Live: Aussie Indra Brown through to final after Canadian’s scary halfpipe crash

American Alysa Liu is the gold medallist in the women’s single figure skating as Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto (silver) and Ami Nakai (bronze) are left in tears for seemingly very different reasons.

The Japanese pair came after Liu, but neither could pip the American’s overall score of 226.79.

Nakai, who is just 17 years old, skated last and was in disbelief when she saw her free skate score of 140.45 come up, putting her ahead of USA’s Amber Glenn.

The teenager burst into tears of joy as Liu, the wily veteran at just 20 years of age, embraced her and said “don’t cry, go celebrate”, holding the Japanese skater’s arms up and jumping along with her.

Beijing and now Milano Cortina silver medallist Sakamoto, meanwhile, was in tears as she left the ice and again as the scores are finalised, seemingly a mix of pride and disappointment.

Liu becomes the first American woman to win gold in this event since 2002, and she has just the most remarkable story.

As so many athletes in this sport do, Liu was a young phenom and went to the 2022 Olympics as a 16-year-old, finishing sixth.

She stepped away from the sport later that year, announcing what at the time was framed as a retirement by saying the sport had basically taken over her life and she was done.

She returned a few years later and even her unique appearance tells you something about her journey.

In 2022 she looked like every other female skater in the program but the 2026 version of Liu, a world and now Olympic champion, wears bleached stripes in her hair and sports a frenulum piercing she did herself.

The American is simply a more confident and happy person and that has translated onto the ice.

Australian expert commentator Belinda Noonan described her free skate as “Olympic Winter Games like you’ve never seen them before”.

What a comeback. What a win. What a skater.

Alysa Liu takes the lead in the women’s single figure skating after a massive 150.20 in the free skate takes her total to 226.79, way beyond Mone Chiba’s 217.88.

Liu’s teammate Amber Glenn is still in bronze, but don’t expect her to stay there unless the last two Japanese skaters have massive stumbles.

Japan’s Mone Chiba has ended American Amber Glenn’s lengthy stint in the gold-medal position in the women’s single figure skating.

Glenn was 13th after the short program so she skated early in this free skate and has been siting in top spot ever since, but the 20-year-old Japanese skater has just kicked her out of top spot with a 143.88 to better Glenn’s overall score by just under three points.

Three skaters left: USA’s Alysa Liu, and Chiba’s teammates, Kaori Sakamota and Ami Nakai.

One of the figure skating gold-medal favourites, American Amber Glenn was disappointed after missing the mark in the short program, leaving her 13th.

She already has team gold at these Games but you could see the elation on her face after scoring 147.52 int he free skate to sit in the gold-medal spot.

“It wasn’t easy. There’s been a bombardment of attacks and hate on me, using my lacklustre performance as fuel for hate, and that was disheartening,” she said of the reaction to her short program stumble.

“I just thought, ‘I’m going do what I do best, which is enjoy skating’, and that’s what I did today.”

There are six skaters to come, the top six after the short program, so her score is under threat, but she’s done everything she can.

And the Americans have done it in overtime.

Megan Keller squirms her way through a challenge, gets in close and slides the puck through the legs of the Canadian ‘keeper.

It’s her third goal of these Olympic Games and undoubtedly her most consequential.

Chants of “USA, USA” echo across the stadium as Canadian heads go into Canadian hands.

It’s a hard fought but ultimately deserved Olympic triumph for the Americans, their first since 2014.

Canada, who lost 5-0 to the USA earlier in the tournament, were dogged and determined, but ultimately overpowered.

The US went 1-0 down early in the second period and had to wait until late in the third to equalise, with warrior captain Hillary Knight deflecting home.

The greatest rivalry in Winter Olympic sport has another golden chapter.

And we’re off.

Sudden death overtime has begun in the women’s ice hockey gold medal match between Canada and the US.

It is 3×3, it is cutthroat, it is high drama.

There are no shootouts in the gold medal matches at the Olympics.

Instead, the teams will play regular 20-minute periods, with the game ending when a goal is scored.

The momentum is with the US as we head into overtime in the women’s ice hockey gold medal match.

