Winter Olympics 2014 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info and Day 10 Preview

The 2014 Winter Olympics keep rolling along in Sochi, and Day 10 guarantees to once again be another pivotal day for countries looking to return to the podium.

Seven events will award medals, with 21 total being given out. Some of the highlights of Day 10 will be the ice dancing finals, where Team USA hopes to pull out a gold medal in the free dance portion, and a women's hockey semifinal, as the Americans hit the ice once again one step away from the gold-medal game.

Here is a look at the current medal count:


While fans might not be able to catch every event live, here is a guide to Day 10 along with a breakdown of the most intriguing events. With all of the competitions being broadcast live on NBC Live Extra, each event is available online for live streaming.

Winter Olympics Schedule - Day 10
Time (ET) Sport   Event                    Matchup                             TV        Medal
12 a.m. Women's    Curling        South Korea vs. USA          NBCSN* No
12 a.m. Women's    Curling        Russia vs. Great Britain                                No
12 a.m. Women's    Curling        Japan vs. China                                            No
1 a.m. Men's         Biathlon 15-Kilometer Mass Start                NBCSN* Yes
2 a.m. Men's         Snowboard Cross Seeding Event                                        No
4:30 a.m. Men's         Snowboard Cross 1/8 Finals                                          No
4:52 a.m. Men's         Snowboard Cross Quarterfinals                                      No
5 a.m. Men's         Curling        Germany vs. Russia                                        No
5 a.m. Men's         Curling        Switzerland vs. USA                 USA        No
5 a.m. Men's         Curling        Norway vs. Denmark                                     No
5 a.m. Men's         Curling        China vs. Great Britain                                    No
5:04 a.m. Men's         Snowboard Cross Semifinals                    NBC* No
5:12 a.m. Men's         Snowboard Cross Finals                          NBC* Yes
7:30 a.m. Women's    Ice Hockey USA vs. Sweden                   NBCSN No
8:45 a.m. Freestyle    Skiing Men's Aerials Qualifications 1                                No
9:30 a.m. Freestyle    Skiing Men's Aerials Qualifications 2                                No
9:30 a.m. Bobsleigh Two-Man Heat 3                                                            No
10 a.m. Women's    Curling         China vs. Switzerland                                  No
10 a.m. Women's    Curling         Denmark vs. Great Britain                           No
10 a.m. Women's    Curling         Sweden vs. Japan                                         No
10 a.m. Women's    Curling         Canada vs. South Korea                               No
10 a.m. Figure Skating Ice Dance Free Dance                           NBCSN Yes
10 a.m. Women's Biathlon 12.5-Kilometer Mass Start                                     Yes
11:05 a.m.Bobsleigh Two-Man Heat 4                                                            Yes
12 p.m. Women's Ice Hockey Canada vs. Switzerland            NBCSN No
12:15 p.m.Men's Ski Jumping Team First Round                                             No
12:30 p.m.Freestyle Skiing Men's Aerial Final 1                                               No
12:55 p.m.Freestyle Skiing Men's Aerial Final 2                                               No
1:12 p.m. Freestyle Skiing Men's Aerial Final 3                          NBCSN* Yes
1:22 p.m. Men's Ski Jumping Team Final Round                        NBCSN* Yes
sochi2014.com/nbcolympics.com (*Tape delay)



Events to Watch

Men's Snowboard Cross


One of the newest sports in the Winter Olympics, the men's snowboard cross has only been in the Olympics since 2006. But with another pair of Americans promising to be competitive in the event, it will be one to watch.

Nate Holland has been a powerhouse in the sport for years, but has never gotten the job done on the Winter Olympics stage. But at 35 years old, Holland appears ready to stand on the Olympics podium for the first time in his career.

He spoke with Jason Stahl of NBCOlympics.com about his preparation and readiness for the event:

There’s not a lot I’m doing differently to prepare myself. At both Olympics I was riding really well. I’ve definitely progressed. My riding’s progressed. My fitness has progressed. My experience has progressed, so I feel a little bit more prepared. It’s just the longevity of myself being in the game of snowboarding.

Along with Holland, Nick Baumgartner is hoping to cash in on a huge opportunity that he's been afforded. Baumgartner claimed a spot at the Olympics over two-time defending gold medalist Seth Wescott and will have high expectations coming into the snowboard cross competition.

While two Americans have a shot at the podium, the favorite coming into the event is Austria's Markus Schairer. The Austrian won the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix back in December over Holland, as U.S. Snowboarding's official Twitter account points out:


Schairer is the man to beat, but the U.S. has had success in snowboarding thus far in the Olympics and could come out with yet another surprising outcome.


Women's Ice Hockey: USA vs. Sweden


Team USA suffered a tough blow against Canada in the final game of the preliminary round, but it is still on a course to face the Canadians yet again in the gold-medal match.

In order to get there, though, they'll have to put forward a blistering game against the Swedes.

If the fight in this team seems a little different than years past, it's due in large part to the change in head coach with Katey Stone at the helm. The first female coach in Team USA history said she has a more personal relationship with her team, as noted by Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune:

There are some things that are not gender-specific, but there are certainly things that are. My relationship with these players is different than a guy. You understand when you really demand more and it's OK, but you always care a ton. It's in the presentation.

The Swedes have proven to be a strong offensive team by scoring three goals or more in their last three games, but they will be facing off with a stout defense in Team USA.

