Alpine Skiing 2018/Mixed team event

Mixed team event
General information
Sport	Alpine Skiing 2018
Date	24 February 2018
Competitors	16 teams
Venue	Yongpyong Alpine Centre
Medalists
	Switzerland
	Austria
	Norway

The mixed team event of Alpine Skiing 2018 during the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 24 February 2018 in the Yongpyong Alpine Centre. With 16 teams competing, the event was won by the team from Switzerland, with Austria taking the silver medal and Norway taking bronze.

Format

This competition exists out of four knock-out rounds. The seeding was determined beforehand, and the competition followed a "traditional" knock-out system. Each team chooses four skiers to go head-to-head with another competitor, with each winner winning a point for the team. The team with the most points wins the round. If both teams are tied after four races, the time of the best woman and the best man are essential; the faster total of these two times wins the round.

Preview

This was the first time that the team event was held at the Olympic Winter Games, and sixteen teams participated. Based on World Championships, Austria was the favorite to win gold, with France (as reigning world champions) and Germany being the other countries to have won the World Championships before. Slovakia won the silver medal at the 2017 edition of the World Championships. However, based on the individual results of the previous week, Austria, Switzerland and Norway would be medal contenders, winning 6 medals each at this edition of the Olympic Winter Games. Based on the seeding for the event, Austria was ranked first, with Switzerland second and Italy third. Norway and the USA completed the top 5 seeds.

Summary

Round 1

Austria vs South Korea

Top seed Austria was drawn against bottom seed South Korea, with the first matchup being Katharina Liensberger against Kang Young-seo. Despite a strong start, Kang wasn't able to hold her advantage and lost about half a second at the finish line. The second matchup would see the bronze medalist in men's slalom Michael Matt against Kim Dong Woo. Matt started very strong, and he took an immediate lead over Kim, which he held until the finish line by almost 1.5 seconds, even though Kim came somewhat closer towards the end. After the first men's matchup, the bronze medalist of the women's slalom Katharina Gallhuber was matched against Gim So-hui showed almost the same race progression, with the Austrian taking an early lead. However, the Korean was able to close the gap, until the latter made a mistake, skiing wide and losing a lot of time. Even though the three-point difference between Austria and South Korea was unchangeable, the last matchup saw Marco Schwarz, a fourth place in the men's alpine combined, against Jung Dong-hyun. Even though the Korean had the better start, the same race progression as the first matchup unfolded, with the Austrian catching up in the middle of the race. Schwarz ended up with the fastest time of the eight riders, despite a poor start.

Austria vs South Korea
	Result	Result
Austria	4	0	South Korea
Katharina Liensberger	21.49	22.02	Kang Young-seo
Michael Matt	19.96	21.45	Kim Dong Woo
Katharina Gallhuber	21.63	22.72	Gim So-hui
Marco Schwarz	19.86	20.63	Jung Dong-hyun

Sweden vs Slovenia

The second bout was between eighth-ranked Sweden against ninth seed Slovenia, with the first matchup between Anna Swenn Larsson and Tina Robnik. Both racers were equal throughout the race until Swenn Larsson fell and missed the two last gates before the finish line. The second matchup would see Olympic champion in slalom Andre Myhrer against Zan Kranjec, who came fourth in the men's giant slalom. Myhrer had a better start, but once again a closely fought matchup. Kranjec fell five gates before the finish line, having to leave the point to Myhrer (and Sweden), levelling the bout. The third matchup would see Olympic champion in women's slalom Frida Hansdotter against Ana Bucik. In another close bout, Hansdotter had the advantage by only 0.11 seconds at the finish line, giving Sweden the lead, needing only one more point. The last race would be between Matthias Hargin and Stefan Hadalin. Sweden would require a win from Hargin, though Sweden would also be able to go to the quarterfinals if Hadalin would be slower than a 19.78. In the fourth close matchup, Hargin managed to stay up by only 0.07 seconds, ensuring Sweden of their third point.

