First gold of the Games won by Norwegian

Norway nabbed the first gold medal of the Winter Games on Saturday at the Beijing Olympics.

Norwegian Therese Johaug powered to victory to take the gold medal in the women’s skiathlon race, well ahead of Russian Natalia Nepryaeva and Austria’s Teresa Stadlober, who snagged the bronze medal, Reuters reported.

The number of cases of COVID-19 cases inside the Games bubble meanwhile hit the second highest since arrivals began after 45 new cases were detected on Friday. Organisers said the situation was under control and cases were confined to a ‘closed loop’.

The 2022 Winter Games are being held in Beijing in extraordinary circumstances with metal fences, robot bartenders, workers in hazmat suits and strict mask policies meant to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

At least one athlete said he was determined to make the most of it.

American snowboarder Shaun White, who became the face of the sport, winning three gold medals, said on Saturday the Beijing Olympics would be his last snowboarding competition and that he would retire from all contests.

White, 35, said he was “enjoying every moment” of his final Olympics in Beijing.