While Canada was able to score three goals against the U.S., only one goal had been given up in the two previous games by Team USA. With that type of defensive effort and another great offensive attack they've scored an average of 4.67 goals per game the U.S. should easily advance to the final.

And with Canada taking on Switzerland in the first semifinal, a rematch between the two teams on Thursday seems destined.


Ice Dance Free Dance

Meryl Davis and Charlie White have been the one sure-fire gold-medal contenders for Team USA since before the Olympics ever started in Sochi.

And with their stellar performance in the short program, the duo leads the field heading into the free dance portion of the competition.

Following their routine, Davis spoke about her thoughts on the routine, according to Nancy Armour of USA Today:

"I was telling Charlie in the middle of the program, I just felt like I was in a dream," Davis said. "It's such a surreal experience."

After a routine that looked just as light and airy as a dream sequence, the pair stood alone atop the leaderboard. Carolyn Manno of NBC Sports tweeted about Davis and White following the reveal of their score:


With Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the defending gold medalists from Vancouver, nipping at their heels heading into the final portion of the event, they will have to be perfect yet again.

If their history is any indication of what's to come with the duo, perfection can certainly be expected.

Source: Bleacherreport
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Sochi Winter Olympics 2014: Day 8 Winners and Losers

And on the eighth day, they rested.

While Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski and the wonderful sprites on ice got a day off, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games somehow soldiered on.

With no figure skating with which to contend, the spotlight shined on the slopes, where the Americans faltered and the Europeans reigned supreme.

Then it was back to the rink, where history hung over an epic hockey match between the Americans and Russians.

As always, four long years of trouble and toil boiled down to a single opportunity for these amazing athletes. Some rose to the challenge, while others faltered.

Let's take a peek at some of each.

J.R. Celski, 23, was supposed to be the next Apolo Ohno, the future of American short-track speedskating. If that's true, it's a dystopian future, bleak and dark.

Celski fell in the quarterfinals of the 1,000-meter short track, tripping over one of the markers on a turn. He was the only one who failed to finish in the quarterfinals, leaving the gold to Russia's Victor An.

Celski's Olympics will continue in the 500-meter and 5,000-meter races over the next week. But his best races have already come and gone and so too have his chances at making a splash in Sochi.

Much of the praise for America's thrilling 3-2 overtime win over the host nation in hockey will go to T.J. Oshie, a right wing for the St. Louis Blues. He scored the winning goal in a shootout that lasted forever, and certainly deserves some credit.

But let's avert our gaze from the glory boys on the offense for a moment and pay attention to the true hero of the game—Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. He shut down the powerful Russian trio of Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Yevgeni Malkin in the final stanza to win the game for the U.S.

Quick stopped five shots in the shootout to keep his country in the game.

"You have a decent idea of what they are going to do," the soft-spoken Quick said after the game on NBCSN. "But those three are three of the best players in the world."

The win puts the U.S. in the driver's seat in both Group A and in the race toward Sochi gold.

Patrick Kane owes Jonathan Quick and T.J. Oshie a round or 10 at the bar tonight in Russia. Kane, the 25-year-old Chicago Blackhawks center, was all set to be the game's goat. 

In overtime, Kane broke from the pack with a breathtaking suddenness. It was him, open ice and the goal, just one man standing in the way of glory. Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovski was the loneliest man in the world, solo on a deserted island, the thousands inside the Bolshoy Ice Dome unable to help him no matter how much they willed it.

A glove save later and Bobrovski could have unseated Vladimir Putin if Russia held an election in that moment. Oshie, who took six of the American's eight penalty shots in a thrilling shootout, would later redeem Kane, eventually out-dueling Bobrovski to carry Team USA to victory. 

But that can't erase the overtime when Kane had the chance to be a hero and failed.

Charlotte Kalla of Sweden had some ground to make up in the women's cross-country relay. Skiing the anchor leg, she started in third place, 25.7 seconds behind the leaders. Against some of the best skiers in the world, winning the gold was a seemingly impossible task.

Close on her tail was Marit "Iron Lady" Bjoergen, the Norwegian legend who won her fourth gold medal earlier in the Games. Perhaps inspired by, or in fear of, one of the all-time greats, Kalla skied the race of her life. She left Bjoergen in the dust and, on the final turn, won a race to the finish against Finland's Krista Lahteenmaki.

Kalla was humble after the race, but teammate Anna Haag put it all into perspective, telling reporters (via The Washington Post), "Charlotte was skiing like a god."

After finishing just eighth in the 1,000-meter race, speedskater Shani Davis sought redemption in the 1,500 today in Sochi. But his destiny in these games, it seems, is disappointment, as he was only the 11th-fastest man on the ice.

While age may be the true culprit, yesterday much of the blame shifted to his new Under Armour cutting-edge suit. The company's innovative vents meant to shift the air have been called a bust. Today he was back in the same suit he had significant success in during the World Cup in January.

It made little difference. The Davis era is over. 

Austrian Anna Fenninger took advantage of her competitors' epic failures to ski her way to gold in the super-G. 

It was a truly treacherous course. Eighteen of the 49 competitors failed to finish the race. Fenninger, however, learned from the carnage and steered clear of trouble, beating German star Maria Hoefl-Riesch by just over half a second. 

American medal hopeful Julia Mancuso finished a disappointing eighth.

