What Is Team USA’s Best Chance at Winning Its First Gold Medal? originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The 2022 Winter Olympics haven’t started according to plan for the United States.
Through two days, Team USA is without a gold medal. The squad does have two silvers, courtesy of Julia Marino and Jaelin Kauf. Norway and Sweden lead all nations with two gold medals each.
So, when will Team USA win its first gold medal? Here’s a look at some of the upcoming opportunities:
Figure skating team event
The team event portion of figure skating will conclude on Sunday night, and the U.S. is in prime position to claim a medal. There are three final events tonight beginning at 8 p.m. ET — the pairs’ free skate, ice dance free skate and women’s free skate.
Team USA enters Sunday night second in the overall standings behind the Russian Olympic Committee. ROC has 45 points, the U.S. has 42 and Japan has 39, as one of those three will likely be the gold medalist.
Men’s alpine skiing downhill
A trio of American skiers will hit the slopes on Sunday at 11 p.m. ET looking to win gold in downhill. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Travis Ganong and Bryce Bennett are the U.S. competitors, though Cochrane-Siegle is likely the only medal contender after his strong World Cup performance.
Men’s snowboarding slopestyle
Snowboarding slopestyle will take place at 11 p.m. ET on Sunday, and it is expected to be a potentially golden opportunity for the USA. Sean FitzSimons and Red Gerard both advanced to the final runs by placing third and fifth in the qualifiers, respectively. Chris Corning also qualified with his 11th-place run.
Women’s giant slalom
Team USA star Mikaela Shiffrin has a chance to defend her giant slalom gold from the 2018 Games. The first runs for giant slalom are set for Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by the final, medal-awarding runs at 1:30 a.m. ET on Monday. Nina O’Brien, Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt will also compete for Team USA.
