NBC Olympics Schedule 2018: Thursday Night's TV, Live-Stream Coverage and Picks

There are medals to be won on Thursday night, with figure skating and freestyle skiing the major focus at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The figure skating has once again been a real highlight of the Winter Olympics, and Thursday brings the conclusion of the women's event. There is plenty of American interest, although the favourites for the gold medal are Russian athletes Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedeva.

There are no American women in the ladies' ski cross, but the unpredictability of the event makes for great viewing. Ski cross is known for its speed and spectacular crashes, and with medals up for grabs, just about anything could happen.

The Olympic Channel gave a neat overview of just how chaotic ski cross can be:

Here's a look at Thursday night's schedule, along with a preview of the best of the action.

Thursday Night Olympic Schedule

Figure Skating

Ladies Free Skating—8 p.m (NBC Sports)

Freestyle Skiing

Ladies' Ski Cross—8 p.m.

All schedule times are in Eastern Time. Action can be streamed via the NBC Sports App.

Ladies Figure Skating

Teenage skaters Medvedeva and Zagitova will go for gold after topping the standings in the short program and breaking the world record in the process, per the Olympics:

The 19-year-old Medvedeva is a two-time world champion and goes into the final as the favourite ahead of her 15-year-old compatriot. Medvedeva's strength is her artistry, but she is also an excellent jumper, which makes her pretty much the compete package.

The Russian athlete was also not completely satisfied after finishing second in the short program, per digital reporter Nick McCarvel:

Zagitova dazzled during her short program, which had just about everything, according to Olympic gold medallist Dick Button:

The Russian athlete topped the charts after successfully pulling off a more technically demanding program and producing a flawless display. A repeat showing on Thursday may see her win her first Olympic gold, with the two Russian athletes some distance ahead of the rest of the competition.

American hopes will be carried by Mirai Nagasu, Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell, although a medal looks unlikely after they finished in ninth, 10th and 11th respectively.

Tennell's routine was undermined by an early fall, a rare occurrence for the 20-year-old, per NBC's Nick Zaccardi: 

That leaves Nagasu as the best placed athlete of the trio, but she also had problems in her short program after failing to land a triple axel. The American got back up and finished well but will need to avoid any errors if she is to get anywhere near the podium.

Ladies' Ski Cross

There are plenty of contenders for glory in the ladies' ski cross with Canada's Marielle Thompson hoping to defend the Olympic title she won at the 2014 Sochi Games. A win for the 25-year-old would cap a remarkable comeback from injury, per sports columnist Scott Stinson:

She faces competition from Canadian team-mates Kelsey Serwas and Brittany Phelan, after the trio topped the standings in the seeding round. Serwa won the silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Games and will be hoping to go one better in Pyeongchang.

Sweden's Sandra Naeslund is also a threat as is Switzerland's Fanny Smith. France will also be hopeful of a medal through either Marielle Berger Sabbatel and Alizee Baron, in what promises to be an exhilarating and action-packed event.