Day 15 marks the final full day of competition at the Milano-Cortina Games before the closing ceremony on Sunday. Canada has a busy day ahead with significant events such as curling medal games, ski cross with a chance for gold, and various podium opportunities in other sports.
Here’s a rundown of Canadian medal prospects for Saturday:
In freestyle skiing, Canada will participate in the aerials mixed team final at 4:45 a.m. ET. The Canadian team, which includes Marion Thénault, Miha Fontaine, and Lewis Irving, won bronze in this event in 2022. The top four teams in the first run will vie for medals in the final at 5:45 a.m. ET.
Reece Howden will represent Canada in the men’s ski cross final at 7:15 a.m. ET. Howden, a dominant force in the World Cup circuit, aims to secure a major title or medal after several podium finishes but no Olympic success yet. Italy’s Simone Deromedis is expected to be a strong contender in the competition.
In curling, the Canadian women’s team will face the United States for the bronze medal at 8:05 a.m. ET. Despite a loss in the semifinals, Rachel Homan’s team has the opportunity to claim a medal by defeating the American squad.
Later in the day, Canada will compete against Great Britain for the men’s curling gold at 1:05 p.m. ET. Skip Brad Jacobs seeks to secure an Olympic title, with Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert also aiming for gold.
Additionally, in speed skating, Valérie Maltais and Ivanie Blondin will participate in the women’s mass start final at 11:15 a.m. ET. Maltais, who won a bronze in the 1,500m, and Blondin, a past Olympic silver medalist, are among Canada’s hopefuls for a podium finish.
The women’s halfpipe final in freestyle skiing at 1:30 p.m. ET will feature Amy Fraser and Rachael Karker from Canada. The competition includes top contenders Eileen Gu and Zoe Atkin battling for the gold.
Other key events on Saturday include the men’s hockey bronze medal game between Finland and Slovakia at 2:40 p.m. ET and the men’s 50km mass start classic in cross-country skiing at 5 a.m. ET, where Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo aims to set a Winter Olympics record.
For more updates on international stories and Norway’s skiing success, follow the daily Olympic notebook by Richard Deitsch.
