Winter Olympics 2022 – Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaillie Humphries begin their medal quests, Eileen Gu competes and more live updates

Say hello to monobob. It’s another new sport debuting this year at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the first heats are Saturday in Beijing.

Monobob follows the basics of bobsledding, but instead of two- and four-person teams, this sled run is a solo mission. It is also an Olympic event only for women. The sleds are smaller and lighter than a traditional four-person sled, but that doesn’t make it easier.

“In a four-man, you could say that on any given day, something could go wrong and you could end up on your head,” former U.S. bobsledder John Napier told The Washington Post. “Whereas in monobob, I’m saying to myself, yeah, I’m pretty darn sure I’m going to make it down. Whether I’m going to make it down clean without bumping around and skidding the walls? Well, I don’t know about that. … But that’s OK. I don’t mind bumping a wall as long as I’m not on my head.”

Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor will race in the monobob, and both have three Olympic medals already in bobsled. Humphries won gold in two-woman in 2010 and 2014 and bronze in 2018, while Meyers Taylor won bronze in 2010 and silvers in 2014 and 2018.

In other events in Beijing, freeski superstar Eileen Gu, who won big air on Tuesday, will compete in slopestyle qualifying, though the competition is currently delayed because of snowfall and wind in Beijing. Erin Jackson will race in the 500 meters and the U.S. men’s hockey team (2-0) will take on Germany in the last preliminary-round game in the morning Eastern time.

Decision looming

Russian figure skating superstar Kamila Valieva was at a practice session Sunday, hours before the Court of Arbitration for Sport was scheduled to meet to decide whether she’ll be allowed to compete.

The meeting of CAS is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Sunday and a decision is expected sometime Monday, less than 24 hours before Valieva is scheduled to skate in the women’s short program at the Beijing Games.

Valieva has been allowed to practice since Monday, when a drug test…