Some athletes handle defeat with grim stoicism. John Daly is not one of those men.

Daly, on the precipice of scoring an Olympic medal, slipped out of the groove at the start and limped his way to a 15th-place finish in skeleton.

"I popped out of the groove. It's happened only a handful of times in my career," Daly said on NBCSN afterward, eventually breaking into tears. "I guess that's what happens when you go for it. I left it all out there on the ice tonight. I don't regret anything, but I wish I could get that last run back for one more chance."

It was heart-wrenching to see, especially later as he realized that redemption was four years away, if it was coming at all. For most athletes, there's always the next game, the next season. Olympians don't have that luxury, adding gravitas to every single run and each and every event.

Latvian behemoth Martins Dukurs was expected to glide to a gold medal in the men's skeleton in Sochi. After all, winning was becoming a habit for the 2010 silver medalist. He had won 24 of the past 28 World Cup races, and Latvia's first gold medal seemed well within his reach.

Instead, Russia's Alexander Tretjyakov, sliding on his home track, won gold over the course of four runs, beating Dukurs by just .81 seconds. Tretjyakov, along with the rest of his team, skipped the final World Cup race of the season to return home and practice specifically for the Olympics. It's a decision that paid off smartly in gold.

There's something liberating about flying through the air, all your troubles a distant memory as the world shrinks to just you, your skis and the snow. But that freedom can come with a deadly cost, as the slightest error can have devastating consequences.

An accident in practice reminded the freestyle skiing world of that harsh reality. Russian skier Maria Komissarova crashed in the third and final jump on a practice run and immediately underwent back surgery.

“The operation is over … it's been successful,” Russian ski federation official Mikhail Verzeba told The Associated Press, revealing Komissarova had fractured her 12th dorsal vertebrae in her lower-middle back.

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Winter Olympics 2014 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info and Day 5 Preview

Six medals are up for grabs in six different sports in what should be an exciting Day 5 of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Wednesday features the first action for Nordic combined, as well as some of the more popular events in speedskating, figure skating and alpine skiing. Additionally, hockey and curling continue their preliminary rounds on both men's and women's draws as each nation attempts to jockey for position in the next round.

There is a lot left to be decided in these Olympics, but some of the best in the world are already proving why they have reached this point. A few more stars will see their dreams come true on Day 5.

Here is a look at a sport-by-sport breakdown of Feb. 12, with how to watch each event. NBC will show its primetime coverage at 8 p.m. ET, featuring a replay of some of the competition that took place during the day.

While some events are not offered live, you can view any of the competition at NBC Olympics Live Extra. For a full schedule, check out Sochi2014.com.



Alpine Skiing

Event: Women's Downhill
Time: 11 a.m. local; 2 a.m. ET
Venue: Rosa Khutor Alpine Center
TV: NBC (Primetime)



Outlook

This was the event that Lindsey Vonn won in 2010 and was hoping to defend in Sochi before an injury forced her to drop out of the Olympics. When asked about what events she will be watching, she told Kelly Whiteside of USA Today:
I think maybe watch the technical events, but I'm not sure I'll watch the downhill. It may be too emotional for me but we'll see. I'm kind of in the process of accepting the fact that I'm not there. I think it will still be difficult to watch the events I would be a contender in.
She still has a chance to root for her teammate Julia Mancuso, who recently took bronze in the super combined slalom. She will attempt to win a gold over favorite Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany.



Curling

Event: Men's and Women's Round Robin
Time: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. local; 12 - 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Ice Cube Curling Center

Full Schedule

Curling Schedule - Feb. 12
Bracket Matchup                               Time (local)Time (ET) TV
Men's Denmark vs. USA                   9 a.m. 12 a.m. NBCSN
Men's China vs. Switzerland           9 a.m. 12 a.m. -
Men's Norway Germany                   9 a.m. 12 a.m. -
Women's USA vs. China                           2 p.m. 5 a.m. USA
Women's South Korea vs. Switzerland   2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Women's Japan vs. Russia                   2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Women's Canada vs. Great Britain           2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Men's Switzerland vs. Great Britain   5 p.m. 8 a.m. CNBC
Men's Germany vs. China                   5 p.m. 8 a.m. -
Men's Denmark vs. Sweden           5 p.m. 8 a.m. -
Men's Russia vs. Canada                   5 p.m. 8 a.m. -




Outlook

The team to watch on the men's side is Canada, which entered the week as one of the favorites but have only managed a 1-2 start thanks to losses to Sweden and Switzerland. If this team cannot turn it around against Russia, it could be tough to come back for a medal.
On the women's side, Great Britain is coming off a dominant 12-3 win over the United States, but the group must keep this momentum going with a tough matchup against Canada. Another win could put them in good position going forward.



Figure Skating

Event: Pairs Free Skate
Time: 7:45 p.m. local; 10:45 a.m. ET
Venue: Iceberg Skating Palace
TV: NBC Sports Network, NBC (Primetime)


Outlook

Every sport features some sort of home-field advantage, but Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov showed how much it matters in figure skating. The Russian pair was fueled by the home crowd and put together a fantastic effort in the short program, as noted by Nick McCarvel of NBC Olympics.
Along with current third-place group Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, this seems like an event that Russia will dominate.


