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That feels daunting, even for one of the best snowboarders in the world, whose leadup to the Games took a detour whenshe injured her shoulderduring a training run in Switzerland the second week of January.

"I have so much anxiety," Kim said Monday, two days before she begins her quest to win a third straight gold medal. "But thankfully I have matcha (tea) and there's good vibes here and my family's here, so we'll be good."

The25-year-old Americansaid she returned to the halfpipe about two weeks ago and is wearing a brace on her left shoulder that, "in a funny way ... made my riding better."

Her coach, Rick Bower, told The Associated Press that practices have been going well since Kim returned to the snow.

"Clearly, it's not an ideal situation, but all things considered, the work she's put in over the last 15 years, she's in a place where she can deal with it," he said. "Though it's not what we'd like, the riding is at the point to where she can still compete for gold."

Kim spoke of the mental reboot she was able to enjoy, in large part by winning a contest in Aspen in January 2025 that put her on the Olympic team more than a year before the Games. She won world championships two months after that, then took time off.

Her plan was to ease into the Olympic season — lots of practice, followed by one competition in Copper Mountain, Colo., in December, then another in Laax, Switzerland, in January.

She made it through the low-pressure qualifying round at Copper Mountain, but fell and injured her shoulder while getting ready for the final. She rebounded from that, but suffered the more serious injury almost exactly a month before she jumps into the halfpipe in Italy.

It leaves the one run in Copper Mountain as the only scored run Kim has made since last March. She said often muscle memory overcomes the nerves once she drops in.

"I feel confident," Kim said. "I feel really good about how I'm feeling physically and mentally, and that's most important right now."

When healthy, Kim would be the clear favorite even in a sport that is advancing quickly. Korea's 17-year-old Gaon Choi has been ramping up the difficulty and could pose the greatest threat to Kim's three-peat.

But Kim herself has always led the way on the halfpipe. She said her big run this week is one she's never done. It will be a tougher version of what she won with in Beijing — tricks involving riding backward and forward and spinning in both directions off those approaches.

"If I'm able to pull that off, regardless of where I place, I'll be really content with that," Kim said.

https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

"There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of," Hess said at a news conference in Milan ahead of the2026 Winter Olympics. "Wearing the flag doesn't mean I represent everything that's going on in the U.S.

"I'm representing my friends and family back home, the people that represented it before me, all the things that I believe are good about the U.S. I just think if it aligns with my moral values, I feel like I'm representing it."

Hess' teammates on the dais with him that day also addressed the topic, but only the 27-year-old from Oregon drew the president's ire. Trump called Hess a "loser" and did not properly convey what Hess said in his post.

Hahna Norman of the United States in women's snowboarding big air qualifications during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park.

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Women snowboarders push the limits in high‑flying Big Air event

Hahna Norman of the United States in women's snowboarding big air qualifications during theMilano Cortina 2026Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Snow Park.

The four-member women's halfpipe team, led by two-time Olympian Chloe Kim, largely echoed what Hess originally said.

"I think there are a lot of different opinions in the U.S. right now. Obviously, we're very divided," Bea Kim, 17, said. "I personally am very proud to represent the United States. That being said, I think diversity is what makes us a very strong country and what makes us so special."

Nowhere else in the world can an individual express themself with the level of freedom Americans can, Bea Kim said.

"I think the four of us sitting here (Monday) are an example of that. We all came from very different backgrounds."

Chloe Kim's parents, like Bea Kim's grandparents, immigrated to the West Coast from South Korea.

"I think that's also so special about the Olympics. Bringing people together from different countries," while celebrating sport, friendship and respect, Bea Kim said.

Chloe Kim said the recent news has "hit really close to home" because her immigrants made the sacrifice many others have done to build a better life for their descendants in America.

"It is really important for us to unite and kind of stand up for one another with all that's going on," Chloe Kim said. "I'm really proud to represent the United States. It's given my family and I so much opportunity. But I also think that we are allowed to voice our opinions of what's going on. And I think that we should lead with love and compassion. And I'd love to see more of that."

Maddie Mastro agreed that she is proud to represent her country.

"I'm also saddened with what's happening at home. It's really tough and we can't turn a blind eye to that," Mastro said.

At the same time, Mastro said, she represents a country that has not lost what makes it special – kindness and compassion.

By the time Maddy Schaffrick grabbed the mic, she didn't have much to add.

"I feel like the Olympics is the epitome of all countries and cultures coming together in celebration and friendly competition," she said. "I'm proud to represent the U.S. and wear the American flag in such an internationally cohesive event, and do what I love while representing the U.S."

