7 to Watch: A Grudge Match, Snowboard Cross Chaos and Helmet Art

The eighth day of competition at the 2018 Winter Games brings some of the heaviest hitters in the Olympics’ biggest sports, from skier Mikaela Shiffrin’s Pyeongchang debut 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 Ramona native and his wife are 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.”  Nunu’s in Hillcrest Reopens After Passing Re-Inspection 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. Here are our “7 to Watch” in Pyeongchang for Wednesday:  Pursuit Suspect Found Hiding in Bathroom of Gompers Academy 1. Shiffrin Set to Make Pyeongchang Debut at Giant SlalomWill Mikaela Shiffrin make her long-awaited Pyeongchang debut Wednesday? Her first two would-be debuts were postponed by dangerous winds. Non-Profit to Help Ease On-Campus Tension at Helix Charter 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 7 and on digital platforms at 5 p.m. PT Wednesday. 2. Women’s Hockey Grudge Match, a Gold Medal PreviewOf 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.Watch live on NBCSN, with coverage beginning at 7:10 p.m. PT Wednesday, or on digital platforms at this link.3. Americans Dierdorff, Kearney Look to Upset the Champ in Snowboard Cross FinalMick Dierdorff and Hagen Kearney will lead Team USA as they go for gold in the snowboard cross final late Wednesday night, but they’ll be up against stiff competition, not least from the defending Olympic champion, Pierre Vaultier of France. Last year, Vaultier topped off a commanding season in the event with a win at the world championship.But Kearney had a breakout season in 2017, placing seventh at the world championship.Nick Baumgartner and Jonathan Cheever round out the U.S. contingent. Cheever took an interesting road to Pyeongchang: He’s a licensed plumber, and to pay the bills while training, he worked as a subcontractor for Home Depot.Watch live on NBC 7 at 9:05 p.m. Wednesday or watch the full elimination runs on digital platforms at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday at this link. 4. Norway’s Attacking Vikings, Austria’s Defending Champion Vie in Men’s DownhillAfter a postponement due to inclement weather, athletes will finally have the chance to go for gold in men’s downhill. The event features Norway’s formidable “Attacking Vikings” trying to wrest the gold from the defending champion, Austria’s Matthias Mayer, who is trying to become the first man to defend his title.Among the Norwegians to watch: Kjetil Jansrud, the 2014 Olympic bronze medalist, who had the fastest time at this year’s Olympic test event, and Aksel Lund Svindal, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist and fourth-place finisher in Sochi, who is second in the World Cup standings. Alpine skiing might be an individual sport, but the Norwegians take it on as a team.Team USA has only one man in the top 20 of the World Cup standings. But Bryce Bennett, who is ranked 18th, had the seventh-fastest time in Wednesday’s training run.Watch the gold medal event live during NBC’s primetime coverage, beginning Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT, or on digital platforms at 6 p.m. PT at this link.5. It’s All in the Art for Skeleton Helmets As the men begin the competition in skeleton, pay attention to their helmets. As athletes race down a track at speeds upwards of 80 mph, the helmet is not just an accessory but a necessity. But that doesn’t mean the helmet can’t look cool while serving its purpose.If you’re interested in the meaning behind the helmets, check out this video here. Or watch the men in their first and second runs on the digital platform on Wednesday beginning at 5 p.m. PT (Runs 1 and 2) at this link.6. Let the High-5 Tour Begin! Carlsbad’s Shaun White wowed the world with his impressive halfpipe final run that nabbed him his third Olympic gold medal. The morning after, there’s controversy over how the athlete handled the US flag and how he described a lawsuit settled in 2016 but for White, he’s already looking ahead to the potential of competing in a Summer Olympics event. Moments after his win, White talked with NBC 7’s Steven Luke about the moment he realized it was all or nothing. He was standing at the top of the halfpipe and the music had started when he knew this was his moment. White has described his previous gold medal wins as the launch of a year-long high-5 tour because everywhere he goes, people want to give him a high 5. Let the high-5 tour begin, Shaun! You earned it! Watch all three of White’s gold medal runs here.7. The Knierims Advance in Pairs Figure SkatingAfter 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 7’s primetime coverage, which beings at 5 p.m., or on digital platforms at 5:30 p.m. PT.Photo Credit: Getty Images This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Source: NBC San Diego