PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — Wondering how to get through hump day? Here are some highlights to watch from the Olympics in Pyeongchang on Wednesday. (All times Eastern.)
SNOWBOARDING
Pushed forward a day because of predicted bad weather, the first finals of Olympic snowboarding will start with the women at 7:30 p.m. The last run is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
In big air , the rider launches off just one very large jump and does tricks for the judges. Don't worry if you can't tell a frontside 1080 from a backside 1440; most of us can't either. Judges are also looking for how high the athletes get and whether they have a clean landing. The U.S. has four athletes competing in this event including slopestyle gold medalist Jamie Anderson and 17-year-old Hailey Langland, who has won this event at the X Games.
BOBSLED
The only women's bobsled event will finish today. The third heat will be at 6:40 a.m. and the final heat at 8 a.m. All four heats count in the final score. Watch for the way both riders push at the start before hopping into the sled. Once on the course, the brakeman in the back tucks her head down and tries to stay still during the bumpy ride. Keep an eye out for the Nigerians , who are in their first Olympics, and for the ever-popular Jamaicans. The women are their only bobsled entry this year.
CURLING
If it is Wednesday, or any other day that ends in "y," there must be curling . The men play a round just after midnight, but not the doping-scandal-plagued Russians . The women play at 6:05 a.m. At 7:05 p.m., we finally move out of the round robins, and the men and women play tiebreaker games. Watch for the funky shoes the players wear. One foot is designed for sliding on the ice and the other for traction when sweeping.
ICE HOCKEY
The women will play for medals today. The puck drops at 11:10 p.m. for the much-anticipated gold-medal game between the U.S. and Canada. Canada has taken home the gold medal in this event at the last four Olympics. The Americans will be trying to win their first gold since 1998, when women's hockey made its debut in the Olympics.
Jamie Anderson, of the United States, lands during qualification for the women's big air snowboard competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
For night owls, the women's bronze-medal game between Finland and the Russians is at 2:40 a.m. Also at 2:40 a.m., the Russian men will play a quarterfinal match against Norway. The quarterfinals continue at 7:10 a.m. with Canada facing Finland and Sweden playing Germany.
FREESTYLE SKIING
Tricks, flips and speed will thrill freestyle skiing fans as medals are won in men's ski cross and the halfpipe. In ski cross, four skiers take the course at the same time, racing each other to the bottom around sharp turns and jumps. The clock is the only judge. Seeding runs start right after midnight and the big final is at 12:35 a.m. The men's halfpipe final run starts at 9:30 p.m. with the last three at 10:22 p.m.
SPEEDSKATING
Both the men's and women's team pursuit will be early in the morning. The first women's race is at 6 a.m., when the Dutch go up against the Americans for six laps of the 400-meter track. The women's medal finals start at 7:52 a.m. The American men race the Canadians at 7:13 a.m. and the medal finals start at 8:11 a.m. The race is similar, but the men skate eight laps. The team's time is based on when the last of three skaters crosses the finish.
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