Multiple members of Team USA have received online hate for their comments leading into these Games, from Hess tofigure skater Amber Glennto moguls skier Chris Lillis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:US snowboarders respond to Donald Trump's criticism of Hunter Hess

And he'll have the Olympics as the television lead-in for his return.

Lillard — who has not played this season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon — will participate in the 3-point contest on All-Star Saturday, the NBA announced.

Viewers won't have to wait long to see Lillard's return. All-Star Saturday will lead off this year with the 3-point contest, a major change from the norm and a move that could command big ratings — with NBC's coverage of the event immediately following broadcasts from theMilan Cortina Winter Olympics, which the network also airs.

In other words, NBC is going from skating, sliding and skiing to shooting.

Lillard is joining 2018 3-point contest champion Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns in the field, along with Charlotte's Kon Knueppel, Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, Denver's Jamal Murray, Milwaukee's Bobby Portis Jr. and Miami's Norman Powell.

If Lillard wins, he would join Larry Bird and Craig Hodges as the only three-time winners of the event, which will be held at the Los Angeles Clippers' home in Inglewood, California.

Saturday night's 3-point contest will be followed by thereturn of the Shooting Stars competition, then the dunk contest will close the Saturday night schedule. The skills competition is out, at least for this year.

It would be Lillard's first time playing — or at least shooting — in front of fans sincehe rejoined Portlandgoing into this season. Lillard got hurt last spring while a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, who wound up waiving-and-stretching the remaining $113 million on his contract to make him a free agent and give him the opportunity to re-sign with his original NBA club.

He's not the first 3-point participant without a made 3-pointer in that season: In the 1989 contest, the NBA invited Rimas Kurtinaitis of Lithuania to participate. Kurtinaitis never played in the NBA.

Lillard was the sixth pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Trail Blazers and spent 11 seasons with Portland before he was traded to Milwaukee just before the 2023-24 season. Lillard won back-to-back 3-point contest titles in 2023 and 2024, before Miami's Tyler Herro — who has missed most of this season because of injuries — won the event last season.

Herro is not in the lineup of 3-point participants this year.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Wine has been in hiding ‌for weeks after fleeing his home in the capital, Kampala, hours before he was announced the runner-up to President ‌Yoweri Museveni in the January 15 presidential election.

On January 24, Wine said his wife had been taken to hospital after soldiers invaded their residence, alleging that they partially undressed and choked her.

Uganda's military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also Museveni's son, denied soldiers assaulted Wine's wife, but later said on ⁠X that they had "captured and then ‌released" her.

Baryomunsi, who is also a spokesperson for the government, said the authorities would investigate the incident.

"We do not condone any acts of indiscipline on ‍the side of the army and security forces," he said in an interview. "So invading his (Wine's) home, causing damage, assaulting his wife, or anybody, is wrong."

He declined to say if security personnel would face any penalties ​if they were found to have violated the law.

A spokesperson for Wine's National Unity Platform ‌party did not respond to calls or messages requesting comment.

Kainerugaba has stated in social media posts that the military is looking for Wine, who has rejected the election results, alleging fraud. The army chief has not said why they are looking for Wine or what crime he may be charged with.

Rights groups and the opposition have long accused the government of Museveni, who has ⁠been in power for four decades, of using the ​military to suppress dissent, accusations the government denies.

Baryomunsi also ​said that Uganda had no plans to withdraw its military contingent from an African Union mission to fight jihadists in Somalia, contradicting recent comments from Kainerugaba, ‍who last week threatened in ⁠a post on X to pull troops out of Somalia over financing issues.

Kainerugaba has a history of controversial social media posts that he often later deletes. He once threatened ⁠to behead Wine and also boasted the military had killed 30 opposition supporters.

Baryomunsi said Kainerugaba's posts should be taken ‌as "casual comments that do not reflect state policy and state decisions."

(Reporting by Nairobi ‌Newsroom; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Ros Russell)

Ethiopia's foreign minister had accused neighbouring ‌Eritrea over the weekend of military aggression and of supporting armed groups inside Ethiopian territory, where recent clashes between Tigrayan forces and Ethiopian troops have raised fears of a return to war.

"The patently false and fabricated accusations ⁠against Eritrea issued by ‌Ethiopia's Foreign Minister yesterday is astounding in its tone and substance, underlying motivation, and overarching objective," the ministry of ‍information said in a statement.

"Sadly, it constitutes yet another deplorable act in a pattern and spiral of hostile campaigns against Eritrea for more than two years ​now," the ministry said, adding that it did not want to ‌exacerbate the situation.

