Catalan skier makes Winter Olympics debut

The Catalan alpine skier, Quim Salarich, who made his Winter Olympics debut on Thursday in the slalom, was up against tough competition. He finished his first run in 52.6 seconds, 0.35 seconds behind the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, who came in first. Although only a fraction of a second was between them, Salarich finished 33^rd in the first round in what was set to be an arduous day. This year's favourite, Austrian Marcel Hirscher, failed to complete the first slalom run.

Salarich’s turn to prove his mettle on the slopes came around once more, but he failed to complete his second run. The three Catalans that took part in this year’s Winter Olympics will all be coming home empty-handed. No Catalan has ever won a medal in the games.

The other Catalan competitors included snowboarder Queralt Castellet, who finished seventh in the halfpipe, the skeleton racer Ander Mirambell, finishing in 23^rd with a new personal best, and Quim Salarich.