For Americans, Friday in Pyeongchang was full of questions: Could Mirai Nagasu, Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen recover from a disastrous opening night in the women’s individual figure skating competition? Could 35-year-old Shani Davis turn back the clock and deliver one more golden performance in his signature event? If the best hockey players in the world were in the Olympics, would Team USA still be playing? There's was shortage of must-see action, for sure.
Without further ado, here are our four to watch on Day 13 (covering the action late Thursday through early Friday on the East Coast):
1. Russian Figure Skating Showdown Lives Up to the Hype; Americans Fail to Make Podium
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Going into the women's free skate portion of the figure skating competition, most people thought either defending gold medalist Evgenia Medvedeva or 15-year-old teammate Alina Zagitova would win.
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And after a pair of dazzling long programs that saw them finish with the exact same 156.65 score -- and well above the competition -- we know: Zagitova, by a hair.
The younger Olympic Athlete from Russia edged Medvedeva by 1.31 points thanks to a superior short program, and in the process became the second youngest woman to win figure skating gold. Tara Lipinski was also 15 when she won the gold medal at the Nagano Olympics, but Zagitova is 25 days older than Lipinski was on Feb. 20, 1998.
The three American figure skaters — Karen Chen, Bradie Tennell and Mirai Nagasu — all stumbled at various points in their free skates. Chen, the first U.S. skater to perform, was mostly clean in her routine, but under rotated two of her triple jumps and finished with a total score of 185.65.
Must-See: Bradie Tennell has surprise fall in short program
MORE: Teary Mirai Nagasu addresses short program fail; Reactions to Alina Zagitova's gold medal victory
2. Shani Davis Doesn't Make Podium in His Signature Event, Netherlands Takes Gold
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Shani Davis failed to make the podium in what is his signature event. He finished in seventh place in the men's 1000m speedskating event. The 35-year-old Davis holds the world record time in the event of 1:06.42, set in 2009. It still stands.
The top American, Joey Mantia, who was considered to be the country's top contender just missed the podium and came in fourth place. The third American, Mitchell Whitmore placed in 10th.
The favorite in the event, Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands, took home the gold medal.
Must-See: Shani Davis tweet sparks major drama over flagbearer selection
MORE: Joey Mantia wins his 1000m pair, finishes fourth overall; Whitmore's has strong performance, but finished 4th
3. Canada Takes Gold and Silver in Women's Ski Cross Final
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Even without its Sochi star, Canada dominated the women’s ski cross final, with Kelsey Serwa winning gold and Brittany Phelan taking silver.
Three-time Olympian Fanny Smith of Switzerland edged out Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund to earn bronze. Smith finished in the top 10 in the last two Games.
Serwa, who won silver in Sochi, faced a major setback in December 2016 when she damaged cartilage in her knee in a training accident, cutting her season short. She came back for the 2017-18 season with a vengeance, placing third at the World Cup season opener in Val Thorens, France.
Canadian Marielle Thompson failed to make it to the quarterfinal after an early crash. Thompson won gold in the event in Sochi, but in October she ruptured her ACL and MCL ligaments in a training accident. Her Pyeongchang appearance came only four months after having her knee surgically repaired — her first serious runs since the accident were just days before the ski cross final.
No Americans contended for a medal.
Must-See: Experience ski cross, known for its speed and crazy crashes
MORE: Ski cross racer crashes across finish line, advances anyway
4. Bobsled Training With NY's Codie Bascue, USA Star Justin Olsen
7 Fast Facts About Codie Bascue: New York's Squat-Loving Bobsledder Makes Olympic Debut
If there was a positive that the Americans took away from the two-man bobsled competition at the Pyeongchang Olympics, it's this: They now know what not to do. Knowing what to do is still a work in progress.
The U.S. men returned to the ice Thursday for the second day of official training for the four-man competition and work to figure out a course that has largely befuddled them to this point. Four-man is the final sliding event in South Korea, with two runs on Friday and two more Saturday ahead of Sunday's closing ceremony. Pilot Codie Bascue, an Olympian who hails from New York, said the team had wanted to fix some things from the two-man and was happy with how the first day of training runs went. Any confidence boost would be helpful. The U.S. placed 14th, 21st and 25th in the two-man competition.
Must-See: Codie Bascue's 4-man bobsled wants a medal for Team USA
MORE: Justin Olsen takes final training run down bobsled track; Team USA bobsled has fun with weigh-ins
