Summary Ester Ledecka remained on course for a historic Olympic double Saturday.
PYEONGCHANG (AFP) - Ester Ledecka remained on course for a historic Olympic double Saturday when the Czech crossover star clocked the fastest time in qualifying for the women s snowboard parallel giant slalom.
US President Donald Trump s daughter Ivanka arrived in Seoul Friday to attend the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closing ceremony, where a top North Korean general will also be present.
"We re very very excited to attend the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, to cheer for Team USA and to reaffirm our strong and enduring commitment with people of the Republic of Korea", she said after arriving at Incheon airport on a commercial flight.
The White House said Trump had asked his eldest daughter -- who is also one of his top advisers -- to travel to Pyeongchang to lead up a "high level delegation".
The North will send an eight-member delegation Sunday headed by Kim Yong Chol, a top general who oversees inter-Korean relations for the ruling Workers Party, Seoul s unification ministry said.
The Games have seen a flurry of cross-border diplomacy, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un s sister and US Vice President Mike Pence both attending the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang earlier this month.
But officials in both Seoul and Washington say there will not be a meeting between Ivanka Trump and Kim
The Czech world champion and hot favourite, who stunned the world of alpine skiing by capturing gold in last week s super-G, recorded an aggregate time of one minutes, 28.90 seconds for her two runs -- more than a second ahead of her nearest rival.
Russian Alena Zavarzina, bronze medallist in Sochi four years ago, was second quickest in 1:30.16 with Germany s Selina Joerg qualifying third in 1:30.27.
Ledecka is looking to become the first woman to win gold medals in different sports at the same Winter Olympics.
The 22-year-old can join Norwegians Thorleif Haug and Johan Groettumsbraten as the only athletes to do a multi-sport double.
Haug did the cross country and Nordic combined double at the 1924 Olympics and Grottumsbraten won the same events at the 1928 Games.
