Day 4 of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

By Aditi Sangal, Matias Grez, Patrick Sung, George Ramsay, Helen Regan and Adam Renton, CNN

Updated 8:30 p.m. ET, February 8, 2022
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8:25 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Norwegian Johannes Klæbo defends Olympic title in men's free sprint cross-skiing

From CNN's Wayne Sterling

Norwegian Johannes Klæbo celebrates after winning the men's cross-country freestyle sprint on Tuesday.
Norwegian Johannes Klæbo celebrates after winning the men's cross-country freestyle sprint on Tuesday. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Norwegian Johannes Klæbo defended his Olympic title in men's cross-country freestyle sprint at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

Klæbo is the first athlete to ever win consecutive gold medals in cross-country skiing men's sprint free.

"I think it's a special moment, for sure. Last couple of weeks has been quite stressful. We had some Covid in the team and my coaches are staying at home," he said after his win.

"So a lot of difficult times but being able to defend the Olympic gold from last time and having this amazing fight with Federico (Pellegrino) today was special. It was a lot of fun out there."

The 25-year-old captured his fourth Olympic gold medal after winning three at the 2018 PyeongChang Games. 

Italian Federico Pellegrino earned silver, while Alexander Terentev of the Russian Olympic Committee took bronze.

7:49 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

These two US athletes to watch are yet to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics

From CNN's Sana Noor Haq

US snowboarder Chloe Kim performs a trick during halfpipe practice on February 7.
US snowboarder Chloe Kim performs a trick during halfpipe practice on February 7. (Tim Clayton/Crobis/Getty Images)

Beijing 2022 is already seeing new world records and masterful displays across different sports. But here are two US athletes to watch, who are yet to compete at the Winter Olympics

Chloe Kim: Snowboarder

It seems Chloe Kim was destined for Olympic glory, having started snowboarding at the age of four.

The story goes that her father immigrated from South Korea to the US with $800 in hand, later giving up his job to support his daughter's snowboarding ambitions.

Kim was 17 years old when she won the women's halfpipe event at PyeongChang 2018, making her the youngest woman to earn an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding.

She's scheduled to compete in the women's halfpipe event at this year's Games.

US speed skater Erin Jackson looks on during a practice session on February 1.
US speed skater Erin Jackson looks on during a practice session on February 1. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Erin Jackson: Speed skater

World No. 1 speed skater Erin Jackson's hopes of competing at Beijing 2022 were nearly dashed when she failed to qualify for the 500m during the US Trials in January.

However, Jackson received a spot after compatriot Brittany Bowe renounced her place, saying at the time, "No one's more deserving than her to get an opportunity to bring Team USA home a medal."

But in a fortuitous twist, Bowe will still be able to compete in the 500m after the US picked up an extra spot when some countries returned quota slots for the event.

Even though Jackson has only been speed skating for five years, she's a favorite for gold in the women's 500m and women's 1,000m events.

You can read more about our athletes to watch below.

7:52 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Dutchman Kjeld Nuis defends men's 1,500m speed skating title in Olympic record time

From CNN's Wayne Sterling

Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis smiles after setting a new Olympic record in the 1,500m event on February 8.
Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis smiles after setting a new Olympic record in the 1,500m event on February 8. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis defended his title in the men's 1,500m race in an Olympic record time.

Nuis finished in 1:43.21, breaking the mark set by American Derek Parra at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

The 32-year-old is the first person since 1994 to successfully defend his Olympic title in the men’s 1,500m.

This is Nuis' third Olympic gold medal. He also won the men's 1,000m at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.

Silver went to Thomas Krol of the Netherlands, while Kim Min-seok of the Republic of Korea claimed bronze for the second straight Winter Games.

7:38 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Sweden's Sundling seals gold with commanding win in women’s cross country freestyle sprint

From CNN’s Aleks Klosok in London

Sweden's Jonna Sundling celebrates while crossing the finish line of the women’s cross country freestyle sprint on February 8.
Sweden's Jonna Sundling celebrates while crossing the finish line of the women’s cross country freestyle sprint on February 8. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Sweden’s Jonna Sundling picked up her first gold medal of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by winning the women’s cross country freestyle sprint on Tuesday.

The world champion was in imperious form beating her compatriot Maja Dahlqvist by almost three seconds.

