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3 to Watch: Tahoe's Maddie Bowman Goes for Repeat Gold in Halfpipe, Los Gatos' Nick Cunningham Debuts in Bobsled and Ice Dancing Competition Gets Under Way

Primetime coverage begins at 4 p.m. on NBC on the West Coast

Tune in to for NBC's LIVE primetime coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics beginning at 5 p.m. on the West Coast. Not near a TV? You can also catch it on your phone or computer right here.

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Chicago Police Department

We've got not one, but two local athletes to watch for in Sunday night (and Monday morning) events in Pyeongchang. 

1. Defending Champion Bowman Begins Quest for Gold in Women’s Halfpipe

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Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

South Lake Tahoe's Maddie Bowman begins her quest to repeat her Sochi golden run in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe with qualifying runs on Monday (Sunday night in the U.S.). She will lead a large contingent of U.S. athletes who hope to advance to the third and final run the next day.

Bowman’s teammates include top contenders Devin Logan, who won silver in Sochi for slopestyle, and Brita Sigourney, who finished sixth in the halfpipe in Sochi. Sigourney is the first women to land a 1080 in a competition halfpipe run, which she did during the 2012 X Games in Aspen.

But Team USA will have tough competition from Canada’s Cassie Sharpe, a standout for her bold tricks, and France’s Marie Martinod, who took silver in Sochi.

How to Watch: Catch the action as part of NBC’s primetime coverage beginning at 5 p.m. PT Sunday or on digital platforms here

> SPOTLIGHT: One-on-One With Tahoe's Maddie Bowman
> VIDEO: Bowman Reflects on Winning Gold in Sochi
> MORE: Get to Know Your NorCal Olympic Athletes
> PHOTOS: Model Olympian: Maddie Bowman
> SLIDESHOW: Maddie Bowman's Childhood Photos
> FUN: What is Maddie Bowman Drawing?

2. U.S. Men's Bobsled Team Faces Down Hard Times

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Getty Images

The U.S. men’s two-man bobsled teams will compete on Monday after getting through very tough times. Three-time Olympian Steven Holcomb died last year.

Pilot Justin Olsen, a 2010 gold medalist, is vying for a top spot despite having had emergency surgery for acute appendicitis on Feb. 5. He was soon tweeting a video of himself doing pushups. Two-time Olympian Nick Cunningham of Los Gatos and Codie Bascue are also in the mix. [[474396633, L]] 

Germany has two top pilots in the race, Francesco Friedrich and Johannes Lochner, who was inspired by his Olympic silver medal-winning uncle, Rudi Lochner. Three-time Olympian Justin Kripps could contend for Canada’s first gold medal in the two-man since 1998. And South Korea, which has never won an Olympic medal in a sliding sport, has its hopes on Won Yun-jong.

How to Watch: See it unfold as part of NBC’s primetime coverage beginning at 5 p.m. PT Monday evening or live on digital platforms at 3:15 a.m. PT Monday morning.

3. UPDATE: Top Three U.S. Ice Dance Teams Advance

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Telemundo 62

All three American teams are in position to contend for a medal in ice dance following the short dance portion of the competition Monday at Gangneung Ice Arena. The favorites entering the competition also asserted themselves, with Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir posting a world record-score for short dance.

The reigning United States champions, Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, are in third place with a score of 77.75, two-hundredths of a point ahead of the brother-sister pair of Maia and Alex Shibutani. Madison Chock and Evan Bates are seventh, after receiving a season-high score of 75.45.

Virtue and Moir, who lead the field with 83.67 points, were Team Canada’s flag bearers at the opening ceremony and have a chance to become the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history. A trip to the podium in Pyeongchang would net them their fifth medal between ice dance and the team figure skating event. The short dance will be followed by the free dance Tuesday (Monday night in the United States).

> READ full story here

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