Sweden vs Slovenia
	Result	Result
Sweden	3	1	Slovenia
Anna Swenn Larsson	DNF	21.23	Tina Robnik
Andre Myhrer	19.71	DNF	Zan Kranjec
Frida Hansdotter	21.30	21.41	Ana Bucik
Mattias Hargin	19.99	20.06	Stefan Hadalin

United States vs Great Britain

The third bout would be between fifth-ranked the USA against twelfth ranked Great Britain, with the first matchup between Megan McJames and Charlie Guest. Guest had the better start, but with her going wide on a gate, McJames was able to overtake her on the finish line by only 0.03 seconds difference. The second matchup, Nolan Kasper against Dave Ryding, was another close match, only 0.18 seconds between them, this time with the Briton Ryding having the advantage, staying ahead for almost the entire race. The third matchup was Patricia Mangan against Alex Tilley, and these were two racers who hadn't set a result in an individual event yet, failing to finish in each of their events. In another neck and neck race, the Briton had the advantage at the finish line, only 0.06 seconds ahead of the American. The last matchup would be between David Chodounsky and Laurie Taylor, and the Brits were ahead by a point. To pull off this upset on paper, Taylor would have to win the matchup, or Chodounsky had to be slower than 20.17. Chodounsky had a good start and stayed ahead for the entire race, but he wasn't able to get the 20.17 he would need, and Great Britain went through based on the time difference.

United States vs Great Britain
	Result	Result
United States	2	2	Great Britain
	41.90	41.71
Megan McJames	21.54	21.57	Charlie Guest
Nolan Kasper	20.36	20.18	Dave Ryding
Patricia Mangan	21.59	21.53	Alex Tilley
David Chodounsky	20.69	21.05	Laurie Taylor

Norway vs Olympic Athletes from Russia

The fourth bout would see fourth seed Norway against thirteenth seed Olympic Athletes from Russia, with the first matchup being Nina Haver-Loeseth against Anastasiia Silanteva. Haver-Loeseth had the fastest start, and she was able to keep her advantage throughout the entire race, winning by over 0.5 seconds. The second matchup would see Sebastian Foss-Solevaag against Ivan Kuznetsov, and Foss-Solevaag had a good start, and with Kuznetsov almost falling, and skiing very wide, Norway was ensured of their second point, and with Ekaterina Tkachenko falling against Kristin Lysdahl, Norway was ensured the win. Even though the last matchup of Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen and Alexander Khoroshilov wouldn't change much on the final result, Koroshilov had a good start, but still lost after several mistakes on the last few gates.

Norway vs Olympic Athletes from Russia
	Result	Result
Norway	4	0	Olympic Athletes from Russia
Nina Haver-Loeseth	21.07	21.59	Anastasiia Silanteva
Sebastian Foss-Solevaag	20.05	22.08	Ivan Kuznetsov
Kristin Lysdahl	21.50	DNF	Ekaterina Tkachenko
Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen	19.55	20.46	Alexander Khoroshilov

Italy vs Czech Republic

The third-ranked team Italy would race against fourteenth-ranked Czech Republic, and with Irene Curtoni and Gabriela Capova in the first matchup, and with Capova in front almost the entire race, but with Curtoni overtaking her in the last few gates, Italy gained the first point of the bout, Capova having a 0.2 seconds deficit at the finish line. The second bout would be Riccardo Tonetti against Ondrej Berndt, and with a good start from Tonetti, Berndt was forced to take risks, in order to get a point for the Czech Republic, missing a gate towards the end of the race, leaving the point to Italy. The third matchup of Chiara Costazza against Martina Dubovska started with an advantage for Dubovska, and she was able to keep a small advantage until the end of the race. The last matchup would be Alex Vinatzer against Filip Forejtek, and because Italy was a point ahead, Forejtek would have to win the bout with a time of below 20.00, in order to go through to the quarterfinals. Vinatzer took a quick advantage, and Forejtek made a mistake around the middle of the course, having to retire without finishing the race.

