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Mikaela Shiffrin came into the Olympics with a shot to win five medals, but may have to settle for two.
- Team USA is on pace for its worst performance at the Winter Olympics since the 1998 games.
- The disappointing medal count is due both to susperstars underperforming as well as a string of bad luck with athletes finishing just shy of the podium.
- While there's no chance the Americans can catch Norway at the top of the medal count, there's still time for the team to turn its Olympic perfomance around before closing ceremony.
The United States delegation is on pace for its worst medal performance in two decades at the Winter Olympics - a disappointing result for the team that entered the games with high hopes.
As things stand, the U.S. is in sixth place at Pyeongchang 2018 with just 12 medals to its name. Norway far and away leads the pack with 29 medals, followed by Germany and Canada with 23 and 19 respectively.
The blame for The United States' lackluster performance can't be placed on any singular factor - it's the result of both stars and up-and-coming athletes falling short of expectations, as well as some decidedly bad luck for athletes fighting for the final spot on the podium.
Mikaela Shiffrin was set to become a superstar at these Winter Games - planning on competing in five disciplines of alpine skiing with the stated goal of medaling in every event. She got off to a brilliant start, winning gold in the giant slalom, and setting herself up for a second win in the slalom - widely considered her best event.
Unfortunately, a tightened schedule due to repeated weather delays made Shiffrin's workload more difficult. After a shocking performance left her off the podium in the slalom, her coach later announced that she would be dropping out of both the super-G and downhill in order to focus on the combined event.
Shiffrin isn't the only American superstar to fall short of expectation. Figure skater Nathan Chen was set to become another star of the Winter Olympics, heading into the games as a gold medal favorite at just 18 years old, but falls in both the team event and his first run of singles competition quickly sent his Olympic Games spiraling in the other direction. While he found redemption in an absolutely brilliant final run that included six quads, it wasn't enough to bring him back into medal contention in the singles event.
The United States' disappointing medal count goes beyond its stars though - American athletes have also had a crushing number of finishes just off the podium. According to Sports Illustrated, the U.S. had finished in fourth, fifth, or sixth place a whopping 24 times as of Monday. These were all performances that were one slip, one flip, or one fraction of a second short of adding to the U.S. medal count.
Thankfully, there is still time for the United States to turn things around and make a late run at the medal count. While catching Norway is out of the question, the American women have already secured another medal in ice hockey, and the men's team is still in contention for one, as are both curling teams. U.S. athletes are also expected to dominant the new snowboarding big air event slated for the final weekend of the games.
A late surge at the podium could help to save the United States from total Olympic disaster.