The Winter Olympics kicked into full gear this week in Beijing, and we’ve been treated to some unforgettable moments so far.
Snowboarding legend Shaun White competed for the last time Friday, finishing fourth in the halfpipe event that he won in 2006, 2010, and 2018. After falling on his third and final run, the American took off his helmet and waved goodbye to the crowd.
“Snowboarding, thank you,” he said after the event. “It’s been the love of my life. It’s been a journey. I can’t wait to see where this sport goes.”
The gold medal went to Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who got the highest score on the very last run of the day to overtake Australia’s Scotty James. On each of his three runs Friday, Hirano landed a triple cork — a three-flip trick that had never even been attempted before in an Olympic final. Switzerland’s Jan Scherrer won the bronze.
Here are some of the stories that made headlines over the past week, as well as some photos that caught our eye.
Local residents watch with concern as authorities try to rescue a 5-year-old boy who was trapped in a well near the Moroccan town of Bab Berred on Thursday, February 3. The boy, Rayan Oram, was eventually retrieved by rescue teams on Saturday, but he did not survive his ordeal, according to state media.Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow on Monday, February 7. Macron was hoping to de-escalate the tense standoff between Russia and Ukraine.Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Olympics on Monday, February 7. The 15-year-old became the first female skater to ever land a quadruple jump at the Olympics, and she was part of the group that won a gold medal in team figure skating.Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II cuts a cake to celebrate the start of her Platinum Jubilee on Saturday, February 5. It has been 70 years since the Queen took the throne in 1952.Flames shoot out of the guitar of British rapper Dave as he performs during the BRIT Awards in London on Tuesday, February 8.Miners wait for an elevator to take them below ground at the start of their shift in Vuhledar, Ukraine, on Thursday, February 3. Ukraine was once Europe’s third-largest coal producer. But production has dropped dramatically since 2014.Surfing great Kelly Slater embraces fellow competitor Seth Moniz after Slater won the Billabong Pro Pipeline in Hawaii on Saturday, February 5. It was just days shy of Slater’s 50th birthday.Children play on a bouncy castle at a beach in Narathiwat, Thailand, on Saturday, February 5.
