Canada's Winter Olympics have come under further fire after a slew of problems -- some man-made and others purely down to Mother Nature -- threatened to take the focus away from a memorable home triumph.
Snowboarder Maelle Ricker won Canada's second Olympic gold medal on Day Four, a first for its women on home soil, by carving her way through a rain-soaked cross course where humiliating wipe-outs were the order of the day.
The 31-year-old's triumph was one of the few bright spots for Winter Games host Canada, coming under increasing criticism for its handling of weather-wracked events and equipment mishaps like unreliable ice resurfacing machines.
Malfunctions affected athletes, fans and possibly even medals. Timing errors were reported in biathlon skiing, prompting one official to call it "the blackest day ever".
South Korea and Germany top of the medals table with Switzerland on three golds apiece, while the United States, France, Sweden and Canada all have two golds.
