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Looking to bring the United States another snowboarding gold medal after the early triumphs of Red Gerard, Jamie Anderson and Chloe Kim, Americans Shaun White, Jake Pates, Chase Josey and Ben Ferguson will take on the men’s halfpipe. All eyes, of course, will be on White, who aims for his third career Olympic gold.
In the United States, the qualifying runs (start list) start Monday, February 12, at 11 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC and NBC Sports Network. The final runs then start on Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC (complete schedule here). If you don’t have cable or a cable log-in, you can watch a simulcast of both of these channels live online by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
FuboTV: NBC (live in the most markets) and NBC Sports Network are both included in the “Fubo Premier” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch any of those channels live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
DirecTV Now: NBC (live in select markets) and NBC Sports Network are both included in each of the four channel packages. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial no matter what package you choose, plus you can get a free Amazon Fire TV if you prepay two months. Once signed up, you can watch any of the channels on your computer via the DirecTV Now website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the DirecTV Now app.
Sling TV: NBC (live in select markets) and NBC Sports Network are both included in the “Sling Blue” channel package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and you can then watch those channels on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
In addition to being able to watch NBC and NBSCN simulcasts via the above streaming services, you can also watch any and all snowboarding competition (these streams will show every single run from every single competitor live as they happen) live on your computer via NBCOlympics.com, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the NBC Sports app. To watch any of these streams, you’ll have a 30-minute free preview before needing to sign in to your TV provider, but you can use your FuboTV, DirecTV Now or Sling TV credentials to do that.
Preview
White enters Pyeongchang seeking redemption. After capturing gold in this event in 2006 and 2010, he finished a disappointing fourth in Sochi in 2014 as all Americans were kept off the podium for the first time since the halfpipe was introduced to the Olympics in 1998.
Just a couple months ago, that redemption looked unlikely. While training in New Zealand in October, White took a brutal fall on a 22-foot Olympic superpipe and required 62 stitches on his face.
He bounced back, though, and in January he qualified for the Olympics with an absolutely monster 100-point run that included a cab double cork 1440, the same trick he crashed on.
A PERFECT 💯!! @shaunwhite qualifies for his FOURTH #WinterOlympics as only he can. #BestOfUS
After his struggles four years ago, he’s found a renewed love for the sport.
“Honestly, I love the sport now,” he said. “It’s so funny. I don’t want to say now. It’s just again.
“The biggest improvement was getting right with myself, getting right with my mind-set and being inspired again, being excited being a snowboarder and just go to the mountain and take runs for fun, get back to those beginning reasons of why I did the sport in the first place.”
Unsurprisingly after that performance last month, the 31-year-old is considered the oddsmakers’ favorite to capture his third gold medal this week, but there are two individuals who are right there next to him. Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who captured silver in Sochi, took gold in this event at the Winter X-Games last month, scoring a 99 and becoming the first rider to land back-to-back 1440s in the process.
And then there’s Scotty James of Australia, who finished second in that competition and is also the defending world champion.
If someone else from the United States is going to challenge for the podium, it’s likely Ben Ferguson, the 23-year-old Boise native who took home bronze at the X-Games last month.
