More Olympic weather woes; hockey, curling start
VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The big news from the Vancouver Olympics on Tuesday was what wasn't happening.
Heavy snow on Blackcomb Mountain postponed the men's super-combined race and called off women's downhill training. Fog and rain over on Cypress Mountain delayed the women's snowboardcross event and shortened training for men's and women's halfpipe.
In downtown Vancouver, skies were gray but temperatures were closing in on a balmy 50 degrees. Yet most Canadians in the city wanted to be indoors next to large sheets of ice, as in the start of the men's hockey tournament and the curling competition.
The United States and Switzerland were meeting in the first hockey game, with Sidney Crosby and Canada taking over next to face Norway. Over at the curling venue, there were 11 matches scheduled, two featuring the U.S. men and another with the women.
The women's hockey tournament was to continue with the Americans facing the Russians.
With the men's Alpine race scrapped, that left five medals to be decided Tuesday. The United States led the medals standings with eight, three more than Germany. Switzerland has the most golds with three; Americans have won two.
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Snowboardcross
Lindsey Jacobellis has waited four years for the chance to make up for her gaffe near the finish line in Turin. So what's a few more hours of waiting?
The first two qualifying runs of snowboardcross also were postponed until noon Tuesday. The SBX finals are set for the afternoon.
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Alpine delays
Lindsey Vonn was as happy to see the snowstorm as any kid who gets a snow day home from school. No time on the slopes means more time to rest her bruised shin, which she especially needs after a bumpy training run Monday.
The women's event remains scheduled for Wednesday, so all she missed was more training, which she also could've skipped. But the wipeout means her foes can't gain an advantage by getting more familiar with the course.
The men's super-combined, originally scheduled for Sunday, is being changed for a second time. No new date was immediately set, although officials previously indicated they'll try to run it Friday.
Dry weather is forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Of the four Alpine races scheduled so far, only one has gone off - the men's downhill won Monday by Didier Defago of Switzerland.
