With the 2018 Winter Olympics beginning late Thursday night/ early Friday morning in South Korea, gold medal fever is about to strike a lot of people. It's interesting how people who aren't really into sports find themselves watching the final events and rooting for an individual. Or finding out about a new sport you didn't know existed before. Here are some of the gold medal favorites during this Olympiad. Some are surprising!

Personally I think we'd all like to see fellow Minnesotan Lindsey Vonn medal in all of the skiing events. 
Alpine skiing (men):

Downhill: Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway)
Giant slalom: Marcel Hirscher (Austria)

Alpine skiing (women):
Downhill: Lindsey Vonn (USA)
Giant slalom: Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)

Curling
Men's tournament: Canada
Women's tournament: Canada

Hockey
Men's tournament: Olympic athletes from Russia
Women's tournament: USA

Snowboarding (M/W)
Parallel giant slalom: Nevin Galmarini (Switzerland)/ Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic)
Halfpipe: Shaun White (USA)/ Chloe Kim (USA)
Big air: Mark McMorris (Canada)/ Anna Gasser (Austria)
Slopestyle: Marcus Kleveland (Norway)/ Julia Marino (USA)
Snowboardcross: Pierre Vaultier (France)/ Eva Samkova (Czech Republic)

These of course are just who the odds makers think will be atop the podium, but things can happen and that's what makes watching the Olympics so much fun! In the end most of the people watching want to see their country represented a top the podium and on the top of the medal count scoreboard!

On a side note why is it that basketball is a summer Olympic event when it's played professionally in the winter?

 

 

 

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