What you missed while you were sleeping: Elise Christie tumbles again, Japanese skier defies time, thank goodness for the X Games

Travis Mewhirter

How could this happen again?

Of all the improbable Olympic stories, there may be none with worse odds than the breathtaking bad luck of Great Britain short track speed skater Elise Christie. It is one thing to fall or be disqualified once. Another for it to happen twice. It’s almost incalculable for the same to occur three times. That’s what happened to Christie in the Sochi Games in 2014.

And the same thing, unbelievably so, happened again in PyeongChang, as Christie’s Olympics came to a close with not one, not two, but three — again — falls or disqualifications.

Elise Christie of Britain has repair work done to her skate after falling at the start of her women’s 1000 meters short track speedskating heat in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Elise Christie of Britain has repair work done to her skate after falling at the start of her women’s 1000 meters short track speedskating heat in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Christie may have an unusual knack for crashing, and being clipped by other skaters, and by receiving disqualifications, but she didn’t attempt to intentionally take her competitors down with her. The same might not be said for North Korean skater Kwang Bom Jong. Read the full story.

Gangneung (Korea, Republic Of), 20/02/2018.- Kwang Bom Jong of North Korea (R) races and crosses arms with Keita Watanabe of Japan (L) as they compete during the heats in the Men’s Short Track Speed Skating 500 m competition at the Gangneung Ice Arena during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, South Korea, 20 February 2018. (Corea del Sur, Japón) EFE/EPA/HOW HWEE YOUNG

Neither Canadian bobsledder Phylicia George nor Japanese ski jumper Noriaki Kasai earned medals on Tuesday, but both laid claim to Olympic history, George as the first black Canadian woman to compete in the summer and winter Olympics, and Kasai for competing in his eighth — eighth! — consecutive Winter Olympics.

Read Kasai’s story here.

Read George’s story here.

Daegwallyeong-myeon (Korea, Republic Of), 20/02/2018.- Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George of Canada in action during the Women’s Bobsleigh competition at the Olympic Sliding Centre during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, South Korea, 20 February 2018. (Corea del Sur) EFE/EPA/VASSIL DONEV
Daegwallyeong-myeon (Korea, Republic Of), 20/02/2018.- Kaillie Humphries and Phylicia George of Canada in action during the Women’s Bobsleigh competition at the Olympic Sliding Centre during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, South Korea, 20 February 2018. (Corea del Sur) EFE/EPA/VASSIL DONEV

The United States continues to fall well behind on the medal count, as Norway and Germany expand their leads. The one thing keeping the Americans near the top? X Games events, namely snowboarding. Read the full story.

More Olympics on Yahoo Sports:
• Korean speed skaters accused of bullying after leaving teammate in tears
• Japanese ski jumper, 45, vows to return at 2022 Winter Olympics
• Wetzel: North Korean speed skater has eventful but unsuccessful night
• Germany-Switzerland featured an ejection nine seconds into game
• Busbee: Christie’s run of bad luck at Olympics continues in 1,000m