Shiffrin set up as Olympic downhill star; Vonn, Hirscher could play spoiler role

February 9, 2018

(AP) — If Mikaela Shiffrin continues to race as well as she has been, she is setting herself up to be the biggest star of the Pyeongchang Olympics. Not just of Alpine skiing, but the entire Winter Games. To put it simply: She is about as close to unbeatable as can be right now. Shiffrin, a 22-year-old American, won the first five women’s World Cup races she entered in 2018, and seven of her past eight on the circuit, competing against the best the world has to offer and outclassing them time and again. And Shiffrin is not merely winning — she is overwhelming opponents, ...

Daily TV Schedule

February 9, 2018

Events and ceremonies will be broadcast on NBC, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), USA, CNBC and the Olympic Channel. Broadcast times are Eastern Daylight unless noted. Thursday, Feb. 8 NBC 8-11:30 p.m. — Figure Skating: Team Event (LIVE), Men’s Short Program, Pairs’ Short Program; Freestyle Skiing: Men’s & Women’s Moguls NBCSN 2-6 a.m. — Mixed Doubles Curling: Canada vs. Norway, China vs. Switzerland 6-10 a.m. — Mixed Doubles Curling: United States vs. Canada (LIVE), China vs. South Korea; Ski Jumping: Men’s Individual Normal Hill 8-11:35 p.m. — Mixed Doubles ...

Speedskating’s short track will be jumping

February 9, 2018

(AP) — If you like your Olympic competition staid and sportsmanlike, the short track speedskating rink isn’t the place. The skaters’ helmets and pads are a dead giveaway elbows will be flying at high speeds. Darting down low or around the pack to secure a better position can cause crashes that earned the sport its reputation as roller derby on ice. Throw in the fact that South Korea is a hotbed for short track and it makes sense that Gangneung Ice Arena will seat 12,000 spectators for the rock ‘em, sock ‘em action. How prickly and passionate is the host country about the ...

Ski jump champ Stoch primed for podium at PyeongChang

February 9, 2018

(AP) — Double Olympic champion Kamil Stoch is in peak form as he aims to defend his ski jumping titles at the Pyeongchang Games. When Stoch won double gold in Sochi, he became just the third man to do so. Matti Nykanen of Finland won both golds in 1988. Switzerland’s Simon Ammann won two golds in 2002 and 2010. Here’s some of what to know going into ski jumping at the Pyeongchang Games: MEDAL FAVORITES Slovenia’s Peter Prevc won silver on the normal hill and bronze on the large hill in Sochi. While he has struggled this year on the World Cup circuit he will be banking on ...

Bobsledding should find its next driving star

February 9, 2018

(AP) — This could be the most uncertain Olympic bobsled competition in some time. The most wide open, too. In 2014, it was widely expected that Russia would be tough to beat in the two- and four-man races. And it was, with Alexandr Zubkov winning gold in both events, only to have those ...

New mass start event spices up speedskating

February 9, 2018

(AP) — The big oval is going to get a lot more crowded at the Pyeongchang Games. Speedskating is spicing itself up with the Olympic debut of the mass start, featuring up to 24 skaters racing 16 laps at the same time. That’s quite a change from the traditional time trial format in which pairs race against the clock. The sport’s big names — from Shani Davis to Claudia Pechstein to Sven Kramer and Ireen Wust — will toe the starting line in pursuit of more gold to add to their glittering collections. Speedskating begins Feb. 10 with the women’s 3,000 meters at the Gangneung ...