Italy vs Czech Republic
	Result	Result
Italy	3	1	Czech Republic
Irene Curtoni	21.58	21.76	Gabriela Capova
Riccardo Tonetti	20.18	DNF	Ondrej Berndt
Chiara Costazza	21.98	21.76	Martina Dubovska
Alex Vinatzer	19.52	DNF	Filip Forejtek

France vs Canada

The next bracket would be between sixth seed France, who was reigning world champion, against eleventh seed Canada, and the first matchup Adeline Baud Mugnier against Laurence St-Germain. The race started even, though Baud Mugnier made a small mistake right before the ramp in the middle of the course, leaving St-Germain with the advantage. The second matchup would see Clement Noel, fourth in the men's slalom and junior world champion, against Phil Brown. Brown was having a small advantage along the middle of the race, but skied wide and couldn't keep control, leaving Noel to get the point for France. The third matchup would be between Tessa Worley, the reigning world champion on the Giant Slalom, against Erin Mielzynski. Mielzynski had a slightly stronger start, and she was able to keep and extend her lead to almost 0.75 seconds at the finish line, giving Canada the advantage for the last race. The last race would have Alexis Pinturault, bronze medalist in the Men's Giant Slalom and silver medalist in the alpine combined against Trevor Philp. If Philp would win his race, or if he would lose, yet set a time faster than 20.03, Canada would go through to the quarterfinals. Pinturault was only slightly ahead and finished only 0.14 seconds in front of Philp, but with a time of 20.07, Canada was out of the tournament.

France vs Canada
	Result	Result
France	2	2	Canada
	41.13	41.17
Adelina Baud Mugnier	21.57	21.39	Laurence St-Germain
Clement Noel	19.56	DNF	Phil Brown
Tessa Worley	21.83	21.10	Erin Mielzynski
Alexis Pinturault	19.93	20.07	Trevor Philp

Germany vs Slovakia

The penultimate bracket of the eighth finals would see seventh seed Germany against the tenth seed, but world champions runners-up, Slovakia, and with a first matchup between Marina Wallner against Petra Vlhova, it was expected that Slovakia would take an early lead. With a neck and neck race, constantly swapping the lead towards the end of the race, Vlhova was able to win by only 0.02 seconds, getting Slovakia a point. The first men's matchup would be Alexander Schmid against Adam Zampa, with Zampa having a troubling start, but Schmid losing control on the ramp, being forced to retire and giving Slovakia their second point. The second women's matchup would be Lena Duerr against Veronika Velez Zuzulova, and against the odds, Duerr was able to beat Velez Zuzulova right from the start, with almost 0.5 seconds difference at the finish line. The last race between Linus Strasser and Andreas Zampa would require Zampa to win, or Strasser could win with a time slower than 20.52. Strasser had the better start, and while Zampa made some mistakes, and with a time of 19.81, this was good enough for Germany to go through to the quarterfinals.

Germany vs Slovakia
	Result	Result
Germany	2	2	Slovakia
	40.98	41.69
Marina Wallner	21.25	21.23	Petra Vlhova
Alexander Schmid	DNF	20.46	Adam Zampa
Lena Duerr	21.17	21.76	Veronika Velez Zuzulova
Linus Strasser	19.81	20.67	Andreas Zampa

Switzerland vs Hungary

The last eighth final would be the second seed Switzerland against fifteenth seed Hungary. With the matchups between Denise Feierabend and Szonja Hozmann and the men's slalom silver medalist Ramon Zenhaeusern and Dalibor Samsal showing similar progressions, the Swiss having an advantage from the start, winning with over a second difference. The third matchup between Wendy Holdener, who won the silver medal in the women's slalom and the bronze medal in women's alpine combined, and Mariann Mimi Maroty, who was 53rd in the Women's Slalom, already had almost a second difference at the ramp, and almost three seconds difference at the finish line: the biggest difference out of all the races. The last race between Daniel Yule and Marton Kekesi was not important for the final result, with the Swiss already through to the next round, even though it showed a similar progression to the first two races, with the Swiss once again winning with over a second difference.

