A Day 3 filled with crashes at Beijing Olympics
It was a day perhaps more notable for its failures than for its successes.
American Mikaela Shiffrin crashed out a few seconds into her opening race at the Beijing Olympics. Favored to defend her gold medal in the giant slalom, Shiffrin instead lost control and ended with a rare DNF —Did Not Finish.
She wasn't alone on the third day of official competition.
Monday's race was delayed for about 15 minutes when Nina O’Brien slid across the finish line, screaming in pain, after her skis crossed in front of her. She was taken away on a sled, and the U.S. ski team later said she has a compound fracture in her leg.
Stars were also taken down in luge, where Julia Taubitz crashed in one of her runs.
The men’s 1,000-meter short track speedskating quarterfinals was also beset by crashes. South Korea’s Park Janghyuk was carted off the ice on a stretcher, although he eventually advanced. Liu Shaolin Sandor of Hungary also crashed in his race and also ended up advancing.
Brendan Corey of Australia, meanwhile, triggered a pileup and was penalized for taking out Dutch skater Itzhak de Laat and China’s eventual gold medalist Ren Ziwei.
A biathlete is silhouetted against the setting sun during the women's 15-kilometer individual race at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Spectators watch during men's slopestyle finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan attends a figure skating training session at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Johanne Killi, of Norway, competes during the women's freestyle skiing Big Air qualification round of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A spectator waits for the start of the men's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Australia's Scotty James trains on the halfpipe curse at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Yang Shuorui of China lands during the women's freestyle skiing Big Air qualification round of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Daniel Hemetsberger, of Austria, bleeds after finishing the men's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Julia Taubitz, of Germany, crashes during the luge women's singles run 2 at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, of the Russian Olympic Committee, compete in the team ice dance program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Ben Loomis, of the United States, prepares for his jump during a ski jumping training session in the Gundersen normal hill Nordic Combined event at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Nina O'Brien of United States falls during the women's giant slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A worker in protective gear holds a bottle of disinfectant spray near a bus stop at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Czech Republic's Katerina Mrazova (16) falls against the net and Denmark goalkeeper Cassandra Repstock-Romme (72) during a preliminary round women's hockey game at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
China's Su Yiming competes during men's slopestyle finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Olivia Asselin of Canada crashes as she lands during the women's freestyle skiing Big Air qualification round of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Ren Ziwei of China, reacts after winning the men's 1,000-meter final during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Ren Ziwei, left, of China, Brendan Corey of Australia, and Itzhak Laat, centre, of the Netherlands, crash in their quarterfinal of the men's 1,000-meter during the short track speedskating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing.
Johan Clarey, of France, celebrates in the finish area at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Mikaela Shiffrin of United States loses control and skis off course during the first run of the women's giant slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Beijing Olympics Day 2 Photo Gallery
Nicholas Goepper of the United States competes during the men's freestyle skiing big air qualification round of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Beat Feuz, of Switzerland, kicks his ski after finishing the men's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Irma Makhinia, of the Russian Olympic Committee, speeds down the hill during the mixed team trial round at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Vanessa James, back, and Eric Radford of Canada compete in the pairs team free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Nina O'Brien of United States is taken on stretcher after falling during the women's giant slalom at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Beat Feuz, of Switzerland, makes a turn in the men's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)
Matthieu Bailet, of France, removes his googles after finishing the men's downhill at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in the Yanqing district of Beijing. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The Olympic Rings displayed on a fence as an athlete trains ahead of the men's freestyle skiing big air qualification round of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Text from AP News story, AP PHOTOS: A Day 3 filled with crashes at Beijing Olympics