Kirsty Muir endures cruelest finish at Olympics for 2nd time as she ends up 4th in big air

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Kirsty Muir endured the cruelest finish in the Olympics — not once, but twice.

The British freeskier finished fourth in big air on Monday night at the Milan Cortina Games, the second time she ended up one spot away from the podium and so close, yet so far from celebrating.

The 21-year-old Muir was in bronze-medal position until Italy’s Flora Tabanelli, who tore an ACL four months ago, moved ahead and into third place with her third and final jump.

Muir had one last attempt to try to get into the top three spots, but she crashed while trying new grab she had never executed before as she went for a big score. Canada’s Megan Oldham won gold, Eileen Gu took silver and Tabanelli got the bronze.

One week earlier, Muir finished the slopestyle in fourth — and in tears.

“It’s just a bittersweet feeling,” Muir said Monday, her eyes welling yet again.

“I’m so stoked with how I skied tonight. I put it all on the line,” she said. “In the third jump I went for it, and I can’t be mad about that. Obviously it’s a bit of a nasty position again to be in fourth, but I really do feel proud of my skiing.”

Reflecting on what she has learned, Muir said, “I can only control what I do on the day.”

“I can ski as best as I can ski. I can’t control what the other girls can do, and in the moment they had better tricks on the day,” she said. “Someone always has to be fourth.”

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

Britain's Kirsty Muir competes during the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Britain's Kirsty Muir crashes during the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Britain's Kirsty Muir reacts after crashing during the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Britain's Kirsty Muir reacts after crashing during the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — Three people, including the suspect, were fatally shot during a Rhode Island youth hockey game Monday, authorities said.

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that three other victims are hospitalized in critical condition.

“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she said. Goncalves did not provide details about the suspect or the ages of those who were killed, though she said it appeared that both victims were adults.

Authorities were continuing to try to piece together what happened and speak with witnesses, she said.

The shooting happened at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence.

Outside the arena, tearful families and high school hockey players still in uniform could be seen hugging before they boarded a bus to leave the area. Roads surrounding the arena were shut down as a heavy police presence remained and helicopters flew overhead.

Pawtucket is nestled just north of Providence and right under the Massachusetts state border. A town of just under 80,000, Pawtucket had up until recently been known as the home to Hasbro’s headquarters.

This story has been corrected to show that the shooting occurred on Monday, not Tuesday.

Hockey fans react near the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Hockey parents congregate near the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

Hockey parents and a player speak to a police officer outside of the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

A father hugs his son outside of the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)

A woman reacts near the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, R.I., after a shooting at the ice rink, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)