It took a few days, but the wait was very worthwhile as Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) won the giant slalom gold medal at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games Thursday.

After three days of howling winds at the Yongpyong Alpine Centre that first postponed the giant slalom – originally scheduled for Monday – then Wednesday’s slalom event, racers were finally greeted with sunshine and a hard-fast course.

“I skied well,” Shiffrin said after the first run in which she finished second to Italy’s Manuela Moelgg by 0.02-seconds. “I skied loose and I put some of my good skiing from training in there. But I also feel like I can go a little bit harder and there’s nothing to hold back for on the second run. That’s the nice thing about the Olympics – you don’t hold back!"

Indeed, she held nothing back in the second run, posting the fastest time to move atop the leaderboard and put all the pressure on Moelgg, which was too much for the Italian as she slipped to eighth. Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel won the silver, while Italy’s Federica Brignone won the bronze.

“I feel like my best was good enough today," said Shiffrin after her win. "To have an opportunity to win a medal at the Olympics at all is incredible, so for me, today was special. After Sochi, I set a goal that I wanted to come to the next Olympics and I wanted to be one of the best giant slalom skiers in the world. It’s never easy, and I put a lot of fight into the second run, and it feels incredible.”

Three-time Olympians Megan McJames (Park City, Utah) and Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) finished 31st and 36th respectively. Patricia Mangan made her Olympic debut, but slide out on the first run and did not finish.

“Skiing wise, I’m happy to have laid it all on the table,” said Mangan, who has been enjoying her first Olympic experience, including watching a number of events. “I love watching the other events … speed skating, which I have never seen before, and when you’re right there next to the rink, it’s crazy, it’s so awesome. Being at the Olympics, you have an appreciation for how much work everybody has put in to get here.”

Up next, Shiffrin defends her 2014 Olympic gold in slalom Friday, first run is 10:00 a.m. KT / 8:00 p.m. EST Thursday. The second run is 1:15 p.m. KT / 11:15 p.m. EST Thursday. Other starters for Team USA include Stiegler, McJames and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.).

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

Racing under bright sunshine and on a perfect track, Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) led Team USA in the downhill, finishing 16th, at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games Thursday.

“I treated this run like any other run," Bennett said. "I just didn’t perform the way I wanted. I will use this run to move forward, over the next four years, and I will be ready for the next Olympic Winter Games.”

Aksel Lund Svindal won Norway’s first-ever downhill gold. His countryman Kjetil Jansrud won the silver medal. Switzerland’s Beat Feuz won the bronze.

"I am super happy how I approached today and how I skied," said Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah), who was 20th. "I was skiing at a really high level and I am proud of that. Some things happened with the wind and made it very difficult for anyone in the middle of the pack to break the top 10. I have no control over that so I am just happy how I executed my run."

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.), who replaced Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Wednesday’s downhill training, was 23rd.

"I feel for him (Biesemeyer) right now," Cochran-Siegle said. "When I was coming back from my injury we were working closely together, so I understand what he is going through and I only want the best for him. I am going to try best as possible to send him positive vibes and race with him again soon. I am proud of my run today and excited to race tomorrow.”

"Coming into today I felt excited," said Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.), who made his Olympic debut and finished 30th. "I was looking forward to racing. The Olympics are notorious for allowing anyone to do anything. I didn’t come in with the highest expectation but there is always a little bit of a dream that if I do ski well, maybe I could sneak into the top. I wasn’t too nervous, I just felt excited to be here."

Thursday’s downhill was originally scheduled for Sunday, but high winds at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre forced Olympic organizers to reschedule the event.

"There is a great energy in this group of skiers," said men's coach Johno McBride. "Although it is very difficult to have three athletes get hurt, there is a lot of positive momentum moving forward. I am very proud of the way everyone skied today. These athletes put a plan together and executed that plan. That is what I am most proud of. Their result isn’t indicative of their performance - that is just a part of the sport."

