Winter Olympics: Day 12 roundup

Day 12 at the Pyeongchang Games saw a Norwegian overtake her countryman as the most successful Winter Olympian in history and there was a huge upset in the men's ice hockey tournament.

That piece of Olympic history came in the women's cross country team sprint, as the United States took gold ahead of Sweden, who captured silver. Norway grabbed their 32nd medal of the Games, finishing third for the bronze.

Greatest Winter Olympian ever

Norway winning bronze is not normally a big deal, especially at these Games, but Marit Bjoergen happened to be part of that team, with her bronze the 14th medal of her Olympic career. This made her the most decorated Winter Olympian in history, overtaking compatriot and biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has 13 to his name.

The medal was Bjoergen's fourth medal in Pyeongchang, having taken gold in the women's relay, silver in the skiathlon and bronze in the 10k freestyle. She still has a chance to add to that tally in the 30-kilometer mass start on Sunday.

In the women's downhill, Sofia Goggia became the first Italian to win gold in the event. Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel got the medal tally leaders on the board for Day 12 with silver and the United States' Lindsey Vonn claimed bronze.

For veteran Vonn, this will be her last Olympics, but she leaves the arena as the oldest female to win a medal in alpine skiing.

In the men's ski cross, Canadian Brady Leman pipped Swiss Marcus Bischofberger to the finish line. A crash between Sergey Ridzik and Kevin Drury early on saw the final become a two-man race. Ridzik picked himself up to take bronze.

Major upset in men's ice hockey

Day 12 ended with huge drama in the men's ice hockey tournament, with one of the favorites getting knocked out at the quarterfinal stage.

Germany produced one of the best performances in the history of German ice hockey, ousting Sochi silver medalists and current world champions Sweden in overtime. The team had already defied the odds to make the final eight after seeing off Switzerland, and they outdid themselves on Wednesday.

Germany took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission – and then the second. Sweden, though, made it a 3-3 tie by the end of the third, taking the two teams into overtime. However, less than two minutes into the extra frame, Patrick Reimer scored to give Germany the sudden death winner.

Earlier, the Czech Republic knocked out the United States. The teams were all even at 2-2 after regulation time and couldn't be separated after overtime either. In the shootout, the Czechs only scored once, but that was all they would need to advance. The OAR crushed Norway 6-1 and Canada beat Finland 1-0 to round out the semifinal lineup. Germany face gold medalists Canada on Friday.

As it happened:

15:28 - GERMANY PULL OF HUGE UPSET IN ICE HOCKEY!

There are scenes of jubilation as Germany score a dramatic overtime goal, beating the silver medalists from Sochi and the reigning world champions Sweden 4-3. A video review leaves them waiting a few seconds before being able to celebrate but it's confirmed! Patrick Reimer got the goal minute and 30 seconds into the overtime period, with Yasin Ehliz and Daryl Boyle getting the assists. This means that Germany face defending gold medalists Canada, who beat Finland 1-0, in one of the semifinals on Friday. The Czechs face the Olympic Athletes from Russia in the other semi. Germany's performance in Pyeongchang is their best since the 1976 Winter Games in Innsbruck, when they won the bronze medal.   

They roll into the semifinals.

15:22 - That's fulltime! Germany and Sweden are locked at 3-3, we now have 10 minutes overtime - where the first goal wins - before the possibility of penalties.

In the other quarterfinal match, Canada join the Cyech Republic and OAR in the semifinals after a tight 1-0 victory over Finland.

15:10 - And that's 3-3. Germany have tried their best, but this Sweden team are red hot. Johann Fransson with the assist, and Mikael Wikstrand with the long- range shot. Bullet. And Sweden will surely go on to win it from here, they have some frightening momentum behind them.

15:06 - Well, Sweden are showing their quality. A lovely worked move sees Patrik Hersely net to bring the score to 3-2. Germany are up against it with 10 minutes left to play. They'll have to withstand a lot of pressure.

15:02 - This is pretty crazy, Germany have just gone back in front to lead Sweden 3-1. The Swedes had looked dangerous after grabbing a goal back - but a turnover saw Dominik Kahun race away to expertly score. 

14:45 - GOLD FOR GERMANY!

Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz have won gold in the women's bobsleigh! Behind them, compatriots Stephanie Schneider and Annika Drazek in silver, and Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs.

14:43 - Third and last period about to start between Germany and Sweden. Can Germany hold onto their two-goal lead?

