First women’s Nordic combined World Cup among events on NBC, Peacock this week

Tara Geraghty-Moats
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Nordic combined, the lone Summer or Winter Olympic sport without female participation or a women’s equivalent event, takes a historic step this week.

The first women’s Nordic combined World Cup is Friday in Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria, streaming live on Peacock Premium as part of comprehensive winter sports event coverage among NBC Sports, Olympic Channel and Peacock.

American Tara Geraghty-Moats led the women’s standings the last two seasons in the international Continental Cup, which for the men has been a secondary circuit just below the World Cup. She’s among the entries for Friday’s competition.

“I don’t have any goals or predictions,” Geraghty-Moats, who last put a Nordic combined race bib on in March, posted on Instagram. “I just have a huge feeling of excitement to start in the first ever World Cup with a group of amazing women. I can’t wait to see where my level of competition is, I can’t wait to make history with my teammates.”

More on Geraghty-Moats’ personal story is here.

Women’s Nordic combined makes its debut at the world championships in February — one event, versus four for the men. But it was denied a place on the 2022 Winter Olympic program after a “long discussion,” IOC sports director Kit McConnell said in 2018.

“Nordic combined, and women’s in particular, still need to be developed further in terms of universality [the number of countries with Olympic-level athletes], in terms of the level of the athletes,” McConnell said then.

It could be added for the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

“The World Cup debut is important, but it should be seen in the context of a step towards Olympic inclusion on the 2026 program in Milan-Cortina,” USA Nordic Executive Director Billy Demong said in a press release. “The women have shown the depth and quality of athleticism in their sport and should be provided with that opportunity.”

Also this week, the U.S. men’s Alpine skiing team looks to notch a first World Cup speed podium in nearly four years with a super-G and downhill in Val Gardena, Italy, on Friday and Saturday.

There’s optimism after Travis Ganong, the last podium finisher, was fourth in a super-G last week, and Jared Golberg was first and fourth in training runs Wednesday and Thursday. The men then head to Alta Badia and Madonna di Campiglio for a giant slalom and slaloms on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

The women’s Alpine skiing World Cup stops in Val d’Isere, France, for two downhills and a super-G. Mikaela Shiffrin, who is focusing on technical events of slalom and giant slalom for the near future, returns next week. Alice McKennis Duran and Breezy Johnson were fastest in training runs Wednesday and Thursday.

Alpine Skiing World Cup  — Val d’Isere, France (women) and Italy (men)

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Friday 4:30 a.m. Women’s Downhill Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
5:45 a.m. Men’s Super-G Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Saturday 4:30 a.m. Women’s Downhill Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
5:45 a.m. Men’s Downhill Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
5 p.m.* Women’s Downhill NBC | STREAM LINK
9:30 p.m.* Women’s Downhill NBCSN | STREAM LINK
10:30 p.m.* Men’s Downhill NBCSN | STREAM LINK
Sunday 4 a.m. Men’s Giant Slalom Run 1 Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
5 a.m. Women’s Super-G Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
7 a.m. Men’s Giant Slalom Run 2 Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
9:30 p.m.* Women’s Super-G NBCSN | STREAM LINK
11 p.m.* Men’s Giant Slalom NBCSN | STREAM LINK
Monday 4 a.m. Men’s Slalom Run 1 Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
7 a.m. Men’s Slalom Run 2 Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Tuesday 11:45 a.m. Men’s Slalom Run 1 Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
2:30 p.m. Men’s Slalom Run 2 Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK

*Delayed broadcast

Bobsled/Skeleton World Cup — Igls, Austria

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Friday 9:30 a.m. Men’s Skeleton OlympicChannel.com
1:30 p.m. Women’s Skeleton OlympicChannel.com
6 p.m.* Men’s Skeleton Olympic Channel
7 p.m.* Women’s Skeleton Olympic Channel
Saturday 9:30 a.m. Two-Woman Bobsled OlympicChannel.com
1:30 p.m. Two-Man Bobsled OlympicChannel.com
6:30 p.m.* Two-Woman Bobsled Olympic Channel
7 p.m.* Two-Man Bobsled Olympic Channel
Sunday 10 a.m. Two-Man Bobsled OlympicChannel.com
6 p.m.* Two-Man Bobsled Olympic Channel

Luge World Cup — Winterberg, Germany

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Saturday 2:55 a.m. Doubles OlympicChannel.com
5:50 a.m. Women’s Singles OlympicChannel.com
Sunday 2:25 a.m. Men’s Singles OlympicChannel.com
6 a.m. Doubles Sprint OlympicChannel.com
6:45 a.m. Women’s Sprint OlympicChannel.com
7:25 a.m. Men’s Sprint OlympicChannel.com

Biathlon World Cup — Hochfilzen, Austria

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Thursday 8:15 a.m. Men’s Sprint Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Friday 8:15 a.m. Women’s Sprint Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Saturday 7 a.m. Men’s Pursuit Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
9 a.m. Women’s Pursuit Olympic Channel | Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
10 a.m.* Men’s Pursuit Olympic Channel
8:30 p.m.* Women’s Pursuit NBCSN | STREAM LINK
Sunday 6 a.m. Men’s Mass Start Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
8:25 a.m. Women’s Mass Start Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
8 p.m.* Men’s Mass Start Olympic Channel
9 p.m.* Women’s Mass Start Olympic Channel

