One of the iconic moments for Team USA in these Pyeongchang Olympics was Jessie Diggins pushing down the stretch during the women’s team sprint to earn America’s first-ever cross country gold medal. So it’s fitting that Diggins will end the Olympics by carrying the American flag in Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium during the closing ceremonies.
But before Diggins was to lead Team USA out of the Olympics, there were more medals to be awarded: The host country’s "Garlic Girls" went for gold in women’s curling and the not-Russians go for gold in men’s hockey. The United States tried to spoil a Canada-Germany rematch in the bobsled, and Norway tried to add to an already-historic Olympic medal haul.
Here’s everything you need to watch for the final day of the Winter Olympics:
1. Historic Gold Medalist Carries the Red, White and Blue
[NATL] Flags, Fireworks and a Tiger Puppet: the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Photos
Jessie Diggins captured the United States' first-ever women’s cross-country skiing medal when she and teammate Kikkan Randall won gold in the freestyle team event. Now, the 26-year-old will be the first country-country skier to carry the U.S. flag in the Winter Games’ closing ceremonies.
“I actually thought there maybe had been a mistake. I was like, `What? I can’t believe this,’” Diggins said on the “Today" show. “It is so humbling, and I feel so honored to have been picked.”
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Some of the star power will be in the stands, where President Donald’s Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, will lead the U.S. delegation. The opening ceremony spotlight was on the mysterious Kim Yo-jong, the sister of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, who was dubbed “North Korea’s Ivanka.” Will the real Ivanka Trump be able to seize some of that limelight?
As for entertainment, expect K-pop stars CL and the boy band EXO.
How to Watch: Click here to watch the closing ceremony live, starting at 8 p.m. ET Sunday. It will also air on NBC.
Must-See: Best moments from the opening ceremony in Pyeongchang
2. Sweden Beats South Korea's 'Garlic Girls' for Curling Gold
[NATL] Norway's Curlers Are No Strangers to Fun Pants, Enjoy 'Turning Heads'
The South Korean women’s curling team fell, in front of a home crowd, to Sweden in the gold medal match, 8-3.
But South Korea’s “Garlic Girls” (dubbed the nickname for their hometown’s locally grown garlic) still earned silver in women’s curling, the country’s first-ever Olympic medal in the sport. Korea had never qualified for an Olympic curling tournament before Sochi in 2014.
The “Garlic Girls” got their name from their hometown’s locally grown garlic. Fervent fans have made them social media sensations during the Games. But they apparently don't know the superstars they've become -- they turned their phones off for the Winter Olympics so they could keep their focus.
In Pyeongchang, curling was the busiest sport; from the first match of the new mixed doubles discipline — a day and a half before the lighting of the cauldron — to the end of the women's final, there were 18 straight days of competition, some with as many as four matches in each of three sessions per day.
Must-See: Sweden defeats South Korea for third women's curling gold
MORE: Team Shuster shocks the world
3. Bobsled's Best Vie for Gold, Germany Comes out on Top
7 Fast Facts About Codie Bascue: New York's Squat-Loving Bobsledder Makes Olympic Debut
After four heats of two-man bobsled, German pilot Francesco Friedrich and Canadian pilot Justin Kripps finished in a dead heat, sharing the gold medal. In, in the four-man, they got one more shot to prove who’s the world’s best bobsled pilot.
It was the German team driven by Friedrich on Sunday that took home gold in the event. Two teams tied for second and will receive silver medals: South Korea's sled driven by Won Yunjong and a German sled driven by Nico Walther.
It was the first medal for South Korea in bobsled.
For the United States, the sled driven by Codie Bascue finished ninth, while the sleds driven by Nick Cunningham and Justin Olsen finished 19th and 20th, respectively.
Must-See: Team USA's Nick Cunningham sled makes their fourth and final run in the four-man bobsled
MORE: Watch side-by-side of 2-man bobsled final end in tie
4. Not-Russia Goes for Elusive Hockey Gold
[NATL] In Photos: North Korean 'Army of Beauties' Cheers on a Unified Korean Team in Pyeongchang
The Soviet Union won the hockey gold medal in the Olympics seven times between 1956 and 1988. The Unified Team, a team of post-Soviet players, won the gold medal in 1992. And when the Russians play for the gold medal on Sunday, they will be competing as OAR, the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
So the Russians are trying to win a ninth hockey gold medal while never actually winning one for Russia.
After failing to win a gold medal at the last six Olympics (regardless of their name), and failing to win any medal at the last three, the Pyeongchang games seemed to be Russia’s best chance in decades. With the National Hockey League missing in action — it refused to allow its players to participate in the Olympics — the Russians entered the tournament as the heavy favorite.
“We’ve been striving for this for years,” said Oleg Znarok, Russia’s coach.
But because of a doping scandal that impacted the country’s entire Olympic program, the Russian national team has been banned from these Olympics — hence the Olympic Athletes from Russia name. If they beat Germany, the Russian flag will not be raised, and the Russian national anthem will not play.
They face a surprising German team in the gold medal match. The Germans upset Canada in the semifinals, 4-3.
The Russians haven’t needed upsets to reach the finals. After losing to Slovakia 3-2 in its opening game, the Russians won four consecutive games by a combined score of 21-3, including a 6-1 win over Norway in the quarterfinals and a 3-0 win over the Czech Republic in the semifinals. In pool play, the Russians beat the United States, 4-0.
Must-See: Watch the full shootout between the USA and Czech Republic
MORE: Canadian hockey player yanks silver medal off neck in tantrum
