Austria’s Philip Hoffmann cited his tight technique and a burning desire to match the exploits of his female teammates as the reasons why he dominated the men’s giant slalom on Monday.

The 1500m speed skating competition is a lung burner: three-and-three-quarter laps of full-throttle racing that leaves the body and mind in agony.

Thirteen months ago Thailand’s Nichakan Chinupun had never seen snow. Now she is a bonafide Winter Youth Olympian, having completed both runs to finish 37th out of a starting list of 78 athletes in the Alpine skiing women’s giant slalom on Sunday.

From in-line skating on the streets of Colombia to speed skating on a lake in the Swiss Alps, Diego Amaya Martinez has made a remarkable climb on to the world stage.

Swiss Alpine skier Amelie Klopfenstein said she does not want to “wake up” as her dream run from reserve team member to multi-medal winner continued with gold in the women’s giant slalom on Sunday.

The speed skating competition at the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games exploded into life with gold medals for Yamamoto Yudai (JPN) and Isabel Grevelt (NED) in the men’s and women's 500m races.

Athletes have not only come to the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to compete. There are also a range of educational activities on offer at the Youth Olympic Villages in Lausanne and St. Moritz, led by the IOC and designed to help the young athletes succeed in their sporting and non-sporting careers.

France’s biathletes gave their home crowd plenty to cheer about at the Les Tuffes Nordic Centre on Sunday, winning the single mixed relay gold in commanding fashion.

It takes confidence and razor-sharp focus to race around a frozen lake at speeds of 50km per hour. Fortunately, Jordan Stolz (USA) has both.