2010 Winter Olympic Games: a Review of the Competition - Day 4

On the fourth day of competition at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 15 medals were awarded in the women's 10 kilometer biathlon pursuit, men's 12.5 Kilometer biathlon pursuit, women's luge singles, women's snowboard cross, and women's 500 meters speed skating.

Germany won four medals, including two gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal. France followed with one silver and two bronze medals. Austria garnered two silver medals. Sweden, Canada, and South Korea each won a gold medal; Slovakia won a silver medal; Switzerland and China each won a bronze medal.

With its medal haul, Germany assumed the lead in the medal count with nine, surpassing the United States with eight medals. Solely in third place is France with seven medals, and host nation Canada stands in fourth with five. Korea and Switzerland both have four medals, and China, Austria, and Italy follow them with three. The Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, and Japan each have two medals, followed by six other nations with one medal a piece.

Biathlon - Women's 10 Kilometer Pursuit

Magdalena Neuner, of Germany, won the gold medal with a final time of 30:16.0. She ranked second after shooting in the first prone position, but moved up to first after the second prone position. Neuer remained in first for the remainder of the completion, despite acquiring two penalties after shooting from the standing position. Anastazia Kuzina, of Slovakia, garnered the silver medal, finishing 12.3 seconds in back of Nuener. She ranked first after shooting in the first prone position, but fell back to second after the second prone position. Moreover, Kuzina acquired two penalties, one after the second prone position and the other after the first standing position. Marie Laurie Brunet, of France, secured the bronze medal, finishing 28.3 second behind the gold medalist. After the first prone position shot, she ranked fifth, but moved into third after the second prone position, where she remained for the rest of the race.

Biathlon -Men's 12.5 Kilometer Pursuit

Björn Ferry, of Sweden, who finished 24^th in this event in 2002 and 25^th in 2006, won the gold medal in 33.38.4. After the first prone position, he ranked in eighth place, but moved up to seventh after the second prone position. After the first standing position, he jumped into second place, then into first after the second, despite a penalty. Christoph Sumann, of Austria, who finished 7^th in 2006, captured the silver medal, finishing 16.5 seconds in back of Ferry. After the first prone position, he ranked in ninth place, but moved into sixth after the second prone position. Despite being penalized in the first standing position, Sumann moved into fourth place. He moved into third place after the second standing position. Vincent Jay, of France, garnered the bronze medal, finishing 28.2 second behind the leader. Ranked first after the first and second prone positions and the first standing position, he dropped to second after the second standing position. Jay suffered penalties after both standing positions.

Luge - Women's Singles

Tatjana Huefner, of Germany, won the gold medal in 2:46.524. After the first run, she stood in third place, gained the lead in the second run, and increased it in the third and fourth runs. Nina Reithmayer, of Austria, who finished in 8^th place in 2006, captured the silver medal in 2:47.014. After finishing first after the first run, she fell to second after the second run, and then dropped to third after the third run, before regaining second place after the fourth run. Natalie Geisenberger, of Germany, won the bronze medal in 2:47.101. After finishing the first run in second place, she dropped to fourth place after the second run. Geisenberger regained second after the third run, but fell to seventh in the fourth run.

Snowboarding - Women's Snowboard Cross

Maëlle Ricker, of Canada, who finished in 4^{th place} in 2006, won the gold medal. Deborah Athonioz, of France, captured the silver medal. Olivia Nubs, of Switzerland, secured the silver medal,

Speed Skating - Women's 500 Meters

Sang-Hwa Lee, of South Korea, who finished in 5^th position in 2006, won the gold medal with a total time of 76.09; she skated 38.249 in the first round and 37.850 in the second. Jenny Wolf, of Germany, who finished in 15^th place in 2006, captured the silver medal in 76.14; she skated the 38.307 in the first round and 37.838 in the second. Beixing Wang, of China, who finished in 7^th place in 2006, garnered the bronze in 76.63; she skated 38.487 in the first round and 38.144 in the second.

References:

Sports Reference LLC, Beixing Wang, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Björn Ferry, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Christoph Sumann, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Jenny Wolf, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Maëlle Ricker, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Nina Reithmayer, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Sports Reference LLC, Sang-Hwa Lee, Sports Reference/Olympics Website

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Biathlon - Women's 10 Kilometer Pursuit, Vancouver 2010 Official Website

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Biathlon -Men's 12.5 Kilometer Pursuit, Vancouver 2010 Official Website

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Luge - Women's Singles, Vancouver 2010 Official Website

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Snowboarding - Women's Snowboard Cross, Vancouver 2010 Official Website

Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Speed Skating - Women's 500 Meters, Vancouver 2010 Official Website