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5 things to watch on Day 12 at Olympics

Lindsey Vonn skis in the downhill, women's figure skating and 3 other things to watch on Day 12 at the Olympics.

The action in Pyeongchang heats up again on Day 12 with Lindsey Vonn back in action in the downhill, the women's figure skating competition getting under way and the USA men's hockey team in the quarterfinals. Breaking down the action:

Alpine skiing

Lindsey Vonn returns to the spotlight in the women’s downhill, an event she won at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

She was the fastest in Sunday’s first downhill training run. But then she backed off Monday, finishing third and saying she didn’t want to win the run in order to psyche out her competitors. “I like letting other people think that they’re faster,” Vonn said. “In skiing there are a few things you can do to play mind games so I use every opportunity.”

In the days leading up to today’s much anticipated downhill race, Vonn has been the subject of some criticism on social media after finishing sixth in the Super-G. And to those bullies out there, Vonn was undeterred. “I’m not defeated. I stand by my values and I’m not going to back down,” she said.

At 33, this is likely her last Olympic downhill. But Vonn’s trying not to think about it as the last one. She' remains focused on a medal. “I haven’t ever completely said I’m not,’’ she said of skiing again at another Olympics. “I feel like it’s 99.99 percent sure that I won’t. But who knows? Maybe something will come out and they’ll fix my knee up and I’ll be like Robo knee and I’ll ski for like 10 more years. That’d be ideal.’’

Some of her top competitors include Lara Gut of Switzerland, Sofia Goggia of Italy and Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein.

Figure skating

Russian skaters are expected to set the bar in the women’s competition, which begins with the short program. Here they are Olympic Athletes from Russia, but Evgenia Medvedeva and Alina Zagitova are projected to go 1-2 in no particular order, according to USA TODAY columnist Christine Brennan. Med is the 18-year-old two-time defending world champion. Zag is the 15-year-old European champion.

Men’s hockey

It’s win or go home again for the Americans, who advanced to a quarterfinal game against the Czech Republic. The offense finally opened up Tuesday for Tony Granato’s team, which beat Slovakia 5-1. Ryan Donato had two goals in the win and Troy Terry added three assists. They’ll need some offensive output on Wednesday for a shot at the semifinals.

Speedskating

The American women provided one bright spot for U.S. speedskating by advancing to the team pursuit semifinals. The U.S. has a showdown with powerhouse Netherlands. Canada and Japan also advanced. The Americans desperately need a medal, having been shut out in Sochi.

Women’s bobsled

The medals for the women’s event will be awarded and Americans Elana Meyers Taylor and Jamie Greubel Poser hope to be in the mix. Meyers Taylor seeks her third Olympic medal, this time with Lauren Gibbs in her sled. Greubel Poser has a little extra motivation competing in South Korea, her little sister Elizabeth.

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