FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 16th, 2018

2018 PYEONGCHANG OLYMPICS – FEB. 16 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS ON THE NETWORKS OF NBCUNIVERSAL

“He has got the ‘Iron Man’ helmet, the ‘Iron Man’ body and the ‘Iron Man’ will.” – Leigh Diffey on men’s skeleton gold medalist Yun Sung-Bin

 

“That right there is the beauty of curling. You hear the strategy, angst, anxiety and arguments.” – Pete Fenson

 

NBC’s Primetime Coverage, Live Across All Time Zones, Begins at 8 p.m. ET Tonight Featuring Lindsey Vonn and Adam Rippon

All Events Live Streamed on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app

 

STAMFORD, Conn. – February 16, 2018 – Tonight’s primetime 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 Lindsey Vonn competing for gold in the women’s super-G*;

 

  • Coverage of the men’s figure skating free skate on NBC in primetime, as Adam Rippon leads the U.S.;

 

  • Coverage of the women’s aerials in freestyle skiing, as first-time Olympian Madison Olsen headlines the American effort.*

 

*outdoor events subject to weather conditions

 

Click here for a preview of tonight’s primetime action.

 

Following are highlights from today’s coverage of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on NBC and the networks of NBCUniversal:

 

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MEN’S SKELETON – NBCSN

 

Play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey on Korean skeleton racer Yun Sung-Bin winning gold: “This is the moment that this enormous crowd, on the first day of the Korean New Year, has been waiting for. More than 50 million people inhabit South Korea and this 23-year-old is relatively unknown…but unknown no more. He has got the ‘Iron Man’ helmet, the ‘Iron Man’ body and the ‘Iron Man’ will. He has crushed the opposition.”

 

Watch Yun Sung-Bin deliver South Korea’s first gold medal in the skeleton here.

 

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MEN’S CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING – NBCSN

 

Cross-country analyst Chad Salmela on Pita Taufatofua of Tongo:  “Fifteen kilometers, nine miles, it is going to be a long journey for this man from Tongo but we have to hand it to him. He’s learned a lot in a short amount of time.”

 

Salmela on Swiss cross-country skier Dario Cologna winning his third Olympic gold medal: “You can tell he had to work for it, it wasn’t easy. But there’s nobody left on the course showing the kind of time to take him down…He’s really cut out, talent wise, for this distance, and for what it takes to race against the clock. He’s not racing against people, he’s better against the clock.”

 

Watch Taufatofua’s post-race interview here.

 

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MEN’S CURLING – NBCSN

 

American curler Matt Hamilton comments during competition about teammate John Shuster: “See all you have to do is suggest something, so that he can tell you that you are wrong and he can come up with the right idea.”

 

Analyst Pete Fenson in reaction to Hamilton’s comment: “That right there is the beauty of curling, and the invitation that you have to just enjoy the sport and join in because you hear the strategy, the angst, anxiety and arguments.”

 

Play-by-play commentator Jim Kozimor on the Norwegian curling team’s iconic pants: “It’s not as though Norway sneaks into an arena. They have been wearing those loud pants since the 2001 Olympics. So famous are those Norwegian pants that they have their own Facebook page. They’re mentioned all the time on social media.”

 

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WOMEN’S SKELETON – NBCSN

 

Analyst Bree Schaaf on skeleton: “Skeleton is not intuitive, it’s a learned discipline. You are trying to manage all of your body saying, ‘Mayday! Mayday!’ as you go down the track and keep things calm.”

Schaaf on American skeleton racer Kendall Wesenberg describing her Olympic debut as “a lot of bright lights”: “That is a great summary of the Olympics. It’s bright lights because the lights are shining on you and the sport. All of a sudden the world is watching a sport that felt like it had just been your secret all this time. It’s so much fun to share it with the world.”

Watch the first two runs of women’s skeleton here.

 

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MEN’S HOCKEY – USA

 

Studio Analyst Jeremy Roenick on Finnish professional ice hockey forward Eeli Tolvanen: “Whether he is passing or shooting the puck, he makes good plays in all zones, moving it and shaking it. His IQ is off the charts. This kid is going to be something special in the National Hockey League.”

 

Watch Finland defeat Norway, 5-1, here.

 

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WOMEN’S SPEED SKATING – NBCSN

 

Analyst Joey Cheek on Dutch speed skater Esmee Visser: “The other skaters just opened their run too fast. I think it just cost them too much. Very small differences at the beginning of the race magnify throughout the race. Visser started the race at 32.65, slower than the other skaters battling for the lead, but she fought so strong the whole way.”

 

Play-by-play commentator Tom Hammond on Visser’s gold medal win in the women’s 5000m: “Youth is served, a gold medalist in her first Olympic race.”

 

Visser to reporter Steve Sands: “I never believed I would win, I thought the podium would be perfect.”

 

Watch Esmee Visser win gold in the women’s 5000m here.

 

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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.

 

— PYEONGCHANG 2018 —