Up next the men will compete in super-G Friday at 11:00 a.m. KT / 9:00 p.m. EST Thursday. Starting for Team USA will be Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.), Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Goldberg and Cochran-Siegle.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

START LIST
Men's super-G
 

Team USA downhill skier Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) suffered a season-ending right ankle injury during downhill training on Wednesday. He was taken by team medical staff to a local clinic, where he was treated and released. He will not compete in the men’s downhill on Thursday. His place in the race will be taken by Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.).

For Biesemeyer, it was a heartbreaking injury on the eve of his first Olympic event.

"I wonder why this happens. It is hard to not think if there is a deeper meaning to it all. You are supposed to be optimistic in times like these and say something like, ‘I will come back stronger than ever.’ But I just can't bring myself to do it. I am honored to have been named to Team USA and walking in the Opening Ceremony is a moment I’ll never forget.“

Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) collected his third career Olympic gold medal, winning the halfpipe snowboarding at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

White added PyeongChang gold to his Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 gold medal collection. In addition, his victory was the 100th Olympic gold medal won by Team USA in Olympic Winter Games history. Team USA has also swept all four snowboard gold medals awarded this far at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, adding White’s title to both Red Gerard and Jamie Anderson’s slopestyle victories, and Chloe Kim’s halfpipe victory.

The leader after the first run with a score of 94.25, White was displaced by Japan's Ayumu Hirano, who upped the ante with a second run of 95.25. That set up the drama of White's final run, which he nailed, soaring to a 97.75 to win his third Olympic gold medal.

Hirano held on for the silver medal, while Scotty James of Australia made his first run score of 92.00 stand up for the bronze medal.

Ben Ferguson (Bend. Ore.) finished fourth, while Chase Josey (Hailey, Idaho) was sixth and Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) eighth.

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe

ALPINE
Biesemeyer Injured In Downhill Training
Team USA downhill skier Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) suffered a season-ending right ankle injury during downhill training on Wednesday. He was taken by team medical staff to a local clinic, where he was treated and released. He will not compete in the men’s downhill. His place in the race will be taken by Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.).
For Biesemeyer, it was a heartbreaking injury on the eve of his first Olympic event.
"I wonder why this happens. It is hard to not think if there is a deeper meaning to it all. You are supposed to be optimistic in times like these and say something like, ‘I will come back stronger than ever.’ But I just can't bring myself to do it. I am honored to have been named to Team USA and walking in the Opening Ceremony is a moment I’ll never forget.”
The men’s downhill is schedule to start Thursday at 11:30 a.m. KT / 9:30 p.m. EST Wednesday. Scheduled to start for Team USA are Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah), Maple Wiley (Aspen, Colo.) and Cochran-Siegle.
START LIST
Men’s downhill

Women’s Slalom Postponed To Friday
Due to strong winds at the Alpensia Alpine Centre, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games women’s slalom has been postponed to Friday. The first run starts at 10:00 a.m. KT / 8:00 p.m. EST Thursday, and second run starts at 1:15 p.m. KT / 11:15 p.m. EST Thursday. Men's super-G start will be at 11:00 a.m. KT / 9:00 p.m. EST Thursday.
Despite the postponements, athletes and staff remain optimistic. “It is definitely unfortunate that we weren’t able to race today, but it is important we have a fair race for all of the athletes and today’s conditions would definitely not have been fair," said Mikaela Shiffrin. "Weather delays and postponements are just the nature of an outdoor sport, but we’ll continue to take it day by day and I look forward to getting in the start gate!”
Head Women's Coach Paul Kristofic agreed that, though this is a bummer, it is not entirely abnormal as ski racing is a sport that relies on Mother Nature to cooperate. "We’ve been through days like this before, in World Cup, quite often and the number one thing is safety and the second thing is to have a good, fair race," noted Kristofic. "So neither of those were achievable today. Now we’re going to get ready for giant slalom, so there’s going to be giant slalom training this afternoon. We roll with the punches and make the best of the situation and try to prepare the best we can for the next day.”

