Olympics to Award Medals in Eight Events Sunday

The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia awards medals in eight events Sunday.

Among the events are the popular men's downhill in Alpine skiing, and the men's normal hill at the ski jump. Medals will also be awarded in biathlon, cross country skiing, figure skating, luge, snowboard and speed skating.

On Saturday, Norway's Ole Einar Bjoerndalen became the oldest Winter Olympic gold medalist in an individual sport. The 40-year-old athlete finished first in the biathlon 10-kilometer sprint, beating the age record held by Canadian skeleton racer Duff Gibson who was 39 when he won gold at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

Bjoerndalen also matched compatriot Bjoern Daehlie for the most medals in the history of the Winter Games with 12.

Speedskater Sven Kramer of the Netherlands defended his title in the men's 5,000 meters on Saturday.

Norway won two of the five gold medals at stake on the first day of medal competition, as Marit Bjoergen took the gold in the the women's cross-country 15-kilometer skiathlon.

Canada's Justine Dufour-Lapointe won gold in women's moguls freestyle skiing.

The United States captured the first gold medal of the Sochi Games. Sage Kotsenburg mastered a perilous course to win the inaugural men's snowboarding slopestyle event.



Snowboarding slopestyle is one of several sports added this year to the Winter Olympics in hopes of increasing the amount of younger people who follow the Games.

There are 98 medal events at the Sochi Games, 12 more than in Vancouver four years ago.