7 to Watch: Jacobellis Gets Her Shot

Superstar skier Mikaela Shiffrin, prevented from skiing her signature event once already, might finally ski the slalom. Figure skater Nathan Chen is back on the ice after falling in his Olympic debut. Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis has another chance to show what she can do after disappointing finishes in the last three Olympics.Here are our “7 to Watch” in Pyeongchang for Thursday:  Guard Injured in ’01 Santana High Shooting Recounts Tragedy 1. Will Lindsey Jacobellis Live Up to Her Talent?Lindsey Jacobellis has been a favorite in the snowboard cross at every Winter Olympics since the sport was introduced in 2006, but she has won only one medal: a silver at the 2006 Turin Games. That year, she had a huge lead when she tried a flashy move and fell, and settled for silver. She was eliminated in 2010 and 2014 when she crashed.  Deputy District Attorney Warns ‘Sweetheart Scams’ are on the Rise Will this be the year she takes a gold? “I think I’ve been more forgiving of myself, moving on from mistakes I’ve made or losses I’ve had, and instead of holding on to it, what I did in the past, now letting that go and using it as a tool to apply towards my next race,” Jacobellis told NBC 7 when we spoke to her in November. Is This Yours? EPD Looking for Owners of Safe Found in Creek She lives in Encinitas so she can take advantage of the sunshine and surf as part of her training regimen. Watch live during NBC 7’s primetime coverage beginning at 5 p.m. PT Thursday, or on digital platforms beginning at 7:15 pm P.T. at this link. 2. Figure Skater Nathan Chen Hopes to Put Disappointing Debut Behind HimNathan Chen had an Olympic inaugural to forget when he fell during a triple axel in the men’s short program of the team event, but now he has a shot at redemption. During that first skate, the superstar known as the Quad King missed a planned triple toe loop at the end of his quadruple flip and turned his quadruple toe loop into a double. Then he fell. He later said he thought he was a little too excited, though skaters have complained about the early ice-skating schedule.Despite the struggles, Chen’s score was good enough for fourth place on a day when many of the men fell, and the team eventually won a bronze medal. On Friday, the 18-year-old skates his short program as he begins his quest for an individual Olympic medal, and he’s still a gold medal favorite.Also set to skate are the three competitors who placed ahead of Chen in the earlier short program: Japan’s Shoma Uno, Canada’s Patrick Chan and Israel’s Alexei Bychenko.Watch live during NBC 7’s primetime coverage beginning at 5 p.m. PT Thursday, or on digital platforms at this link.3. Mikaela Shiffrin Goes for 2nd Gold in Two DaysFour years ago, at age 18, Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest-ever Olympic slalom champion. Now, she hopes to become the first person to win the event at two consecutive Olympics.The windy, wintry weather has forced Shiffrin to wait a few extra days to ski her signature event. Now, the event is scheduled for Friday morning (Thursday night in the U.S.).Shiffrin looks to make the slalom her second gold in two days — she ended up on top in the giant slalom after two electric runs Thursday morning (Wednesday night in the U.S.). Racing on back-to-back days shouldn’t be a problem for her — World Cup races are often held on consecutive days.Shiffrin is one of the Winter Olympics’ marquee athletes, and fans have waited anxiously for this race. The slalom is her specialty: Last year, she became the first woman to win three consecutive slalom world titles in 78 years.The men’s Super-G will also be held on Friday. Austrian Matthias Mayer will be trying to hold off the “Attacking Vikings” of Norway. A possible medal surprise: American Andrew Weibrecht, who entered the previous two Olympics with low expectations and won medals both times.Watch Shiffrin’s first run during NBC 7’s primetime coverage beginning at 5 p.m. PT Thursday, or on digital platforms at this link.Watch Shiffrin’s second run during NBC 7’s Prime Plus coverage beginning at 9:05 p.m. or live on digital platforms beginning at 8:45 p.m. PT Thursday at this link.Watch the men’s Super-G on digital platforms beginning 6 p.m. PT on Thursday Night at this link.4. U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Looks to Rebound Against SlovakiaAfter a shocking 3-2 loss to Slovenia in its opening game, the U.S. men’s hockey team hopes to rebound against Slovakia on Friday (Thursday night in the U.S.). The Americans blew a two-goal lead against Slovenia before losing in overtime.The men’s team is made up mostly of little-known players — college athletes and Americans playing professionally overseas — because the National Hockey League decided that it would not allow its players to participate for the first time since 1998. That’s forced comparisons to the famed 1980 Miracle on Ice team that won the Olympic gold medal.If the Americans are going to pull off another Olympic miracle, they don’t want to start the tournament with two losses.Watch live on CNBC at 7 p.m. PT Thursday, or on digital platforms at this link. 5. “All-or-nothing” Aerial Skier Ashley Caldwell Goes for TriplesAerial skier Ashley Caldwell is the current world champion, and though she has struggled for most of the past year, she should contend for a gold medal.Her ability to land triples makes her stand out. Her biggest trick to date: a quadruple-twisting triple backflip.She finished second in the World Cup rankings in 2015 and won the World Cup title in 2016, and then won the gold medal at the 2017 world championships in March. But she’s struggled since, and finished 2017 ranked 10th in the world.Watch the aerials live at 3 a.m. PT Friday on digital platforms at this link.6. Team USA Bobsled Led by Former Local Elana Meyers-TaylorThe United States women’s bobsled team appeared on the Today Show and talked about their preparation for competition.The team spent their final days leading up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in a place that feels like summer: Chula Vista.They took advantage of the Elite Athlete Training Center, formerly an Olympic training center, where they can prepare physically and mentally for the biggest competition of their lives.The US women are led by two-time Olympic medalist Elana Meyers-Taylor who used to live in San Diego.She and husband, U.S. Olympian Nic Taylor who is also competing in the Winter Olympics, posted an adorable photo on Valentine’s Day.But after all the discussion about the excitement and anticipation, these women mean business and will be ready when their runs begin Tuesday, Feb. 20.Watch the Today Show interview here.7. Falls, Falls and More FallsThere are those Olympic fans who loved the “agony of defeat” moment in the opening of the Wide World of Sports TV program. For those of you out there – and you know who you are – here is a special compilation of some of the more spectacular falls in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. Watch the montage of clips here.Photo Credit: 2017 NBCUniversal Media, LLC 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