5 to Watch: Will Mikaela Shiffrin Finally Compete?
By Staff Reports ••
The eighth day of competition at the 2018 Winter Games brings some of the heaviest hitters in the Olympics’ biggest sports, from Mikaela Shiffrin’s skiing event to the explosive rivalry between the American and Canadian women’s hockey teams.
The top events to watch run the gamut from graceful pairs figure skating, where a married couple is representing the U.S., to extreme snowboard cross, a set of high-flying group races that will feature a squad of Norwegians known as the “Attacking Vikings.”
And it’s a big day for downhill skiing, as medals will be awarded in women’s giant slalom — Shiffrin’s a favorite — and men’s downhill.
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Mikaela Shiffrin
Shiffrin Set to Make Pyeongchang Debut at Giant Slalom
Will Mikaela Shiffrin make her long-awaited Pyeongchang debut Wednesday? Her first two would-be debuts were postponed by dangerous winds.
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Shiffrin was a breakout star at the Sochi Olympics, where the American became the youngest-ever Olympic slalom champion at age 18. Now 22, Shiffrin committed to skiing both the giant slalom and the slalom in Pyeongchang, and she might add the other three individual women’s races to her schedule.
Lindsey Vonn, another star American skier, will not compete in the giant slalom.
Watch Shiffrin go for gold, with coverage beginning live on NBC and on digital platforms at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday right here.
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Will Borgen #20 of the United States controls the puck against Marcel Rodman #22 of Slovenia during the Men's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group B game on day five of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics at Kwandong Hockey Centre on Feb. 14, 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea.
U.S. Men's Hockey Team Loses 3-2 Despite BU Junior's Goal
The U.S. men's hockey team couldn't hold onto a 2-0 lead, falling 3-2 to Slovenia. in its opening game of these Olympics.
The loss is a blow to American hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals, but the team is still higher in the standings than the pre-tournament favorites. The highly touted Olympic Athletes from Russia lost 3-2 in regulation time to Slovakia.
These Olympics are being played without active NHL players, so the American roster is full of veterans playing in international leagues.
Both players who scored goals for the U.S. have New England ties. Jordan Greenway is a junior at Boston University and Brian O'Neill attended Yale University.
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Canada's women's ice hockey team celebrates its improbable gold medal win over Team USA in Sochi.
Women’s Hockey Grudge Match, a Gold Medal Preview
Of the five women’s hockey finals in Olympic history, four were played between the U.S. and Canada, building what may be the biggest international rivalry in the sport, women or men.
There will be no love lost between the teams at this next meeting — members of Team USA have talked about how they will be fired up to avenge a heartbreaking loss at the last Winter Games. The U.S. was winning 2-0 with four minutes to go in the championship game, but Canada rallied and won in overtime to clinch a fourth straight gold medal.
Both the U.S. and Canada have guaranteed they're through to the semifinals of the 2018 Games by beating Finland and the Olympic Athletes from Russia, so this match is mainly about pride. It’s also very likely a preview of the gold medal game, since both teams will be heavily favored in the semifinals.
The women's hockey team includes many with New England ties, including Danvers, Massachusetts native Meghan Duggan; Cayla Barnes, who attended New Hampton School in New Hampshire and played hockey at Boston College; Megan Keller, who also played at Boston College; Kali Flanagan, who grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, and played hockey at Boston College; Hillary Knight, who attended high school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut and plays professional hockey with the Boston Pride; and Kacey Bellamy of Westfield, Massachusetts, who attended the University of New Hampshire and also plays for the Boston Pride.
Watch live on NBCSN, with coverage beginning at 10:10 p.m. ET Wednesday, or on digital platforms right here.
Saugus, Mass. native Jonathan Cheever, who is getting ready to compete in his first Olympics, proposed to his now wife, who is a 2-time Olympian, at the 2016 Winter X Games.
Saugus Snowboarder Jonathan Cheever's Valentine's Day Love Story
Saugus, Massachusetts native Jonathan Cheever is competing in his first Olympics in PyeongChang. It's something his wife, Maria Ramberger, definitely understands.
Ramberger represented Austria at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics before announcing her retirement from snowboarding in 2016.
Cheever proposed during the 2016 Winter X Games, using a specially made snowboard.
The couple said "I do" in Cheever's parents' kitchen on Aug. 20.
Cheever was in a pair of sweatpants, and Ramberger was in her pajamas.
"We had mimosas and coffee cake," Cheever's mom Doreen recalls. "She cut the coffee cake and, because it was breakfast! It was 8:20 in the morning. They got married on 8/20. I was determined they were going to get married on 8/20.”
Men's snowboard qualifying begins on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. ET. Watch it live right here.