*Delayed broadcast

Cross-Country Skiing World Cup — Dresden, Germany

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Saturday 7:25 a.m. Men’s/Women’s Sprints Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
8 a.m. Men’s/Women’s Sprints Olympic Channel
Sunday 6:45 a.m. Men’s/Women’s Team Sprints Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
5 p.m. Men’s/Women’s Team Sprints Olympic Channel
7 p.m. Men’s/Women’s Team Sprints NBCSN | STREAM LINK

Freestyle Skiing World Cup –Val Thorens, France

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Saturday 7 a.m. Ski Cross Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Sunday 6 a.m. Ski Cross Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK

Nordic Combined World Cup — Ramsau, Austria

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Friday 3:30 a.m. Women’s Ski Jump Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
7:45 a.m. Women’s Cross-Country 5km Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Saturday 4:30 a.m. Men’s Ski Jump Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
8:15 a.m. Men’s Cross-Country 10km Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Sunday 5 a.m. Men’s Ski Jump Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
9:15 a.m. Men’s Cross-Country 10km Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK

Ski Jumping World Cup — Ramsau, Austria and Engelberg, Switzerland

Day Time (ET) Event Network
Friday 9:40 a.m. Women Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Friday 12 p.m. Men’s Qualifying Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Saturday 10 a.m. Men Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK
Sunday 10 a.m. Men Peacock Premium | STREAM LINK

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Shoma Uno leads Ilia Malinin at figure skating worlds; Japan wins first pairs’ title

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Defending champion Shoma Uno of Japan bettered American Ilia Malinin in the world figure skating championships short program.

Malinin, 18, plans one of, if not the most difficult free skate in history on Saturday in a bid to overtake Uno to become the youngest world champion in 25 years.

Uno, who has reportedly dealt with an ankle injury, skated clean Thursday save doubling the back end of a planned quadruple toe loop-triple toe combination. He totaled 104.63 points, overtaking Malinin by 4.25 on home ice in Saitama.

“I was able to do better jumps compared to my practice in my short program today, and even if I am not in my best condition, I want to focus on other details other than my jumps as well,” Uno said, according to the International Skating Union.

Malinin, who this season landed the first quadruple Axel in competition, had a clean short after struggling with the program all autumn. He landed a quadruple Lutz-triple toe combo, a quad toe and a triple Axel. Uno beat him on artistic component scores.

“I was really in the moment,” said Malinin, who plans a record-tying six quads in Saturday’s free skate after attempting five at previous competitions this season. “I was really feeling my performance out there.”

FIGURE SKATING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule

The quad Axel is not allowed in the short program, but expect Malinin to include it in the free, and he likely needs it to beat Uno.

Malinin has been a force in skating, starting with his breakout silver-medal finish at the January 2022 U.S. Championships. He was left off last year’s Olympic team due to his inexperience, then won the world junior title last spring.

He entered these senior worlds ranked second in the field behind Uno, yet outside the top 15 in the world in the short program this season. After a comfortable win at January’s national championships, he can become the youngest men’s world champion since Russian Alexei Yagudin in 1998.

Two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Brown placed sixth with a clean short in his first full international competition since last year’s Olympics.

The third American, Andrew Torgashev, fell on his opening quad toe loop and ended up 22nd in his worlds debut.

Olympic gold medalist Nathan Chen has not skated this season, going back to Yale, and is not expected to return to competition. Silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan has been out with left leg and ankle bone injuries. Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu retired.

Earlier Thursday, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won Japan’s first pairs’ world title, dethroning Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier, who last year became the first Americans to win a pairs’ world title since 1979.

More on the pairs’ event here.

Worlds continue Thursday night (U.S. time) with the rhythm dance, followed Friday morning with the women’s free skate, live on Peacock and USA Network.

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2023 World Figure Skating Championships results

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2023 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, top 10 and notable results …

Women (Short Program)
1. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) — 79.24
2. Lee Hae-In (KOR) — 73.62
3. Mai Mihara (JPN) — 73.46
4. Isabeau Levito (USA) — 73.03
5. Loena Hendrickx (BEL) — 71.94
6. Niina Petrokina (EST) — 68.00
7. Nicole Schott (GER) — 67.29
8. Bradie Tennell (USA) — 66.45
9. Ekaterina Kurakova (POL) — 65.69
10. Amber Glenn (USA) — 65.52

FIGURE SKATING WORLDS: Broadcast Schedule

Men (Short Program)
1. Shoma Uno (JPN) — 104.63
2. Ilia Malinin (USA) — 100.38
3. Cha Jun-Hwan (KOR) — 99.64
4. Keegan Messing (CAN) — 98.75
5. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) — 95.56
6. Jason Brown (USA) — 94.17
7. Kazuki Tomono (JPN) — 92.68
8. Daniel Grassl (ITA) — 86.50
9. Lukas Britschgi (SUI) — 86.18
10. Vladimir Litvintsev (AZE) — 82.71
17. Sota Yamamoto (JPN) — 75.48
22. Andrew Torgashev (USA) — 71.41

Pairs
Gold: Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) — 222.16
Silver: Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier (USA) — 217.48
Bronze: Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA) — 208.08
4. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) — 199.97
5. Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (USA) — 194.73
6. Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud (CAN) — 193.00
7. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) — 190.67
8. Anastasia Golubova/Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (AUS) — 189.47
9. Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel (GER) — 184.60
10. Alisa Efimova/Ruben Blommaert (GER) — 184.46
12. Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA) — 175.59

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