U.s. Women's Figure Skating Medal Hopes Rest On Alysa Liu's Shoulders

Welcome to your regular reappraisal and preview of this year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics. My sanction is John Cherwa and I’m your circuit head for nan Games arsenic we commencement to get person to nan extremity pinch nan U.S. moving retired of beardown badge opportunities, pinch nan objection of hockey.

The Winter Olympics has galore marquee sports and events, but erstwhile it comes to interest, fewer tin apical nan women’s fig skating competition. Do you cognize nan names John Curry, Victor Petrenko, IIia Kulik and Alexi Yagudi? Sort of? Kind of? Rings a bell? They were nan men’s golden badge winners successful nan Olympics that nan women’s title was won by Dorothy Hamill (1976), Kristi Yamaguchi (1992), Tara Lipinski (1998) and Sarah Hughes (2002).

No uncertainty that women’s fig skating, conscionable for illustration gymnastics, gets much attraction than immoderate different arena successful nan Games.

This year, moreover Taylor Swift sewage progressive pinch a rousing endorsement of nan “Blade Angels”: Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn. After nan short program, we’re astir apt down to 1 Blade Angel.

Only Liu has a realistic chance astatine a medal, successful 3rd pinch Japanese skaters successful first, 2nd and fourth. Levito is successful eighth and Glenn is successful 13th aft 1 large correction that took her retired of badge contention.

The placement isn’t arsenic important arsenic nan people and Liu is astir 2 points behind, truthful she’s sewage a shot.

Have to opportunity nan NBC fig skating analysts are apical shelf. Lipinski and Johnny Weir are awesome explaining things during nan skating and Scott Hamilton is cleanable arsenic nan in-studio analyst. Take a portion if you’ve heard thing for illustration this phrase: “You can’t triumph a badge successful nan short programme but you tin suffer it.”

The agelong programme is Thursday.

Favorite infinitesimal of Games

The Olympics are afloat of heart-tugging moments but nary were amended than Elana Meyers Taylor opinionated connected nan podium aft winning nan golden badge successful women’s monobob. But it was successful nan stands wherever your bosom started to melt. It was nan show of husband, Nic Taylor, holding their youngest son, Noah, 3, successful his arms explaining what was going connected successful motion language. Noah and older sibling, Nico, are deaf. In short, Nic is signing to Noah that, yes, that’s his mommy connected nan badge stand. Noah asks if it’s mommy. Yes it is he responds and she’s coming [home]. Why I only saw it connected nan nighttime replay show and not connected nan “Today” show, wherever Hoda Kotb continues to show athletes that she loves them, is baffling. If you missed nan podium moment, here it is. I committedness it will make you consciousness good, possibly moreover bring a tear.

Elsewhere connected Tuesday

Mac Forehand celebrates during nan men’s freestyle skiing large aerial finals.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

—The U.S. had an particularly bully time astatine nan men’s freestyle large air. Norway sewage nan golden and Mac Forehand of nan U.S. sewage nan metallic and nan U.S. put 2 adjacent but not connected nan badge stand. Troy Podmilsak vanished 4th and Konnor Ralph was fifth.

—France upset Norway to triumph nan men’s 4X7.5km successful biathlon. The U.S. vanished fifth, its champion ever decorativeness successful this event.

—It was Germany, Germany, Germany (you tin opportunity that 3 times successful a statement overmuch for illustration Bloody Mary, Tora! and Marcia!) sweeping nan badge level successful nan two-man bobsled. The U.S. sled of Frankie del Duca and Joshua Williamson vanished fourth.

—The U.S. women’s curling squad upped its grounds to 5-2 pinch a 10-3 triumph complete Denmark. But nan men dropped to 4-4 losing to China and Italy by identical 8-5 scores. Not a misprint, nan U.S. mislaid to China, a state truthful ascendant successful nan Winter Games it’s successful 19th spot successful medals pinch nary golds. I’ve been to China 4 times and ne'er seen a curling rink. Yet, we person ones successful Irvine, Panorama City and Carlsbad. Yet, nan U.S. loses to China?

—Norway won yet different gold, this clip successful nan Nordic combined, some skis jumping and cross-country skiing. Niklas Malacinski was nan apical U.S. finisher successful 13th.

—The U.S. conscionable missed a golden successful nan men’s speedskating squad pursuit. The U.S. squad hit China successful nan semifinals but mislaid to Italy successful nan finals. The women mislaid successful nan semis and past mislaid again to Japan successful nan bronze badge race. Canada hit nan Netherlands for nan gold. So, metallic for nan men and nary badge for nan women. Jordan Stolz of Wisconsin, victor of 2 golds truthful far, skipped nan squad pursuit, but will beryllium successful nan 1,500.

Best Thing to Watch connected TV today

Red Gerard successful action astatine nan Winter Olympics.

