2018 Olympics: Odds, Schedule, Medal Favorites and Predictions for Thursday
Medals will be available in the figure skating and freestyle skiing at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Both events will begin on Friday morning in Pyeongchang but will be broadcast to U.S. audiences Thursday evening (ET), due to the 14-hour time difference.
Sweden's Sandra Naeslund is the heavy favourite with oddsmakers to take gold in the ladies' ski cross big final. Meanwhile, Italy's Carolina Kostner will be among the likely medal winners in the ladies' single skating final, although Russian teenager Alina Zagitova should also be in the mix.
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Here is the updated medal tracker ahead of Thursday evening's events:
Here are the schedule details for each event:
Ladies Single Skating (Figure Skating)
Date: Thursday, February 22
Time: 8 p.m. ET/1 a.m. GMT (Friday)
TV Info: NBC Primetime Live. NBCSN. Eurosport 1 (Replay)
Live Stream: NBC Sports App. Eurosport Player. BBC iPlayer.
The full schedule is available on the Games' official website.
Ladies' Ski Cross Big Final (Freestyle Skiing)
Date: Thursday, February 22
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET/2:20 a.m. GMT (Friday)
TV Info: NBC Primetime Live (replay) Eurosport 1 (Replay)
Live Stream: NBC Sports App. Eurosport Player. BBC iPlayer.
The full schedule is available on the Games' official website.
Here are the odds for the ski cross final, per Justin Hartling of OddsShark:
- Sandra Naeslund (SWE) -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Heidi Weng (NOR) +500 (bet $100 to win $500)
- Fanny Smith (SUI) +600
- Georgia Simmerling (CAN) +800
- Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) +1600
- Alizee Baron (FRA) +2000
- Brittany Phelan (CAN) +2000
- Kelsey Serwa (CAN) +2000
- India Sherret (CAN) +2500
- Lisa Andersson (SWE) +3300
- Sami Kennedy-Sim (AUS) +3300
- Sanna Luedi (SUI) +3300
- Anastasiia Chirtcova (OAR) +5000
- Katrin Ofner (AUT) +5000
- Andrea Limbacher (AUT) +6600
- Jaelin Kauf (USA) +7500
- Julia Eichinger (GER) +7500
- Celia Funkler (GER) +10000
- Debora Pixner (ITA) +10000
- Lucrezia Fantelli (ITA) +10000
- Nikol Kucerova (CZE) +10000
- Ophelie David (FRA) +10000
- Reina Umehara (JPN) +10000
- Talina Gantenbein (SUI) +10000
- Victoria Zavadovskaya (OAR) +10000
- Tania Prymak (USA) +12500
- Nina Kloe (GER) +20000
- Amelie Schneider (FRA) +20000
- Pamela Thorburn (GBR) +20000
- Sofya Smirnova (OAR) +20000
- Alexandra Edebo (SWE) +30000
- Emily Sarsfield (GBR) +30000
- Nicole Frei (SUI) +30000
- Priscilla Annen (SUI) +30000
- Stephanie Joffroy (CHI) +30000
Odds are accurate at the time of writing.
Naeslund to Win Gold
Naeslund is a heavy favourite, but she can expect strong competition from Canadian duo Marielle Thompson and Kelsey Serwa. Both were on the podium at the 2014 Sochi Games, with Thompson taking the gold, while Serwa settled for silver.
Olympic champion Thompson is back after needing surgery to repair ruptured ACL and MCL tendons just four months ago, per fis-ski.com. The same source also noted how Naeslund entered these Games on the back of "a streak of 13-straight podiums, dating back to last season."
Sweden's Anna Holmlund and French skier Ophelie David shared bronze four years ago. The latter is competing at these Games but is not strongly backed at +10000.
Naeslund is the form skier as the 2017 world champion and the current leader in the World Cup, according to Shawn Smith of NBCOlympics.com. It's likely the 21-year-old will be on the podium once again in Pyeongchang.
Zagitova Primed for Gold
Kostner was on the podium in Sochi, collecting the bronze medal. The 31-year-old has endured some tough times in her career, "falling three times during her train-wreck of a free skate program, finishing a disastrous 16th" at the Vancouver Games in 2010, per Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star.
DiManno noted how Kostner stands out in an event usually dominated by younger skaters. Among those younger skaters to watch are Russian athletes Maria Sotskova, 17, along with 18-year-old Evgenia Medvedeva and Zagitova, just 15.
A rivalry is developing between Medvedeva and Zagitova, with the latter breaking the world record in the short program on Wednesday, minutes after the former had set it, per Jere Longman of the New York Times.
Before the Games, Mark Gallant of The Action Network relayed odds listing Medvedeva as the slight favourite at +105, ahead of Zagitova at +170.
Those were the early odds, but momentum is with Zagitova after her spectacular showing in the short program.
She can once again wow the crowds and outperform the rest of the field at the Gangneung Ice Arena, leaving Medvedeva and Kostner to share the podium, but ultimately be disappointed.
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