Switzerland vs Hungary
	Result	Result
Switzerland	4	0	Hungary
Denise Feierabend	21.67	22.94	Szonja Hozmann
Ramon Zenhaeusern	19.94	21.36	Dalibor Samsal
Wendy Holdener	21.06	24.04	Mariann Mimi Maroty
Daniel Yule	20.21	21.37	Marton Kekesi

Quarterfinals

Austria vs Sweden

The number one seed Austria was competing against eighth seed Sweden, and while Austria stayed in the same formation as in the previous round, Sweden switched the first two riders with the last two riders, this time Frida Hansdotter and Mattias Hargin skiing before Anna Swenn Larsson and Andre Myhrer. With Katharina Liensberger against Hansdotter, the latter, as Olympic champion in the Women's Slalom, had a slight advantage over Liensberger, until the finish line, where the Austrian overtook her by only 0.03 seconds difference. The second matchup was Michael Matt against Mattias Hargin, and as the bronze medalist in the Men's Slalom, Matt has high expectations to live up to. He exceeded these expectations, racing to the fastest time of the day, a time that wouldn't be broken in later rounds, winning the second point for Austria. The third matchup, with Katharina Gallhuber competing against Anna Swenn Larsson, was an even race, with Swenn Larsson having the higher speed, until she went wide at one of the gates, having to let the Austrian overtake her, and securing a semi-final place for Austria. The last matchup of Manuel Feller and Andre Myhrer, and despite Feller making a big error at the ramp, but recovering, Myhrer was not able to recover from his mistake towards the end of the race.

Austria vs Sweden
	Result	Result
Austria	4	0	Sweden
Katharina Liensberger	21.21	21.24	Frida Hansdotter
Michael Matt	19.23	19.56	Mattias Hargin
Katharina Gallhuber	21.04	21.25	Anna Swenn Larsson
Manuel Feller	20.66	DNF	Andre Myhrer

Great Britain vs Norway

The second quarterfinal was between twelfth seed Great Britain and fourth seed Norway, and even though the odds were stacked against Great Britain, they had beaten the United States in the previous round. The first skiers to go were Alex Tilley and Kristin Lysdahl, and Lysdahl had the better start, but Tilley managed to take the point with a late charge. The second matchup was Laurie Taylor against Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen, and Nestvold-Haugen managed to keep his advantage gained at the start, getting a comfortable win. The third matchup, Charlie Guest against Nina Haver-Loeseth, showed a similar race development, with Haver-Loeseth having an advantage before the ramp in the middle of the track, retaining this advantage throughout the entire race. The last matchup would pitch Dave Ryding against Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, and Great Britain would go through to the semifinals if Ryding would win with a time faster than 19.77. After an even race, Foss-Solevaag made a small mistake, leaving the win to Ryding, but with a time of 19.98, it was not enough to get Great Britain to the semifinals.

Great Britain vs Norway
	Result	Result
Great Britain	2	2	Norway
	41.39	41.18
Alex Tilley	21.41	21.57	Kristin Lysdahl
Laurie Taylor	20.53	19.91	Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen
Charlie Guest	21.88	21.27	Nina Haver-Loeseth
Dave Ryding	19.98	20.54	Sebastian Foss-Solevaag

Italy vs France

The third quarterfinal would have third seed Italy and sixth seed France, and the first race between Irene Curtoni and Tessa Worley started strong, though Worley was able to extend an advantage to win the race after Curtoni made a couple of mistakes. The second matchup was between Alex Vinatzer and Alexis Pinturault, and with Vinatzer racing to the fastest time of the first round, and Pinturault a two-time medalist of the Winter Olympic Games, there were high expectations. Vinatzer had a good start and managed to keep his lead, even though he made a couple of small mistakes towards the end. The third matchup would see Chiara Costazza racing against Adeline Baud Mugnier, and Baud Mugnier had a good start, Costazza had to catch up, having to take risks and making mistakes in the process, leaving the win to Baud Mugnier. For the last race, Riccardo Tonetti had to win against Clement Noel, but with Tonetti making mistakes at the start and in the middle of the race, chances were very slim that Tonetti would be able to win with a good time. Tonetti made yet another big mistake, forcing him to miss a gate, and having to retire from the race.