(Millo Moravski / Getty Images)

It’s going to beryllium an early greeting for most. There could beryllium a large infinitesimal aliases nary infinitesimal successful nan women’s slalom. The measurement it useful is everyone goes down nan first people and nan apical 30 move to different people for nan 2nd run. The victor is wished by nan champion mixed total. On this broadside of nan pond, each eyes will beryllium connected Mikaela Shiffrin, who will make nan seventh run. Paula Moltzan will skis second. Shiffrin won nan golden successful 2014 successful Sochi. The first tally is astatine 1 a.m. PST and nan 2nd astatine 4:30 a.m. PST. We had to hold a time but nan rescheduled men’s and women’s slopestyle could beryllium absorbing pinch Red Gerard, golden victor successful Pyeongchang, and newcomers Jessica Perlmutter and Lily Dhawornvej could beryllium competitory successful nan women’s competition. Last tally for nan men is scheduled for 3:13 a.m. PST and nan women’s astatine 6:26 a.m. PST. We saved nan champion for last, and nan arena you are astir apt to beryllium awake for, nan U.S. men’s squad will beryllium successful a knockout crippled against Sweden astatine 12:10 p.m. PST. It was a reliable tie for nan U.S. arsenic Sweden is apt nan 3rd champion squad down nan U.S. and Canada.

Favorite photo

Isabeau Levito competes during nan women’s short program.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Times photographer Robert Gauthier is astatine nan Winter Olympics. Each day, Times newsletter editor Houston Mitchell will prime a favourite photograph from nan galore Gauthier has taken.

Wednesday’s afloat Olympic TV and streaming schedule

Wednesday’s unrecorded TV and streaming broadcasts for nan Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics unless noted (subject to change). All events watercourse unrecorded connected Peacock aliases NBCOlympics.com pinch a streaming aliases cablegram login. All times Pacific. 🏅 — badge arena for unrecorded broadcasts.

MULTIPLE SPORTS
8 p.m. — “Primetime successful Milan” (delay): Alpine skiing, short way speedskating, cross-country-skiing, freestyle skiing and more. | NBC

ALPINE SKIING
1 a.m. — Women’s slalom, Run 1 | USA
4:20 a.m. — 🏅Women’s slalom, Run 2 | USA

BIATHLON
5:45 a.m. — Women’s 4x6-kilometer relay | Peacock
9 a.m. — Women’s 4x6-kilometer relay (delay) | NBC

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
12:45 a.m. — Men’s and women’s squad sprint freestyle, qualifying | Peacock
2 a.m. — Men’s and women’s squad sprint freestyle, qualifying (delay) | USA
2:45 a.m. — 🏅Men’s and women’s squad sprint freestyle, finals | Peacock
5:30 a.m. — Men’s and women’s squad sprint freestyle, finals (delay) | USA
9:45 a.m. — Men’s and women’s squad sprint freestyle, finals (re-air) | NBC

CURLING
Women (round robin)
12:05 a.m. — U.S. vs. Britain | Peacock
12:05 a.m. — China vs. Denmark | Peacock
12:05 a.m. — Sweden vs. South Korea | Peacock
Men (round robin)
5:05 a.m. — U.S. vs. Britain | Peacock
5:05 a.m. — China vs. Czechia | Peacock
5:05 a.m. — Italy vs. Canada | Peacock
5:05 a.m. — Norway vs. Switzerland | Peacock
6:15 a.m. — U.S. vs. Britain (delay) | USA
Women (round robin)
10:05 a.m. — Canada vs. Italy | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — China vs. Sweden | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Britain vs. Japan | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Switzerland vs. Denmark | Peacock
5 p.m. — Canada vs. Italy (delay) | USA

FREESTYLE SKIING
2:30 a.m. — 🏅Women’s aerials, last | USA
10:30 a.m. — Women’s aerials, last (delay) | NBC

HOCKEY
Men (quarterfinals)
3:10 a.m. — Slovakia vs. Germany | Peacock
7:40 a.m. — Canada vs. Czechia | USA
9:10 a.m. — Finland vs. Switzerland| Peacock
10 a.m. — Finland vs. Switzerland (in progress) | USA
12:10 a.m. — U.S. vs. Sweden | NBC

SHORT TRACK SPEEDSKATING
11:15 a.m. — 🏅Men’s 500 meters, women’s 3,000-meter relay, finals | Peacock
11:30 a.m. — 🏅Men’s 500 meters, women’s 3,000-meter relay, finals (in progress) | USA

SNOWBOARDING
3:30 a.m. — 🏅Men’s slopestyle, last | Peacock
3:45 a.m. — 🏅Men’s slopestyle, last (in progress) | USA
11:15 a.m. — 🏅Men’s slopestyle, last (delay) | NBC

In lawsuit you missed it ...

Check retired nan pursuing Milan-Cortina Olympics dispatches from nan L.A. Times squad connected nan crushed successful Italy:

Alysa Liu shines, while Amber Glenn is haunted by a large correction successful Olympic fig skating

Olympic curling ungraded threatens to everlastingly change nan sport’s civilization of trust

2026 Winter Olympics Day 11 recap: Results, badge count, schedule

Mayor Karen Bass says LA28 caput Wasserman should measurement down

Until adjacent time...

That concludes today’s Sports Report Olympic Edition newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email newsletter editor Houston Mitchell astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here and prime nan Sports Report.