The two longstanding foes waged war against each other between 1998 and 2000, signing a peace deal in 2018.

They were allies during Ethiopia's two-year war against regional authorities in the northern Tigray region, but relations between the two nations have plunged into acrimony since then.

The February ⁠7 letter from Ethiopia's Foreign Minister ​Gedion Timothewos to his Eritrean counterpart, Osman ​Saleh, said Eritrean forces had occupied Ethiopian territory along parts of their shared border for an extended period and had ‍provided material support ⁠to militant groups operating inside Ethiopia.

Eritrea has bristled at repeated public declarations by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that landlocked Ethiopia has a ⁠right to sea access - comments many in Eritrea, which lies on the Red Sea, ‌view as an implicit threat of military action.

(Writing by Vincent ‌Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Aidan Lewis)

People turned their backs to TV screens as food, music and chatter filled the first half of the game until a hush fell across the island. Thehalftime showwas starting.

This was Puerto Rico's moment, a spotlight on a collective son whoquit bagging groceriesa decade ago and became the world's most streamed artist on Spotify last year. Since then, Bad Bunny has used his platform to applaud immigrants,sing about Puerto Rico's identity and turmoiland denounceU.S. immigration policies.

"He appeared at the right moment in the history of Latin America," said Marielys Rojas, 39, who is originally from Venezuela but has lived the last 22 years inPuerto Rico.

She was among the hundreds who gathered by a grassy knoll near a beach in Puerto Rico's capital to watch the halftime show on a huge screen as waves crashed behind them and the sounds of coquís, an endemic frog, filled the salty air.

Amarilys Reyes, 55, arrived at the seaside watch party with her 22-year-old daughter.

She had never watched a Super Bowl and didn't know who was playing, but it didn't matter. Like many others, she was only there for Bad Bunny.

"It's the biggest show of his life," Reyes said.

Energy, nerves and excitement had been building across Puerto Rico ever since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio would headline the Super Bowl XL Halftime Show.

Watch parties were quickly organized across the U.S. mainland and the island. Some dubbed it "Super Bori Sunday," a shortened nod to "Boricua," which refers to someone with Puerto Rican ancestry, while others referred to it "The Benito Bowl: Morcilla, Sancocho, Mofongo, Reggaetón and a little bit of Football."

One woman wrote on social media that she would watch the halftime show with her 87-year-old mother in Puerto Rico so they could dance together, while another person posted that they had prepared a PowerPoint presentation for their American friends dubbed "Bad Bunny 101."

Creativity flowed as Feb. 8 approached: One bar in Puerto Rico posted a promo featuring the quarterbacks from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots sitting on the iconic white plastic lawn chairs that grace the cover of Bad Bunny's newest album.

Even the Teletubbies got in on the excitement, shaking their colorful rumps toBad Bunny's "Baile Inolvidable" a day before the show.

Wonder Woman also lent her support, with Lynda Carter noting on social media that she was a "huge fan" of Bad Bunny, whom she noted was an American citizen: "Make no mistake."

But criticism of the first all-Spanish NFL halftime show spiked as the first half ended.

Jake Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has property in Puerto Rico and has posted about life on the island, wrote on X: "Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that."

Puerto Ricans quickly responded.

"Don't you live where he's from?" wrote one person while many others noted thatPuerto Ricansare U.S. citizens.

Luke Lavanway, a 35-year-old who lives in New York but was vacationing in Puerto Rico to escape the ongoing cold snap, said he had no problem with a halftime show in Spanish.

"That's part of us," he said. "That's what makes us great, and we should just enjoy it."

The crowd that had gathered for the halftime show began streaming out of the watch party as soon as the second half started, smiling as they reflected on what they had just witnessed.

"I thought it was phenomenal that Bad Bunny brought all Latinos together in one place and represented them all equally," said Carlos Ayala, 36, of San Juan. "It's an important moment for Latino culture."

He also thought it fantastic that Ricky Martin sang Bad Bunny's, "Lo que le pasó a Hawaii," which laments gentrification in Puerto Rico, a worsening issue for many on an island with a more than 40% poverty rate.

"Transmitting that message is extremely important in these times," he said, adding that he also appreciated the light posts and exploding transformers featured during the show, a nod toPuerto Rico's chronic outages"so the world can see what we live through."

Among those beaming after the show was Juliana Santiago, 35, who said her heart swelled with pride on Sunday night.

She said Bad Bunny proved that "you can accomplish things, that the American dream truly is real."

USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get ourChasing Gold newsletterin your inbox every morning andjoin our WhatsApp channelto get the latest updates right in your texts.

All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, at 3:55 p.m.

Feb. 9 Winter Olympics TV Schedule

• 12:15 AM - BIATHLON (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Mixed Relay 4x6km USA NETWORK

• 12:35 AM - OLYMPIC LATE NIGHT (REPLAY) SNOWBOARDING and more NBC, PEACOCK

• 1:30 AM - FIGURE SKATING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Team: Pairs, Women's, Men's Free USA NETWORK

• 4:30 AM - ALPINE SKIING (LIVE) Men's Team Combined: Downhill USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 5:45 AM - ALPINE SKIING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Women's Downhill USA NETWORK

• 6:30 AM - FREESTYLE SKIING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women's Slopestyle Final USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 8:00 AM - ALPINE SKIING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Men's Team Combined: Slalom USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 9:00 AM - CURLING: Italy vs United States (REPLAY) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round USA NETWORK

• 11:00 AM - LUGE (LIVE) Women's Singles: Run 1 and 2 USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 11:30 AM - SPEED SKATING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women's 1000m USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 12:00 PM - ICE HOCKEY: Germany vs France (REPLAY) Women's Preliminary Round USA NETWORK

• 12:00 PM - SPEED SKATING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Women's 1000m NBC

• 12:45 PM - ALPINE SKIING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Men's Team Combined: Downhill & Slalom NBC

• 1:00 PM - LUGE (LIVE) Women's Singles: Run 2 USA NETWORK

• 1:20 PM - FIGURE SKATING (LIVE) Rhythm Dance USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 1:30 PM - SNOWBOARDING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Women's Big Air Final NBC, PEACOCK

• 2:40 PM - FIGURE SKATING (LIVE) Rhythm Dance NBC

• 2:40 PM - ICE HOCKEY: Switzerland vs United States (LIVE) Women's Preliminary Round USA NETWORK, PEACOCK

• 5:00 PM - CURLING: (REPLAY) Mixed Doubles Semifinal CNBC

• 5:00 PM - ICE HOCKEY: Canada vs Czechia (REPLAY) Women's Preliminary Round USA NETWORK

• 5:30 PM - SKI JUMPING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Men's Normal Hill USA NETWORK

• 6:30 PM - CURLING: (REPLAY) Mixed Doubles Semifinal CNBC

• 6:45 PM - SPEED SKATING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Women's 1000m USA NETWORK

• 8:00 PM - PRIMETIME IN MILAN (REPLAY) Figure Skating, Freestyle Skiing, Alpine Skiing NBC, PEACOCK

• 8:00 PM - LUGE (REPLAY) Women's Singles: Run 1 and 2 USA NETWORK

• 8:45 PM - CURLING: (REPLAY) Mixed Doubles Semifinal USA NETWORK

• 10:15 PM - SKI JUMPING (REPLAY) (Medal Event) Men's Normal Hill USA NETWORK

• 11:00 PM - ICE HOCKEY: Switzerland vs United States (REPLAY) Women's Preliminary Round USA NETWORK

• 11:35 PM - OLYMPIC LATE NIGHT (REPLAY) Snowboarding, Speed Skating, and more NBC, PEACOCK

Feb. 9 Winter Olympics Streaming Schedule

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• 4:05 AM - CURLING: Norway vs South Korea (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 4:05 AM - CURLING: Italy vs United States (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 4:05 AM - CURLING: Switzerland vs Canada (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 4:05 AM - CURLING: Czechia vs Estonia (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 6:10 AM - ICE HOCKEY: Japan vs Italy (LIVE) Women's Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 8:00 AM - GOLD ZONE: DAY 3 (LIVE) Digital Exclusive PEACOCK

• 10:40 AM - ICE HOCKEY: Germany vs France (LIVE) Women's Preliminary Round PEACOCK

• 12:05 PM - CURLING: (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Semifinal #2 PEACOCK

• 12:05 PM - CURLING: (LIVE) Mixed Doubles Semifinal #1 PEACOCK

• 1:00 PM - SKI JUMPING (LIVE) (Medal Event) Men's Normal Hill PEACOCK

• 3:10 PM - ICE HOCKEY: Canada vs Czechia (LIVE) Women's Preliminary Round PEACOCK

Meet Team USA 2026:Get to know the athletes behind the games

More 2026 Winter Olympics

See the full Milano Cortina Games schedule

See the 2026 Medal Count Here

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Winter Olympics TV schedule today: How to watch every event on Monday