Women’s Giant Slalom Thursday
The women’s slalom is scheduled for Thursday, with a first run start time of 10:00 a.m. KT / 8:00 p.m. EST Wednesday. The second run is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. KT / 11:45 p.m. EST Wednesday. Starting for Team USA are Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Megan McJames (Park City, Utah.).
START LIST
Women’s giant slalom

FREESKIING
Team USA Freeskiing Athletes Arrive At Games
Members of the Team USA halfpipe freeskiing team arrived in at the Games following a training block in Japan that turned into days of powder skiing.
"We actually went over to Japan for a training session, which quickly turned into powder skiing and we can’t really complain about that,” Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) said. “It definitely put our heads in a great place moving into the Games."
Upon their arrival to PyeongChang, the team had a chance to witness Shaun White winning his third Olympic halfpipe snowboarding gold medal. It was clear his performance lit a fire under the freeski athletes.
"Shaun set the bar and now it’s time for us to see if we can match it,” said defending halfpipe freeskiing gold medalist David Wise (Reno, Nev.) “I feel very grateful to have been there and cheer the team on.”
Freeskiing halfpipe competition kicks off Monday with the women’s qualifying. The men’s qualifying is scheduled for Tuesday.

NORDIC COMBINED
Fletcher Leads Team USA in 19th
Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was the top American in 19th Wednesday in the normal hill/10k event. Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was 35th, followed by Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) in 41st and Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) 45th.
The Gundersen large hill/10k is scheduled for Tuesday, following by the team event on Thursday, Feb. 22.
RESULTS
Gundersen NH 109/10k

SNOWBOARD
White Reclaims Halfpipe Gold
Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) collected his third career Olympic gold medal, winning the halfpipe snowboarding at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
White added PyeongChang gold to his Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 gold medal collection. In addition, his victory was the 100th Olympic gold medal won by Team USA in Olympic Winter Games history. Team USA has also swept all four snowboard gold medals awarded this far at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, adding White’s title to both Red Gerard and Jamie Anderson’s slopestyle victories, and Chloe Kim’s halfpipe victory.
Ben Ferguson (Bend. Ore.) finished fourth, while Chase Josey (Hailey, Idaho) was sixth and Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) eighth. … READ MORE / RESULTS

Men’s Snowboardcross Thursday
The men’s snowboardcross qualifying and finals are scheduled for Thursday at Phoenix Snow Park. Starting for Team USA are Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, Mass), Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.), Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), and Hagen Kearney (Telluride, Colo.). Qualifying starts at 11:00 a.m. KT /9:00 p.m. EST Wednesday. Finals are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. KT / 11:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.
START LIST
Men's snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14
NBC
3:00-5:00 p.m. - Nordic combined 10k cross country
8:00-11:30 p.m. - Men's downhill (live)
12:05-1:30 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals (live)

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
8:00-10:00 p.m. - Women's giant slalom first run (Thursday)
9:00-10:35 p.m. - Men's snowboardcross seeding round (Thursday)
9:30-11:30 p.m. - Men's downhill
11:45 p.m. -12:15 a.m. - Women's giant slalom second run (Thursday)
11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals (Thursday)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15
NBC
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Women's 10k freestyle cross country
8:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. - Women's snowboardcross finals (live), women's freestyle aerials, women's 10k freestyle cross country

NBCSN
5:00-7:10 a.m. - Women's 10k freestyle cross country
11:00 p.m.-2:40 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country (live)

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
5:00-7:00 a.m. - Medal Ceremony (live)
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals
1:30-3:15 a.m. - Women's 10k freestyle
6:00-7:15 a.m. - Women's aerials qualifying
8:00-9:50 p.m. - Women's slalom first run (Friday)
8:00-9:25 p.m. - Women's snowboardcross seeding
9:00-11:10 p.m. - Men's alpine super-G (Friday)
10:15-11:15 p.m. - Women's snowboardcross finals
11:15 p.m. -12:15 a.m. - Women's giant slalom second run (Friday)
1:00-2:50 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country (Friday)

FRIDAY, FEB 16
NBC
3:00-5:00 p.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country, men's large hill ski jumping
8:00-12:00 p.m. - Women's super G (live), women's aerials finals

