Ocala Olympian Erin Jackson looked to defend her title in the women's 500 meters on Sunday morning, but was denied a spot on the podium by the narrowest of margins.

What to watch for: Japan’s Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi are two-time world champions and entered the Olympics as among the favorites for gold. But after Sunday’s short program, they were in fifth place. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany led after the short program.

As Milan hosts the Winter Olympics, southern Italy is battling catastrophic flooding. Firefighters in Cosenza pulled off 50 water rescues in a single day after the Busento River burst its banks,

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Brazil entering the joyous throes of Carnival, Alpine ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen on Saturday gave it another reason to celebrate — an Olympic medal. It was the first-ever medal at the Winter Games for any country in South America.