Curling Preview: Shuster Confident Heading Into Olympics

(AP) -- John Shuster won't be catching anyone by surprise at these Olympics.

The five-time Olympian is back to defend his curling gold medal in Beijing, and the target on his back will be almost as big as the one on the ice. Four years after surviving five straight elimination matches to win it all in Pyeongchang the Americans are among the favorites to medal again.

"I definitely feel less pressure," Shuster said after his victory in the U.S. curling trials. "The success last time for me, winning an Olympic gold, is the top of the mountain. And no matter how you finish in the other Olympics, it doesn't matter.

"I think I feel less pressure," he said, "but I think I have supreme confidence."

Shuster won bronze in 2006 as the lead for Pete Fenson's team -- the first-ever U.S. Olympic curling medal. Then he left to form his own rink, earning a trip to Vancouver but performing so badly that he benched himself.

After finishing 10th in 2010 -- dead last -- Shuster won the U.S. trials again four years later but managed just a ninth place in Sochi. When USA Curling put together a high performance camp of the country's top 10 players, Shuster didn't make the cut.

So the most decorated Olympian in American curling history scraped together a foursome -- calling themselves "Team Rejects" -- and not only beat the federation-backed squads in the U.S. trials but won gold in Korea.

BABY BUMP

Tabitha Peterson is heading to her second straight Olympics -- her first as the skip of the U.S. women's team. Peterson threw third for Nina Roth's team in Pyeongchang.

When Roth took maternity leave the following season, Peterson moved up to skip, the team captain who not only throws the last and most important stones but is also the final word on strategy throughout the match.

"It definitely is different, just in terms of my role on the team," Peterson said. "I've had to kind of rethink the way I think the game, my role, my approach, my preparation. (And) what I do off the ice -- there's more strategic learning."

Roth is back at vice-skip, throwing third, with fellow 2018 holdover Becca Hamilton second. Olympic rookie Tara Peterson, Tabitha's sister, is the lead, throwing first.

DOUBLE DUTY

A handful of curlers will be among the busiest athletes at the Olympics. Plys will compete in the mixed doubles event with partner Vicky Persinger before turning his attention to the men's tournament -- meaning he could be on the ice for 18 days in a row, sometimes two sessions per day.

Others doing double duty are Britain's Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, Italy's Amos Mosanser and Sweden's Oskar Eriksson.

BACK FOR MORE

It's not just Shuster's squad that is trying to repeat. All of the medal-winning teams from Pyeongchang are back for another try, with some minor shuffling in the lineups. In the men's field, Sochi bronze medalist and Pyeongchang runner-up Niklas Edin is back to complete his set of Olympic prizes. The Swiss team skippered by Benoît Schwarz that won bronze in 2018 is back.