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4 to Watch: Sochi Stray Dog Hero Debuts in Freeski Slopestyle and Mr. GS' Golden Defense Highlight Day 8 of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics

Day 8 in Pyeongchang featured Americans Gus Kenworthy and Ted Ligety, along with some bobsled training

These are our 4 picks to watch on day 8 of the Winter Olympics.

From the stray dog hero of Sochi to Ted Ligety's defense of giant slalom gold, and some training runs for the New Jersey-born bobsledder known as the "Blonde Dragon," there was no shortage of must-see action on Day 8 of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.

Without further ado, here are our four to Watch on Day 8:

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Mikaela Shiffrin in action during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Giant Slalom on Dec. 19, 2017 in Courchevel, France. Shiffrin, a winter Olympics contender from the United States, beat out France's Tessa Worley for the World Cup in giant slalom.

1. Gus Kenworthy, Sochi's Stray Dog Hero, Misses Podium in Pyeongchang Debut

One of two openly gay American Olympic athletes in Pyeongchang, Gus Kenworthy has been one of the bigger names to watch the 2018 Games. He debuted in the freeski men's slopestyle competition Saturday night, making it through qualifying, but finishing 12th in the final. American Nick Goepper won silver at the event, adding to the bronze he won four years ago in Sochi. 

Kenworthy's Olympics turned into Oystein Braaten's party. Braaten, the 22-year-old from Norway, captured the gold medal, far outdistancing the dinged-up Kenworthy, who failed to land any of his three runs and came in last.

You may remember Kenworthy from the Sochi Olympics -- he and his then partner Robin Macdonald gained global attention after Macdonald texted Kenworthy a photo of four stray puppies and their mother. Kenworthy ended up staying in Sochi for an extra month to save the family of dogs, adopt them and bring them home.

Kenworthy first publicly said he was gay in an October 2015 interview with ESPN. Rolling Stone later said he was the "first action-sports star to come out." Kenworthy won silver in the slopestyle freeski in Sochi, his Olympic debut.

Must-See: Gus Kenworthy explains slopestyle with legos

2. Defending Champ Ted Ligety Fails to Medal in Olympic Giant Slalom

Austrian Marcel Hirscher claimed the Olympic giant slalom gold medal, his second gold medal at the Pyeongchang Games.

American Ted Ligety, the defending Olympic champion who is nicknamed “Mr. GS” because of his success in the discipline, finished tied for 15th, a distant 3.21 seconds behind Hirscher.

Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway took silver and France’s Alexis Pinturault earned the bronze medal.

Must-See: Podium Eludes American Alpine Skiier Ted Ligety

3. Fourcade Edges Schempp in Biathlon Photo Finish 

Martin Fourcade overcame two missed targets and a tumble after his first penalty loop to beat German’s Simon Schempp in a dramatic photo finish to win the men’s 15km mass start Sunday at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre in Pyeongchang.

The Frenchman captured his first gold medal in the mass start after grabbing silver in each of the past two Winter Olympics.

Most Americans haven’t heard of him, but Fourcade is one of the most decorated athletes in French history. His win in Sunday’s mass start makes him France’s first four-time Olympic gold medalist.

Fourcade won the 12.5km pursuit event earlier this week. He also won two gold medals at the Sochi games in 2014.

Must-See: Boe takes biathlon gold after Fourcade's stunning collapse

4. 'Blonde Dragon' Jamie Greubel Poser Trains in Bobsled

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Born in Princeton, New Jersey, 34-year-old Jamie Greubel Poser earned bronze in the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the bobsledder known as the "Blonde Dragon" is ready to take the next step on the podium in Pyeongchang.
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Greubel Poser was introduced to bobsled by an ex-college track teammate at Cornell, where she was a standout in track and field, according to NBCOlympics.com. She's now a boblsed pilot after starting her career as a brakeman.
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She earned a bronze medal in her Olympic debut in Sochi in 2014 in a 2-man bobsled with Aja Evans. She also won the 2016-17 World Cup overall title and bronze at the 2017 World Championships.
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Greubel Poser is known as the "Blonde Dragon." It stems from a mixup a few years back, when someone asked her coach about the "blonde driver" but her coach heard "blonde dragon." It stuck. And given her intensity on the ice, it's a perfect fit. She also goes by "Diesel" because of her biceps.
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Greubel Poser's greatest inspiration is her husband, Christian, an Olympic bobsled athlete for Germany. She had a challenging year coming back from ACL surgery at the start of her driving career and he helped ground her, believe in her and propel her forward, according to NBCOlympics.com.
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According to NBCOlympics, she said, "Going so fast that I open a wormhole to another dimension (just kidding)."
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Greubel Poser is 5 feet 9 inches tall and 170 pounds. She'll turn 35 in November.
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She has three younger sisters, one of whom was adopted from South Korea at 5 months old, which makes competing in Pyeongchang that more personal. She also grew up riding horses and competing in show jumping, according to NBCOlympics.com.
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Greubel Poser always wears the same clothes on race day, according to NBCOlympics.com. But it's more a laundry thing than a superstition -- it can be hard to wash clothes on the road.