Jessie Diggins of the United States, who won gold in the women's team sprint in 2018, claimed bronze.

6:53 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Reporters press Eileen Gu over her citizenship. See how she responds

From CNN staff

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu, who won gold in the big air competition on Tuesday, was asked after the event if she was still a US citizen having chosen to represent China at the Winter Olympics.

It's unclear whether Gu renounced her American citizenship – usually a requirement for Chinese naturalization – since the country does not allow dual citizenship.

The 18-year-old has never publicly commented on the status of her American citizenship, though an article on the official Olympic site referred to her "dual nationality" in January.

6:43 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Mouat "proud" to fly the LGBTQ+ flag at the Winter Olympics

From CNN's George Ramsay

British curler Bruce Mouat competes in mixed doubles on February 2.
British curler Bruce Mouat competes in mixed doubles on February 2. (Andrew Milligan/PA Images/Getty Images)

There will be a record number of out athletes – at least 36 – competing at the Winter Olympics in Beijing this year, according to SB Nation blog Outsports.

Among them is British curler Bruce Mouat, who has been speaking during the Games about coming out in 2014.

“It’s weird to look back and think I wouldn’t have come out eventually,” Mouat said after beating China in the mixed doubles round-robin group match on Sunday.

“I don’t know where I would be, but I’m not sure if I would have been as confident as I am right now.

“I’m a very proud person and I like to have a little joke and a laugh and be proud of who I am and who I’ve become because of it.”

Mouat and mixed doubles partner Jen Dodds missed out on a bronze in the mixed doubles after a 9-3 defeat against Sweden on Tuesday but will compete again in the men’s and women’s competitions later in the Games.

Mouat, who is 27 and competing at his first Olympics, has been seen sporting rainbow laces in Beijing in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

“Bruce is an amazing person,” Dodds said of her partner. “It doesn’t matter if he’s straight, gay, whatever, he is just an amazing friend, one of my best friends.”

6:17 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Maillet produces masterful display to win France’s first gold medal of Beijing Games

From CNN's Aleks Klosok

France's Quentin Fillon Maillet competes in the biathlon men's 20km individual event on February 8.
France's Quentin Fillon Maillet competes in the biathlon men's 20km individual event on February 8. (Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

France has its first gold medal of the Beijing Games courtesy of Quentin Fillon Maillet who won the men’s 20 km biathlon event at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Centre on Tuesday.

The Frenchman, who is the current World Cup overall leader, came home in a winning time of 48 minutes and 47.4 seconds – this despite suffering two shooting penalties.

"Maybe it looked easy, but it was so hard today. With two misses in the shooting, I never expected the victory – maybe the podium," Maillet said.

"It's hard to relish the victory right now because the race is not finished, but I'm starting to feel the emotions of the victory. It was amazing," he added. "A lot of work, a lot of energy for this. Thank you to my family, my friends, my partner, my teammates, for all their work and all the people who helped me on my way to becoming Olympic champion."

Maillet finished almost 15 seconds clear of Anton Smolski, who wins Belarus’ first medal of the Games.

Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Bø, who won this event at PyeongChang 2018, claimed the bronze medal.

5:54 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

A quick guide to the Nordic combined

From CNN's Sana Noor Haq

The Winter Olympics showcases some unusual sports and disciplines that you may never have heard of.

One of those is the Nordic combined, which is comprised of cross-country skiing and ski jumping and remains one of the few competitions at the Games that's yet to introduce a women's draw.

Competitors win points for the style and distance of their ski jump. The better-scoring jumpers subsequently get a head start in the staggered cross-country skiing element — the conversion of points to time is known as the Gundersen method.

The Nordic combined was the centerpiece of the Holmenkollen ski festival, which began in Oslo, Norway in 1892. Since then, the sport has garnered an international fanbase and has been an enduring event at the Games since the first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France.

The competitions in Beijing take place from February 9 until February 17.

You can read more about the Nordic combined — and every other Winter Games discipline — below.

5:16 a.m. ET, February 8, 2022

Watch Eileen Gu's reaction to winning her first gold medal

From CNN's George Ramsay

After winning her first Olympic gold medal and China's third of the Games, freestyle skier Eileen Gu said her final trick — a 1620 — was a "testament to her character."