Olympic Snowboarding Women's Cross 2018 TV Schedule, Live Stream and Picks

The Czech Republic's Eva Samkova will be looking to defend her Olympic title in the snowboarding cross on Friday at Phoenix Park.

In 2014, she triumphed in one of the most unpredictable events on the Games' schedule, excelling in the qualifying rounds and eventually the big final.

The racing can be unforgiving, as Michela Moioli found out in Sochi four years ago, as she fell while in bronze medal position; the Italian is expected to be one of the biggest challengers to Samkova in a jam-packed day of boarding on Friday.

Here are the broadcast details for this popular event and a closer look at who could stand on the top of the podium in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Date: Friday, February 16

Event Start Time: 1 a.m. (GMT), 8 p.m. (ET, Thursday)

Big Final Start Time: 3:56 a.m. (GMT), 10:56 p.m. (ET, Thursday)

TV Info: Eurosport (UK), NBC Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: Eurosport Player (UK), NBC Sports App (U.S.)

For the schedule in full visit the Pyeongchang Games website.

Samkova Out to Defend Title in Snowboarding Cross

After performing so well in Sochi four years ago, there'll be plenty of expectation falling on the shoulders of Samkova again when she lines up on Friday.

The 24-year-old heads to these Games with more experience after her previous triumph, and she's one of the main medal hopefuls for the Czech Republic in Pyeongchang. She carried the nation's flag at the recent opening ceremony.

The team's official Facebook account posted this footage of Samkova brandishing her country's colours:

Her form appears to be on the up, too. At the 2017 World Championships, the Czech toiled in 12th position, although at the recent World Cup race in Erzurum, Turkey, she topped the standings.

However, Moioli has been the dominant force on the snowboarding cross scene throughout preparations for the Games. In the last six World Cup cross races, she's earned four wins, a runners-up spot and a third-place finish.

As we can see courtesy of her recent Instagram post, she was a long way clear of the field when she won in Feldberg, Germany, last time out:

The Italian will be determined after what happened in the big final four years ago. Moioli appeared to be on course for a medal when a late collision with Alexandra Jekova took out both competitors.

The official Olympic YouTube channel provided footage of what was a thrilling final, eventually won at a canter by Samkova:

World champion Lindsey Jacobellis is also worth serious consideration, as she's proved in the past she has the temperament to shine on the big stage. 

The 10-time X Games champion has never earned an Olympic gold, though, with her only medal at the Games coming in Turin in 2006, when she infamously misjudged the last jump with the win within her grasp. This will be the fourth time she has competed at the Olympics.

France's Chloe Trespeuch, who won the bronze in Sochi, will fancy her chances after a positive year in which she finished second at the World Championships.

The structure of the competition—there are quarter-finals and semi-finals before the battle for medals begins in earnest—makes this race difficult to call. After all, as we witnessed four years ago, the close-quarter action and pressure jumps mean mistakes are easy to make.

But over the course of the season, it's Moioli who has been in the most consistent form. She'll be difficult to beat here.

Prediction: 1. Moioli 2. Samkova 3. Jacobellis