrambling to fill their rosters. Los Angeles Times (Feb 5, 2018)

The day before the much-anticipated men’s halfpipe competition in snowboarding at the Sochi Olympics, there were broad concerns ranging from the shape of the pipe to the warming weather conditions.
--At Halfpipe, Warm Temperatures and Grumbling Olympians, The New York Times, Feb. 10, 2014

But first, in the wake of Höfl-Riesch’s steely comeback victory Monday, and after Mancuso’s stunning resurrection, there is time to celebrate two of the finest women’s Olympic Alpine skiers of this generation.
--Höfl-Riesch Wins Super Combined; Mancuso Takes Bronze, The New York Times, Feb. 10, 2014

The victory at the Iceberg Skating Palace brought a buoyant moment for the home country and a restorative achievement for a dominant figure skating team that had failed to win a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
--Figure Skating Gold Is Russia’s First, The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2014

Evgeni Plushenko, 31, the Russian star competing in his fourth Games, won the men’s long program Sunday with a valedictory performance that was full of showmanship and calculatedly lacking in risk.
--Figure Skating Gold Is Russia’s First, The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2014

The gravity-taunting soars on, and as the quadrenniums roll by, the Winter Olympics keep adding fresh diversions in an attempt to catch up with the curve.
--For Austrians, Downhill Is the Extreme Sport to Own, The New York Times, Feb. 10, 2014

But the downhill, one of the original extreme winter events, has a simplicity, a rich history and a certain gravitas that the new arrivals lack.
--For Austrians, Downhill Is the Extreme Sport to Own, The New York Times, Feb. 10, 2014

North Korea agreed to participate in the Olympics, sending a contingent of 22 athletes across the border. Los Angeles Times (Feb 6, 2018)

When the torch is lit during the opening ceremonies in Pyeongchang’s Olympic stadium on Friday night, it will become one of many flames being fanned around the world. Washington Times (Feb 7, 2018)

As he did at Rio, Taufatofua will carry Tonga’s flag at Friday’s opening ceremony as the country’s sole athlete at the Games. Reuters (Feb 8, 2018)

He reached a handful of podiums at international competitions before making history at the 2017 US Championships, where he triumphed by becoming the first skater to land five quadruple jumps in a single program. The Guardian (Feb 8, 2018)

Chen, 18, is the United States’ best hope for gold in men’s singles, with fluency in five types of quadruple jumps. Washington Post (Feb 7, 2018)

Shiffrin is a prohibitive favorite to defend the slalom title she won in Sochi, a top contender in the giant slalom and the favorite in the combined. Washington Times (Feb 8, 2018)

The annual race down the 400-foot toboggan chute got underway Saturday. Washington Times (Feb 11, 2017)

The sudden Olympics-inspired mood of detente began after Kim Jong Un said in a New Year’s Day address that he was willing to send a delegation to the Olympics. Seattle Times (Feb 6, 2018)

The Koreans are better known for their prowess in short track, but the Dutchman is bringing his vast experience to bear on honing their technique over the longer distances. Reuters (Jan 15, 2018)

Only five athletes will compete in South Korea; two alpine skiers and three for the cross-country events. The Guardian (Feb 7, 2018)

The sibling rivalry aside, both brothers will face strong opposition from Germany, Austria, Poland and Norway in Pyeongchang. Reuters (Jan 8, 2018)

So the Olympic debut of mixed doubles curling here at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games begs the question — at least to all but curling practitioners — why isn’t curling a student sport in the first place? Washington Post (Feb 6, 2018)