12:35-2:00 a.m. - Women's slopestyle skiing finals

NBCSN
10:45 a.m.-2:00 p.m. - Men's large hill ski jumping

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
5:00-7:00 a.m. - Medal Ceremony (live)
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
12:00-2:50 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country
6:00-7:20 a.m. - Women's aerials finals
7:30-8:40 a.m. - Men's large hill ski jumping qualifying
8:00-9:40 p.m.- Women's slopestyle skiing qualifying (Saturday)
9:00-10:55 p.m.- Women's super-G (Saturday)
11:00-12:35 a.m. - Women's slopestyle skiing finals (Saturday)

ALPINE
Ligety Fifth In Alpine Combined
Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) finished fifth in the men's alpine combined to lead Team USA at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre Tuesday afternoon at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
In the first-run downhill, Ligety finished 26th, 2.12 seconds off the lead, which proved to be too large of a margin to overcome to land on the podium, despite skiing the fourth-fastest time in the second-run slalom.
“I was happy with how I did today,” said Ligety, who won the 2006 alpine combined gold medal at the Torino Games. “To battle from a disadvantage against some of the best slalom skiers in the world isn’t really the formula for a medal, but I’m happy with how I skied both runs.” ... READ MORE / RESULTS

Shiffrin Opens Olympics With Slalom Wednesday
The women’s slalom is scheduled for Wednesday, with a first run start time of 10:15 a.m. KT / 8:15 p.m. EST Tuesday. The second run is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. KT / 11:45 p.m. EST Tuesday. Starting for Team USA are Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) and Megan McJames (Park City, Utah.).
START LIST
Women’s slalom

CROSS COUNTRY
Diggins Sixth In Classic Sprint
Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) skied with guts and determination, challenging for a medal in the Olympic classic sprint but falling just short in sixth. Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) was eighth on a windy night at the Alpensia Cross Country Centre.
The men's gold went to Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo - his first Olympic medal, with Sweden's Stina Nilsson taking gold for the women in a hard fought battle with defending Sochi Olympic champion Maiken Caspersen Falla.
Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) led the U.S. men finishing 20th after a quarterfinal crash that sent him to the back of the pack. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) was 25th. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), who went out in a fast quarterfinal heat, was 12th. It was the first time the USA has ever placed three athletes into the top 12 in an Olympic cross country event.
While a medal eluded Team USA, it was a classic race outcome few could have predicted just a few years earlier. "For me, just making the final has been a huge step forward," said Diggins. "If you had told me a year ago that I would make the Olympic classic finals, I never would have believed you. We had really competitive skis today and we have such a deep and strong women’s team so I’m really stoked. I’m really, really proud of this race today, it was a good one for me and I think it shows some good things to come." ... READ MORE / RESULTS
 

NORDIC COMBINED
Nordic Combined Kicks Off Wednesday
Nordic combined gets underway Wednesday with a blend of Olympic veterans and rookies for Team USA. Veterans Bryan and Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will join first timers Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). Competition starts Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. KT / 1:00 a.m. EST.
START LIST
Nordic Combined Individual Gundersen NH/10k

SNOWBOARD
Chloe Gold - Arielle Bronze
Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) made her long-awaited Olympic halfpipe debut and rode away with a gold medal.
On her first run of the three-run final, Kim opened up with a 93.75 to take the lead over China’s Jiayu Lui, who scored an 89.75 on her second run to give her silver. On her third-run victory lap, Kim nailed back-to-back 1080s – the first in Olympic history – to score a 98.25.
Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) nailed her final run to take the bronze medal with a score of 85.75, bumping three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, Vt.) into fourth with a score of 83.50.
With the gold medal in her pocket, Kim still wanted more out of her third and final run. "I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied taking the gold and knowing that I hadn’t put down my best," she said. "That third run was for me - to put down the best run I could do."
Kim, whose Korean roots had made her a national sport hero, was visibly moved by the accomplishment. "Standing on the podium was insane - just realizing how far I’ve come as a person and an athlete," she said. … READ MORE / RESULTS

