Kaillie Humphries topped the field to win gold for the United States in women’s monobob at the Beijing Winter Games.

She was 1.54 seconds ahead of teammate Elana Meyers Taylor, with Canadian Christine de Bruin taking the bronze.

Meyers Taylor was only released from solitary confinement last week after testing positive for covid on arrival in Beijing.

As well as disrupting her preparations, it also meant she was separated from her two-year-old son, with the 37-year-old breaking down in tears when it was confirmed she would win a medal.

“I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to laugh — all the emotions came out,” Meyers Taylor said. “It looks like more than gold, I’m happy over the moon with this medal.

“At one point I was just trying to make it to the race, so to be here now and a silver medalist is so amazing.”

Humphries, 36, won gold for Canada in 2010 and 2014 and a bronze medal in 2018, but quit the national team three years ago after making allegations of abuse and harassment against a coach.

She represented the United States instead, but needed citizenship to compete in the Olympics, which was not granted until early December.

“This will always hold a special place in my heart, my first for the United States,” Humphries said.

Parrot prepares for the second gold medal

Three years after being diagnosed with cancer, the Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot will have the chance to win a second Olympic gold medal in Beijing after topping the men’s big air qualifying standings.

Parrot, 27, won slopestyle gold last week with the “best run of his life” – although there were a few Judgment controversy of his second race.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the end of 2018, Parrot’s score of 164.75 saw him finish qualifying 4.75 points ahead of Japan’s Takeru Otsuka, as defending champion Sebastien Toutant exited.

“I don’t want to sit on my gold medal when I know maybe I can get another one,” he said.

“What happened to me three years ago definitely changed me as an athlete and as a person. I’m a better person now, I’m a better athlete now,” he added.

“I’m truly more grateful than ever to live and be able to live my passion every day. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

In women’s aerials in freestyle skiing, China Xu Mengtao won gold with a jump of 108.61 as Belarusian Hanna Huskova won silver with 107.93 and American Megan Nick jumped 93.76 to claim bronze.

Sochi silver medalist Xu squealed with delight when she realized she had won gold for her home country.

And Nick was arguably the most surprising medalist today – the American was ranked 23rd among the original entrants for this discipline prior to qualifying.

During this time, Austria won gold in the men’s team ski jumping event. Stefan Kraft, Daniel Huber, Jan Hoerl and Manuel Fettner beat Slovenia, who won a deserved silver medal, while Germany beat Norway for bronze to continue their fine streak of podium finishes in this all-around event. the Games since 2006.

In ice hockey, Canadian Women reached the Olympic final for the seventh consecutive Games after a 10-3 win over Switzerland.

Canada, four-time champions since the title was first contested in 1998, has met the United States in the final at the past three Olympic Winter Games.

Defending champions USA, who beat Canada 3-2 in the 2018 final, will face Finland in the other semi-final.

Elsewhere on Monday, France quadruple world champion in figure skating Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron won gold in ice dancing, finishing ahead of Russians Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov in silver, and Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue in bronze.

There came a day when Russian Kamila Valieva was said she can again compete in the Games after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ruled that no provisional suspension should be imposed on the 15-year-old after failing a drug test.