Podium Power: U.S. Projected To Finish Third With 29 Medals

Relying heavily on its women, Team USA will win 29 medals and tie for third in the medal standings at the Pyeongchang Games, according to new projections developed by consumer data analytics firm Gracenote. Women will win 18 of the U.S.' 29 medals, Gracenote’s numbers say, with the stars of the Games being speedskater Heather Bergsma (2 gold, 1 silver) and alpine skiers Lindsey Vonn (1 gold, 1 bronze) and Mikaela Shiffrin (1 gold, 1 silver). Only seven American men are projected to medal as individuals, including just two gold medals: Aaron Blunck in the freeski halfpipe and McRae Williams in the freeski slopestyle. Gracenote projects a shutout for two high-profile U.S. men: figure skater Nathan Chen and snowboarder Shaun White. The stats foresee a seminal accomplishment for the Americans, a Gold Medal in women’s hockey, something that has not happened in 20 years. To develop its projections, Gracenote takes results from major international competitions dating back to the '14 Sochi Games, including Pyeongchang qualifying events, and then weighs them based on strength of competition and the “age” of the scores. Prior to the '16 Rio Games, Gracenote’s projections fell substantially short of actual Team USA results. The firm successfully predicted that the U.S. would win the medal count, but projected 88 medals -- 33 fewer than the final count. Gracenote first broke into sports in '15 by acquiring Infostrada Sports and SportsDirect Inc. Neilsen acquired the company from the Tribune Co. in December '16.

Download the Pyeongchang Medal Projections