Today’s our last daily Beijing Olympic newsletter, but you know we won’t leave you hanging this weekend. Watch out for a special recap of the Games in your inbox on Sunday.

• We’ll be off Monday for the long weekend before getting back to our regularly scheduled sports news programming on Wednesday.

• Thanks so much for following along with us these last two weeks — one last time, here we go!

  

The GIST: As we continue to process the emotional scenes from yesterday’s women’s singles free skate, we’re still reflecting on the ongoing figure skating doping scandal.

On the ice: Overshadowed by the drama surrounding 15-year-old Kamila Valieva (the skater who tested positive for a banned medication) and her unexpected fourth-place finish, two of her ROC teammates — 17-year-olds Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova — finished first and second, respectively.

• Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto put down a beautiful skate to win bronze and brought some much-needed joy to the party. That’s what it’s all about.

The fallout: Rather than supporting Valieva after a disappointing skate (nevermind being embroiled in a doping scandal), her infamously strict coach Eteri Tutberidze said, “Why did you let it go? Why did you stop fighting?” Immediately no.

• Meanwhile, silver medalist Trusova was heard saying, “I hate this sport,” after her skate, while top-finisher Shcherbakova said, “On the one hand I feel happy, on the other I feel this emptiness inside,” about the tension surrounding her. Sad.

The context: Tutberidze is known for grooming young figure skaters who typically go on to retire as teenagers, often suffering serious injuries along the way.

• And due to skating’s complicated scoring system, their training emphasizes physically demanding jumps, earning the ROC trio the nickname of “Quad Squad,” named after the jump other women won’t even attempt.

What’s next: The Games may be winding down, but this story’s far from over. We’re still waiting for a decision on the ROC’s team gold, but bigger questions lie ahead.

• How could this happen to a teenager? Should the minimum age in figure skating be raised? Will the adults be held accountable? We’ll be watching.

⛸ Figure skating: History was made on the ice this morning when Timothy LeDuc became the first openly nonbinary athlete to compete at the Winter Olympics, performing a wonderful pairs short program with their partner, Ashley Cain-Gribble. What a moment.

• Even better, the duo qualified for tomorrow’s free skate, along with fellow U.S. pair Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier.

🥌 Curling: Team Shuster just missed the podium, losing 8–5 to Canada in this morning’s bronze medal match. While the 2018 gold medalists didn’t capture a medal in Beijing, they did capture the hearts of a nation, including “Mr. The Rock” and Mr. T. We pity the fool who tries to mess with this squad.

⛷️ Alpine skiing: After a challenging stretch marked by three disappointing DNFs, two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin will race in tonight’s mixed team competition, her final event in Beijing.

• And she has a message for the haters. “Why do I keep coming back?” she wrote on Twitter. “That’s where I’m meant to be and I’m stubborn as s**t.” Can’t wait to watch you fly, Mikaela.

The GIST: In addition to the incredible Olympic action, can you believe NBA All-Star Weekend begins tonight? The one time of year we get to witness all our idols on one stage, and we can’t wait.
 
Shine bright: While some of the world’s best hoopers put on a show this weekend, Nike’s new Witness Me film celebrates the next generation.

• Whether they’re finessing their jump shots or grinding to make the team, they’re never done striving for greatness — and we’ll be there to witness.

On replay: So here’s to witnessing the greats and the greatness in ourselves. Hey now, you’re an All Star: get your game on with Nike and go play.

⛷️ Freestyle skiing: Eileen Gu…remember the name. The 18-year-old Chinese-American sensation dominated last night’s halfpipe final, posting a score of 95.25 on her second run to fly away with the gold.

• With a gold and silver already to her name, Gu’s now the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics. Incredible.

💨 Speed skating: The Netherlands’ Thomas Krol won gold in this morning’s men’s 1,000m final, marking the country’s third straight win in the event and their 11th speed skating medal in Beijing. Downright Dutch dominance.

🎿 Biathlon: Norway’s Johannes Thingnes Boe is going to need a bigger suitcase. The three-time Olympian won his fourth gold medal in Beijing with a first place finish in this morning’s men’s 15km mass start. Elsewhere, France’s Justine Braisaz-Bouchet became the first French woman to win gold in the 12.5km mass start.

• Très bien, but we can’t help but wonder why the women’s biathlon is shorter than the men’s? Sexism in sports? Groundbreaking.

Sunday’s Olympic Closing Ceremony at 8 p.m. ET. The best part? Elana Meyers Taylor — monobob silver medalist and all-around badass — will be hoisting the star-spangled banner.

We said twice, and we'll say it again: Nike’s new Witness Me film. Celebrating the relentless spirit of progress embodied by young athletes, it’s the perfect way to hype you up for NBA All-Star Weekend.

• Also hype? Nike’s NBA All-Star 2022 collection. Witness us staying fresh all year long.

This free contest to win a five-day escape to Madrid, Spain, complete with a four-night, four-star hotel stay and $900 toward travel. Buena suerte!

*P.S. This is a sponsored post.