14:27 - GOLD NORWAY

Yet another gold for the medal tally leaders, taking them to 13 now! The men haven taken out the speed skating team pursuit. South Korea finish behind with silver and the Netherlands have bronze after beating New Zealand in Final B.

In all the excitement of the ice hockey, we missed the women's result. Japan broke the Olympic record on their way to gold, with the Netherlands in silver and United States in bronze.

14:22 - Germany's goaltender has pulled off a few incredible saves and they're holding onto a 2-0 lead against Sweden. Just six minutes left in the second period - if they can keep Sweden at bay in this next stretch they could have a very good chance of progressing!

13:35 - GOAL x2!! Germany are now 2-0 in front, amazing. What the hell is going on? Marcel Noebels slots this one home.

13:34 - GOAL!!!! Germany have taken the lead against Sweden! Incredible! 

13:11 - Germany are in action in the ice hockey. They face Sweden in the quarterfinals and are massive underdogs. If they can pull off an upset here it would be huge. Very unlikely, but never say never!

13:00 - As it stands, a United States duo - Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs - have navigated the bobsleigh track the fastest, closely followed by Germany and Canada teams.

12:16 - Final round robin of the women's curling is on its way. The women's bobsleigh is the one to look for - the heats start at 12:40 (CET) with the medal final starting about 2pm.

12:03 - HISTORY MADE

What an achievement for Marit Bjoergen, who made Olympics history not long ago.

Norway's bronze medal in the women's cross-country team sprint made Bjoergen the most successful athlete in Winter Olympics history. It was the 37-year-old's 14th Olympic medal, taking her total past Norwegian biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has 13, but failed to qualify for the Pyeongchang Games.

This was Bjoergen's fourth medal in South Korea, having previously taken gold in the women's 4x5-kilometer relay, silver in the 15-kilometer skiathlon and bronze in the 10-kilometer freestyle. Should she choose to enter the 30-kilometer mass start on Sunday, she could add an incredible 15th Olympic medal!

11:46 GOLD FOR NORWAY

The medal tally for Norway continues to rise, they're on fire! The men have taken out the cross country team sprint, with OAR and France following in silver and bronze.

This pretty much sums it up...

11:30 - We're off in the men's cross country team sprint - 10 teams in the race (OAR, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, USA, Finland, Italy, Canada, and Czech Republic).

11:17 GOLD FOR UNITED STATES

The United States have taken gold in the women's team sprint, with Sweden following in silver. Norway have another medal too, finishing in third and grabbing bronze. Now it's the men's turn.

What a finish!

With Norway's bronze, Marit Bjoergen becomes the most decorated Winter Olympian in history - that's her 14th medal!

11:00 - MEDAL EVENT We're away in the women's cross country team sprint. Germany are in the mix here!

10:51 - FINLAND WIN BRONZE

It's all over in the women's ice hockey as Finland hold on to a 3-2 victory over OAR. 

10:34 - We have seven minutes to play in the women's bronze medal ice hockey match - OAR pulled a goal back and now they are trailing 3-2 to Finland.

10:12 - Sweden and OAR have qualified automatically as the first-placed nations in the men's team sprint from the first semifinal. The second SF is about to start!

Meanwhile, Finland still on track for bronze in their medal match against OAR.

9:52 - Ice hockey update. In the women's bronze match Finland have extended their lead over OAR to 3-1. And in the men's quarterfinals OAR are cruising against Norway with a 5-1 lead. 

9:48 - So the final for the women's team sprint has been decided. The nations are: Norway, Switzerland, USA, Sweden, OAR, Finland, Poland, France, Slovenia, and Germany. That's in an hour. For now, we turn to the men's semifinals!

9:33 - Finland and the Russian Athletes from Russia have traded goals and it's now 2-1 in Finland's favor. 15 minutes to go in the 2nd period.

9:25 - The second semifinal is about to kick off. The two top finishers will join Norway and Switzerland, and then the remaining spots will be made up from the fastest losers.

9:18 - The women's cross country team sprint is ongoing at the moment. This is the semifinal stage, where 20 teams will be whittled down to just 10. The final will start 11am (CET). Norway and Switzerland are already through to the medal event after the first semifinal.

9:13 - The Russian athletes have done it again! They're 3-0 up against Norway and are really looking on point for a gold medal. Nikolai Prokhorkin with the goal in the quarterfinal clash.

8:45 - Finland have gone ahead through Petra Nieminen!

And in the men's quarterfinals, OAR are leading Norway 2-0 with goals to Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Gusev.