Team USA Qualifies All Four For Halfpipe Finals
Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) led four Team USA riders in qualifying to advance to the final round of men's snowboard halfpipe Tuesday at Phoenix Snow Park.
The leader after the first run with a 93.25, White answered a challenge by Australian Scotty James and added more than five points to his second run score.
“Today was all about just getting into finals,” White said. “ I was stoked to put that first run down and it took the pressure right off. Then I saw everyone putting amazing runs down and I figured I would step it up and send it on my last one. I knew I had it in me and all the other riders just fired me up."
Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) finished fourth, while Chase Josey (Hailey, Idaho) and Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) were seventh and eighth, respectively.
The men's halfpipe finals are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. KT Wednesday / 8:30 p.m. EST Tuesday.
START LIST
Men’s halfpipe Finals

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.
TUESDAY, FEB. 13
NBC
3:00-5:00 p.m. - Men's and women's classic sprint finals
8:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m. - Women's alpine slalom first run (live), men's halfpipe snowboarding finals (live)
12:05 a.m.-1:30 a.m. - Women's slalom second run (live)

NBCSN
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Men's and women's classic sprint finals

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
8:15-9:50 p.m. - Women's alpine slalom first run (Wednesday)
8:30-10:10 p.m. - Men's halfpipe snowboarding final (Wednesday)
11:45 p.m.-1:25 a.m. - Women's alpine slalom second run (Wednesday)

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14
NBC
3:00-5:00 p.m. - Nordic combined 10k cross country
8:00-11:30 p.m. - Men's downhill (live)
12:05-1:30 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals (live)

NBCSN
2:30-6:30 a.m. - Nordic combined 10k cross country (live)

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
5:00-7:00 a.m. - Medal Ceremony (live)
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
11:45 p.m.-1:25 a.m. - Women's slalom second run
1:00-1:55 a.m. - Nordic combined jump
3:45-4:45 a.m. - Nordic combined cross country
7:30-9:00 p.m. - Women's giant slalom first run (Thursday)
9:00-11:05 p.m. - Men's downhill
9:00-10:35 p.m. - Men's snowboardcross seeding round (Thursday)
11:15 p.m. -12:15 a.m. - Women's giant slalom second run (Thursday)
11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals (Thursday)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15
NBC
3:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Women's 10k freestyle cross country
8:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m. - Women's snowboardcross finals (live), women's freestyle aerials, women's 10k freestyle cross country.

NBCSN
5:00-7:10 a.m. - Women's 10k freestyle cross country
11:00 p.m.-2:40 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country (live)

Olympic Channel: Home Of Team USA
5:00-7:00 a.m. - Medal Ceremony (live)
12:00-12:30 p.m. - Winter Olympics Daily with Jimmy Roberts

NBCOlympics.com - Live Streaming
11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m. - Men's snowboardcross finals
1:30-3:15 a.m. - Women's 10k freestyle
6:00-7:15 a.m. - Women's aerials qualifying
8:00-9:25 p.m. - Women's snowboardcross seeding
9:00-11:10 p.m. - Men's alpine super-G (Friday)
10:15-11:15 p.m. - Women's snowboardcross finals
1:00-2:50 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle cross country (Friday)

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) skied with guts and determination, challenging for a medal in the Olympic classic sprint but falling just short in sixth. Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) was eighth on a windy night at the Alpensia Cross Country Centre.

The men's gold went to Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo - his first Olympic medal, with Sweden's Stina Nilsson taking gold for the women in a hard fought battle with defending Sochi Olympic champion Maiken Caspersen Falla.

Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) led the U.S. men finishing 20th after a quarterfinal crash that sent him to the back of the pack. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) was 25th. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), who went out in a fast quarterfinal heat, was 12th. It was the first time the USA has ever placed three athletes into the top 12 in an Olympic cross country event.