Ice Hockey

Event: Men's and Women's Group Stage
Time: 12 - 9 p.m. local; 3 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Shayba Arena, Bolshoy Ice Dome

Full Schedule

Hockey Schedule - Feb. 12
Bracket Matchup                       Time (local) Time (ET)          TV
Women's Switzerland vs. Finland    12 p.m.          3 a.m.            MSNBC
Women's Canada vs. United States      4:30 p.m      7:30 a.m.            NBCSN
Men's Czech Republic vs. Sweden   9 p.m.        12 p.m.            USA
Men's Latvia vs. Switzerland      9 p.m.        12 p.m.            MSNBC


Outlook

While men's hockey usually takes center stage, the big matchup on Wednesday takes place on the women's side. That is because Canada and the United States will battle in one of the biggest rivalries in the sport.
These two teams have been by far the best in women's hockey and it has created some great contests over the years. Obviously, there are plenty of people excited:
Still, the men's competition will be exciting as well with the Czech Republic facing Sweden in a matchup of two teams that could win gold.


Luge

Event: Men's Doubles
Time: 6:15 p.m. local; 9:15 a.m. ET
Venue: Sanki Sliding Center
TV: NBC Sports Network



Outlook

Germany has won gold in both the men's and women's singles luge, and the men's doubles should just be more of the same. Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have been impressive on the international stage, winning multiple World Cup titles as well as last year's World Championship.
It would be a surprise if this duo does not at least medal in Sochi.


Nordic Combined

Event: Individual Gunderson Normal Hill
Time: 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. local; 4:30 - 7:30 a.m. ET
Venue: RusSki Gorki Jumping Center
TV: NBC Sports Network, NBC


Outlook

The participants in this grueling event will start things off with ski jumping before finishing with a cross-country race three hours later. While the United States has not had much historic success in this sport, Bill Demong won the country's first gold medal on the large hill in 2010 while Johnny Spillane won two silvers.
Plus, this will be a good opportunity for fans to see U.S. flag bearer Todd Lodwick, who has been doing this for quite some time.
He will be looking for his first individual medal at the Olympics this time around.


Snowboarding

Event: Women's Halfpipe
Time: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 9:30 p.m. local; 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Rosa Khutor Extreme Park
TV: NBC (Primetime)


Outlook

Shaun White could not get the United States a medal in the men's halfpipe as Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland took the gold. Fortunately, Team USA has a lot of talent on the women's side between Hannah Teter, Kelly Clark and Arielle Gold.
Meanwhile, they will have tough competition in the field of 28, including Australia's Torah Bright. The qualification round will start at 2 p.m. local time, followed by the semifinals and eventually the finals as one of the last events of the night.


Speedskating
Event: Men's 1,000-Meter
Time: 6 p.m. local; 9 a.m. ET
Venue: Adler Arena Skating Center
TV: NBC (Primetime)


Outlook

This event is there for Shani Davis to win. The American won at this distance in both 2006 and 2010 and is the favorite to win again. However, Willie Cornblatt of NBC Olympics points out how difficult it is to replicate this much success:
Denis Kuzin of Kazakhstan took first at the most recent world championships, and Mo Tae-bum is looking for redemption after failing to medal in the 500-meter race.
Of course, anyone from the Netherlands must be feared after the Dutch grabbed all six medals in the first two men's events in speedskating. Until something changes, anyone wearing orange should be considered a favorite.

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Winter Olympics 2014: Complete Medal Recap for Day 3 in Sochi

The third day of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is in the books, and team Canada has grabbed the lead in the medal count with three golds, three silvers and a bronze. Netherlands is tied with them in golds with three and has two silvers and two bronze medals to go along with those golds.

Norway, Russia and the United States round out the top five in the medal count with seven, six and five medals, respectively for each country.

So how did we get to this point?

Well if you missed any of the action on Monday, here is a full recap of each event that handed out medals on Day 3 in Sochi.


Alpine Skiing: Women's Super Combined

Gold: Maria Hoefl-Riesch, Germany

Silver: Nicole Hosp, Austria

Bronze: Julia Mancuso, United States


Julia Mancuso of the United States had a big lead after the downhill event in the morning as she led by nearly half a second over the rest of the field. The slalom was not her strongest showing, though, in the afternoon. Mancuso finished 13th in the slalom and saw her name fall from first to third on the leaderboard. Still, a medal was thrilling for Mancuso.

Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany was one of the favorites to win gold as the defending gold medalist in this event, so there is no surprise there. Nicole Hosp was not favored to win a medal, but after putting together two consistent races, she was able to take home the silver.


Short-Track Speedskating: Men's 1,500 Meters

Gold: Charles Hamelin, Canada

Silver: Han Tianyu, China

Bronze: Victor An, Russia


The short-track speedskating competition was certainly a disappointing day for the Americans, as American favorite J.R. Celski came up just short with a fourth-place finish. The biggest surprise of the day has to be the South Koreans failing to collect a medal in an event they have historically dominated.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
J.R. Celski was left in disappointment on Monday, but he will get his shot at glory once again in Sochi.
Charles Hamelin looked strong all day as he won his heat race, semifinal race and the gold medal, while Han Tianyu pulled a bit of a surprise by sneaking onto the podium with a silver-medal finish. Victor An of Russia brought home a medal for the home country as well.


Speedskating: Men's 500 Meters

Gold: Michel Mulder, Netherlands

Silver: Jan Smeekens, Netherlands

Bronze: Ronald Mulder, Netherlands


Things could not have gone any better for the Dutch side on Monday as they swept the podium in speedskating for the men's 500-meter race.

