4 to Watch: Lindsey Vonn Makes Her Pyeongchang Debut

It was a star-studded day in Pyeongchang, where skier Lindsey Vonn, three figure skaters with ties to Southern California and the U.S. men's hockey team were all in action.

Vonn, who hasn't skied in the Olympics in eight years, made her much-anticipated return in the Super-G. In figure skating, the second night of men's individual competition thrilled and the U.S. men's hockey team faced an old nemesis playing under a different flag.

Here are four events to watch at the Winter Games.

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1. Lindsey Has Disappointing Finish

Lindsey Vonn took sixth in the Super-G.

Vonn had a fast run down the hill at Jeongseon Alpine Center before skidding off course near the finish line cost her valuable time. She finished the course in 1:21.49.

"I'm disappointed but I'm not upset," Vonn said in an interview after her run. "I gave it my all and that's all I can do."

Vonn is expected to return to the snow Tuesday in the downhill.

Vonn has been the face of Team USA for nearly a decade now, so it's easy to forget that she hasn't competed in an Olympic games in eight years, and has won just one gold medal. She hoped to change both of those Saturday (Friday night in the U.S.). Vonn's first race in Pyeongchang ended in disappointment in the Super-G. She won the bronze medal in the event at the Vancouver Games in 2010, but missed the Sochi Olympics due to a knee injury.

The downhill is Vonn's best event, but she's won 28 Super-G races in her career, including the 2009 world championship. In 2015, she returned from her knee injury and won the bronze medal at the world championships.

She plans to also enter the downhill and combined races in Pyeongchang.

Mikaela Shiffrin, who won the gold medal in the Giant Slalom earlier this week, will not compete in the Super G.

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2. Chen Dazzles in Free Skate; Falls Short of Medal

Coming off a disappointing short program, Nathan Chen successfully landed an Olympic-record five quad jumps in the men's free skate Saturday morning at Gangneung Ice Arena. He received a score of 215.08, vaulting him into medal contention with a total score of 297.35.

Chen's less-heralded teammates finished ahead of him — Southern California's Adam Rippon took seventh and Vincent Zhou finished 12th.

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3. Do You Believe in Nostalgia?

The United States struggled against the Olympics Athletes from Russia, losing 4-0.

The U.S. and Russia have a rich history in Olympic hockey, dating back to 1980s Miracle on Ice, when America’s rag-tag team of college kids upset the mighty Russians and eventually won the gold. More recently, games between U.S. And Russia were marquee matchup featuring teams loaded with NHL players.

But the NHL is not participating in the Olympics, leaving both teams — but especially the Americans — a shell of what they could be. The U.S. men’s team is made up mostly of college athletes, Americans playing professionally overseas and others playing in second-tier leagues. The Russian team is composed of players in the highly regarded Kontinental Hockey League. 

And this time, the Russians are playing as the Olympic Athletes from Russia, because the Russian national team was banned from the Pyeongchang Olympics due to doping. 

The U.S. now has a 1-2 record after losing to Slovenia in the opening game, but beating Slovakia on Friday. The Russians lost to Slovakia in their opener, but trounced Slovenia 8-2 on Friday afternoon (morning in the U.S.).

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4. No Medal for Americans in Women's Ski Slopestyle

American Maggie Voison finished fourth, while her teammate Devin Logan finished 10th in the women's ski slopestyle.

Logan, who won silver in Sochi, was the first American to be named to the Olympic team for both slopestyle and halfpipe. Voisin made her Olympic debut, although she was expected to compete in Sochi at age 15 but was sidelined due to injury.

Voisin and Logan were among the 12 skiiers to make the final. Two Americans, Darian Stevens and Caroline Claire, failed to qualify.