IN RHYTHM.

Jakub Nosek, a member of the Czech bobsleigh team, lost hearing in his right ear by 100% and his left ear by 85% due to meningitis when he was a child.

But that does not prevent him from playing his second Olympics in Beijing after Pyeongchang and finishing in 6th place at the 2020 Worlds in the four-man bobsleigh.

The secret of this 32-year-old pusher and brakeman?

Concentrate on the pace of his driver's race.

“The jump into the craft (at the start) is quite difficult,” says pilot Dominik Dvorak.

But "we have had the same rhythm for eight years, so we know how to do it now".

They finished 15th in the two-man event on Tuesday.

Nosek, 32, has represented his country in the high jump, long jump,

in the decathlon and the javelin during three editions of the Deaflympics, a major event for athletes with hearing impairments.

He wants to prove that his disability is not an obstacle and has made it a strength: "I hear everything, except what I don't want to hear."

(AFP)

COMPENSATION.

The German Olympic Committee (DOSB) has decided to compensate three of the selected Olympics who were unable to participate in all their Olympic Games-2022 events by paying them... vacations.

Figure skater Nolan Seegert and two members of the Nordic combined team Eric Frenzel and Terence Weber spent most of their stay in Beijing in a hotel room, in solitary confinement, after testing positive for Covid-19. 19 when they arrived.

Frenzel, a three-time Olympic champion, was allowed to leave his hotel after eleven days on Monday and was able to take part in the Nordic combined team event in which Germany took 2nd place.

Nolan Seegert spent nine days in solitary confinement, but his ordeal was already over when he came out.

"It's a little attention,

German Eric Frenzel, who remained in solitary confinement for 11 days, takes part in the Nordic combined team event at the Beijing Games, February 17, 2022 Christof STACHE AFP

RIVER PLATE.

Thanks to Alex Ferreira, Argentina is (a little) in the spotlight in the freestyle skiing events of the 2022 Olympics.

This American, Olympic vice-champion in 2018 half-pipe skiing and qualified for the final of the 2022 Olympics scheduled for Saturday, is the son of Marcelo Ferreira, a former player for the legendary Buenos Aires club.

Ferreira senior then went into exile in the United States to play in secondary championships in the 1980s. His son, born in Colorado, quickly turned to alpine skiing, then freestyle skiing.

But football, rather "soccer" as it is called in the United States, very little for him: "I've never been to see a football match, but I can't wait to go," he said. he assured AFP.

(AFP)

CROWD BATH.

Coming out of his traditional press conference at the end of the Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach treated himself to a crowd bath.

Not that he left the Olympic bubble to walk the streets of Beijing, but he was just assailed for about ten minutes by volunteers working on the Olympics who wanted to sing him songs, offer him choreographies.

Mascot Bing Dwen Dwen herself wanted her souvenir photo with Mr. Bach.

This one, in spite of the rush, lent himself to the game with a good heart and with a smile and discussed at length with the young Chinese volunteers who came to meet him.

Their enthusiasm surely made him forget in a few minutes the hour of press conference he had just spent talking about the Valieva affair.

(AFP)

IOC President Thomas Bach during a press briefing at the Olympic Media Center in Beijing, February 18, 2022 Gabriel BOUYS AFP

MILANO/CORTINA.

As with every Olympic Games, the organizers of the next edition are invited to come and observe the progress of the current event.

Those from Cortina/Milan who will host the 2026 Olympics therefore came to Beijing, in particular to receive the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony on Sunday.

Among the challenges facing the Italians: the distance between the three main competition venues.

400 km between Milan and Cortina, 200 km between Milan and Bormio and 300 km between Bormio and Cortina.

"The biggest challenge is to offer optimal transport logistics over a territory of 22,000 km2. This is the key to our success", recognized Giovanni Malago, President of the Italian Olympic Committee during a conference of press in Beijing.

(AFP)

HAIR.

Curler Matt Hamilton has once again become a social media star thanks to his distinctive look.

Long hair, full mustache and tattoos, the American was beaten by the Canadians in the small final but won over many fans including actor Dwayne Johnson.

With this popularity, the Pyeongchang Olympic champion managed to raise over $8,000 in donations for cancer research. "Curling gives me the opportunity to be in the spotlight. I just wanted to give back everything I received through his sport," said Hamilton, who will cut his hair after the Games.

The American had already caused a sensation at the 2018 Olympics with his mustache, his cap and his red T-shirt which gave him a look resembling the character Mario from the video game of the same name. (AFP)

© 2022 AFP