What to watch on Day 1 of the Milan Cortina Olympics

MILAN (AP) — Men’s downhill in Alpine snowboarding begins as the primary medal occasion of the Milan Cortina Olympics and can happen Saturday, which is formally Day 1 of the Video games.

Additionally within the highlight will likely be U.S. figure skating star Ilia Malinin in addition to Jessie Diggins, America’s most embellished cross-country skier.

Here’s a information of what to look out for:

Males’s downhill is vast open

Swiss teammates Marco Odermatt and world champion Franjo von Allmen are among the many favorites, although there’s a protracted listing of contenders for the rostrum at Stelvio Ski Middle in Bormio.

The house crowd will likely be rooting for Dominik Paris, who in his fifth Video games continues to be searching for his first Olympic medal. The 36-year-old Italian is a Bormio specialist, having gained a report six World Cup downhills there. There’s additionally young Italian Giovanni Franzoni.

U.S. skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle was quickest within the opening downhill coaching session Wednesday. It’s Cochran-Siegle’s third Winter Olympics. He won silver within the super-G on the Beijing Video games 4 years in the past.

The occasion is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. native time (0930 GMT, 4:30 a.m. ET), climate allowing.

Ilia Malinin performs in determine skating workforce occasion

Two-time reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, the overwhelming favourite to win Olympic figure skating gold, performs his brief program as a part of the workforce occasion. The defending champion U.S. leads Japan and Italy going into Day 2 of the three-day competitors. It’s scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m. native time (1745 GMT, 12:45 p.m. ET) in Milan.

Within the free dance, the U.S. workforce of Madison Chock and Evan Bates is predicted again on the ice. The three-time defending world champions gained the rhythm dance portion of the workforce competitors Friday.

Jessie Diggins competes in her 4th Olympics

Diggins, a 34-year-old Minnesota native, is attempting so as to add to her Olympic haul earlier than she retires on the finish of the season. She already has a gold, silver, and bronze medal from three earlier Olympics. She’s going to compete Saturday within the 20 kilometer skiathlon. The occasion is scheduled to start at midday native time (1100 GMT and 6 a.m. ET). Cross-country snowboarding is held in Val di Fiemme, a valley within the coronary heart of the Dolomites. It’s potential medals could possibly be awarded earlier than the boys’s downhill medals.

There are additionally medal occasions in ski leaping (ladies’s regular hill particular person), snowboard (males’s snowboard large air) and speedskating (ladies’s 3000 meters).