Mikaela Shiffrin won the Beijing Olympics’ first event four years ago.
American Star, will defend her title in the giant slalom. It will be part prime-time coverage on Sunday on NBC. However, anyone who wishes to see the final should plan to stay up until late. The second giant slalom run is set to begin at midnight Eastern.
Sunday night also sees the conclusion of the team figure skating competition. The men’s final in slopestyle snowboarding could be another highlight after Red Gerard won this event in 2018.
ALPINE SKIING
The giant slalom is the first matchup between Shiffrin (Slovakia) and Petra Vlhova (Slovakia), whose rivalry will likely extend across many skiing events at these Olympics. Vlhova was 13th in Pyeongchang 2018 in this event. However, she won the title of world champion a year later.
Shiffrin won two 2018 medals: a gold in giant and combined slalom, and she also won slalom in 2014.
The first giant slalom race is set for 9:15 p.m. NBC will carry the live broadcast. The network’s late-night coverage will show the second run live. USA Network will live-broadcast the first run.
FIGURESKATING
The live coverage of the team event in primetime is also provided by NBC. The competition ends with the free skate for pairs, free dance and free skate for women.
Five countries who advance to the next stage can make no more than two substitutions to their lineups. American ice dancers Madison Hubbell (USA) and Zachary Donohue (USA) performed the best rhythm dance performance, skating to a Janet Jackson song.
SNOWBOARDING
Both the men’s snowboarding events in slopestyle snowboarding were won by the U.S. at the Olympics, Gerard in 2018 & Sage Kotsenburg 2014Â Five of six medals were won by North Americans in each of those years.
NBC will show the final slopestyle during its late-night coverage.
BIGAIR
Big Air is now available for freestyle skiing. This event was previously only open to snowboarders from Pyeongchang. NBC and USA Network will live-broadcast qualifying for women’s competitions in prime time. Qualifying for men’s competitions will be shown live on USA Network’s late night coverage.
Competitors will jump at Big Air Shougang — a repurposed iron and steel mill that holds the only permanent Big Air facility in the world. It is located within Beijing’s city boundaries. As the mountain sport seeks to expand its reach in metropolitan areas, temporary structures have been constructed for events at Boston’s Fenway Park as well as Atlanta’s Truist Park.
Colby Stevenson, a U.S. freeskier, has called temporary jumps supported by scaffolds “pretty sketchy.” The Shougang jump, which is located near three abandoned cooling towers, has received positive reviews.
Alex Hall, a teammate, said that they “basically just spliced up a mountain jump to put it into a city.” It’s beautiful looking.”
NO LOCKING
Felix Loch, a German luge star, is a two time Olympic champion in singles. However, his bid to win a third consecutive title fell apart when he hit a wall during the final run of 2018. Although he is back, he will be up against strong competition, including Johannes Ludwig, his countryman.
The last two runs of men’s luge will air during the 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. slot on USA Network as well as prime time on NBC.
ALSO OF NOTE
The U.S. women’s hockey team will face Switzerland live at 8.10 a.m., on USA Network. An encore presentation will be at 5 p.m. Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo from Norway returns to the stage after he won three gold medals for cross-country skiing in Pyeongchang. However, he did not win the skiathlon that year and the event is set for Sunday. It will be broadcast live by USA Network in the morning, and again during primetime. It will be broadcast by NBC in the afternoon. … Nils van den Poel, a Swedish speedskater, is the world record holder for the 5,000-meter race. He races live on USA Network in the morning, and then returns to NBC in the afternoon.
