The U.S. looks to grab more hardware Saturday at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
American Jordan Stolz, 17, will make his much-anticipated Olympic debut in long track speedskating's 500 meters. Stolz is considered a serious medal contender. He won both the 500 and 1,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials in West Allis, Wisconsin, breaking track records in both events.
(Looking for a recap of Friday's events? We've got you covered.)
Competition resumes in figure skating following Nathan's Chen's dazzling gold-medal performance as ice dancing takes center stage with the Rhythm Dance. Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, who took fourth in the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who finished ninth, lead the U.S. contingent.
In men's hockey, the USA (1-0) and Canada (1-0) will face off in a game that will play a big role in determining who wins their pool and gets a bye to the quarterfinals.
Saturday's action begins, however, with the Olympic debut of mixed-gender team snowboard cross, where the USA is also a medal threat. Lindsey Jacobellis, fresh off her gold medal in the women's event, leads the American hopefuls.
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MEDAL COUNT: How each country is performing at the Winter Games
Saturday offers some good shots at Olympic gold
The U.S. enters Saturday sitting seventh in the medal standings with 10.
Team USA has earned four golds, five silvers and one bronze through Friday with events on tap that could move them up the leaderboard.
Medal possibilities on Saturday exist in mixed team snowboard cross, where gold medalist Lindsey Jacobellis returns to action, cross country skiing, with star U.S. star Jessie Diggins leading the women's relay team, and long track speedskating, where 17-year-old Jordan Stolz will race in the 500 meters.
Norway and Austria top the overall medal standings with 14 apiece, but Germany, with 11 total medals, leads the race for gold with seven.
When will the Winter Olympics end?
Don’t worry, we still have more than a week’s worth of action to go at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Next week’s schedule at the Winter Games will include women’s figure skating, more Mikaela Shiffrin on the slopes and the continuation of the women’s and men’s hockey tournaments, just to name a few.
The closing ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 starting at 7 a.m. ET.
Russian figure skating doping appeal heads to Court of Arbitration for Sport
Breaking its silence on the Russian figure skating doping fiasco, the IOC is appealing a Russian Anti-Doping Agency ruling that allowed star Kamila Valieva to continue practicing for Tuesday’s women’s short program. The appeal now sets the stage for a dramatic legal hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
If the appeal is successful, the International Skating Union, the worldwide governing body for figure skating, would likely disqualify the gold-medal-winning Russian Olympic Committee from the team skating competition and reward the United States with the gold medal.
It’s hard to imagine something worse for the reputation of these already-controversial Games than having an Olympic drug cheat winning not one but two gold medals less than two months after she tested positive for a banned substance known to increase endurance and stamina.
That Valieva is a minor, only 15, is troubling, engendering plenty of deserved sympathy. It is the adults around her, those who encouraged her use of a banned substance, who truly deserve our scorn. But you can feel sorry for Valieva, the women’s gold-medal favorite and a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and still believe that she shouldn’t be allowed to step onto Olympic ice again. (Read Christine Brennan's full column)
— Christine Brennan
Kessel leads U.S. women's hockey after overcoming concussion
In her early 20s, U.S. women's hockey forward Amanda Kessel had established herself as one of the best in the sport. She was named college hockey's top player in 2013, and in 2014, she helped Team USA win a silver medal at the Sochi Olympics.
Kessel suffered a concussion during a scrimmage before those Olympics, and the concussion-like symptoms lingered after the Games, causing her to take a year off from school.
"There were some really dark times," she told USA TODAY Sports. "I really thought my career might be over." (Read the full story)
A referral to concussion expert Micky Collins at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center brought about a change to her treatment program and a return to elite status.
Kessel is now playing in her third Olympics.
During the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, she was part of the gold-medal squad. For Collins, there's nothing more rewarding than seeing someone who was "super sick," like Kessel, hoist a gold medal.
"To see her get back to that level," Collins said, "that's what it's all about."
Kessel entered the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic leading the team in points with six (four assists, two goals) and is now tied for second as the Americans advanced to the semifinals.
— Chris Bumbaca
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