The rematch is on. A pair of goals by superstar Marie-Philip Poulin powered Canada to a harder-than-expected 2-1 victory over Switzerland and into a gold medal clash with Team USA on Thursday. The final will mark the seventh time the North American superpowers have faced off for gold. Canada has won four of the previous six gold medal games.
Poulin’s first goal was her Olympic record 19th, and her 20th in the second period proved to be the game-winner.
The Americans didn’t have to work nearly as hard in the earlier semifinal as they routed Sweden 5-0. Sweden will face Switzerland for the bronze medal at 8:40 a.m. ET Thursday.
For a complete rundown of the day’s major moments, scroll through our live updates blog here and catch up on the medal count here.
USA women’s hockey overpowers Sweden
Undefeated Team USA continued to steamroll through the women’s hockey tournament, blanking Sweden 5-0 Monday to secure its spot in Thursday’s gold medal game..
The American women have netted at least five goals in all six of their games and have outscored their opponents by an incredible 31-1. The U.S. side hasn’t allowed a goal since the second period of its first game against Czechia on Feb. 5, a stretch of 331 minutes and 23 seconds.
Team USA got goals from Cayla Barnes, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Hayley Scamurra. Aerin Frankel turned away 21 shots to record her third shutout of the tournament.
“It’s one shot for gold,” said veteran defender Lee Stecklein, a three-time Olympian who won gold in 2018, following the game. “And then if you don’t get it, you have to wait four years, if you’re lucky, to be there again. So it’s a whole different sort of pressure. I think this group is ready.”
The U.S trounced Canada 5-0 in the final match of the preliminary round on Feb. 10.
Team USA goalie Aerin Frankel turned away 21 shots Monday to record her third shutout of the women’s hockey tournament. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
Elana Meyers Taylor wins first gold in women’s bobsled
Team USA’s Elena Meyers Taylor was already a legend in women’s bobsledding, and now, finally, she’s a gold medalist.
With five medals in previous Olympic competitions, the 41-year-old mother of two claimed the elusive gold in her fifth Winter Olympics with a victory in the monobob by a whisker over Germany’s Laura Nolte. The German was just four-hundredths of a second behind Meyers Taylor for silver, while Team USA’s Kaillie Humphries, who was seeking her fourth career gold medal, claimed the bronze.
Meyers Taylor was already the most decorated Black Winter Olympian in Games history. Her sixth medal ties her with speedskater Bonnie Blair as the most decorated U.S. female Winter Olympian in history.
Both American medalists have talked openly about the challenges of returning to competition after giving birth. Meyers Taylor had her second son in November 2022, while Humphries had her first child, a son, just 20 months ago.
Elana Meyers Taylor of Team USA celebrates after winning the gold medal in women’s monobob bobsleigh on Monday at the Cortina Sliding Centre. (Julian Finney / Getty Images)
Eileen Gu settles for silver in freeski big air final
Eileen Gu’s defense of her freeski big air title ended with silver as Canada’s Megan Oldham produced a sensational performance to win gold in a final that was delayed by over an hour by a snowstorm.
In her third run, Gu, the San Francisco-born model and skier, representing China in the Games, landed a left double cork 1260 with a toxic grab — a standout move and a different exit than most other riders. Judges awarded her an 89.00 for the run, enough to climb all the way from seventh after the second run to the silver-medal position, but still 1.75 points short of Oldham’s total of 180.75.
Italy’s Flora Tabanelli, the 18-year-old world champion competing at her first Olympics, took bronze.
China’s Eileen Gu competes in the women’s freeski big air final at Livigno Snow Park. (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)
Japanese duo recover from Sunday blunder to win pairs gold
A costly mistake during their short program Sunday left Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan stunned and sobbing on the ice, but the duo rallied Monday with a spectacular free skate to win the pairs gold in a runaway fashion.
Kihara sobbed while standing next to the rink in the arms of Miura once their score held up against four other pairs. But unlike Sunday, when they stumbled in the free skate, this time they were tears of joy.
Their skate Monday was nearly 12 points better than the next highest scoring pair. Their combinations were high and well executed, essentially a perfect run.
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia won silver, and Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany won bronze.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan celebrate after winning gold in the pairs free skate at Milano Ice Skating Arena. (James Lang / Imagn Images)