While a medal eluded Team USA, it was a classic race outcome few could have predicted just a few years earlier. "For me, just making the final has been a huge step forward," said Diggins. "If you had told me a year ago that I would make the Olympic classic finals, I never would have believed you. We had really competitive skis today and we have such a deep and strong women’s team so I’m really stoked. I’m really, really proud of this race today, it was a good one for me and I think it shows some good things to come."

With three women and two men qualifying into the heats, Team USA came into the night time start with enthusiasm. Caldwell opened it up, taking second in her quarterfinal to advance. A few minutes later, Diggins did the same. Both controlled their pace in their opening heats advancing with strength. Bjornsen was also in a good position to move up, but could not quite close the gap coming into the finish.

In the men's opening quarterfinal, Bjornsen never lost contact with the chase pack and put himself into a strong position into the finish but couldn't close. Hamilton, a few heats later, was well positioned but got tangled on an uphill turn and crashed hard.

In the semifinals, Caldwell battled for a potential lucky loser spot but came up short. Diggins skied strong in her semi, winning a photo finish for second with Olympic Athlete from Russia Natalia Nepryaeva.

Wednesday will be a rest day with Diggins back Thursday for the 10k freestyle where she will be among favorites.

RESULTS
Men's Olympic Classic Sprint 
Women's Olympic Classic Sprint 

Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah) soared into the darkness Monday night at the Alpensia Ski Jumping Center to lead the USA women in their normal hill Olympic competition. Hendrickson, making her second Olympic appearance, finished 19th. Norway’s Maren Lundby took gold with Katharina Althaus of Germany silver. Bronze went to Japan’s Sara Takanashi, one of the sport’s biggest stars who had missed the medals in its debut in 2014.

Hendrickson combined jumps of 86.0 and 88.0 meters for a score of 160.6. In her Olympic debut, veteran Abby Ringquist (Park City, Utah) soared 77.0 and 90.0 meters to finish 29th. Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.), also in her first Olympics, was 31st.

“I came here to smile and have fun,” said Hendrickson. “It’s the Olympics - there’s nothing better than that.”

The event was another milestone for the American pioneers of women’s ski jumping with Ringquist taking the final ride of her career. “I’m so proud of myself for pushing myself the last four years and working my butt off to get to the Olympics,” said Ringquist, who had narrowly missed the 2014 team. “It’s been such a unique experience - I’m living my childhood dream.”

Like Hendrickson, she sees herself as a mentor to new athletes coming into the sport. “There are some great young girls coming up and I was lucky enough to watch them compete in a World Cup a few years ago and pass the torch. I look forward to guiding them.”

Hendrickson also reflected on the growth of the sport. “The progression of women’s ski jumping since Sochi is tremendous. We have way more athletes and countries and I’m proud to be a part of it. It’s cool to see younger girls coming up - we love to see them on the start list and look to the future.”

Englund had to nervously wait out the round, just missing the cut in 31st hoping to get a second jump.

All three Olympians will remain in PyeongChang taking in the Olympics and marching in the closing ceremony. Both Hendrickson and Englund are expected to finish up with the World Cup tour in March.

RESULTS
Women's normal hill

Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) finished fifth in the men's alpine combined to lead Team USA at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre Tuesday afternoon at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

In the first-run downhill, Ligety finished 26th, 2.12 seconds off the lead, which proved to be too large of a margin to overcome to land on the podium, despite skiing the fourth-fastest time in the second-run slalom.

“I was happy with how I did today,” said Ligety, who won the 2006 alpine combined gold medal at the Torino Games. “To battle from a disadvantage against some of the best slalom skiers in the world isn’t really the formula for a medal, but I’m happy with how I skied both runs.”

Austria's Marcel Hirscher won the gold after posting the fastest slalom run of the day. France swept the remaining two podium spots, with Alexis Pinturault earning the silver medal and Victor Muffat-Jeandet claiming the bronze.

Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) finished in 15th in the downhill and 17th overall in his first Olympic event.

“The results don’t dictate how I felt,” Bennett said. “I thought I executed well mentally and technically in the downhill, but I was two seconds out and it’s hard to rebound from that.

