United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics


The United States of America competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from February 9 to 25, 2018.
The United States had its worst showing at a Winter Olympics since the 1998 Nagano Games, ranking out of the top three in both the gold and total medal count with 9 and 23 medals respectively, and finished fourth in both rankings. However, there were some notable successes for the team. Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall won the first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing ever for the United States in the women's team sprint event. Skip John Shuster led his team to the United States' first-ever gold medal in curling, winning the men's curling over Sweden. The United States women's national ice hockey team also won the gold in the women's ice hockey tournament for the first time since the inauguration of the sport in 1998 over the four-time defending gold medalist Canada in an overtime penalty shootout.
The United States earned medals in at least one event in 11 different sports, the most of any nation. These Games also witnessed the 100th Winter Olympic gold medal for the Americans, won by Shaun White.

Medalists

The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the by discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.
MedalNameSportEventDate
SnowboardingMen's slopestyle
SnowboardingWomen's slopestyle
SnowboardingWomen's halfpipe
SnowboardingMen's halfpipe
Alpine skiingWomen's giant slalom

Kikkan Randall		Cross-country skiingWomen's team sprint
Freestyle skiingMen's halfpipe

Ice hockeyWomen's tournament

Matt Hamilton
John Landsteiner
Joe Polo
John Shuster		CurlingMen's tournament
LugeMen's singles
Short track speed skatingMen's 1000 meters
Freestyle skiingMen's slopestyle

Elana Meyers Taylor		BobsleighTwo-woman
Alpine skiingWomen's combined
Freestyle skiingMen's halfpipe
SnowboardingWomen's big air
SnowboardingMen's big air

Alexa Scimeca Knierim
Chris Knierim
Mirai Nagasu
Adam Rippon
Alex Shibutani
Maia Shibutani
Bradie Tennell		Figure skatingTeam event
SnowboardingWomen's halfpipe

Maia Shibutani		Figure skatingIce dancing
Freestyle skiingWomen's halfpipe
Alpine skiingWomen's downhill

Brittany Bowe
Mia Manganello
Carlijn Schoutens		Speed skatingWomen's team pursuit

Competitors

The following is the list of number of competitors participating at the Games per sport or discipline.
SportMenWomenTotal
Alpine skiing121022
Biathlon5510
Bobsleigh12416
Cross-country skiing91120
Curling5510*
Figure skating7714
Freestyle skiing151429
Ice hockey252348
Luge7310
Nordic combined505
Short track speed skating538
Skeleton224
Ski jumping437
Snowboarding141125
Speed skating7613
Total134107241

*The United States qualified for 12 positions in curling, but two athletes are competing in both the 4-person and mixed doubles tournament.

Alpine skiing

was initially named to the team but withdrew after suffering knee and leg injuries in a February 3 World Cup race, the quota spot was filled by Tricia Mangan. Steven Nyman was initially named to the team but withdrew after tearing his right ACL during a training run, the quota spot was filled by Alice Merryweather.
;Men
;Women
;Mixed
Based on their Nations Cup rankings in the 2016–17 Biathlon World Cup, the United States has qualified a team of 5 men and 5 women.
;Men
AthleteEventTimeMissesRank
Lowell BaileySprint24:54.41 33
Tim BurkeSprint25:26.34 47
Sean DohertySprint25:55.24 65
Leif NordgrenSprint25:49.02 58
Lowell BaileyPursuit36:43.35 32
Tim BurkePursuit35:11.32 17
Leif NordgrenPursuit38:40.45 50
Lowell BaileyIndividual52:56.84 51
Tim BurkeIndividual52:05.74 41
Sean DohertyIndividual52:25.63 44
Leif NordgrenIndividual54:31.15 66
Lowell Bailey
Tim Burke
Sean Doherty
Leif Nordgren		Team relay1:19:06.716 6

;Women
AthleteEventTimeMissesRank
Emily DreissigackerSprint23:27.21 51
Susan DunkleeSprint24:13.15 66
Clare EganSprint23:51.63 61
Joanne ReidSprint26:28.17 86
Emily DreissigackerPursuit35:36.74 47
Emily DreissigackerIndividual48:16.44 67
Susan DunkleeIndividual44:33.52 19
Clare EganIndividual48:00.84 62
Joanne ReidIndividual44:41.31 22
Emily Dreissigacker
Susan Dunklee
Clare Egan
Joanne Reid		Team relay1:14:05.311 13

;Mixed
AthleteEventTimeMissesRank
Lowell Bailey
Tim Burke
Susan Dunklee
Joanne Reid		Team relay1:12:05.412 15

Bobsleigh

Based on their rankings in the 2017–18 Bobsleigh World Cup, the United States has qualified 8 sleds.
;Men
;Women
* – Denotes the driver of each sled

Cross-country skiing

;Distance
;Men
;Women
;Sprint
;Men
Qualification legend: Q – Qualify on position in heat; q – Qualify on time in round
;Women
Qualification legend: Q – Qualify on position in heat; q – Qualify on time in round

Curling

;Summary

Men's tournament

Based on results from the 2016 World Men's Curling Championship and the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship, the United States has qualified a men's team, consisting of five athletes, as one of the seven highest ranked nations.
;Team
The United States men's curling team curls out of the Duluth Curling Club in Duluth, Minnesota. They were selected by winning the 2017 United States Olympic Curling Trials.
PositionCurler
SkipJohn Shuster
ThirdTyler George
SecondMatt Hamilton
LeadJohn Landsteiner
AlternateJoe Polo

