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4 to Watch: Arcadia's Mirai Nagasu Falls Short

The figure skating competition's signature event begins in Pyeongchang

ICE DHS in Puerto Rico

One of the premiere events of the Winter Olympics got underway when Mirai Nagasu and Karen Chen, two skaters with Southern California ties, hit the ice for the first night of the women's figure skating individual competition.

In alpine skiing, Lindsey Vonn got another try at her first Olympic medal since 2010, when she became the face of Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics.

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1. Vonn Gets Bronze

Lindsey Vonn won the bronze medal in the Pyeongchang Games in the Alpine downhill race.

Vonn became a household name when she won gold in the downhill in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. But she missed the 2014 Olympics due to injury, and she opened the Pyeongchang games with a a disappointing run in the women's super-G, when she skied wide on a late turn and tied for sixth place. Ester Ledecka, of the Czech Republic, shocked everyone, including herself, by taking the gold.

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American Mikaela Shiffrin pulled out of the downhill to prepare for Thursday's Alpine combined. That's where Vonn and Shiffrin, who already won gold in the giant slalom, could compete head-to-head.

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2. Americans Fall Short in Women's Short Program

All three Americans to skate in the short program planned to open their routine with triple jumps, and all three stumbled. Bradie Tennell and Mirai Nagasu each fell all the way to the ice — Tennell on a triple lutz to triple toeloop combination, and Nagasu on a her trademark triple axel — while teammate Karen Chen placed a hand on the ice to brace herself coming out of a triple lutz.

Tennell was the first of the 30 skaters to perform and fell to the ice on her opening element, receiving a score of 64.01. The 2018 U.S. national champion finished her routine cleanly and held onto first place through the first 18 competitors, but finished the short program in 11th.

Nagasu, who became the first American to land a triple axel in Olympic competition when she executed it in the team event, stumbled on her trademark jump in the individual competition. An Olympian in 2010, Nagasu received 66.93 points — good for ninth place.

Chen, the final American to skate, was in 10th place with 65.90 points. 

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3. U.S. Wins Silver in Bobsled

Elana Meyers Taylor and Lauren Gibbs of the U.S. finished second in women's bobsled in Pyeongchang. Their time of 3:22.52 was just 0.07 seconds back from the gold-medal German sled — the closest margin between first and second in any Olympic bobsled race.

Germany's Mariama Jamanka — a winner of exactly zero major international races in her life until now — drove to gold in the event, adding to her country's dominant showing at the sliding track in these Olympics.

Canada's Kaillie Humphries teamed with Phylicia George to get third in 3:22.89.

It was the third consecutive medal for both Meyers Taylor and Humphries. Meyers Taylor won bronze as a push athlete in 2010 and silver as a driver in 2014; Humphries won gold in each of those Olympic races.

The American sled piloted by Jamie Greubel Poser with brakeman Aja Evans finished fifth, 0.13 seconds off the podium. Greubel Poser won bronze in Sochi.

Outside the medal race, teams from Jamaica and Nigeria made history in Pyeongchang. The Jamaican sled became the first women’s sled from the country to compete in the games, while the Nigerian women became the first African nation to participate in women’s bobsled. Jamaica finished the competition in 19th. Nigeria finished 20th.

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4. US Men's Hockey Loses to Czech Republic

Team USA and the Czech Republic were tied 2-2 through overtime and the match was decided in a shootout. Petr Koukal scored the game-winning goal and the Czech Republic will move onto the semifinal match Feb. 22

Team USA put up a dominating performance against Slovakia, winning 5-1, Tuesday. The young group looked strong all around: Ryan Donato scored twice, Troy Terry picked up three assists and Ryan Zapolski made 22 saves.

With National Hockey League players absent in the Olympics, Team USA is comprised of mostly college kids who failed to make it into the professional league. They look to win the United States' first gold medal since the "Miracle on Ice" against the Soviet Union in 1980.

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