8:40 - MEDAL ACTION Now we have some ice hockey! The bronze medal match between Finland and Olympic Athletes of Russia has started.

8.18 - Korea grab another three in the eighth end against Japan. That's a 10-4 finish, but they're still out. It appears Sweden will now play the winner of a tiebreak between Great Britain and Switzerland and Canada will face the United States in the other semifinal.

Final round robin games of the women's curling begins at 12:05 (CET).

8.12 - Japan are trailing to South Korea 7-4 in the eighth end - they need victory to make the semifinals. Can they pull off an unlikely comeback? If they can't, then Great Britain, Switzerland and the United States will be vying for the last two semifinals spots. That means tiebreakers.

8:08 - That's it in two of the men's curling games. Norway and the US picked up wins over Sweden and Great Britain, respectively. Despite the loss, Sweden are the only team along with Canada to have qualified for the semi-finals. Two more teams to join them.

07.37 - Just the curling on at the moment as we wait for the women's ice hockey bronze medal match to arrive. That's not for an hour or so. The Canadian men's team are 8-2 ahead against Denmark - the women's side crashed out after a horror run of results.

The US lead Great Britain 5-4, Norway lead Sweden 6-2 and South Korea and Japan are tied up at 3-3.

06:50 - GOLD for Canada! No time to blink in Pyeongchang! Over to the men's ski cross final, there's a crash but it's Brady Leman, the man who finished fourth in 2014, who takes gold and is on his knees with emotion. Swiss Marcus Bischofberger takes silver just behind him, and OAR's Sergey Ridzik took bronze after recovering from the crash with Kevin Drury, who did not finish.

06:49 - WIN for Czech Republic! What drama! In the shoot-out, the Czechs score only their second but it's enough as the the US miss all five of their efforts! America are out and that means the US have failed to medal in 8 of the 10 Olympic men's ice hockey tournaments since 1980. Tough record.

06:42 - Penalty shoot-out in the ice hockey!

06:34 - Drama! Arnaud Bovolenta - silver medalist in Sochi - finishes third in his semifinal and does not make the final. Brady Leman, the Canadian who finished fourth in 2014, looks good to get gold here. After the small final - to decide who finishes fourth - comes the main event.

By the way, there are three minutes left in OT in the ice hockey... Still locked at 2-2 between the Czech Republic and the US.

06:28 - The hockey has gone into over time! No chance for mistakes now. The next goal wins it!

06:25 - The short program in the ladies' figure skating is all done and dusted and the top two spots have ben taken by OAR's Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva. All eyes will be on who can take the medals the day after tomorrow.

06:19 - Only Lindsey Vonn will know whether she's truly happy with a bronze in her final Olympic race. The 33-year-old says she is happy to be on the podium, but she was in tears earlier. Perhaps it's just the occasion, which is fair enough considering how much she has achieved during her career.

06:14 - The men's ski cross quarterfinals are in full flow. What entertainment this is. Worth mentioning that France won all three medals in Sochi and two of them have made the semifinals here in Pyeongchang. 

06:12 - Just six minutes left in the ice hockey and it's still 2-2! Very close now but perhaps overtime is beckoning...

05:53 - This men's ski cross is brutal. The knees suffer under the endless jumps, the pressure from competitors on the turn is intense and if you don't make the top two, it's all over before it even began. The final run sees another dramatic crash and the medical team are on the scene quickly. Blimey! This event isn't for the faint hearted! Mateo and Brad are right!

05:31 - Ouch. The ski cross is in full flow, but the excited mood has been dampened by what looks a very serious injury to Frenchman Terence Tciknavorian who looks to have done some serious damage to his leg. Tciknavorian has been stretchered away and racing is back underway. Can only send speedy recovery wishes!

05:20 - The US have scored a short-hand goal (scored against the team on the power play) to level the scores in the ice hockey! Pure drama on the ice - even without the NHL players.

05:17 - The real madness has begun in the men's ski cross as the first of the "eighth finals" have begun. Usually four skiers together grouped based on their times from the seeding run earlier in the day. Now, the top two go through to the quarterfinals.

05:12 - We have a game on the ice! The Czech Republic have turned it around against the US in the men's ice hockey quarterfinal and are now 2-1 up halfway through the second. Upset on the cards?

04:59 - The final six for the Men's Big Air has been decided. New Zealand's Carlos Garcia Knight leads the charge, with Swiss Jonas Boesiger and Canada's Mark McMorris not far behind. Norway's Torgeir Bergrem, Canada's Sebsatien Toutant and Great Britain's Billy Morgan make up the top six - with Canada's Tyler Nicholson suprisingly missing out.