;Round-robin
The United States has a bye in draws 2, 6, and 10.
;Draw 1
Wednesday, February 14, 09:05
;Draw 3
Thursday, February 15, 14:05
;Draw 4
Friday, February 16, 09:05
;Draw 5
Friday, February 16, 20:05
;Draw 7
Sunday, February 18, 09:05
;Draw 8
Sunday, February 18, 20:05
;Draw 9
Monday, February 19, 14:05
;Draw 11
Tuesday, February 20, 20:05
;Draw 12
Wednesday, February 21, 14:05
;Semifinal
Thursday, February 22, 20:05
;Gold medal game
Saturday, February 24, 15:35

Women's tournament

Based on results from the 2016 Ford World Women's Curling Championship and the 2017 World Women's Curling Championship, the United States has qualified a women's team, consisting of five athletes, as one of the seven highest ranked nations.
;Team
The United States women's curling team curls out of the Four Seasons Curling Club in Blaine, Minnesota. They were selected by winning the 2017 United States Olympic Curling Trials.
PositionCurler
SkipNina Roth
ThirdTabitha Peterson
SecondAileen Geving
LeadRebecca Hamilton
AlternateCory Christensen

;Round-robin
The United States has a bye in draws 4, 7, and 11.
;Draw 1
Wednesday, February 14, 14:05
;Draw 2
Thursday, February 15, 09:05
;Draw 3
Thursday, February 15, 20:05
;Draw 5
Saturday, February 17, 09:05
;Draw 6
Saturday, February 17, 20:05
;Draw 8
Monday, February 19, 09:05
;Draw 9
Monday, February 19, 20:05
;Draw 10
Tuesday, February 20, 14:05
;Draw 12
Wednesday, February 21, 20:05

Mixed doubles tournament

Based on results from the 2016 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship and the 2017 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, the United States has qualified a mixed doubles team, consisting of two athletes, as one of the seven highest ranked nations.
;Team
The United States Hamilton/Hamilton pair curls out of the Madison Curling Club in Middleton, Wisconsin. They were selected by winning the 2017 United States Mixed Doubles Curling Olympic Trials.
PositionCurler
FemaleRebecca Hamilton
MaleMatt Hamilton

;Standings
;Results
;Draw 1
Thursday, February 8, 9:05
;Draw 2
Thursday, February 8, 20:04
;Draw 3
Friday, February 9, 8:35
;Draw 4
Friday, February 9, 13:35
;Draw 5
Saturday, February 10, 9:05
;Draw 6
Saturday, February 10, 20:04
;Draw 7
Sunday, February 11, 9:05

Figure skating

The United States qualified 14 figure skaters, based on its placement at the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland.
;Individual
;Mixed
;Team

Freestyle skiing

;Aerials
;Halfpipe
;Men
;Women
;Moguls
;Men
;Women
;Slopestyle
;Men
;Women

Ice hockey

The United States has qualified a men's and women's team for a total of 48 athletes.
;Summary

Men's tournament

qualified by finishing 5th in the 2015 IIHF World Ranking.
Following NHL's decision to pull out of the Olympics, the US team relied heavily on professionals from European leagues and the American Hockey League. The team eventually lost in the quarterfinals; the Olympic Athletes from Russia team, consisting primarily of SKA and CSKA players of a Russia-based KHL and featuring ex-NHL all-stars Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Voynov, won the gold medal, defeating the German national team with a score of 4:3 OT in the final. Canada won a bronze medal over the Czech Republic.
;Roster
;Preliminary round
----
----
;Qualification playoff
;Quarterfinal

Women's tournament

qualified by finishing 1st in the 2016 IIHF World Ranking.
;Roster
;Preliminary round
----
----
;Semi-finals
;Gold medal game

Luge

Based on the results from the World Cups during the 2017–18 Luge World Cup season, the United States qualified 8 sleds.
;Men
;Women
;Mixed

Nordic combined

On January 25 Ben Berend received news that he would be the fifth American qualifier.

Short track speed skating

According to the ISU Special Olympic Qualification Rankings, United States has qualified a total of 8 athletes.
;Men
Qualification legend: ADV – Advanced due to being impeded by another skater; FA – Qualify to medal round; FB – Qualify to consolation round.
;Women
Qualification legend: ADV – Advanced due to being impeded by another skater; FA – Qualify to medal round; FB – Qualify to consolation round

Skeleton

Based on the world rankings, the United States qualified 4 sleds. Both male athletes, Matthew Antoine and John Daly retired after the 2018 Olympics having previously represented the United States in at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games.

Ski jumping

;Men
;Women

Snowboarding

;Freestyle
;Men
;Women
;Parallel
;Snowboard cross
;Men
Qualification legend: FA – Qualify to medal round; FB – Qualify to consolation round
;Women
Qualification legend: FA – Qualify to medal round; FB – Qualify to consolation round

Speed skating

;Men
;Women
;Mass start
;Team pursuit
Qualification legend: FA – Qualify to gold medal final; FB – Qualify to bronze medal final; FC – Qualify to 5th place final; FD – Qualify to 7th place final

Events

Potential withdrawal

In early December 2017, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told Fox News that it was an "open question" whether the United States was going to participate in the games, citing security concerns in the region. However, days later the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, stated that the United States "looks forward to participating" and will attend. Concerns were later assuaged.

Coin toss controversy

Luge athlete Erin Hamlin carried the flag during the opening ceremony. Following a vote, which ended up in a 4-4 tie between Hamlin and speed skater Shani Davis, the winner was decided via a coin toss in accordance with the rules. Davis eventually skipped the opening ceremony, citing his training schedule.