Thursday was a quieter day in the medal department for the United States, but there were still plenty of highlights in Milan. The U.S. men’s hockey team dominated, and Breezy Johnson’s great week continued.
54-year-old Rich Ruohonen made history, and Chloe Kim just missed out on it. Lastly, Jessie Diggins medaled in her farewell tour.
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Here are five of the top stories from Day 6 of the Milan Cortina Olympics:
U.S. men’s hockey makes opening statement
Team USA men’s hockey couldn’t have gotten off to a better start as it opened Olympic play on Thursday. For the first time since the 2014 Olympics, NHL players are back, and they made their presence known in a 5-1 win over Latvia behind a strong performance from Brock Nelson.
Nelson, who plays for the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL, finished the game with two goals, and had another goal and assists denied after successful challenges by Latvia. The Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk, Buffalo Sabres’ Tage Thompson and Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews each scored a goal.
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No three-peat for Chloe Kim
Going into Thursday’s women’s halfpipe final, Chloe Kim had the opportunity to become the first snowboarder to win three straight gold medals. Kim was unable to make history after finishing behind South Korea’s Gaon Choi as a silver medalist for the first time in her career.
Choi was able to overcome a scary fall in her second run to finish in first and make history of her own, becoming the youngest snowboarding gold medalist in history, at 17 years and 101 days old. American snowboarder Red Gerard previously held the record when he won the 2018 slopestyle at 17 years and 227 days old.
Breezy Johnson trades in Olympic gold for an engagement ring
What a week for U.S. skier Breezy Johnson. After winning Olympic gold in Sunday’s downhill competition, Johnson got engaged to her boyfriend, Connor Watkins, at the base of the super-G run in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Thursday.
Johnson told NBC’s Cara Banks that she had hopes of getting engaged at the Olympics. The big news lifted her spirits after she crashed out of Thursday’s super-G and did not finish. Johnson will have to be extra careful with her new hardware after she broke her gold medal earlier this week.
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Rich Ruohonen becomes America’s oldest Olympian
Rich Ruohonen is a perfect example of why you are never too old to go for it. At 54 years old, Ruohonen became America’s oldest person to ever compete in the Winter Games. Ruohonen, a personal injury lawyer from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, originally filled in as skipper last season for Team USA’s Danny Casper. On Thursday, Ruohonen was subbed into Team USA’s game against Switzerland.
Ruohen’s temporary role turned into a part-time job as the team’s alternate — or fifth player. After 30 years of Olympic Trials frustration, he was able to finally secure a spot in the 2026 Winter Games. Joseph Savage (52 in 1932) and Mac McCarthy (51 in 1948) were the only other Olympians over 50 to compete in the Winter Olympics, according to the co-founder of the International Society of Olympic Historians, Bill Mallon. Many elite curlers retire in their late 30s.
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Jessie Diggins wins bronze during her final Olympics
U.S. cross-country skier Jessie Diggins’ farewell tour added an exclamation point, taking bronze in Thursday’s women’s 10km — while competing with bruised ribs. Diggins said this will be her final Olympics and that she will retire after the season finale in Lake Placid, New York, in March.
Diggins won gold at the 2018 team event in PyeongChang and won silver in the 30km freestyle and bronze in the individual sprint in 2022. The 33-year-old’s list of accomplishments also includes 33 career World Cup wins and reaching the podium 87 times.
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Highlight of the day
Have yourself a day, Brock Nelson!
One more thing
The action in Milan provided plenty of highlights on Thursday, but mogul skier Tess Johnson’s boyfriend’s grandpa might be the best thing you’ll see all day.
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