Italy vs France
	Result	Result
Italy	1	3	France
Irene Curtoni	21.59	21.34	Tessa Worley
Alex Vinatzer	19.56	19.85	Alexis Pinturault
Chiara Costazza	21.93	21.24	Adeline Baud Mugnier
Riccardo Tonetti	DNF	19.73	Clement Noel

Germany vs Switzerland

The last matchup would see seventh seed Germany against second seed Switzerland. The first matchup would be between Marina Wallner and Denise Feierabend, but with Feierabend thrown very wide at the end of the race, Wallner took the win comfortably. The second race was between Alexander Schmid and Ramon Zenhaeusern, and Zenhaeusern having the better start, he was able to retain his lead, leveling the quarterfinal. The third quarterfinal was wide open, with Lena Duerr racing against Wendy Holdener, who seemed to be the big favorite of the two. With Holdener having a slight lead throughout the race, she was able to keep this advantage, keeping 0.17 seconds left at the finish line. The last matchup between Linus Strasser and Daniel Yule was all to play for, and after a neck and neck race, Strasser was able to win with a 0.16 seconds difference. Switzerland once against prevailed based on time aggregate.

Germany vs Switzerland
	Result	Result
Germany	2	2	Switzerland
	40.87	40.47
Marina Wallner	21.65	23.80	Denise Feierabend
Alexander Schmid	20.14	19.33	Ramon Zenhaeusern
Lena Duerr	21.31	21.14	Wendy Holdener
Linus Strasser	19.56	19.72	Daniel Yule

Semifinals

Austria vs Norway

As would be expected based on the seedings, top seed Austria competed against fourth seed Norway for a place in the final. Austria had already won against South Korea and Sweden, while Norway had won against the Olympic Athletes from Russia and Great Britain. The first race of the semifinal, with Katharina Liensberger against Kristin Lysdahl, saw Lysdahl having a good start, but throughout the race, Liensberger had the higher speed, being able to catch up on Lysdahl, winning the point for Austria. The second matchup would see Michael Matt against Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen, and expectations were high after Matt raced to the fastest time of the day in the quarterfinals. However, in the last part of the track, Matt wasn't able to hold his line, missing several gates, and having to leave the point to Norway. The third matchup would see Katharina Gallhuber against Nina Haver-Loeseth, and despite a good start from Gallhuber, Haver-Loeseth was able to get a slight advantage, and with several mistakes on both sides towards the end, Gallhuber still managed to take the victory. The last bout would see Marco Schwarz racing against Sebastian Foss-Solevaag. In order for Norway to win, Foss-Solevaag had to win with more than 0.2 seconds difference from Schwarz. Foss-Solevaag had a good start, but made a mistake alongside the ramp in the course. This caused Schwarz to take the lead, which he never let go.

Austria vs Norway
	Result	Result
Austria	3	1	Norway
Katharina Liensberger	21.31	21.50	Kristin Lysdahl
Michael Matt	DNF	19.62	Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen
Katharina Gallhuber	21.48	21.64	Nina Haver-Loeseth
Marco Schwarz	19.92	20.04	Sebastian Foss-Solevaag

France vs Switzerland

The second semi-final would see sixth seed France racing against second seed Switzerland, and the first race of the match would be Adeline Baud Mugnier against Denise Feierabend. Both athletes had won one out of two previous races, and Baud Mugnier had the better start, leading the race until the end, still leaving a 0.28 seconds difference on the finish line. The second matchup saw Clement Noel and Ramon Zenhaeusern, and Noel had a good start, after Zenhaeusern started too fast, with the starting gate blocking him from leaving. However, throughout the race, Zenhaeusern managed o get a higher speed, catching up on the big difference from the start, finishing 0.11 seconds before Noel. The third matchup would be Tessa Worley against Wendy Holdener, and after a closely fought race, Holdener was able to get the edge on Worley, leaving only 0.19 seconds between them. The last race would see Alexis Pinturault against Daniel Yule, and to go through to the final, Pinturault would have to win with a time faster than 19.31 seconds, which seemed almost impossible. Yule had a good start, but while Pinturault was catching up, he missed several gates, losing control over his line, unable to finish the race.

