4 to Watch: Lindsey Vonn Misses the Podium, Nathan Chen's Shot at Redemption and Freestyle Skiing Highlight Day 7 of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics
Day 7 in Pyeongchang features the debut the world has been waiting for
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Lindsey Vonn won't be taking home her first medal since 2010 just yet.
The famed skier returned to the slopes after an eight-year absence from Olympic competition, but couldn't hit a time that landed her on the podium. But between her highly anticipated Pyeongchang debut in the Super-G to Nathan Chen's record-breaking free skate, freeski slopestyle skiing and the acrobatics from skiing's best freestyle aerialists, there should be no shortage of must-see action on Day 7 of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
Without further ado, here are our four to Watch on Day 7 (covers the action late Friday through early Saturday, East Coast time):
1. Lindsey Vonn Knocked off Podium in Super-G Showdown
Lindsey Vonn won't be taking home any hardware for the Super-G.
The face of Team USA skiing for nearly a decade finished off the podium after a fast run was foiled when she skidded off course near the finish line. She was tied for fifth after the event, her first Olympic race since 2010. Austira's Anna Veith, the defending gold medalist, became the first woman to win the event in two straight Olympics.
But the all-time winningest female alpine skier will have another chance at gold in Pyeongchang. She's competing in the downhill on Tuesday.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the gold medal in the Giant Slalom earlier this week, will not compete in the Super G.
2. Nathan Chen Misses Out on Medal, Finishes 5th in Figure Skating
Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu skated to gold in men’s figure skating Saturday, after dominating back-to-back days, including an Olympic record-breaking score on the first night in the men’s short program.
Chen, a two-time U.S. champion, seemingly succumbed to the pressure and massive expectations in Friday’s short program and fell on all his jumps. But the 18-year-old came roaring back on Saturday, attempting six quad jumps and landing five of them cleanly — two Olympic firsts. Chen’s 215.08 points for the free skate were a personal high.
Team USA’s youngest athlete, Vincent Zhou, finished sixth and Adam Rippon finished 10th.
3. Comeback Kid Maggie Voisin Falls Short in Women's Freeski Slopestyle
A pair of Swiss freeskiers landed big tricks and earned the top two spots on the podium in PyeongChang. Sarah Hoefflin took the gold medal with a score of 91.20 on her third and final run. Her teammate, 18-year-old Mathilde Gremaud scored 88.00 on the first of her three runs in the finals but couldn't top Hoefflin.
U.S. skier Maggie Voisin was in position for the bronze until Isabel Atkin, who was born in Boston but competes for Great Britain, came through with an 84.60 to knock her off the podium and capture third.
Voisin was one of two Americans in the final. She finished fourth, while teammate Devin Logan, a silver medalist in Sochi, took 10th.
4. Connecticut's Mac Bohonnon Shows Off Aerial Skills
Connecticut-born Mac Bohonnon has been skiing since he was younger than age 2. He started training in the U.S. Ski Team's developmental program when he was barely a teenager. And now, at age 22, he's looking to make the freestyle skiing podium in Pyeongchang after a fifth place finish in Sochi. Bohonnon came in fifth place in freestyle skiing aerials at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and was 2015 World Cup aerials champion. He also had three World Cup wins as of the end of the 2016-17 season.
How'd Bohonnon get his start? His parents often took him and his older siblings to the family home in Vermont on weekends, so Bohonnon was hitting the slopes before he was out of diapers. After some experience with Alpine skiing, he discovered a knack for jumps, according to NBCOlympics.com.