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Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim of the United States compete during the Pair Skating Short Program on day five of the 2018 Winter Olympics at Gangneung Ice Arena on Feb. 14, 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea.
The Knierims Advance in Pairs Figure Skating
After finishing 14th in the short program Tuesday night, married pairs figure skaters Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim will compete in the free skate Wednesday night. Medals in pairs’ figure skating will be awarded after the free skate.
The Knierims skated to “Come What May” from “Moulin Rouge” Wednesday (Tuesday night in the U.S.). Several pairs chose covers of classic hits — North Korea earned 10th place with their performance to Jeff Beck’s cover of Beatles classic “A Day in the Life.”
Married in 2016, the Knierims were named the American figure skating team’s sole pair for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Watch live as part of NBC’s primetime coverage, which begins at 8 p.m., or on digital platforms at 8:30 p.m. ET right here.
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PARK CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 25: Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin poses for a portrait during the Team USA Media Summit ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games on September 25, 2017 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
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Annalisa Drew is a freestyle skier who specializes in the halfpipe. Drew is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018) and is a Andover, Massachusetts native. She attended the University of Maine.
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Meghan Duggan is an ice hockey forward and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018) Duggan captained the 2014 team. She earned silver medals in 2010 and 2014 and is a Danvers, Massachusetts. native.
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Steve Langton is competing in the bobsled event. Langton won bronze medals in the four-man bobsled and the two-man bobsled events at the 2014 Winter Games and also competed at the 2010 Olympics. He grew up in Melrose, Massachusetts. and graduated from Northeastern University, where captained the track and field team.
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Jared Goldberg is competing in alpine skiing at his second Winter Olympics (2014, 2018). Goldberg was born in Boston.
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Alex Shibutani is competing in ice dancing at his second Winter Olympics (2014, 2018). Shibutani's partner is his sister Maia. He was born in Boston and enjoys following the local sports teams.
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Eric Loughran is a freestyle skier who will compete in aerials at the Winter Games. Loughran was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. and lives in Pelham, New Hampshire.
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Bobby Butler is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Butler is a native of Marlborough, Massachusetts. and attended the University of New Hampshire.
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Chris Bourque is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Bourque was born in Boston, grew up in North Reading, Massachusetts and played hockey at Boston University. His father Ray is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and played for Canada in the 1998 Olympics.
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John McCarthy is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. He is a native of Boston and played hockey at Boston University where he co-captained the NCAA Championship team in the 2008-09 season.
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Ryan Donato is an ice hockey forward who is competing in his first Olympics. Donato was born in Boston and grew up in Scituate, Massachusetts. He played hockey at Harvard, where he was coached by his father Ted, who played 13 seasons in the NHL and Team USA at the 1992 Olympics.
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Cayla Barnes is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Barnes attended New Hampton School in New Hampshire and played hockey at Boston College.
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Megan Keller is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Keller played hockey at Boston College.
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Kali Flanagan is an ice hockey defender who is competing in her first Olympics. Flanagan grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts and played hockey at Boston College.
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Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, a native of Colorado, attended Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke, Vermont. She is competing in her second Olympics after taking home the gold for slalom in Sochi 2014.
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Nick Alexander is a ski jumper and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Alexander is a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
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Sean Doherty is competing in biathlon at his second Winter Games (2014, 2018). Doherty is a native of Center Conway, New Hampshire.
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Will Rhoads is a ski jumper competing in his first Olympics. Rhoads was born in Concord, New Hampshire.
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Mac Bohonnon is a freestyle skier competing in aerials and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Bohonnon was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Madison.
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Lindsey Jacobellis is a snowboarder specializing in snowboardcross and a four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Jacobellis won a silver medal at the 2006 Olympics. She was born in Danbury, Connecticut and went to Stratton Mountain School in Vermont.
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Tucker West is competing in luge and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). West is a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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Sophie Caldwell is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Caldwell is from Peru, Vermont and was a five-time All-America and graduate from Dartmouth in 2012. Her cousin, New Hampshire native Patrick Caldwell, is making his first Olympic appearance.
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Cross-country skier Patrick Caldwell is a native of Lebanon, New Hampshire, who attended Stratton Mountain School in Vermont and Dartmouth College. He is competing in his first Olympics. His cousin, Vermont native and two-time Olympian Sophie Caldwell, is a cross-country teammate in Pyeongchang.
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Kelly Clark is a snowboarder specializing in the halfpipe. This Olympics will mark Clark's fifth appearance at the Winter Games (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Clark won gold in 2002 and bronze in 2010 and 2014. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated from Mount Snow Academy in Vermont.
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Susan Dunklee is competing in biathlon and is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Dunklee was born in Newport, Vermont and lives in Barton. She garaduated from Dartmouth in 2008 with a degree in ecology. Her father, Stan Dunklee, competed in the 1976 and 1980 Olympics as a cross country skier.
