Coach credits Finland's resilience in helping women's hockey team overcome stomach virus at Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Don't under-estimate Finnish resilience.

Difficult as the week was for Finland’s national women’s hockey team in dealing with a stomach virus that sent 13 of 23 players into quarantine, coach Tero Lehtera had a good feeling his players would show up ready for their first game at the Milan Cortina Olympics.

“Yeah, it was tough, but you know in the Finnish DNA, it’s kind of like there is some sort of a survival gene or something,” Lehtera said after a 5-0 tournament-opening loss to the United States on Saturday. “So, not that bad. We’ll manage.”

It was “game on” for Finland, as well as Switzerland, after both teams had to deal with a norovirus affecting its players.

Two days after Finland's game against Canada was postponed to Thursday, and four days after players began showing symptoms, Finland played with a full complement of 20 skaters and two goalies against the Americans.

Switzerland followed by also playing with a full roster in 4-0 loss to defending Olympic champion Canada. The Swiss played a day after revealing they had one player test positive for the norovirus.

For Finland, the challenge was steeper given the team had not held a full practice since Tuesday, and at one point was down to eight skaters and two goalies.

The rust showed, with the Finns managing only 11 shots on goal — and just two over the final period.

“They gave all they had today. But I’m a little bit disappointed the way we played,” Lehtera said. “I’m not saying they did a bad effort. So I’m not asking for more in that area. But what I’m asking is maybe take a little bit from that effort, and play a little smarter.”

Finland's players were disappointed with the loss even while acknowledging what they were up against.

“Oh, yeah, for sure, I knew,” said goalie Sanni Ahola, who stopped 44 shots, including 14 of 15 in the first period. “I enjoyed every moment. I love getting a lot of shots.”

The challenge going forward is regaining their stamina and playing their physical defensive style.

“We are definitely not happy with the result,” forward Emma Nuutinen said. "But we also know that this was a rough start for our Olympic journey.”

Finland is a four-time Olympic bronze-medal winner, and in contention to make the podium again this year. Under the tournament format, the Finns are guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals as members of the five-team Group A.

“It’s a long tournament, you need to stay focusing and focusing on what’s next,” defender Jenni Hiirikoski said. “I’m sure we will get the things that we want to prove.”

Despite two teams being affected by illness at the start of the Milan Cortina Games, Olympic organizers downplayed the significance of the virus cases.

“It is not (an outbreak). Let’s not start to make a point about what is currently five athletes being dealt with,” Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said Saturday. “Proper protocols, really well done.”

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said IOC medical director Jane Thornton sees no reason to suspect the cases on the two teams are related.

The entire Swiss team spent Friday night in isolation and skipped the opening ceremony.

“The incubation period has now passed,” Switzerland’s chief medical officer, Hanspeter Betschart, said in a statement. “From a medical perspective, there are currently no concerns about the game taking place, provided no further players show symptoms.”

Germany goalie Sandra Abstreiter said players are very much aware of the virus and are taking precautions, including agreeing not to shake hands without gloves on following games. That was evident following Germany’s 5-2 win over Japan, when each team formed a line and saluted the crowd without opposing players interacting with each other.

“I think that’s the smart play as of right now. And then obviously we’re disinfecting a lot. We’re not sharing things,” Abstreiter said. “It’s obviously in our heads. But we just still have to focus on hockey obviously. And we just have to let our medical team take care of that.”

AP Sports Writers James Ellingworth and Graham Dunbar contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Abbey Murphy, right, checks Finland's Julia Schalin during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland's Sanni Ahola and Finland's Noora Tulus, right, make a save against United States' Grace Zumwinkle during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland's Sanni Ahola fails to make a save during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Finland players before a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, Pool)

Finland's Ronja Savolainen, right, challenges United States' Kelly Pannek during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between the United States and Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Switzerland's Laura Zimmermann, center, celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a preliminary round match of women's ice hockey between Switzerland and Czechia at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

FILE - An outside view of the Santa Giulia Ice Hockey Arena, ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

MILAN (AP) — Ilia Malinin's quest for Olympic figure skating gold might not be so easy after all.

