Norwegian skier blows chance at Winter Olympic gold after going wrong way

Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber has had a Winter Olympics in Beijing to forget. Having tested positive for Covid he has spent two weeks in isolation, unable to train, and was only released on Monday. Cleared to compete today in the Nordic combined large hill/10km he put himself well in contention for a medal.

Having recorded the longest and highest-scoring ski jump earlier in the day, he set off first for the cross-country element with a 44-second time advantage over the rest of the field. And then he took a wrong turn. Unfamiliar with the course, he went the wrong way. He had to turn around, but the time taken virtually wiped out his entire lead, and he eventually faded to finish in eighth place.

“It’s a silly mistake,” Riiber said afterwards. “It’s not fun to show the world that I maybe wasted a gold medal. I had been locked inside for two weeks, not breathing fresh air. My body is not working. Normally, I’m one of the better skiers and today I was just bad.”

Norway, of course, have winter athletes to spare, and despite Riiber’s misfortune, they still secured a gold-silver one-two with Joergen Graabak finishing 0.4 seconds ahead of Jens Lurås Oftebro. It is possible the cold got to Riiber’s mind. The race was bought forward 30 minutes to try and avoid the worst of the weather, but the temperature still dipped below -20C, officially the temperature below which cross-country races are usually postponed.

Related: Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics daily briefing: Goggia grit and biathlon blues

There was also a last-minute failure in the women’s team pursuit final in the National Speed Skating Oval, as Canada were handed the gold medal on a plate after the Japanese team crashed out while well placed on the final bend. The