Top U.S. Olympic medal contenders

The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea are in full swing. With 92 countries participating, competitors from all around the world are trying to get their hands on that cherished gold medal. While most of these golds are expected to go to competitors from cold-climate countries, such as Norway, Denmark and Canada, these U.S. athletes are likely to be featured on the podium:

 

Lindsey Vonn

The 33-year-old Olympian is competing in three ski events: the downhill, the super-G and the combined. She medaled twice at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, including a gold, but  missed the 2014 Sochi Olympics with an ACL tear. Vonn is the favorite to win the downhill and the super-G.

 

Shaun White

The California native will look to add another gold to his collection in his fourth Olympic Games. His two golds came from the 2006 Olympics in Turin and the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He just missed the podium in 2014, coming in fourth at Sochi. He is the favorite to win the men’s halfpipe for snowboarding.

 

Women’s Ice Hockey

The U.S. Women’s Ice Hockey team is looking to disrupt Canada’s near-monopoly on women’s ice hockey gold medals. Since the introduction of the sport to the games in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Canada has won four of the five gold medals, with the lone exception being the U.S. in 1998. However, the U.S. is the favorite to win the gold this year, which would put an end to the sixteen year streak that Canada owns.

 

The Olympics will continue until the closing ceremony on Friday, Feb. 25. Coverage is available across many networks, particularly NBC. Be sure to tune in and support the athletes as they compete and try to bring home the gold.