France vs Switzerland
	Result	Result
France	1	3	Switzerland
Adeline Baud Mugnier	21.64	21.92	Denise Feierabend
Clement Noel	19.72	19.61	Ramon Zenhaeusern
Tessa Worley	21.16	20.97	Wendy Holdener
Alexis Pinturault	DNF	20.06	Daniel Yule

Finals

Norway vs France

The small final saw fourth seed Norway racing against sixth seed France for a bronze medal. As the first women's race of Kristin Lysdahl against Tessa Worley, both of who had lost their race in the semifinals, Lysdahl had a good start, but due to some mistakes (or a wide line) along the last part of the race, Worley was able to win the race, giving the advantage to France. The second race would be Sebastian Foss-Solevaag against Alexis Pinturault, of which the latter skier lost his last two races in the event. After a very close race, Foss-Solevaag won the matchup with only 0.07 seconds, leveling the small final 1-1. The third race would have Nina Haver-Loeseth against Adeline Baud Mugnier, and while Haver-Loeseth made an error right before the ramp in the middle of the race, Baud Mugnier had a pretty smooth race, giving France the advantage once again with only one race to go. The last race between Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen and Clement Noel saw Nestvold-Haugen with the advantage he created throughout the race. He was able to win the race against Noel, and with a time of 19.69, while 19.81 was required, he was able to clinch the bronze medal for Norway.

Norway vs France
	Result	Result
Norway	2	2	France
	41.17	41.29
Kristin Lysdahl	21.48	21.29	Tessa Worley
Sebastian Foss-Solevaag	19.95	20.02	Alexis Pinturault
Nina Haver-Loeseth	21.71	21.40	Adeline Baud Mugnier
Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen	19.69	20.00	Clement Noel

Austria vs Switzerland

The big final of the event was a dream scenario, with the top two seeds Austria and Switzerland battling it out for the gold medal. The first race of the big final was Katharina Liensberger against Denise Feierabend, and even though the start was for Feierabend, she wasn't able to hold her lead, losing 0.3 seconds to Liensberger at the finish line. The second race would pitch Michael Matt against Ramon Zenhaeusern, the fastest men of the quarterfinals (Matt) and the semifinals (Zenhaeusern). After a close match full of little mistakes, Zenhaeusern was able to win the race with a 0.37 seconds difference, though after this race, Matt was disqualified for not passing through a gate correctly, taking too much of a risk throughout the race. The third race would see Katharina Gallhuber, the fastest woman in the event, against two-time medalist Wendy Holdener, and after an error early on from Gallhuber, she had to catch up on the lost time. Even though she was able to compensate for most of it, there was still 0.1 seconds left at the finish line, giving Switzerland yet another point. The last and most important race would be Marco Schwarz against Daniel Yule. In order to win, Schwarz had to set a time of 19.42 or better, while in any other case, Switzerland would win the gold medal. Despite a good start from Schwarz, he made some mistakes in the first part of the course, having to take risks to catch up on Yule. However, in the last part of the course, Schwarz lost control of his line, going wide and missing a gate, giving the win to Switzerland.

Austria vs Switzerland
	Result	Result
Austria	1	3	Switzerland
Katharina Liensberger	21.21	21.52	Denise Feierabend
Michael Matt	DQ	19.46	Ramon Zenhaeusern
Katharina Gallhuber	21.34	21.24	Wendy Holdener
Marco Schwarz	DNF	20.10	Daniel Yule

Results

In the debut of the Olympic team event, Switzerland reigned supreme, following the success of Michelle Gisin in the penultimate event two days earlier. With Austria and Norway winning medals too, the three nations all secured seven medals in Olympic alpine skiing in Pyeongchang, in front of the United States and France, which secured "only" three. France finished fourth for the third time, after Blaise Giezendanner in the men's super-G and Clement Noel in the men's slalom.

Rank	Nation
	Switzerland
	Austria
	Norway
4	France
5	Germany
	Great Britain
	Italy
	Sweden
9	Canada
	Czech Republic
	Hungary
	Olympic Athletes from Russia
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	South Korea
	United States