The U.S. women’s hockey team are into the semifinals of the Olympic hockey tournament after getting past the Czech Republic 4-1 in the quarterfinals.

The Czech team gave quite a scare to the Americans, with the score tied 1-1 heading into the third period, despite the Americans outshooting the Czech’s 59-6. Goaltender Klara Peslarova was outstanding in net, making 56 saves. It’s the Czech Republic’s first Olympic tournament.

Defender Lee Stecklein scored 6:49 into the third period to break the tie. It was, however, an unfortunate turn of events for Peslarova. Losing her stick, the strap on her mask then came loose. As she tried to signal for a stoppage, play continued and Stecklein took advantage.

The scoring began in the second period, with Czech forward Michaela Pejzlova scoring on the team’s second shot on net in the game, 4:59 into the second period. The 1-0 lead was short lived, with Hilary Knight scoring 48 seconds later to tie the game. With the goal, she tied Cammi Granato for fourth all-time in women’s Olympic tournament goals for the U.S. (10) and Katie Kang in all-time goals (23).

A five-minute major boarding penalty on forward Dani Cameranesi was successfully killed off in the second period.

Following Stecklein’s goal in the third period, defender Savannah Harmon scored on the power-play to make it 3-1. Kendall Coyne Schofield then added an empty netter to make it 4-1.

Mikaela Shiffrin says she has been overwhelmed by the the support she has received following her two DNF results in the giant slalom and slalom races at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The American skier and medal favorite in the two slalom alpine events told NBC Thursday, “The most surprising thing of my Olympic experience is how kind people have been.”

Shiffrin went on to thank all those who have reached out to her, offering her own words of encouragement and support.

The 26-year-old got back on her skies after crashing out of the Winter Games’ two opening events, finishing ninth in the super-G on Thursday with a time of 1:14.30.

Shiffrin was in good spirits following her super-G race, posting an uplifting message to her Twitter account, writing, “The girl who failed…could also fly.” Admitting that while “there is a lot of disappointment and heartbreak going around in the finish area,” there is also “a lot of support.”

Shiffrin continued, “Sending my love to those who are feeling that striking hurt of defeat… only let it beat you down for a little bit, and then you stand up again and throw a few punches back.”

The American skier ended her post with a simple and optimistic note, writing, “Today was a good day, so I’m just gonna let it be that.”

Shiffrin will next compete in the downhill in Beijing on Monday.

Mikaela Shiffrin completed the super-G on Thursday, finishing ninth in the race with a time of 1:14.30. It was her third event of the Beijing Olympics after having not finished in the giant slalom or slalom, her two best events.

“I think today I proved to myself that I can still trust my instincts a bit,” Shiffrin told NBC after the race. “And that’s really, really huge.”

Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami won gold, while Mirjam Puchner and Michelle Gisin took home silver and bronze, respectively.

“I feel a lot more positive and a little bit of relief after skiing the super-G to know that it’s not so difficult,” Shiffrin continued. “Good skiing is good skiing. And I can really go for that. So I don’t know, I feel a lot more optimistic right now.”

There had been doubts over whether or not Shiffrin would compete in the super-G after the result of her previous two races. But after a good practice she said she was grateful to have the opportunity to “refocus” on super-G, which she called “fun.”

Following the super-G, Shiffrin revealed that she is planning on competing in the remaining alpine events – downhill and combined. She earned a silver medal in combined at the 2018 Olympics.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva returned to training Thursday in Beijing amid a doping scandal that has rocked the Winter Olympics.

The 15-year-old is found to have tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, weeks before the Winter Olympics. Valieva competed in the team figure skating event in Beijing, helping the Russian Olympic Committee to a gold medal. The medal ceremony, however, has been postponed in the wake of the positive test revelation.

Valieva’s sample, which was submitted on Dec. 25 during the Russian figure skating championship, was sent to a lab in Stockholm for testing. The Swedish lab did not report the adverse analytical finding in Valieva’s sample until Tuesday, a day after the team event in Beijing. The sample was analyzed in Stockholm rather than Russia because the country is currently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) then provisionally suspended the Russian skating star before Valieva challenged the suspension on Wednesday. With a hearing taking place on the same day as Valieva’s challenge, RUSADA lifted her provisional suspension, clearing the way for the Russian skater to continue to compete in Beijing.

“The reasoned decision, including the grounds for which the provisional suspension was lifted, will be issued shortly to all concerned parties,” the RUSADA report stated.

The International Olympic Committee is now appealing RUSADA’s decision, with an expedited decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) set to take place before the women’s figure skating event.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) will lead the appeal before the CAS on behalf of the IOC, the ITA announced in a statement released Friday.

Trimetazidine, the drug Valieva tested positive for, which is banned in the United States, is typically used as a heart medication. Utilized in an athletic setting, the drug is thought to improve endurance.

Russia is currently serving a four-year Olympic ban due to a state-sponsored doping scheme, which came to an apex at the 2014 Sochi Games. Russian athletes are permitted to participate in the Winter Games, not under their country’s flag, but rather under the designation of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Valieva is due to compete in the short program and free skate events beginning on Tuesday.

Dutch speedskater Irene Schouten captured her second gold medal of the Beijing Games, clinching the women’s 5000m speed skating event on Thursday.

