The eighth day of competition at the 2018 Winter Games brings some of the heaviest hitters in the Olympics’ biggest sports, from Mikaela Shiffrin’s first skiing event to the explosive rivalry between the American and Canadian women’s hockey teams.
The 5 events to watch run the gamut from graceful pairs figure skating, where a married couple is representing the U.S., to extreme snowboard cross to team luge.
Here's what to watch out for over the next 24 hours:
Shiffrin Makes Her 2018 Olympic Debut (Finally) and Wins Gold!
Mikaela Shiffrin made her 2018 Winter Olympic debut Wednesday night after dangerous winds sidelined her competition twice.
And she did not disappoint. Shiffrin exploded down the giant slalom earing her first gold medal of the Pyeongchang games.
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Shiffrin was a breakout star at the Sochi Olympics, where the American became the youngest-ever Olympic slalom champion at age 18. Now 22, Shiffrin committed to skiing both the giant slalom and the slalom in Pyeongchang, and she might add the other three individual women’s races to her schedule.
Lindsey Vonn, another star American skier, isn't competing in the giant slalom.
Get a full recap on Shiffrin's gold winning run by tapping here.
Canada Bests US in Women’s Hockey 2-1
Canada scored twice in the second period in a 2-1 win over United States in women’s hockey Thursday.
Of the five women’s hockey finals in Olympic history, four were played between the U.S. and Canada, building what may be the biggest international rivalry in the sport, women or men.
Both the U.S. and Canada have guaranteed they're through to the semifinals of the 2018 Games by beating Finland and the Olympic Athletes from Russia, so this match was mainly about pride. It was also very likely a preview of the gold medal game, since both teams will be heavily favored in the semifinals.
Get a full recap and see the game by tapping here.
Americans Dierdorff, Kearney Look to Upset the Champ in Snowboard Cross Final
[NBCO-GalleryFeed] Model Olympian: Hagen Kearney
Mick Dierdorff and Hagen Kearney, of Bradford, Pennsylvania, will lead Team USA as they go for gold in the snowboard cross final late Wednesday night, but they’ll be up against stiff competition, not least from the defending Olympic champion, Pierre Vaultier of France. Last year, Vaultier topped off a commanding season in the event with a win at the world championship.
But Kearney had a breakout season in 2017, placing seventh at the world championship.
Nick Baumgartner and Jonathan Cheever round out the U.S. contingent. Cheever took an interesting road to Pyeongchang: He’s a licensed plumber, and to pay the bills while training, he worked as a subcontractor for Home Depot.
Watch live on NBC10 at 12:05 a.m. Thursday morning, or watch the full elimination runs on digital platforms at 11:30 p.m. ET Wednesday.
Meet the Winter Olympics Athletes With Pennsylvania and New Jersey Connections
The Knierims Advance in Pairs Figure Skating
After finishing 14th in the short program Tuesday night, married pairs figure skaters Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim will compete in the free skate Wednesday night. Medals in pairs’ figure skating will be awarded after the free skate.
The Knierims skated to “Come What May” from “Moulin Rouge” Wednesday (Tuesday night in the U.S.). Several pairs chose covers of classic hits — North Korea earned 10th place with their performance to Jeff Beck’s cover of Beatles classic “A Day in the Life.”
Married in 2016, the Knierims were named the American figure skating team’s sole pair for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Watch live as part of NBC10’s primetime coverage, which beings at 8 p.m., or on digital platforms at 8:30 p.m. ET.
How Fast? How Far? Local Winter Olympians by the Numbers
Pa.'s Summer Britcher Seeks Redemption in Team Luge Event
After a disappointing finish for a top-ranked U.S. men's team in double luge, the entire U.S. team is looking for redemption.
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania's Jayson Terdiman and Summer Britcher, who hails from Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, will join the rest of the U.S. team in the team luge event.
The Pennsylvanians have something to prove, after disappointing runs earlier. Summer Britcher set a track record in one of her runs but struggled at other times, and ended 19th in the women's race.
Terdiman, with partner Matt Mortensen, ended up in 10th despite being ranked as high as 3rd in the world earlier in the year.
But Justin Krewson and Andrew Sherk — who is from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania — placed a surprisingly high 8th in their competition.
Watch the Luge Team Relay live on digital platforms at 7:30 a.m. ET Thursday or on NBC10 during the Thursday afternoon broadcast.
