Mikaela Shiffrin says she's not sure Lindsey Vonn is done with Olympics

Mikaela Shiffrin is not convinced Lindsey Vonn's Olympic career is done.

"Whenever I hear anybody say something about this," Shiffrin said Friday, "it's like, 'most likely,' 'probably,' 'maybe,' 'we'll see,' 'not sure.' I'm like, 'Knowing Lindsey, I don't believe her.' "

Vonn and Shiffrin met the press Friday, as the only two members of the country's Alpine team to win an individual medal at the Pyeongchang Games.

First came Vonn, 33, wearing her downhill bronze medal.

Vonn said the woman who took the gold in the downhill, good friend Sofia Goggia of Italy, wrote a note trying to lobby for a return in 2022.

"I told her ... if I physically could continue for four years, then I probably would, as long as I considered myself still a competitor," Vonn said. "But four years is a really long time. I told her that. She said she's going to keep trying to convince me."

In the meantime, there are other goals Vonn will pursue before retiring. She reiterated she is "not going to stop ski racing until I break" Ingemar Stenmark's World Cup record for most career race wins. She has 81; he had 86.

"I think next season," Vonn said, "I can get it done."

She also intends to pursue a chance to compete against men, something she's sought for years.

The sport's governing body is supposed to consider her request in a few months.

All of that will be put on hold for a bit, though.

Instead of joining the skiing circuit when it resumes in Switzerland next weekend, Vonn will wait until the World Cup Finals in Are, Sweden, on March 14-18.

"I need a break," Vonn said. "I need a moment to breathe. I've never actually had time after an Olympics to enjoy it, so I'm going to."

Shiffrin is Vonn's heir apparent.

"I don't necessarily feel like I'm taking over something for the sport," she said. "I don't know if I could fill Lindsey's shoes, the way that she has worn them."

Second Russian fails

A second Russian athlete failed a doping test at the Pyeongchang Games, a day before the International Olympic Committee's executive board is to decide whether to reinstate the country for Sunday's Closing Ceremony.

Russian Bobsled Federation President Alexander Zubkov verified that a drug-test sample given by bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva on Sunday was positive.

The Russian delegation said in a statement the substance was trimetazidine, a medication used to treat angina. It affects metabolism and is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"She confirms she took no such medication and the team confirms she was not issued any medication," Zubkov said.

Zubkov also said a sample she had given five days earlier was negative.

"I can tell you that on the 13th it was clean but on the 18th it gave a positive result for the heart medication," he said.

Sergeeva's crew finished 12th in the women's bobsled Wednesday.

The Russian team was barred from the Olympics in December for doping at the Sochi Games, but the IOC invited 168 athletes from the country to compete under the Olympic flag.

Russian curler Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his bronze medal after testing positive for the banned substance meldonium.

Curling for gold

The South Korean women's curling team, a fan favorite known as the "Garlic Girls" after the pungent bulb grown in their hometown, beat Japan 8-7 in 11 ends and advanced to the gold medal game.

South Korea will play Sweden in the final Sunday.

The Garlic Girls have been cheered loudly each time they play.

"With all the support, I felt nothing was impossible," skip Kim Eun-jung said.

Olympic spirit noted

Kjeld Nuis won his second gold medal in speedskating, and he had Mika Poutala's Olympic spirit to thank for it.

The Dutchman became the first speedskater to win two golds at the Gangneung Oval.

With Nuis going full out on the final straightaway in the men's 1,000 meters, Poutala could easily have held him up on the crossover and denied him the title. But the Finn realized his chance for a medal was waning, so he stayed left, keeping the Dutchman's path clear.

"Mika Poutala just saved my life," Nuis said after adding the 1,000 title to his 1,500 gold. "If he would have thrown himself in front of me, I would have been the fool. He didn't. That is so beautiful."

Nuis said Poutala came up to him after the race and said: "I just did what I hope someone else would do for me."

Nuis finished 0.04 seconds faster than Norway's Havard Lorentzen. Kim Tae-yun of South Korea took bronze.

Ratings down again

An estimated 17.3 million people watched the Olympics on NBC, NBCSN or streaming services on Thursday night, down 13 percent from the 20.3 million who watched the corresponding night in Sochi four years ago.

The NBC-only audience of 15.2 million was down 25 percent, the Nielsen company said. The conclusion of the women's figure skating competition is usually one of a Winter Olympics' big events, but a poor showing by the U.S. skaters hurt.