Speedskater Casey Dawson’s frantic journey to Beijing finally ended with him having the opportunity to compete in the men’s 1,500-meter event early Tuesday morning.
Dawson previously announced that he would be unable to compete in his individual events in Beijing due to issues related to his recent bout with COVID-19 and China’s protocol for the Games. The Parkite tested negative four times and then traveled across the world in hopes of making it in time for his second individual event, as he had already missed the 5,000-meter event that he was previously scheduled to compete in.
Jet-lagged, low on sleep and, according to a Team USA release, having to borrow a competitor’s blades after his luggage was lost, Dawson finished 28th out of 29 skaters in the event. He crossed the finish line with a time of 1:49.45, about six seconds slower than his personal best. But given everything that he had been through over the last few days, just having the opportunity to compete was enough for Dawson.
“Just the experience, stepping to the line was the biggest thing for me,” Dawson said in a press release. “I didn’t think I was going to get to the line in the first place. I thought my individual chances were gone with the wind. Just stepping to the line for the 1,500-meter was amazing.”
Plenty of other Parkites were in action on Tuesday morning as well. Cross-country skier Rosie Brennan, who finished 14th in the skiathlon on Saturday, just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the freestyle sprint. Jessie Diggins of the U.S. won bronze in that event.
Ashley Farquharson finished 12th in women’s singles luge as the only American to qualify for the final run. Farquharson struggled in her first run, finishing 26th, but rebounded to post top-eight times in the next three. The 22-year-old will have another shot at a medal when she races in the team relay event on Thursday at 6:30 a.m. Mountain Time. Farquharson was on the U.S. team that won a silver medal in China at a World Cup event earlier in the season that also served as a test event for the Games.
“It wasn’t my best result, it wasn’t my worst result, it was definitely the most fun I’ve ever had racing, it was incredible, I can’t wait for the next one,” Farquharson said via USA Luge. “Getting the team relay was a huge goal for me, and it was in my brain. And everyone else is very well within reach, so I was pretty focused on that. It really kept hope alive after the first run. I was like, ‘I can still throw down and earn that team relay spot.’ So, it’s very cool, and I feel very honored that I get to slide the relay.”
Park City freeskiers Colby Stevenson and Alex Hall qualified for the men’s big air final. Hall finished second in the qualifiers, while Stevenson came fifth. The final was scheduled to take place Tuesday evening.
“When you get a venue this good and a jump this good and everyone is having a good time, just feeding off each other, it’s just what happens naturally,” Hall said in a release. “We all just push each other to do our best.”
Marin Hamill didn’t fare as well in the qualifying round of the women’s big air event. She finished 14th, just two spots short of the 12-woman final. Darian Stevens was the sole American in the final, finishing 11th. Hamill will compete again in slopestyle with qualifying on Saturday at 7 p.m..
“I had a blast with my first Olympics,” Hamill said in a release. “I got to land all three runs and I couldn’t ask for anything more. You ski your best when you’re having fun and that’s all I’m here to do.”