2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2/18 Primetime Highlights

Monday's coverage of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang, South Korea, is highlighted by: NBC's primetime presentation, which begins at 8 p.m. ET live across all time zones, featuring Olympic medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani competing in ice dance; Coverage of the women's ski halfpipe in primetime on NBC, as Maddie Bowman continues her quest for gold*; Coverage of the men's ski halfpipe in primetime plus on NBC, headlined by 2014 gold medalist David Wise and 2014 Olympian Torin Yater-Wallace.*

*outdoor events subject to weather conditions

Following are highlights from tonight's evening and primetime coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on the networks of NBCUniversal:

WOMEN'S ALPINE SKIING - NBC

Analyst Bode Miller on the challenges Mikaela Shiffrin faces: "This is a downhiller's downhill. It's really not the typical downhill, where she could do well and use those (giant slalom) skills, and those really high-edge angles, and power it up. She's got to be thinking aerodynamics."

The following is an excerpt from reporter Heather Cox's interview with Shiffrin:

Shiffrin on whether she'll compete: "I want to for sure, but I'm kind of going to see how it goes tomorrow. I definitely want to pick up my speed in sections. That's kind of my goal for tomorrow and then we'll see."

The following is an excerpt from Cox's interview with Lindsey Vonn:

Vonn on throwing her hands up at the end of her training run: "I was trying to slow myself down. I actually didn't want to win the training run today. I like letting other people think that they're faster."

***

WOMEN'S SNOWBOARD - NBC

Analyst Todd Richards on U.S. snowboarder Hailey Langland's first qualifying run: "That was so smooth. Hailey Langley has some of the best style off of jumps out of any of the women."

Richards on the rise of SNOWBOARDING talent in Japan: "Japanese riders, they're coming up and they're coming up fast. The amount of talent that's coming out of Japan right now in slopestyle and halfpipe is staggering on both the men's and the women's side of things."

Play-by-play commentator Todd Harris on U.S. snowboarder Jamie Anderson's versatility: "One of the greatest all-around snowboarders. She's comfortable in powder, the back country, you can put her on a course and a big air jump. I'm guessing you could put her on a hard board and she could probably compete in parallel giant slalom."

***

WOMEN'S HOCKEY - NBSCN

'Inside-the-Glass' analyst Pierre McGuire on Dani Cameranesi's goal in the first period to give Team USA a 2-0 lead over Finland: "That is a goal in any league. What a shot. What a play."

Analyst Keith Jones on a play involving Finland's Ronja Savolainen that resulted in injury: "It was a trip. They missed the call. It would've been a two-minute minor for tripping. The unfortunate part was the way Savolainen went into the boards there. It's an awful thing to see, nobody wants to see it, but it was not a dirty play by (Meghan) Duggan."

***

FIGURE SKATING - NBC & NBCSN

White on American skaters Maia and Alex Shibutani's short dance performance: "So sharp, so polished, so Maia and Alex. This was the best I've seen them skate this short dance all season long. After the team event, I was wondering a little bit what was missing, where that fire went. Well, they found it at some point in the last week or so."

White on the lift performed by French duo Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac: "It's just crazy! You have to imagine how strong you have to be to just hover in the air, fully extended with just that one point of balance on the hips. It is so difficult."

Analyst Tanith White on the years and skill needed to become an Olympic ice dancer: "You have to be patient and you have to spend time on things like crossovers for hours a day, because ultimately ice dancers are the best fundamental skaters of all four disciplines."

White on Canadian skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir: "They are so good. They just keep delivering time and time again. They really gave everyone else a lesson."

Figure skating analysts Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir joined NBC Olympics' primetime host Mike Tirico to discuss recent FIGURE SKATING events. Following is an excerpt from that conversation:

Lipinski on the Shibutani's performance: "The Shibutani's were amazing. A great score, natural emotion. They were on fire tonight."

***

OLYMPIC ICE PRESENTED BY TOYOTA - NBCSN

Olympic Ice Presented by Toyota is NBCSN's live, daily FIGURE SKATING studio show.

Olympic Ice analyst Scott Hamilton on the three American teams competing in ice dance: "They have had so much success on the world stage. All three have won a U.S. Championship. In the last four years they have each won a U.S. Championship. The Shibutani's have won two. They have been on the podium the last two world championships, so they were chosen to represent the U.S. in the team event in both the short dance and free program...everything shows that they are peaking here."

Hamilton on Team Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and Team France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, training with the same coach at the same location: "I think it is good for some couples, especially ice dance because you can kind of know where you stand. But I couldn't have done it."

Olympic Ice analyst Tanith White on Maia and Alex Shibutani: "Coming into these Olympic Games they are the American team with the most impressive international pedigree."

***

MEN'S TWO-MAN BOBSLED - NBC

Analyst John Morgan on Germany's Christian Poser and Nico Walther's overturned sled during the opening heats: "Look at him duck his head. He's looking for a couple extra hundredths of a second, but he's driving blind...what these athletes will do for a couple hundredths of a second. That shows it all. LIVING ON THE EDGE right there."

Diffey on late U.S. bobsledder Steven Holcomb, who passed away in May: "The Holcomb legacy is immense, but also the Holcomb hole is enormous in everybody's heart. And it's not just bobsled - its luge and skeleton as well."

Morgan added: "He was a tremendously well-liked and respected athlete. I have never seen another athlete from the United States more respected than Steve Holcomb."

***

SPEED SKATING - NBC & NBCSN

Play-by-play commentator Tom Hammond as Japanese speed skater Nao Kodaira won gold in the women's 500m: "Still undefeated the last two years in 500m, she is the Olympic gold medalist. Nao Kodaira. The first Japanese women to ever win gold."

Analyst Joey Cheek on U.S. speed skater Erin Jackson's rapid improvement in the 500m: "This progression was incredible - from 40.66 to 39.04. It takes most people years to get that fast. Erin Jackson did it in just four months on the ice."

Watch Nao Kodaira take gold in the 500m here.

***

ABOUT NBC OLYMPICS

A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Olympics is responsible for producing, programming and promoting NBCUniversal's Olympic Games coverage. It is renowned for its unsurpassed Olympic heritage, award-winning production, and ability to aggregate the largest audiences in U.S. television history. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights on all platforms to all Olympic Games through 2032.

To post a comment, you must register and login.