Schouten set an Olympic record during her podium-topping performance, clocking a time of 6:43.51, shattering Claudia Pechstein of Germany’s 6:46.91 set in 2002.

The 29-year-old’s 5000m gold joins her 3000m gold medal, which she took home earlier in the 2022 Games, becoming only the sixth woman in history to win both events.

Isabelle Weidemann of Canada finished behind Schouten for silver, while Czech skater Martina Sablikova rounded out the podium with bronze, taking home her seventh Olympic medal, making her the most decorated Olympian in Czech Republic history.

“I felt really good before the race, but I saw that Isabelle skated a really good time, and I thought ‘I have to be faster than (6:48),” Schouten said following the final. “But I skated really good, so I am happy.”

Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in the super-G event at the Beijing Olympics, the U.S. ski team confirmed on Thursday.

There had been some questions about her status for the rest of the Games after she skied out of her two best events, the slalom and giant slalom. But U.S. head women’s Alpine coach Paul Kristofic said that her practice on Thursday “went well.”

“It’s hard to accept what happened, but she has to work through it,” he said. “And one of the better ways to do that is to keep looking forward. She has multiple events here, which is great for her.

“You have to look at what’s in front of you and try to put what’s behind you to rest, as difficult as that is.”

The 26-year-old has never competed in a super-G at the Olympics. But she has competed in it elsewhere internationally, taking home gold in the event at the 2019 world championships.

Her boyfriend, Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who took home silver in the Alpine combined Thursday, said that she is “in a good state; she’s all right.”

“She’s a hero and she can handle this. She handles pressure like no one else, and this is something she will come out of,” he said. “But it’s been a couple of tough days.”

Also on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. ski team said that both Shiffrin and her mother, Eileen, who is her coach, will not “be doing any media for the foreseeable future.”

Queralt Castellet won silver in the halfpipe on Wednesday, becoming the first woman from Spain to win a Winter Olympics medal in 30 years.

Castellet hit back-to-back 900s on her second run, posting a 90.25. Winner Chloe Kim posted a 94, while Japan’s Sena Tomita took third with an 88.25.

It’s Castellet’s fifth Olympic Games. Previously, she finished 11th in 2014 at the Sochi Olympics and seventh in 2018 at the PyeongChang Olympics.

“All the emotions just exploded at the end,” she told Olympics.com following her run. “And today was amazing even though I didn’t start on the right foot, on the second run everything came out, the nerves, the pressure, my thoughts of how important this is and somehow the strength came as well.

“Somehow I managed to put it all together in the second run and make it happen.”

With the silver, Castellet is now the most decorated Spanish snowboarder and winter athlete in the country’s history.

Chloe Kim soared above the competition Thursday, taking home gold in the halfpipe to defend her 2018 Olympic title.

The American snowboarder landed two 1080s on her first run, earning a gold-medal sealing score of 94. Kim’s closest competitor sat nearly four points behind her, with Spain’s Queralt Castellet clinching silver and Sena Tomita of Japan capturing bronze.

Dropping to her knees in relief after her first run, Kim admitted she had “the worst practice of my life” just before Thursday’s final.

With her place at the top of the podium secured after her opening run, Kim used her second and third runs to push the boundaries of the sport, attempting a 1260, a trick no woman has landed in competition. Though she fell on both attempts, Kim said after the event, “I’m super proud of myself for going out and trying to do it.”

Kim’s gold in Beijing makes her the first woman in Olympic history to win two snowboard gold medals in the halfpipe.

“I was dealing with all sorts of emotions, but I reminded myself I just have to land one run, and I was so happy to do that,” Kim told NBC following the final.

Russia’s star figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for Trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina, at the Winter Olympics, Russian newspaper RBC reported Wednesday.

The news comes after Tuesday’s medal ceremony for the team event was delayed following what the International Olympic Committee called a “legal issue.” USA Today later reported that a member of the gold-medal-winning Russian team had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Trimetazidine, which Valieva reportedly tested positive for, is prohibited in and out of competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The 15-year-old helped propel the Russian Olympic Committee to gold in the team competition, becoming the first woman to land a quad jump at the Olympics. Team USA followed Russia, capturing silver, while Japan clinched bronze.

Russia is technically banned from the Olympics until December 2022 due to the uncovering of a state-run performance-enhancing doping operation in 2014. Russian athletes have been able to compete in the Olympics as part of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).

Chloe Kim is into the halfpipe final in Beijing, cruising through her first run with an 87.75 that was good enough to take the top spot in the qualifying round.

She turned up the intensity on her second run, but fell on her switch backside 720, which she then brushed off.

“I just wanted to mess around,” she said, “try something I’ve never really done before so I’m surprised I made it that far. But yeah, I’m stoked.”

Mitsuki Ono of Japan took second in qualifying while American Maddie Mastro finished just outside of the top 12 and will not advance to Thursday’s final.

After her two qualifying runs, Kim said that these Olympics are different from four years ago. The defending Olympic champion has been open about her mental health struggles, revealing she was at times overwhelmed by all of the attention. But it’s been different this time around for the 21-year-old.

“I feel like I’m in such a better place mentally and physically,” she told NBC after her runs. “I’m so grateful to be out here representing the U.S. I’m just so honored to be here.

“I’m just enjoying the moment. I don’t know how many more games I’m going to do, so I’m embracing the experience as much as possible.”