Several Minnesotan athletes are among the competitors in this year’s Olympics, which began Feb. 6 and will end Feb. 23 in Sochi, Russia.

Men’s Hockey

With its first Olympic event Feb. 13, this year’s men’s Olympic hockey team will feature 8 Minnesotan athletes. These athletes include David Backles (Minneapolis), Justin Faulk (South St. Paul), Paul Martin (Minneapolis), Ryan McDonaugh (St. Paul), T.J. Oshie (Warroad), Zach Parise (Minneapolis), Derek Stepan (Faribault)  and Blake Wheeler (Minneapolis). The U.S. team will play its first game against Slovakia Feb. 13 and the gold medal game will be held Feb. 23.

Women’s Hockey

After a 3-1 win in the first round against Finland and a 9-0 win against Switzerland, the U.S. women’s hockey team looks to take on its main rival, the Canadian team, on Feb. 12. The women’s team will be comprised of 3 Minnesotan women. These women include Gigi Marvin (Warroad), Anne Schleper (St. Cloud) and Lee Stecklein (Richfield). The gold medal game for women’s hockey will be Feb. 20.

Men’s Curling

This year’s men’s Olympic curling team lost its first match to Norway 4-7 and will play China Feb. 11. This team is led by 4 Minnesotan athletes. These athletes include Jeff Isaacson (Gilbert), John Landsteiner (Mapleton), John Shuster (Chisholm) and Jared Zezel (Hibbing). The gold medal game for curling will be Feb. 21.

Women’s curling

This year’s women’s curling team lost its first match against Switzerland 4-7 and will play against Russia Feb. 11. This team is led by only one Minnesotan athlete Allison Pottinger (Eden Prairie). The gold medal game for this event will be held Feb. 20.

Women’s cross country skiing

This years women skied in the final round Feb. 8. Minnesota native Jessie Diggins (Afton) finished in eighth place with an overall time of 20:01.7 and was only 1:31.9 seconds slower than the gold medalist from Norway.

Men’s Biathlon

Men’s biathlon held its final round with only one Minnesotan competing. Leif Nordgren (Forest Lake) finished 45th overall in the men’s 10k biathlon sprint on Feb. 8.

Women’s speed skating

Competing in Long Track 3000 meter speedskating, Minnesota native Anna Ringsred (Duluth) took 26th place overall in the final rounds of Olympic women’s long track speedskating on Feb. 9.