Jessica Yeaton was one of the final two Australians to compete at the Winter Olympics. (Photo: Aus Olympic Team- Twitter)
The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics reached its conclusion on day 16 and there were two Australians competing in the one event as the closing ceremony awaited.
Cross Country Skiing: Women’s 30km Mass Start Free
Jessica Yeaton and Casey Wright were the two Aussies competing on the final day, both in the women’s 30km mass start free. The final event with Australians competing was pushed forward three hours due to poor conditions forecast, with cold temperatures and strong winds predicted later in the day.
The gruelling event took close to an hour and a half for eventual winner Therese Johaug to complete.
Yeaton and Wright were some way off the pace of the Norwegian who claimed her third gold of the Beijing Games. Yeaton finished in 43rd with a time of 1:37:06, while Wright was not too far behind her with a time of 1:44:19 in 52nd place.
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The pair brought an end to what was one of Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics, where numerous records and droughts were broken. Australia had its first ever curling team compete at these Games.
The mixed curling team of Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt won two of its round robin games. The nation’s 12-year wait for a gold medal was ended when Jakara Anthony won gold in the women’s moguls.
Australia also had its first ever medal in a sliding event, with thanks to Jaclyn Narracott, who won silver in the women’s skeleton. There were also plenty of other Australia records that were broken across a wide range of disciplines at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Last night’s closing ceremony was attended by the last athletes that were competing in the Winter Olympics, with 33-year-old skier, Sami Kennedy-Sim, earning the honour of being the flag-bearer for Australia as the world now looks ahead to Milan-Cortina in 2026.
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