American teenager Chloe Kim and Austrian ski ace Marcel Hirscher lit up the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Tuesday on a day of drama that included the first doping scandal of the Games.
Snowboarder Kim, 17, snatched the first of the dayâs eight gold medals in the womenâs halfpipe, while World Cup maestro Hirscher ended his long wait for a debut Olympic title.
But Japanâs short-track speed skater Kei Saito, 21, was at the centre of the first doping scandal in Pyeongchang after testing positive for a banned diuretic.
Saito, who has left the athletesâ village, was provisionally suspended pending an investigation. He protested his innocence and vowed to clear his name.
âI want to fight to prove my innocence because I donât remember (taking the drug) and itâs incomprehensible,â he said in a statement.
While Kimâs brilliant run in the halfpipe stole the show, gold medals also went to Sweden and Norway in cross country skiing, and Italy in short-track speedskating.
Canada beat Switzerland to win the mixed doubles curling, while the Dutch maintained their perfect record in speedskating with a double in the menâs 1,500m.
On the slopes, Austrian star Hirscher cemented his legacy as the best skier of his generation with victory in the combined event.
Hirscher, 28, has been the outstanding skier in his slalom speciality for years, with 55 career World Cup wins.
But one prize had always eluded him â an Olympic gold medal. His previous best was a slalom silver from Sochi four years ago.
After playing down his chances ahead of the race at blustery freezing Pyeongchang, this time he nailed it.
âAll the people expected me to win a gold medal, especially in Austria, my home country, where skiing is big,â he said.
âEveryone is saying, âNice career, but an Olympic gold medal is still missingâ. This is perfect, unbelievable.â
For Kim, her debut Olympics turned golden as she romped to snowboarding halfpipe victory. Born in the United States to Korean parents, Kim burst into tears as the enormity of her achievement sunk in.
The teenager, who has melted the hearts of home fans in Pyeongchang, justified her status as the hot favourite with an eye-popping top score of 98.25.
Pumping her fists after finishing with back-to-back 1080 spins, Kim revealed that her number one fan â her Seoul-based grandmother â had been in the crowd cheering her on.
âI actually only found out my grandma was at the bottom before my second run,â she said. âSo I thought âthis oneâs for Grams!'â
Also celebrating gold was Stina Nilsson, who won the womenâs cross country sprint classic for Sweden. In the menâs event, Johannes Klaebo of Norway won gold on his Olympic debut.
Italy got their first gold of the Games through Arianna Fontana in the 500m womenâs short-track speed skating. South Korean multi-medal hope Choi Min-jeong finished second but was disqualified.
In speed skating, the Dutch claimed their fourth gold medal with a one-two in the menâs 1,500m through Kjeld Nuis and Patrick Roest.
Germany celebrated a one-two in the womenâs luge, with Natalie Geisenberger pipping Dajana Eitberger to retain her Olympic title.
In curling, Canadaâs Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris danced with delight after hammering Switzerland 10-3 to take the inaugural Olympic mixed doubles title.