5 to Watch: Vonn, Chen and a Classic Hockey Rivalry
By Staff Reports ••
Lindsey Vonn, Nathan Chen and Adam Rippon highlight another star-studded day in Pyeongchang.
Vonn, who hasn’t skied in the Olympics in eight years, makes her much-anticipated return in the Super-G. Chen and Rippon will try to cement medals for the U.S. in the men’s figure skating free skate. Plus, the U.S. hockey team faces an old nemesis: The Russians (even if they’re playing under a different flag).
Here are our 5 to Watch for the next 24 hours in Pyeongchang:
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United States alpine skier Lindsey Vonn attends her press conference at the Main Press Centre during previews ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 9, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea.
Eight Years Later, Lindsey Vonn Is Back
Lindsey Vonn has been the face of Team USA for nearly a decade now, so it’s easy to forget that she hasn’t competed in an Olympic games in eight years, and has won just one gold medal. She hopes to change both of those Saturday (Friday night in the U.S.).
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Vonn’s first race in Pyeongchang will be the Super-G. She won the bronze medal in the event at the Vancouver Games in 2010, but missed the Sochi Olympics due to a knee injury.
The downhill is Vonn’s best event, but she’s won 28 Super-G races in her career, including the 2009 world championship. In 2015, she returned from her knee injury and won the bronze medal at the world championships.
She plans to also enter the downhill and combined races in Pyeongchang.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the gold medal in the Giant Slalom earlier this week, will not compete in the Super G.
Watch live during NBC’s primetime coverage beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, or on digital platforms at 9 p.m. ET right here.
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Ryan Donato (16) of the United States handles the puck against Juraj Valach (16) of Slovakia during the Men's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group B game at Gangneung Hockey Centre on Feb. 16, 2018, in Gangneung, South Korea.
Cold War Battle: U.S. Men’s Hockey vs. the Russians
The U.S. men’s hockey team meets its old nemesis.
The U.S. and Russia have a rich history in Olympic hockey, dating back to 1980's Miracle on Ice, when America’s rag-tag team of college kids upset the mighty Russians and eventually won the gold. More recently, games between U.S. And Russia were marquee match-up featuring teams loaded with NHL players.
But the NHL is not participating in the Olympics, leaving both teams — but especially the Americans — a shell of what they could be.
The U.S. men’s team is made up mostly of college athletes, Americans playing professionally overseas and others playing in second-tier leagues. The Russian team is composed of players in the highly regarded Kontinental Hockey League.
And this time, the Russians are playing as the Olympic Athletes from Russia, because the Russian national team was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics due to doping.
The U.S. enters the game with a 1-1 record after losing to Slovenia in the opening game, but beating Slovakia on Friday. The Russians lost to Slovakia in their opener, but trounced Slovenia 8-2 on Friday afternoon (morning in the U.S.).
Several members of the men's hockey team have New England ties, including Harvard junior Ryan Donato and Boston University junior Jordan Greenway.
Watch live on NBCSN at 7:10 a.m. Saturday or on digital platforms right here.
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USA's figure skater Nathan Chen addresses a press conference during the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang on February 15, 2018.
Chen Looks to Redeem Early Stumbles in Men’s Final
Nathan Chen fell in his Pyeongchang debut in team event. He took tumbles in the men’s short program, plummeting to 17th place. But now, in the free skate final, Chen seeks to erase his early issues with a strong finish to his Pyeongchang competition.
Can he find momentum after two sub-par starts? The pre-Games favorite and two-time national champion missed on all of his jumps Friday morning (Thursday night), falling three times.
Men’s single skating continues with the free skate Saturday (Friday night in the U.S.), following the men’s short program the night before. Chen’s shot at a medal is slim from 17th place, as the scores are a combination of both the short program and the free skate. He needs to top the reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan for the gold medal, who lead the short program with a dominating, Olympic record-breaking performance.
Chen’s less-heralded teammates finished ahead of him — Adam Rippon took seventh and Vincent Zhou finished 12th.
Watch live on NBC’s primetime coverage beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, or on digital platforms right here.
Brookline Native Competes in Skeleton for Israel
Brookline native A.J. Edelman graduated from MIT and decided to pursue skeleton racing. He's competing for the Israeli Olympic team and is thought to be the first orthodox Jew at the Winter Games.
The 26-year-old was working for Oracle in Calfiornia after graduating from MIT, but he felt he wanted something more.
"I was kind of living the dream," he told NBC10 Boston's Brian Shactman. "I had a good degree, I had a good job lined up after college. (But) there was this pull on me to try to achieve something greater in sports that would have a meaningful impact."
Learn more about Edelman's Olympics journey right here.
Tough Day for Jacobellis
Lindsey Jacobellis, the most decorated women’s snowboard cross athlete ever, will finish her fourth Olympics just like the first three: without a gold medal.
Jacobellis, a five-time world champion, reached the finals of the event, then held onto a lead for the first two-thirds of the race. But she faded late, and finished in fourth place.
For Jacobellis, who was born in Connecticut and went to school in Vermont, it's just the latest moment in a disappointing Olympic career. It began 12 years ago, in Torino, when she seemed to have the gold medal wrapped up, with a huge lead down the race’s final stretch. But she tried a flashy move off a jump and fell, and settled for silver.
Since then, the Olympics have been her kryptonite. She crashed in early rounds in both 2008 and 2012, and failed to reach the final.
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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.
