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          ICYMI: Hirscher's gold rush, Sweden-Finland clash, Goepper's medal for USA

          • Elaine Teng, ESPNFeb 18, 2018, 11:50 AM
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              Elaine Teng is a writer and editor at ESPN.
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          PYEONGCHANG, South Korea -- Another disappointing day for Team USA, which won just one medal on Day 9 of the Games. Gus Kenworthy shared a kiss seen round the world, Brittany Bowe missed the podium again, and Marcel Hirscher just kept winning. Missed the action? We've got you covered.

          Men's ski slopestyle

          Gus Kenworthy was already struggling with a broken thumb and a severe hip contusion coming into the men's ski slopestyle event, but those were nothing compared this early-morning surprise message.

          The 2014 Sochi silver medalist did not land on the podium in Pyeongchang, but the day marked the culmination of a more personal journey. Four years ago, Kenworthy was struggling with the idea of coming out as gay publicly. On Sunday, he shared a kiss with boyfriend Matt Wilkas on live television.

          Nick Goepper, who shared the podium with Kenworthy four years ago, clinched a silver with his final run to earn Team USA's only medal of the day. For him, the time between Sochi and Pyeongchang marked a journey of a different kind. After the glitz and spotlight of the Olympics, he struggled with alcoholism and depression. "I had no plan after Sochi, I was just partying a lot with my friends, kind of flying into this void," he said. "Drinking was a symptom of the problem and unfortunately that symptom got pretty bad at one point. But I was able to go to a treatment center and figure myself out. I haven't had a drink in 2½ years."

          Alpine skiing

          The Games just keep getting better for Marcel Hirscher. The greatest skier of his generation came here having won everything except an Olympic gold medal. Now, he has two. He cruised to a win in giant slalom Sunday, followed by France's Alexis Pinturault and Norway's Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen. The Austrian became the first man to win combined and giant slalom at the same Olympics. There would be no repeat for American Ted Ligety, the champion in Sochi, who finished 2.44 seconds behind Hirscher in 20th place.

          Lindsey Vonn bounced back from a disappointing finish in the super-G on Saturday by posting the fastest time in the first practice for women's downhill. Meanwhile, her dad made a new friend.

          Men's ice hockey

          The rivalry between Finland and Sweden goes back hundreds of years and beyond the playing field. All the more reason we get nothing but great hockey when these two countries clash at the Olympics. In their latest contest, the Swedes beat the Finns 3-1 to win Group C in the prelims and advance into the quarterfinals. Don't wake the neighbors!

          Long-track speedskating

          Skating in front of a packed Gangneung Oval, Japan's Nao Kodaira set an Olympic record of 36.94 seconds to eclipse South Korea's Lee Sang-hwa by 0.39 seconds. Afterward, the two shared a tender, celebratory moment, skating around the rink wrapped in the flags of their respective countries. "Sport can make the world one together, it's simple," Kodaira said of the gesture. Team USA's Brittany Bowe finished fifth, 0.19 seconds off the podium. Erin Jackson, who picked up speedskating just four months before Olympic qualifiers, finished 24th.

          Cross-country skiing

          It came down to the last leg for Norway in the men's 4x10km relay. The Russians led for the first three, before Norwegian wonder boy Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo outskied Russian Denis Spitsov in the last 2 kilometers. He ended up so far ahead that he had time to grab the Norwegian flag and wave it as he crossed the finish line. Having already won a gold medal in the sprint classic, Klaebo, 21, is now the youngest Winter Olympian to win multiple golds in cross-country skiing in a single Olympics.

          In other news ...

          Snowboarder Chloe Kim is learning the downside of winning Olympic gold, and she has something to say about it.