The result was a pretty stunning one. The Dutch are extremely good in speedskating, but most expected at least someone from South Korea to get a medal on Monday. That did not happen, though, as the Dutch showed their might and took home the gold, silver and bronze.

Oddly, despite the Netherlands' dominance in long-track speedskating, this was the first time in 90 years of Winter Olympic history that a Dutch skater won the men's 500 meters.


Biathlon: Men's 12.5-Kilometer Pursuit

Gold: Martin Fourcade, France

Silver: Ondrej Moravec, Czech Republic

Bronze: Jean-Guillaume Beatrix, France


Much like in speedskating, the biathlon included a big surprise as well. Martin Fourcade of France was expected by many to medal in the event, but no one thought that Norway would be shut out of the top three and be left off the podium.

Historically, Norway has been very good in the biathlon, but this time they could only manage finishes of fourth and seventh place. Not enough to go home with a medal.


Freestyle Skiing: Men's Moguls

Gold: Alex Bilodeau, Canada

Silver: Mikael Kingsbury, Canada

Bronze: Alexandr Smyshlyaev, Russia


The Canadians were expected to dominate in men's moguls much like they did in the women's moguls, and they didn't disappoint. Canada finished with three of the top four spots in the finals and had another competitor finish in ninth place.

Russia was able to bring home another medal behind Alexandr Smyshlyaev, which put them past the Americans for fourth in the medal count at the end of Day 3.

Patrick Deneen, a medal contender from the United States, only managed to finish in sixth on Monday.

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Winter Olympics 2014 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info and Day 4 Preview

The 2014 Winter Olympics keep rolling along, and Day 4 of the Games promises to bring just as much excitement on the snow and ice as the first few days.

With quite a few medal events, like the first ever women's ski slopestyle final and the men's halfpipe final, there is plenty of potential for each country to continue to rack up their medal count in Day 4.

Here is a look at the medal count after Day 3 of the Games heading into the fourth day:


Whether it's Shaun White making his premiere at the 2014 Olympics or the Canadians looking to continue their dominance in freestyle skiing, there is plenty of intrigue in the fourth day of competition.

Before the events get underway, here is a look at the schedule for Day 4 and a preview of the biggest events taking place.

2014 Winter Olympics Day 4 Schedule
Event                                          Time (ET) TV/Live Stream
Men's Curling: Russia vs. USA             3 a.m. USA/nbcsports.com
Women's Ski Slopestyle Final             4 a.m. nbcsports.com
Cross-Country (Individual Sprint)     5 a.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Men's Curling: USA vs. China             5 a.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Men's Halfpipe Qualification             5 a.m. nbcsports.com
Cross-Country (Individual Sprint)     6 a.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Women's Speed Skating: 500-meter     6 a.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Ladies' Sprint Free Finals                     8:22 a.m. nbcsports.com
Mens' Sprint Free Finals                     8:30 a.m. nbcsports.com
Women's Luge: Single Run 3             9:30 a.m. nbcsports.com
Figure Skating: Pairs Short Program   10 a.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Women's Hockey: Russia vs. Japan   10 a.m. MSNBC/nbcsports.com
Biathlon: Women's 10-kilometer Pursuit10 a.m. nbcsports.com
Men's Halfpipe Semifinals                   10 a.m. nbcsports.com
Women's Luge: Singles Run 4           11:20 a.m. nbcsports.com
Men's Halfpipe Finals                   12:30 p.m. nbcsports.com
Women's Ski Jumping: Normal Hill     1:30 p.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Women's Speed Skating: 500-meter     1:30 p.m. NBCSN/nbcsports.com
Women's Luge: Singles                     3 p.m. NBC/nbcsports.com
Freestyle Skiing: Women's Slopestyle    3 p.m. NBC/nbcsports.com
Cross-Country (Individual Sprint)     3 p.m. NBC/nbcsports.com
Women's Curling: USA vs. Great Britain5 pm. NBC/nbcsports.com
nbcsports.com



Speedskating: Ladies' 500-Meter Final

The U.S. hasn't experienced much success on the ice in speedskating in recent history, but one woman could change all of that when she begins her races on Day 4.

Heather Richardson has won a gold and two bronze medals on the world stage in women's speedskating. With the 500-meter final taking place on Tuesday, Richardson could add an Olympic medal to her collection.

After making her first appearance in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Richardson is looking to be much more competitive in Sochi, according to John Powers of The Boston Globe:

In Vancouver I was just happy to be there. Here, I actually want to put in some solid races, just go out, relax, and do my best, hopefully be on the podium. My goal is to be on the podium in at least one of my three individual events.

While her best events are in the sprint and 1,000-meter events, Richardson could surprise a few of the top contenders with a 500-meter win or podium appearance.

The High Point, N.C. native is one of Team USA's best hopes at winning an Olympic medal on the ice along with both Shani Davis and J.R. Celski, who didn't medal in their first events.


Ladies' Ski Slopestyle Final

Canadian Kaya Turski is the clear-cut favorite to win the competition, but Devin Logan is looking to pull off another upset for the Americans in the slopestyle event.

Only this time, Team USA will have to win on skis rather than snowboard.

