Olympic viewing guide: How a Canadian could win gold for the U.S.

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It was an up-and-down Day 8 for Canada. Things started well enough last night when Meryeta O'Dine popped up from a crash in the mixed team snowboard cross final to grab bronze for herself and teammate Éliot Grondin (the second medal of the Games for both). But then things went south. The Canadian men's hockey team lost to the United States, and both curling rinks fell to Sweden to run their combined losing streak to four games. The real gut punch, though, came this morning when speed skater Laurent Dubreuil missed the podium in the men's 500 metres. It was the first time in nine races this season that Dubreuil failed to win a medal.

Through eight days of full competition, Canada has won 13 medals — one gold, four silver, eight bronze. That's tied for the third-highest total, but Canada ranks just 14th in the official standings, where gold medals are weighted heaviest.

Canada has a couple of chances to add to its tally on Day 9 in short track speed skating. Today's viewing guide will cover those and preview an interesting new bobsleigh event. Plus, the Canadian men's hockey team looks to secure an easier playoff path, Canada's curlers try to snap their losing streak, and the latest on the big snowboarding beef.

Here's what to watch on Saturday night and Sunday morning:

Bobsleigh slides into the spotlight tonight with the first two runs of the women's monobob at 8:30 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET. This is a new Olympic event in which, as the name suggests, only one person occupies each sled instead of the usual two or four. It should also be the most exciting bobsleigh competition of the Games because there's no clear favourite. In fact, probably half a dozen women could win gold. 

The two racing for Canada are both contenders. Cynthia Appiah just finished third in the World Cup standings in her rookie monobob season after reaching the podium four times (two silver, two bronze). Christine de Bruin wasn't as consistent but showed a higher ceiling, winning gold in two races en route to placing fourth in the season-long chase.

Then there's Kaillie Humphries. The most successful Canadian bobsledder of all time won back-to-back Olympic two-woman titles in 2010 and '14 and bronze in '18 for Canada. But she now competes for the United States after a nasty split with the Canadian program. Humphries won the monobob world title last year for the U.S. and placed second in the World Cup chase this season, behind her good pal and American teammate Elana Meyers Taylor.

Humphries, however, is the (very slight) favourite to win Olympic gold after Meyers Taylor tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Beijing and was forced to isolate for a week. She was cleared in time to participate in the official training runs, but missed the informal sessions. That would be a concern even on a familiar track. This one is new and is considered technically challenging, making those practice runs extra-important.

It wouldn't be a bobsleigh event without a German among the top contenders, and Laura Nolte fits the bill here. She didn't win a race this season but, in true German fashion, was a model of consistency, reaching four podiums in seven races and never placing worse than fifth. Australia's Breeana Walker (a gold, three silvers and a bronze this season) is a threat to win too.

The final two runs of the monobob go on Sunday night, and many of the women involved will also be contenders in the two-woman event, which starts Friday. Read more about Canada's chances in these competitions and the two men's events here.

WATCH | Cynthia Appiah's Beijing 2022 dream after Pyeongchang disappointment:

There are a couple of possibilities, both in the same sport:

Short track speed skating: Women's 3,000m relay final at 6:44 a.m. ET