04:23 - Over on the ice, the US men's ice hockey team have faced off against the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals and they lead 1-0 halfway through the first. The winner of this one plays either OAR or Norway - a game played later today.

04:15 - GOLD for Italy! With the top 30 skiers now finished, it is time to announce Sofia Goggia as the new Olympic champion in the women's downhill. The remaining eight skiers are not likely to post times anywhere near the Italian's and so just like that, Goggia makes history - and on her Olympic debut too. What a moment. Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel takes single, Lindsey Vonn with the bronze.

04:12 - The men's ski cross has started. What an event this is. Four skiers race down a 1,050 meter course with bumps and jumps. A lot of races to get through to decide the seedings first though.

03:55 - So this is where we're at in the downhill. It looks like it's Goggia's gold now...

03:47 - Wow! Norway's Ragnhild Mowinckel (what a name) finishes 0.09 seconds behind Goggia, bumping Vonn down into bronze position. What a run from the Giant Slalom silver medalist just days ago!

03:44 - The early morning women's curling games are over and there is HUGE news for Canada. The defending champions (who didn't lose a game in the last Olympics) and a curling nation that has never not finished on the podium in this event at the Games are out after losing 6-5 to Great Britain - who qualify for the knockouts in the process.

There were also wins for South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland.

03:26 - Another DNF in the Downhill as Austria's Stephanie Venier goes down after catching an edge. Ouch! She's up and ok though it seems. It's a fine line out there!

03:20 - Just a quick update that in the Ladies' Single Skating short program, Bradie Tennell still has the highest score and has qualified for the second part of the final - and all that despite a fall. Still 18 skaters left though.

03:19 - Surprise! The Swiss Lara Gut does not finish after she misses a gate. A bit of a shock there!

03:17 - And now for Vonn. It's a very tidy race, but Goggia's was just that little bit better. A long way to go, but the 33-year-old is on for a medal...

03:11 - Italy's Sofia Goggia is one of the favorites for this one and it's clear to see why! 1:39.22 is the new time to beat!

03:06 - Tina Weirather from Liechtenstein has flown down and was quite a bit faster, finishing in 1:39.85! What drama already! Great for the neutral!

03:00 - Bang on the tick of 11am Korean time, Austria's Cornelia Huetter flies out of the gate. Just before the finishing line, she nearly falls but holds it together to cross in 1:41.04. Just to gauge the time a bit, last Olympics Tina Maze and Dominique Gisin shared gold after finishing in 1:41.57. So I think that time will not be top spot... And as I say that, Swiss Corinne Suter comes down 1:40.29. Let the racing begin! 

02:52 - Some training going on in the men's four-man bobsleigh and, unsurprisingly after their joint-gold in the two-man, Germany lead the way in the early sessions. Canada, the other gold medalists, are in third.

02:43 - Vonn is on her way up the mountain. Not long until the much-anticipated Ladies' Downhill starts. Vonn has Olympic gold in th Downhill from back in 2010, but after injury kept her out of Sochi she is hoping to return with a vengeance here. She has broken records, bones and has one World Cup races in all five disciplines of alpine skiing. Can she crown off an incredible career with another Olympic gold today? She'll be seventh out the gate.

02:12 - Over in the Gangneung Arena, the Ladies' Single Skating has started. Same procedure as usual, short program first and then in two days time the free skate where the medals are decided. Bradie Tennell from the US gets the competition started, but a slip and fall doesn't leave her with a score she'll be happy with. Mind you, as Brittany on Twitter wrote, it was still impressive!

02:07 - Goodness me. The South Korea women's curling team is in fantastic form. Having already qualified for the knockouts, they are 9-1 up over OAR during the 5th end. Blimey. Elsewhere, Canada leads GB 3-2 during the 5th end.

01:34 - The Men's Big Air qualifying is underway in the snowboard. And goodness me, these gents are getting some big air. The medal event for this is on the penultimate day of the Games, so you've got time to become an expert.

01:00 - Good morning! Another medal-heavy day in Pyeongchang. All eyes will be on Lindsey Vonn in the early hours of the morning in what might well be her last Olympic race. There's a lot of freestyle skiiers to get through on day 12 - the ski cross starts at 3:30 CET and ends with the medals three hours later. There's also more ice hockey action, snowboarding, ladies' figure skating and some curling of course. So, sit back and enjoy - because including today, there are only five days of Olympic action left!

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