2nd semi-final:      17-13   

10 Luge is just crazy achievement 

Biathlon (6 - 2W; 4M)   Anastasia Tolmacheva Andreea Mezdrea (our media put her in)   George Buta Raul Flore Dmitri Shamaev George Coltea   Bobsleigh (4M + 1 reserve)   Constantin Dinescu George Iordache Mihai Păcioianu Mihai Tentea     Figure Skating (1W)   Julia Sauter - flag bearer       Luge (7 - 3W; 4M)   Corina Buzatoiu Carmen Manolescu Raluca Stramaturaru   Denis Serban Marian Gîtlan Eduard Craciun Valentin Cretu     Ski Jumping (4 - 2W; 2M)   Delia Floea Daniela Haralambie   Daniel Cacina Mihnea Spulber   Alpine skiing (2 - 1W; 1M)   Sofia Moldovan   Alexandru Stefanescu   Nordic skiing (3 - 1W; 2M)   Delia Reit   Paul Pepene Gabriel Cojocaru   Snowboard (2W)   Kata Mandel Henrietta Bartalis   For me it’s a very special edition because two of my friends (Edi Craciun and Gabi Cojocaru) made it. So fingers crossed for them and for the whole delegation.   We don’t expect to much as usual in winter games (1-2 top 10 - luge team, women’s doubles luge, 2man bobsleigh, and maybe Julia Sauter if she will skate clean both programs)

Our biathlon entries were finalized today )    Team Ukraine    46 athletes - the same number as 4 years ago (21 women + 25 men)      ALPINE SKIING - 2 (1 + 1) =  (W) Anastasiya Shepilenko (2022) (M) Dmytro Shepiuk (Rookie) * * *   BIATHLON - 10 (5 + 5) =  (W) Yulia Dzhima (2014 - gold, 2018, 2022) (W) Khrystyna Dmytrenko (Rookie) (W) Oleksandra Merkushyna (Rookie) (W) Olena Horodna (Rookie) (W) Daryna Chalyk (Rookie)   (M) Dmytro Pidruchny (2014, 2018, 2022) (M) Anton Dudchenko (2022) (M) Vitaly Mandzyn (Rookie) (M) Bohdan Borkovsky (Rookie) (M) Taras Lesiuk (Rookie) * * *   BOBSLEIGH - 0 (0 +0) -1  ---   CROSS COUNTRY - 6 (4 + 2) -1    (W) Anastasia Nikon (Rookie) (W) Sofia Shkatula (Rookie) (W) Yelyzaveta Nopriyenko (Rookie) (W) Daryna Mihal (Rookie)   (M) Dmytro Drahun (Rookie) (M) Oleh Lisohor (Rookie) * * *   CURLING - 0 (0 +0) =  --- * * *   FIGURE SKATING - 1 (0 + 1) -5    (M) Kyrylo Marsak (Rookie)   * * *   FREESTYLE - 9 (5 + 4) + 4    (W) Kateryna Kotsar (Rookie) - Slopestyle / BigAir (W) Anhelina Brykina (Rookie) - Aerials (W) Oksana Yatsuk (Rookie) - Aerials (W) Diana Yablonska (Rookie) - Aerials (W) Nelli Popovych (Rookie) - Aerials (M) Dmytro Kotovsky (2022) - Aerials (M) Oleksandr Okipniuk (2022) - Aerials (M) Yan Havriuk (Rookie) - Aerials (M) Maksym Kuznetsov (Rookie) - Aerials * * *   ICE HOCKEY - 0 (0 +0) =  --- * * *   LUGE - 10 (4 + 6) + 4      (W) Olena Stetskiv (2014, 2018, 2022) (W) Yulianna Tunytska (2022) (W) Olena Smaha (Rookie) (W) Oleksandra Mokh (Rookie) (M) Andriy Mandziy (2014, 2018, 2022) (M) Anton Dukach (2018, 2022) (M) Ihor Hoy (Rookie) (M) Nazatiy Kachmar (Rookie) (M) Danyil Martsynvsky (Rookie) (M) Bohdan Babura (Rookie) * * *   NORDIC COMBINED - 2 (0 + 2) + 1    (M) Dmytro Mazurchuk (2022) (M) Oleksandr Shumbarets (Rookie) * * *   SHORT TRACK - 2 (1 + 1) =  (W) Yelyzaveta Sydiorko (Rookie) (M) Oleh Handey (2022) * * *     SKELETON - 1 (0 + 1) =    (M) Vladyslav Heraskevych (2018, 2022) - the flagbearer * * *   SKI JUMPING - 2 (0 + 2) -1  (M) Vitaliy Kalinichenko (2022) (M) Yevhen Marusiak (2022) * * *   SKI MOUNTAINEERING  - 0 (0 +0) # --- * * *   SNOWBOARDING - 1 (1 + 0) =    (W) Annamari Dancha (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022) - PGS * * *     SPEED SKATING - 0 (0 +0) =  --- * * *      

I really hope Nordic Combined doesn't get scrapped. Actually, I believe the Winter Olympics should keep growing with new sports and disciplines (3x3 Hockey, Ice Cross, Speed Skiing, Ice Climbing), otherwise they won't feel like a true celebration of sports like their summer counterpart.

In fact, well, no. Hockey is extremely physically demanding, I even think it is the most physically demanding winter sport of all. I mean keeping more than a minute on ice is just cardiac. The shifts are there for a reason.   25 players rosters are absolutely justified. You must have 4 lines to keep the stamina the whole game.   Hard to persuade people who never watched hockey though, I can understand your point, but sadly, the point is wrong

Stats are ok, but the time she losts on the range every time... My point was that she is more likely to make us losing the olympic relay than to make us winning it.  

I'll jump on the off-topic with an unpopular opinion - ice hockey isn't so stamina demanding to justify 25 people rosters. And it doesn't have big playing fields like football or rugby for example, where you'd require so many reserves. 15 field players + 3 goalies should be good. Or 18+3 at max. But 25 is too much imo and the constant substitutes are too much as well.

But her shooting surely never was horrendous, or even bad for her standards.

Saturday January 24th, 2026 - Round-Robin Last Day Schedule (GMT +6)   13:00   Luxembourg vs Hong Kong 16:30   South Africa vs Iran 20:00   Mexico vs Kyrgyzstan