Canada, despite being two-time defending champions, were underdogs heading into this match and fought valiantly throughout the three periods.

But the Americans, who were undefeated and boasting a 31-1 aggregate score in the tournament before today, were aggressive and defiant in the third period, eventually levelling the score with two minutes to play.

And just like that, with two minutes left on the clock, it’s 1-1.

The Canadians couldn’t quite see it out.

Hillary Knight deflects the puck into the goal from close range.

Things are going down to the wire in the ice hockey, with Canada clinging onto its 1-0 lead for dear life.

The rules on contact and fighting are a lot stricter in the Olympics than they are in domestic ice hockey, with American Britta Curl the latest player to be hit with a two-minute penalty for a bit of argy-bargy.

There are about two and a half minutes left to play.

The second qualifying run in the women’s freeski halfpipe final has been completed.

As we mentioned, Australia’s Indra Brown qualified for the final while the second qualifying run was still in progress.

She finished fourth on the standings following the two qualifying runs.

Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin led qualifying with a best score of 91.50.

The final will be held on Sunday morning AEDT.

Great news for Australia’s Indra Brown!

The 16-year-old has already qualified for the freeski halfpipe final, with the second qualifying run still in progress.

Brown’s 87.50 has her in provisional fourth place on the standings.

The top 12 will advance to the final.

Canada’s Cassie Sharpe has also made Sunday’s final, but her participation will be dependent on whether she has recovered from her crash in the second qualifying run.

Fingers crossed Sharpe makes a speedy recovery.

She qualified after posting 88.25 in her first run.

China’s defending champion Eileen Gu will also contest the final, courtesy of her 86.50 in her second effort.

Canada still leads the US 1-0 in the women’s ice hockey gold medal match.

Kristin O’Neill’s second period, shorthanded goal still the difference between the two sides.

This has been a really impressive, fighting performance from the Canadians, who are coming up against a team that has been absolutely dominant at these Games

One period remains in Milan.

Cassie Sharpe has been taken from the course via a stretcher.

In a positive sign, the Canadian waved to the crowd as she was taken away for further medical attention.

We send our best wishes to Sharpe and hope she recovers from the crash as quickly as possible.

Canada’s Cassie Sharpe has crashed during her second run in the women’s freeski halfpipe qualifying phase.

Several medical officers immediately ran to Sharpe’s aid on the course after she fell.

They are attempting to get her on a stretcher, but are doing so with extreme caution.

There is a course hold, as significant concern is shown for Sharpe’s welfare.

Sharpe was second on the standings following the first run.

We’ll update when more details come to hand.

What a performance from Indra Brown!

The Aussie teen improves on her first run in qualifying, producing an 87.50 to leapfrog Eileen Gu (86.50) into provisional third place on the standings.

Brown and Gu were the first two in the starting order for the second run, so it will be a little while until we find out if they’ve qualified for the final.

Eileen Gu took a ‘safety first’ approach on her second run, scoring 86.50.

The reigning Olympic champion moves into provisional third place.

Indra Brown is a step closer to advancing to the freeski halfpipe final in her Olympics debut.

The Aussie 16-year-old is fifth on the standings after the first qualfiying run, having scored 80.75.

Great Britain’s world champion Zoe Atkin — who was born in the US — is atop the standings with 91.50.

China’s Eileen Gu crashed in her first run, scoring 16.25 to be 20th out of 21 athletes.

But Gu still has her second run to book a berth in the final, scheduled for Sunday morning AEDT.

The top 12 across the two runs will advance, with their best score counting.

The second qualifying run kicks off at 6:27am AEDT.

The deadlock has been broken early in the second period of the gold medal match.

Kristin O’Neill has slotted from close range to give Canada a surprise 1-0 lead over the all-conquering USA.

That’s just the second goal the US has conceded at these Olympics.

We’ve reached the end of a hotly contested first period of the women’s ice hockey gold medal match between the US and Canada.

The score remains at 0-0, with Canada edging shots on goal 8-6.

The US began today’s game as heavy favourites, having gone undefeated in the tournament thus far, and remarkably, conceding just one goal throughout.

That’s an aggregate score of 31-1 for the tournament.

Ooft.