Winter Olympics: Snowboarder Jamie Nicholls fails to make slopestyle final
| XXIII Olympic Winter Games |
|---|
| Venue: Pyeongchang, South Korea Dates: 9-25 February |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC TV, Red Button, Connected TVs, BBC Sport website and mobile app. Full coverage times |
British snowboarder Jamie Nicholls failed to make the slopestyle final after falling in his second run, as day one of the 23rd Winter Olympics got under way in Pyeongchang.Nicholls, the first Team GB athlete in action, gambled on a big jump following a low score of 71.56 in his first run.
"I was gutted to see 71," he told BBC Sport. "I wasn't happy with it."BBC commentator Ed Leigh thought Nicholls had "been robbed" of a place in the final by the judges.
The 24-year-old Briton, who finished eighth with only the top six qualifying for Sunday's final, seemed to be punished for touching the snow with his hand in the first run.
"If you compare him with Torgeir Bergrem in fifth, who had a poor run, Jamie Nicholls just had one small hand-drag and I really don't think the two match up," said Leigh.
"There's some real inconsistency here. I think when the judges look back at this they're going to be left a little red-faced."
Team-mates Billy Morgan and Rowan Coultas also fell in their second runs and failed to qualify from heat two.
Meanwhile Elise Christie, one of Britain's main medal hopes, begins her short track speed skating campaign in the 500m heats at 10:53 GMT.
GB's Nicholls makes solid start in opening slopestyle run Day one medal events: Five
- 07:15-08:20: Cross country skiing - women's 7.5km + 7.5km skiathlon
- 10:00-13:00: Short-track speed skating - men's 1500m
- 11:00-12:50: Long-track speed skating - women's 3,000m
- 11:15-12:45: Biathlon - women's 7.5km sprint
- 12:35-14:20: Ski jumping - men's normal hill individual final
Other news headlines on day one
Winter Olympics 2018 opening ceremony best bits The Korean government has launched an investigation into a possible cyber attack during the opening ceremony. What organisers describe as non-critical parts of the internal systems went down 45 minutes before the ceremony began, affecting the phone and internet services, but it did not impact on the ceremony.
Cases of norovirus have risen to 139 but organisers claim the outbreak is under control.
Figure skater Yuna Kim, who lit the Olympic cauldron, said it was an "unforgettable experience". Speaking in Korean she revealed she had been nervous because there had only been one rehearsal and she was worried about falling over.
Brit-watch - still to come
Winter Olympics 2018: Elise Christie - from zero to hero in South Korea
- 07:15-08:20: Cross country skier Annika Taylor, who has dual British-American citizenship, makes her GB Olympic debut in the women's 15km skiathlon.
- 10:00-12:50: Triple world champion Elise Christie begins her bid to finally land an Olympic title with the 500m heats. Charlotte Gilmartin and Kathryn Thomson are also in action, as is Farrell Treacy in the men's 1500m.
- 10:10-13:20: British sliders will return to an Olympic luge track for the first time since Vancouver 2010 with Adam 'AJ' Rosen and Rupert Staudinger competing in the opening runs.
- 11:15-12:45: Biathlete Amanda Lightfoot contests the 7.5km event.
The Games Today - 19:00-20:00, BBC Two and online (19:30-20:30, BBC Two NI)
Olympics Extra - 20:00-21:00, BBC Four and online
Day two live coverage - 23:50-06:00, BBC One and online (01:20-02:00, BBC One Scotland)