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Emily Dreissigacker is competing in biathlon at the 2018 Olympics. Dreissigacker makes her home in Morrisville, Vermont.
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Nolan Kasper is an alpine skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Kasper makes his home in Warren, Vermont and graduated from Dartmouth with an economics degree in 2017.
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Devin Logan is a freestyle skier and will be competing in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Winter Games. Logan is a two-time Olympian (2014, 2018) who won a silver medal in slopestyle at the 2014 Olympics. She makes her home in West Dover, Vermont and went to Mount Snow Academy.
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Andy Newell is a cross-country skier and four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Newell's hometown is Shaftsbury, Vermont and he attended high school at Stratton Mountain School.
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Ida Sargent is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Sargent makes her home in Craftsbury, Vermont and graduated from Dartmouth in 2011 with degrees in biology and psychology.
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Liz Stephen is a cross-country skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Stephen is a native of East Montpelier, Vermont and attended Burke Mountain Academy in East Burke.
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Simi Hamilton is a cross-country skier and three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Hamilton was a three-time All-American at Middlebury College in Vermont.
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Hilary Knight is an ice hockey forward and a three-time Olympian (2010, 2014, 2018). Knight won silver at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. She attended high school at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut and plays professional hockey with the Boston Pride.
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Jessie Diggins is a cross-country skier and two-time Olympian (2014, 2018). Diggins is a resident of Stratton, Vermont.
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Alex Gamelin is an ice dancer competing for South Korea at the Winter Games. Gamelin was born in Boston and previously competed internationally for the USA with his twin sister before getting dual citizenship. His current partner is Yura Min from California, who also has dual citizenship.
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Lowell Bailey is competing in biathlon and is a four-time Olympian (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018). Bailey graduated from the University of Vermont in 2005.
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Emerson Smith is a freestyle skier competing in moguls at the Winter Games. Smith's hometown is Dover, Vermont.
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Alice Merryweather is an alpine skier competing in her first Olympics. Merryweather is from Hingham, Massachusetts and attended Stratton Mountain School and Dartmouth College.
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Jonathan Cheever is competing in snowboardcross at his first Olympics. Cheever is a native of Saugus, Massachusetts and attended Malden Catholic High School and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He works during the summer as a licensed plumber.
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Troy Murphy is a freestyle skier competing in his first Olympics. Murphy is a native of Bethel, Maine.
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Zachary Donohue (pictured with Madison Hubbell) is a figure skater specializing in ice dance. He is competing in his first Olympics. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and is a native of Madison.
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Mark Arcobello is an ice hockey forward and first-time Olympian from Milford, Connecticut. He attended Yale University.
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Julia Marino is a snowboarder specializing in slopestyle and big air. A native of Westport, Connecticut, she is competing in her first Olympics.
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Kiley McKinnon is a freestyle skier who specializes in aerials. The native of Madison, Connecticut, born in New Haven, is competing in her first Olympics.
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Luger Emily Sweeney is a Suffield, Connecticut, native who was born in Portland, Maine. She is competing in her first Olympics.
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Clare Egan is a biathlete from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. She is competing in her first Olympics.
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Second-time Olympian Russell Currier first competed at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. He is a native of Stockholm, Maine.
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Kacey Bellamy, an ice hockey defenseman from Westfield, Massachusetts, who attended the University of New Hampshire and plays for the Boston Pride, is competing in her third Olympics. She previously won silver medals with Team USA in Vancouver and Sochi.
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Former NHL defenseman Noah Welch, a native of Boston's Brighton neighborhood who attended Harvard University, is competing in his first Olympics for USA Hockey.
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Snowboarder Mike Trapp, who competes in parallel slalom and giant parallel slalom, is a native of Barnstable, Massachusetts, partaking in his first Olympics.
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Broc Little, an ice hockey forward, is a first-time Olympian for Team USA. He attended Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, as well as Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
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Caroline Claire, a freestyle skier who specializes in slopestyle, is competing in her first Olympics. She is a native of Manchester, Vermont, who attended Stratton Mountain School in that state.
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Alpine skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle, a native of Starksboro, Vermont, is competing in his first Olympics, but he comes from a long line of Olympic skiers. His mother earned a gold medal in 1972, and his family operates Cochran's Ski Club.
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Caitlin Patterson, a cross-country skier from Craftsbury, Vermont, is competing in her first Olympics. She graduated from the University of Vermont in 2012, two years before her brother, Scott Patterson, who is also a cross-country skier making his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang.
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Ice hockey Amanda Pelkey (left) was born and raised in Montpelier, Vermont. She attended the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, as well as the University of Vermont, and plays for the Boston Pride. She is competing in her first Olympics.