As for a source of inspiration, Logan seems to have found one in Sage Kotsenburg after seeing him win gold in the men's snowboard slopestyle:

But with stiff competition in Turski, Logan might not be able to stand at the top of the podium like Kotsenburg or Jamie Anderson of Team USA.

With four out of the last five gold medals in X-Games Slopestyle, Turski is a dominant force in the sport and will be looking to continue her rule in the first slopestyle event on the Olympic stage.


Men's Halfpipe Final

Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY Sports
Shaun White is the name everyone will be looking for when the men's halfpipe competition begins.

After dropping out of the men's slopestyle event, White received grief from fellow competitors and put all of his eggs into one basket. Luckily, that basket just so happens to be where White has been most successful in his Olympic career.

With two gold medals already in the halfpipe competition in 2006 and 2010, White simply set his sights on the event due to how crucial it is to him, according to David Filipov of The Boston Globe:

I can understand if it’s your first time to the Olympics, you wouldn't understand a decision like the one I made. But you set your goals according to what’s important to you. Halfpipe is important to me and I didn't want to jeopardize that.

But White isn't the only rider dropping in on Day 4. Ayumu Hirano of Japan is not only a true competitor for White, but he finished just behind the American in 2013 at the X-Games after nailing consecutive double-cork 1080s.

Scotty Lago was also a bronze medalist back in 2010 and, at just 26 years old, could repeat the same success on the Sochi stage.

With several possibilities in the final, the men's halfpipe is sure to be just as exciting as the slopestyle competition ever dreamed to be.

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Team GB ready to alter perceptions of winter sports at Sochi 2014

Despite the obvious geographical and climatic challenges Britain has several genuine medal hopes in the Winter Olympics.

It is a long way, figuratively and metaphorically, from Eddie the Eagle in Calgary to Lizzy Yarnold's ambitions for Sochi. If the have-a-go ski jumper who finished dead last in 1988 epitomised the plucky British loser trying and failing with limited funds, the focused and supremely fit skeleton world No1 represents a new breed of Team GB athletes who hope to return with their best medal haul.

Whereas Eddie Edwards was more than happy to be there, his dismal performance forcing the IOC to change the qualification rules, ask Yarnold how she hopes to do and she will stop smiling and say: "I am a very process-driven athlete so I visualise the track a lot. I visualise the feelings of going out to the block and seeing the crowd. I don't enter any race to come second."

Having never stepped on a sled until six years ago, she was discovered by the Girls 4 Gold talent spotting system and has had her natural talent for the sport honed to the point where she won this year's World Cup as part of a system lubricated by public money. In skeleton, Britain has won a medal in every Games it has been included and Shelley Rudman has a realistic chance of repeating her medal-winning feat of eight years ago. In the men's and women's curling, in bobsleigh and short track speed skating there are genuine medal hopes.

Among the breed of "fridge kids" – the 13, largely youthful, snowboarders and freestyle skiers who will hurl themselves off jumps and down half-pipes in some of the most spectacular action of the Games – it is hoped that at least one or two will win medals, with James Woods and Katie Summerhayes leading the charge.

The story of Britain's summer Olympic rebirth has been well told. A solitary gold in Atlanta was transformed through the introduction of National Lottery funding and a world-class performance system into the glut of precious metal in Beijing and London.

The numbers are inevitably smaller in winter sport, and Britain's obvious geographical and climatic challenges when it comes to the Alpine events will always be a factor, but those in charge of investing £14m into the handful of sports where there are genuine medal chances believe there could be a sea change in the way we view winter sport. "We have got more potential across more sports than we've ever had going into the Games. This is different," said Liz Nicholl, the UK Sport chief executive, who has overseen a total investment that has more than doubled on the Vancouver cycle.

"This is almost like the first coming of age of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic teams because they've been benefitting from National Lottery investment over a period of time. Their systems are becoming more sophisticated, we're recruiting and keeping good people."

The structure created around short track speed skating in Nottingham, skeleton in Bath or curling in Stirling has direct parallels with the approach taken by cycling in Manchester. Training is centralised around a high-performance centre using the very best psychologists, research, nutritionists and sport scientists to refine endlessly the search for the best talent.

In events that rely heavily on equipment, the research undertaken by McLaren and BAE Systems to make sleds go faster is part of the perennial search for the marginal gains that will give British teams the edge. Yet all involved also caution that winter sport is more unpredictable than most – the facilities, the weather and the order of competition can make a huge difference to the outcome.

"I can't remember a time when we had as many as five world championship medallists in Olympic and Paralympic winter sport a year before the Games. A combination of a track record of success and a team that is better prepared than ever," said Simon Timson, the UK Sport performance director who made his reputation in the skeleton before moving to the England and Wales Cricket Board and then taking on his current role in 2012.

"We have more experienced performance directors, more experienced coaches and more experienced scientists and engineers than ever before. Our talent pool is nowhere near as big as summer Olympic sport. So it's down to people performing on the day. Everybody will be upping their game and we've got to respond accordingly."

The "no compromise" mantra by which UK Sport invests its money results in some stark choices and the black and white process can seem overly prescriptive. If you cannot prove as a sport that you are capable of winning a medal at this Games or the next one, then there is no money. That leaves some impressive athletes struggling for funds. Chemmy Alcott, the downhill skier, below, who has battled back from a horrific injury to take part at her fourth Olympics, is one of those who is highly unlikely to win a medal but has consistently been Britain's best over many years. "Funding is quite a sensitive one. I've not had much but I've had great support from sponsors and the public. I don't feel alone in the start gate, a lot of people have invested in my career," she said.