Born in Princeton, New Jersey, 34-year-old Jamie Greubel Poser earned bronze in the 2014 Sochi Games in her Olympic debut with Aja Evans and the bobsledder known as the "Blonde Dragon" is ready to take the next step on the podium in Pyeongchang. (She also won the 2016-17 World Cup overall title and bronze at the 2017 World Championships.)

How'd she get that nickname? The "Blonde Dragon" stems from a mixup a few years back, when someone asked her coach about the "blonde driver" but her coach heard "blonde dragon." It stuck. And given her intensity on the ice, it's a perfect fit. She also goes by "Diesel" because of her biceps. 

Greubel Poser's greatest inspiration is her husband, Christian, an Olympic bobsled athlete for Germany. She had a challenging year coming back from ACL surgery at the start of her driving career and he helped ground her, believe in her and propel her forward, according to NBCOlympics.com.

Must-See: How did bobsled get its name? Three lies and a true story

The Alpine ski racer fuels up in the morning with scrambled eggs mixed with red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, and cilantro. She tops it off with Cholula hot sauce, according to Women's Health.

The snowboarder eats chocolate pancakes with biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Celebrity chef David Chang surprised her with two of her favorite sweets in one: a churro ice cream sandwich. 

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The snowboarder has a $920 burger named after him in South Korea, but his favorite thing is Americanized Chinese food, especially airport Chinese food, according to US Weekly

The figure skater says he has a relatively organized nutrition schedule, but he told NBC Olympics he likes to indulge in desserts, especially Hershey's bars. 

The Alpine ski racer is an absolute pasta fanatic. She told Eating Well that she makes a "mean mac and cheese." 

The freestyle skater has nicknamed an Indian food buffet he goes to in Colorado "Curry in a Hurry." He told Men's Journal: "The first time I went there, I ate there eight days in a row." 

The ice dancer loves Korean foods like barbeque, bibimbap, chap chae and duk bokgi, according to NBC Olympics

The ice dancer starts every day off with a green tea and lemon but moves to herbal teas later in the day, NBC Olympics reported

The snowboarder told the Chicago Tribune she was looking forward to sampling different foods in Korea. She’ll have plenty to choose from, including these fried mandu (Korean dumplings) at the Olympic Park.

The biathlete told NBC Olympics that her favorite foods are pizza, dark chocolate, and dried mango.

The bobsledder eats lots of veggies and lean proteins. She shared a pan-seared duck with swiss chard recipe with ESPN. 

Like several other athletes, the curler loves Korean barbecue. He's also a fan of pizza and wings when he's back home in Minnesota, according to NBC Olympics

The curler used to work at a place called Tornado Steakhouse. Naturally, he likes steaks, NBC Olympics reported

The U.S. women's hockey team fills up with a range of things, including the classic and protein-rich peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the New York Times reported

The Alpine ski racer is a fan of big salads and chicken breasts for lunch, but in general loves meals with lots of meat and vegetables, he told ABC

The speed skater loves kimchi and Korean barbecue, but nothing beats wings and fries from Crunchies & Munchies in Florida, she says

The luger has cold cut meats for breakfast, along with two to four boiled eggs, bread, yogurt, granola and fruit, according to Cosmopolitan

The hockey player loves her mom's home-cooked enchiladas and shrimp jambalaya, according to Cosmopolitan

The freestyle skier snacks on carrots and hummus and eats other healthy foods like quinoa salad, greens, and pumpkin seeds for lunch, Cosmopolitan reported

The curler loves a big bowl of pasta and a glass of wine after competing even though the curling team mostly sticks to a super-healthy diet, according to First We Feast

The snowboarder says her favorite pasttime is going to In-N-Out for burgers, according to Cosmopolitan

The curler always has a chocolate milk between games, she told Cosmopolitan

The cross-country skier has a sweet spot for apple pie despite the fact she removed gluten and many processed foods from her diet, First We Feat reported

The figure skater usually makes overnight oats with almond milk for breakfast. He told Bon Appetit that it's important to be consistent with breakfast while traveling. 

