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             France Sweeps Medals for First Time at Winter Olympics

   France has swept the medals in an event for the first time at the
   Winter Olympics.
   Jean Frederic Chapuis won the gold medal to lead the French in skicross
   Thursday in Sochi. Arnaud Bovolenta took silver and Jonathan Midol
   captured bronze.
   Skicross is often considered part of freestyle skiing because it
   incorporates terrain features traditionally found in freestyle.
   This was the sixth podium sweep at the Sochi Games, adding to four by
   the Dutch speedskating teams and one by the U.S. men`s slopestyle ski
   squad.
   Elsewhere, Norway won the Nordic combined team competition for its 10th
   gold medal, the most thus far at the Sochi Games. The Norwegians
   finished third in the ski jump, but cross-country specialist Magnus Mon
   made up the difference in the first leg of the 20-kilometer pursuit
   race.
   Germany took silver and Austria bronze.
   In women`s curling, Britain won the bronze medal by beating
   Switzerland, 6-5. Canada and Sweden play for the gold medal Thursday
   for the second straight Olympic Games.
   Also Thursday, the U.S. women`s ice hockey team will go for its first
   Olympic gold medal since 1998 when it takes on heated rival Canada. The
   Canadians have won three of the four gold medals since women`s hockey
   debuted as an Olympic sport at the 1998 Nagano Games.
   The women`s teams from Switzerland and Sweden will face off in the
   bronze medal game.
   South Korean women`s figure skater Yuna Kim is the favorite to win the
   the gold medal as she takes to the ice in Thursday`s free skate event.
   Kim, who holds a slight lead over Russia`s Adelina Sotnikova and
   Carolina Kostner of Italy, is looking to become the first back-to-back
   Olympic champion in the event since 1988.
   American freestyle skier Maddie Bowman is the favorite to take gold in
   the women`s halfpipe, a new event that has the contestants performing
   somersaults and other tricks.
   The United States leads the overall medal count with 23. Russia and the
   Netherlands are tied with 22 apiece, followed by Norway with 21, Canada
   18 and Germany 16. In gold medals, Norway leads with 10 and Germany has
   eight.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/france-sweeps-medals-for-first-time-at-winter-olympics/1855476.html