"Obviously you have to support people you believe can win but it's a vicious circle because if you don't support future grassroots sports how are they going to get better? But it's very easy to waste energy on politics and bitterness. I just want to go out there and ski fast for Team GB."

Overall, though, it is hard to argue with a system that has delivered so spectacularly in summer sport. The fervent hope of the 56 athletes and 70-plus coaches and support staff, most of whom are due to march around the Fisht Stadium during lavish opening ceremony, is that the Sochi Games will alter perceptions. If they hit the bottom end of UK Sport's target of three to seven medals, it will be their best return since the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Then, Hitler used the Games as a platform for Nazi propaganda and critics of Vladimir Putin's Russia have drawn parallels between the two. Four medals would equal the best return, in Chamonix in 1924. In the 90 years since, Britain has won 23 medals.

Those inside the camp, including the British Olympic Association chairman, Lord Coe, believe that there has been a change in mindset to match the shift in medal potential. The Sir Clive Woodward-inspired "one Team GB" rhetoric that was easy to mock pre-London 2012 but helped to produce the best performance since 1908 has been infused throughout the smaller winter squad.

The modern model of high-performance sport may have resulted in fewer mavericks but it has produced a generation of highly focused athletes who no longer see turning up to get the kit as the limit of their ambitions.

Jon Eley, the speed skater who will carry the Union flag around a $600m stadium that will be used just twice, for the opening and closing ceremonies, has been reading Sir Alex Ferguson's latest book for inspiration. He said there was now an expectation of success and that the medal target was well within their grasp. "We have to put in some hard work and stay focused and strong," he said. "If we do what we have come here to do we should achieve that."

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Sochi 2014: How I became the Private Gomer Pyle of the Winter Olympics

Mercifully, the time for scene-setting is now over, so let the snow and ice-capades of the 22nd Winter Olympiad begin.

You will be aware by now that a shivering swarm of the world's media converged on Sochi this week. Their brief: scene-setting in the buildup to the Winter Olympics. It was a task that appeared largely to involve the chronicling of security threats, legalised homophobia and their own appalling working conditions. We've all heard the stories: beleaguered journalists roaming the shores of the Black Sea frantically beachcombing for functional scraps of wi-fi.

The curious case of the Sochi double toilets
Tuesday 4 Feb 2014
We've all seen the pictures: amusing toilets with accompanying guidelines that appear to outlaw angling in them. Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Advise him not to fish and he'll make you an object of global derision on Twitter and Facebook.

Against this backdrop of diligently documented paranoia, fear, hatred and assorted workers' rights abuses, a fortnight-long festival of sliding is due to break out. In the wake of a mirth-inducing opening ceremony that will no doubt further showcase the eccentricities of funny foreigners and their funny foreign ways, the world's foremost winter sports practitioners will don garish Lycra and take to the ice and snow to do battle against the elements and each other in their collective bid for Olympic glory. This column has not been lucky enough to be dispatched to witness their exploits at first hand; it has been working diligently behind the scenes much closer to home.

It all started before Christmas, when a colleague and I were despatched to the University of Bath, a seat of learning and sporting excellence in a beautiful English town, where the cream of Great Britain's sliding elite had gathered for a media briefing: speed-skaters, skeleton-sliders, curlers, snowboarders, ice dancers, skiers and bobsleigh drivers. For a land mass boasting large areas where light snowfall invariably prompts the total breakdown of local infrastructure, Britain seems to produce a surprising number of athletes who thrive in freezing conditions. They seem, to a man and woman, very nice people, albeit people who had quite clearly been very carefully trained in the field of straight-batting queries from journalists. None of them had opinions they were prepared to venture on Russian homophobia. With a couple of high-profile exceptions, pretty much all of them hoped to finish in the top 10.

Some weeks later I found myself en route to Ostersund, a small town in Sweden where the good people of the TV station Eurosport had invited me to try my hand at the Olympic sport of biathlon. One of the more bewildering of the many perplexing disciplines to be contested in Sochi, it combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting and originated as an exercise for Norwegian soldiers.

Long an object of bemusement for the apparent randomness of the disciplines involved, winter biathlon once prompted the comedian Jerry Seinfeld to muse that it's like combining swimming and strangling a guy. "Why don't we have that?" he wondered, with the inquisitive air of a man who has never seen or played a game of water polo.

Hailing from a particularly flat part of Ireland where food can be purchased in shops, I have never felt compelled to either ski or shoot a gun and it quickly became apparent that I was predictably and comically inept at the former. With rifle in hand, however, it was a completely different story and as I peppered target after target – 13 in a row, it took two to get my eye in – from 50 metres, it occurred to me that I was biathlon's answer to Private Gomer Pyle.

The slow-witted, overweight and clumsy marine cadet from Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, Gomer Pyle is the cruel nickname bestowed upon a mentally unstable recruit who is largely useless but eventually shows stunning aptitude for marksmanship, only to blow his own head off while having a breakdown in a communal latrine not entirely dissimilar to those currently prompting no end of mirth in Sochi.


