Olympic TV highlights for Tuesday: American women seek end to medal drought in figure skating

No American woman has won an individual gold medal in figure skating since 2002 or made the podium since 2006. And this might not be the Winter Games to end that drought.

Mirai Nagasu, Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell all have won one U.S. championship, but none is rated higher than ninth in the world. Ashley Wagner, the lone American to win a world championships medal in the past 11 years, is an alternate after placing fourth at last month’s nationals.

The whole sport, though, is chasing Russia (in this case, the Olympic Athletes from Russia). Evgenia Medvedeva is a two-time defending world champion. When Medvedeva fractured her foot last fall, Alina Zagitova won the Grand Prix Final at age 15, then took down her older training partner at the European championships.

The competition in South Korea begins Tuesday with the short program and resumes with Thursday’s free skate.

Elsewhere in prime time, Alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin will not compete in women’s downhill, leaving one fewer competitor for Lindsey Vonn, the 2010 Olympic champion in the event, to worry about.

Here’s what to watch and how to watch. All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.

12:05-1 a.m. Tuesday (NBC, Chs. 11, 4)

— Men’s freestyle skiing, halfpipe (live)

12:30-2:40 a.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Men’s curling: Canada vs. Japan

2:40-5 a.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Men’s ice hockey, elimination round: Slovenia vs. Norway (live)

5-7:10 a.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Women’s curling: U.S. vs. South Korea

7-9:30 a.m. Tuesday (USA)

— Men’s ice hockey, elimination round: Finland vs. South Korea (live)

7-9:30 a.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Men’s ice hockey, elimination round: Switzerland vs. Germany (live)

9:30-10:30 a.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Men’s Nordic combined, individual large hill/10 kilometer gold-medal final

10:30 a.m.-noon Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Biathlon mixed-relay gold-medal final

Noon-12:45 p.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Men’s Nordic combined, individual large hill/10km gold-medal final

12:45-2 p.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Women’s short-track speedskating, 3,000-meter-relay gold-medal final and 1,000 qualifying

— Men’s short-track speedskating, 500 qualifying

2-5 p.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Women’s curling: U.S. vs. South Korea

3-5 p.m. Tuesday (NBC, Chs. 11, 4)

— Biathlon mixed-relay gold-medal final

— Men’s Nordic combined, individual large hill/10km gold-medal final

5-8 p.m. Tuesday (CNBC)

— Men’s curling: U.S. vs. Switzerland

8-10:45 p.m. Tuesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Figure skating, women’s short program (live)

8 p.m. Tuesday to 12:30 a.m. Wednesday (NBC, Chs. 11, 4)

— Women’s Alpine skiing, downhill gold-medal final (live)

— Figure skating, women’s short program (live)

— Men’s snowboarding, big air (live)

— Women’s two-man bobsled

10 p.m. Tuesday to 12:30 a.m. Wednesday (CNBC)

— Men’s ice hockey, quarterfinal (live)

10:45 p.m. Tuesday to 2:40 a.m. Wednesday (NBC Sports Network)

— Women’s curling: Canada vs. Great Britain

— Women’s curling: South Korea vs. Olympic Athletes from Russia