“It was cool to get my first Olympic race out of the way because it was a little nerve-racking,” Bennett added, “so, for the downhill race I think I can be in a better place mentally.”

Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) was 36th, but most importantly, finished fourth in the downhill portion, setting himself up for Thursday’s downhill race.

“My downhill run today was good, I’m happy with it,” Goldberg said. “There are a couple of things I can clean up, but it was good to get another training run for the downhill race.”

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) also raced Tuesday but did not finish the downhill.

Up next, the men compete in downhill on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. KT / 9:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.  The men race Super-G on Friday at 11:00 a.m. KT / 9:00 p.m. EST Thursday.

“I’m feeling good in both super-G and giant slalom, and I feel like I’m skiing well,” Ligety said. “So hopefully I could get another couple good days of training in, and keep the ball rolling.”

RESULTS
Men’s alpine combined

Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) made her long-awaited Olympic halfpipe debut and rode away with a gold medal.

On her first run of the three-run final, Kim opened up with a 93.75 to take the lead over China’s Jiayu Lui, who scored an 89.75 on her second run to give her silver. On her third-run victory lap, Kim nailed back-to-back 1080s – the first in Olympic history – to score a 98.25.

Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) nailed her final run to take the bronze medal with a score of 85.75, bumping three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (Mt. Snow, Vt.) into fourth with a score of 83.50.

With the gold medal in her pocket, Kim still wanted more out of her third and final run. "I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied taking the gold and knowing that I hadn’t put down my best," she said. "That third run was for me - to put down the best run I could do." 

Kim, whose Korean roots had made her a national sport hero, was visibly moved by the accomplishment. "Standing on the podium was insane - just realizing how far I’ve come as a person and an athlete," she said.

Gold battled relentlessly all day - landing her runs and improving each time. "Coming in I knew I was going to need to land that run to be on the podium," she said. "I was committed to it all three runs. I felt pretty relaxed going into the third run. I knew I could let loose and do everything I could."

Her medal came with irony as it was earned at the expense of her mentor, Clark. "It was a bittersweet position to be in knowing it was between Kelly (Clark) and I for the bronze medal," said Gold. "She’s someone I’ve looked up to ever since I started snowboarding - even more so when I got to spend time with her over the years and have gotten to know the kind of person she is. She’s been a huge support system for me emotionally when things get challenging and I’m grateful to have her here for this experience."

Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.), who finished 12th after sliding out on all three of her runs going for a 1080, a trick she pulled off for the first time in competition at last month’s X Games, echoed Gold. 

"Kelly Clark has been an amazing inspiration to the whole sport of women’s snowboarding and it’s incredible how much she has pushed to progress the sport," said Mastro. "The longevity of her career is another thing to look up to and be inspired by. We all respect her a lot."

Clark put herself squarely into the medal hunt but fell just short in the end. "All the ladies are riding at a very high level today," she said. "That last run was definitely my best run of the day. So much of the time the Olympics can be something that you can survive and just make it through. Today I was calling the shots and was in the driver's seat. I enjoyed myself, managed myself well and rode well. I think it’s so easy to measure success by winning a medal, but for me this was an extremely successful day in the midst of it."

The Olympic champion and three-time medalist reflected back on the impact of her career and its legacy. "Not many athletes get to stick around long enough to see what their legacy will look like," she said. "This U.S. women’s team is an incredible group of talented young women and I’m so proud of them. I think my Olympic career could end today, but theirs is just getting started."

Team USA women's halfpipe riders have earned double-podium finishes in each of the last four Olympic Winter Games and have claimed 10 of the 18 medals awarded since the event made its debut at the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998. Kim's gold marked the 99th Team USA gold medal in Olympic Winter Games history and was the 99th medal won by ski and snowboard athletes since the Winter Games began in 1924.

RESULTS
Women’s halfpipe

Chloe Kim Winning Run Trick List
Method
Front 10
Cab 10
Front 9
McTwist
Crippler 7