Skeleton: how to hurtle down an ice-track on a 'tea tray' – Winter Olympics 2014 video
Having finally found exactly half a sport I'm not terrible at after a lifetime of trying, it was back to Bath University to experience the skeleton, a hair-raising suicide-hurtle disparagingly known to laymen as That Thing With The Tea Tray. For a nation that has no ice chute through and around which participants can arrow at speeds of up to 95mph protected only by a helmet, Great Britain is remarkably good at skeleton, having produced reigning Olympic champion Amy Williams (now retired), as well as genuine Sochi gold medal hopes Shelley Rudman and Lizzy Yarnold.

The trio's success has been attributed in no small part to Bath's 140m long push-start track, down which I was lucky enough to find myself not so much careering as rolling reasonably sedately, headfirst with my chin a few inches off the ground, at a fairly leisurely 30mph just last week.

Rolling on wheels down a track that boasts neither curve nor camber, it bears as much relation to the experience of actual skeleton as gently plodding along Blackpool beach aboard a donkey does to riding a racehorse in the Grand National but, needless to say, I was terrified. Mercifully, the time for scene-setting is now over, so let the snow and ice-capades of the 22nd Winter Olympiad begin.

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Winter Olympics 2014 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info and Day 1 Preview

Although there has already been a day of events in Sochi, the 2014 Winter Olympics really kick into high gear on Saturday. With the opening ceremony now out of the way, it's going to be wall-to-wall action.
Because NBC loves to tape-delay many events, it can be difficult to keep track of what's on and when. You can count on the high-profile events to come later in the night if you're watching in the United States, but with NBC using its family of networks, you can still get your fill of Olympic action across multiple channels.
Here's the television schedule for Saturday's action.
Olympics Schedule:
Event/Events TV Info
3 a.m. ET
Women's Ice Hockey—USA vs. Finland NBCSN
5 a.m. ET
Women's Skiathlon NBCSN
8 a.m. ET
Women's Ice Hockey—Canada vs. Switzerland MSNBC
9:30 a.m. ET
Team Ice Dance Short Dance NBCSN
11 a.m. ET
Figure Skating—Team Women's Short Program & Pairs' Free Skate NBCSN
2:30 p.m. ET (Tape Delay)
Men's Normal Hill Ski Jumping; Men's Biathlon 10km Sprint; Women's Biathlon NBC
8 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Men's Snowboarding Slopestyle; Women's Freestyle Skiing Moguls; Women's Team Figure Skating NBC

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2014 Winter Olympics: Full NBC TV Schedule for Day 1 Events

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games from Sochi, Russia are one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, and the Day 1 festivities are scheduled to kick off on Thursday, Feb. 6 on NBC.

Which sport are you most excited to see on Day 1? Snowboarding Skiing Figure Skating Submit Vote vote to see results Which sport are you most excited to see on Day 1? Snowboarding 23.5% Skiing 35.3% Figure Skating 41.2% Total votes: 17 With the introduction of men’s and women’s slopestyle snowboarding, women’s moguls skiing and team figure skating kicking off the games, sports fans from all walks of life will want to tune in to an action-packed opening night of coverage.

All of the events will be taped earlier in the day due to the vast time difference from the United States to Russia, and NBC will show the replay on its main channel later in the night for fans in America.

Here is all the vital viewing information for Day 1 of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

 

Where: Sochi, Russia

When: Thursday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports LiveExtra

 

2014 Winter Olympics Day 1 Schedule Sport Discipline Time (ET) Snowboarding Men's Slopestyle Qualification 1 a.m. Snowboarding Women's Slopestyle Qualification 5 a.m. Freestyle Skiing Women's Moguls Qualification 9 a.m. Figure Skating Team - Men's Short Program 10:30 a.m. Figure Skating Team - Pairs Short Program 12:10 p.m. Source: NBC Sports. Events will be aired on NBC at 8 p.m. ET

 

Athletes to Watch on Day 1

Shaun White, Men’s Slopestyle Snowboarding

The introduction of slopestyle snowboarding at the Winter Olympics is one of the biggest stories of the games, but the focus on Day 1 will be on how action sports superstar Shaun White performs in the event.

White is a five-time X Games gold medalist in the men’s slopestyle classification.

While all of the other competitors pale in comparison to White in terms of mainstream notoriety, these will be the best athletes in the world competing to take the crown as the top performer and to become the man that took down a legend.

As exciting as it will be to see the slopestyle course in the Olympics for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 6, the fact that this is a qualification round indicates that the fans will not be treated to the biggest tricks.

There will be several unproven talents that go all-out to ensure a spot in the medal rounds, but men like White will not show his full arsenal this early in the event.

It will be fun to see White usher in a new era at the Winter Olympics, but we won’t see his best tricks just yet.

 

Hannah Kearney, Women’s Mogule Skiing

There is no better women’s mogul skier on Team USA—and possibly in the world—than Hannah Kearney, and the defending gold medalist will look to add to her already impressive resume by dominating in Sochi.

Kearney faltered in 2006 during the qualification round and missed the chance to contend for a medal, but she will not let that happen in 2014. She will rise to the occasion and show the field why she is considered the favorite to finish in first place.

After winning the gold in moguls at the 2013 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships and taking home the Women’s World Cup in moguls for four straight years (2009-2013), Kearney knows that this is her chance to prove that she is the greatest female athlete in the sport’s history.

Dominating Sochi starts with a great qualifying run.

 

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