The bobsledder makes protein bites out of oats, peanut butter, a little honey, protein powder, dark chocolate chips, crushed almonds, and sometimes dried cranberries, according to Bon Appetit

The freestyle skier loves brown cheese from Norway, but her favorite is Cabot cheddar from her home state of Vermont, according to Delish. 

The hockey player loves kimchi and said she's looking forward to trying authentic Korean food while in Pyeongchang, NBC Olympics reported

The luger ate an entire slice of pizza in one bite in a video posted to Twitter

The cross-country skier loves to bake and whips up everything from banana bread to pancakes and muffins while training, according to Cosmopolitan

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The biathlete told NBC Olympics that if he had to indulge in one type of food, it would be Mexican food. 

The pair skater told InStyle that she always drinks a glass of milk in the morning and then again at night. 

The snowboarder makes green smoothies packed with protein powder and 100 superfoods, according to InStyle

The Alpine skier's favorite breakfast is a "large sweet-potato, shiitake mushroom, red onion, garlic, and spinach stir fry with two fried duck-eggs on top," InStyle reported.

The cross-country skier told Delish that her favorite dessert is chocolate. "When I'm traveling the world, there are a million different kinds," she said.

The curler said sushi in Japan was everything he expected, according to Food and Wine.

The speed skater posted a "nood photo" of himself eating a giant plate of noodles before the Winter Olympics. 

“Cauliflower! I can eat a whole head of cauliflower in one sitting," the hockey player told For the Win

The speed skater told Bon Appetit her favorite food is "any type of meat." 

The speed skater loves doughnuts and Oreos, according to Bon Appetit, but he "sadly can’t eat them very much or else coaches will get upset."

The speed skater has been pursuing culinary studies and Bon Appetit reports that he made it clear on his Olympics profile that he loves ramen but "does not like cucumbers in any form." 

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When he's done competing, the bobsledder is all about Five Guys burgers, according to Bon Appetit

The speed skater told Bon Appetit that she likes fresh mango right off the tree. 

The bobsledder has sung the praises of campfire coffee, according to Bon Appetit

The snowboarder makes her own maple syrup in Lake Tahoe, Bon Appetit reported

The speed skater told Delish that she eats avocado toast with an egg after practice. 

The ice dancer always starts the day by swigging one or two glasses of water. Although she adopted a vegan diet, she has since been incorporating some animal products back into her meals, according to Delish

The ice dancer says nothing compares to "some quality pizza at a nice Italian restaurant" after competition, Delish reported

The figure skater makes her own banana muffins, a treat she calls her guilty pleasure, according to Delish

The Nordic combined skier is a big believer in everything being OK in moderation, according to Delish. He dives into an IPA, ice cream and his wife's baked goods when he's not competing. 

The short-track speed skater eats a carb-rich meal of pasta or rice and a protein before training, Delish reported

The curler says she has "a big sweet tooth for fruity candies like Starburst and Skittles," according to Delish

The snowboarder snacks on protein shakes and carries protein powder with her to "ensure I can get what my body needs to repair after a hard day on the hill," Delish reported

The biathalon competitor goes for a large salad and a "heaping plate of rice" with chicken and veggies for lunch, according to Delish

The downhill skier drinks "lots and lots" of coconut water when competing. She also uses the beverage as a base for her morning smoothies and carries a bottle with her to the slopes, First We Feast reported

"In the off-season I want to go for the record of eating 70 super spicy wings," the bobsledder told First We Feast

The speed skater loves Korean barbecue, but he says his absolute favorite food is Chinese lumpia, a pastry similar to spring rolls, according to First We Feast.

The skeleton racer snacks on cottage cheese and protein powder to get ready for competition, First We Feast reported

The figure skater told First We Feast: "I’m an all-American girl, so I go for a burger and fries and a shake." 

The bobsledder indulges in crunchy peanut butter and chocolate milk after he competes, according to First We Feast

The short-track skater downs protein-rich foods like hard-boiled eggs between racing events, Bustle reported

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