Same goes for his American team.

Yuma Kagiyama landed a pair of near-perfect quads, one in combination with a triple toe loop, and scored 108.67 points in his short program on Saturday night. That topped Malinin in the segment — he was second with 98.00 — and helped to keep the Japanese team within distance of the defending champion U.S. heading into the final day of competition.

Thanks to a brilliant free skate by Madison Chock and Evan Bates later in the night, the U.S. ended the day with 44 points. Japan was five points back going into the men's, women's and pairs free skates to decide the medals Sunday.

“You know, I think I got to buckle down and see what happens and get better next time. We will work it out," said Malinin, the two-time reigning world champion, who is unbeaten in his last 14 full competitions stretching back more than two years.

“Being here, I'm trying to enjoy every single moment and just be grateful for everything,” Malinin continued, “because there’s a lot of unexpected things that can happen in life and I’m taking everything to heart.”

As the U.S. and Japan duel for gold, the race for bronze also is tight: Italy has 37 points, Canada has 35 and Georgia has 32.

The top five teams advanced after short programs, and the Canadians squeaked through thanks to Stephen Gogolev's personal-best 92.99 score. Kevin Aymoz was unable to match him for France, leaving his team one point below the cut line.

“I’m focusing more on myself," Gogolev said, "and obviously that is going to translate to the highest ranking possible for the team.”

As for Malinin, he had stalked through the tunnels inside Milano Ice Skating Arena before his Olympic debut, wearing a black tank top that read “Quad God,” the nickname borne of the way that he performs his otherworldly four-revolution jumps.

The 21-year-old wunderkind did not attempt the quad axel, the 4 1/2-revolution jump only he has ever landed in competition, on Saturday night and did a shaky version of a triple instead. Malinin hit a big opening quad flip and finished his program with a quad lutz-triple toe loop, getting bonus points for the combination in the second half of the program.

But when his score was read, Malinin seemed almost stunned that Kagiyama had beaten him — and by a 10-point margin.

“That's only 50% of my full potential here,” Malinin said.

Kagiyama opened with a quad toe-triple toe combination, landed a quad salchow and finished his short program with a peerless triple axel. And unlike Malinin, when Kagiyama's score was read he jumped out of his seat with clenched fists raised high.

“I always receive good motivation from Ilia because he is one of the skaters who created this figure skating moment,” said Kagiyama, who was second to Malinin at the Grand Prix Final in December. "I always think that I want to catch him.”

The U.S. has been on a mission since the 2022 Beijing Games, when its Olympic triumph was overshadowed by a Russian doping controversy. The ensuing investigation held the gold medals in limbo for more than two years, until Chock and Bates were part of the American squad that finally received them in a ceremony during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

It was only fitting that Chock and Bates would perform — and win — both of their programs during the team competition.

Their free dance, a flamenco-styled program set to “Paint It Black” from the dystopian sci-fi western “Westworld,” had the crowd on its feet by the end. Their season-best score of 133.23 points gave a big boost to a U.S. squad in need of some momentum.

The Japanese have long been considered the biggest rivals. And they have lived up to those expectations with winning short programs by Kaori Sakamoto and the pair of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara to go with Kagiyama's triumph Saturday night.

“I did watch his skate,” Malinin said of Kagiyama, also his biggest rival in the individual competition later in the Winter Games, “and I was so happy for him. He was so happy. It looked like he was enjoying every single moment. It's just so unreal that all of us are here on the Olympic stage. I really feel so much energy and so much excitement."

AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States react to their scores after competing during the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States wave to the crowd before the figure skating ice dance team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Stephen Gogolev of Canada competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Ilia Malinin of the United States competes during the figure skating men's team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)