Winter Olympics 2018: Wins for Shiffrin & Hirscher but no joy for Yarnold

Marcel Hirscher has his sights set on a seventh overall World Cup title - and Olympic gold

With the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang just weeks away, BBC Sport brings you a weekly round-up of the big stories in the build-up.

• Find out who are the British medal hopes in Pyeongchang.

'Best ever' Shiffrin enjoys weekend double

ALPINE SKIING: American Mikaela Shiffrin justified her recent billing as the "best ski racer ever" by winning her fourth race in a row and her 40th in the World Cup in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

Shiffrin won both the slalom and the giant slalom, days after receiving the high praise of six-time Olympic medallist Bode Miller.

And after another dominant display in Slovenia, which saw her seventh victory in her past eight races, it is difficult to argue with her compatriot Miller, who is predicting big things for Shiffrin in Pyeongchang next month.

"I would say it's likely she wins two [Olympic] golds," he said. "I would say an outside shot at five medals, and I think probably, at her best, maybe three or four of them are golds."

Hirscher on history trail

ALPINE SKIING: Austria's Marcel Hirscher enjoyed a week to remember - claiming three World Cup victories in four days to leapfrog Italian icon Alberto Tomba in the all-time winners' list.

A slalom victory in Zagreb, Croatia, coupled with a giant slalom and slalom win in Adelboden in Switzerland, took the Austrian's career tally to 52.

Hirscher is on course for a seventh overall World Cup title but has yet to claim an Olympic gold in his two appearances, in Vancouver and Sochi.

Britain's Dave Ryding, who went to Adelboden on the back of three top-10 finishes in a fortnight, was 12th in the slalom.

Yarnold stutters again

SKELETON: Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold began the new year as she ended the old, finishing down the field in 19th in the World Cup event in Altenberg, Germany.

Team-mate Laura Deas was eighth and lies fifth in the overall World Cup, with Yarnold in 12th.

World Cup leader Jacqueline Lolling led a German one-two-three in Altenberg.

Super Dario hits top form

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Dario Cologna showed he is coming into form at the right time by winning the Tour de Ski.

The Swiss skier, a double Olympic gold medallist in Sochi, came out on top in the prestigious meeting, which consists of seven events over nine days across Switzerland, Germany and Italy.

Dario Cologna became the first man to win the Tour de Ski four times

Britain's Andrew Musgrave achieved a career-best 15th in the event.

Stoch rising in Four Hills

SKI JUMPING: Kamil Stoch became only the second ski jumper to win each of the Four Hills competitions in the same season.

Stoch, the reigning Olympic champion from Poland, had won events in Oberstdorf and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany, before securing victory in the first event in Austria at Innsbruck at the weekend.

He joins Germany's Sven Hannawald, who won each event in 2002, as the only men to achieve the feat in the prestigious Four Hills tournament.

British bob duo crash

BOBSLEIGH: Britain's Mica McNeill and Mica Moore were shaken but walked away from a crash on their second run at the women's World Cup bobsleigh event in Altenberg, Germany.

The pair were lying seventh after the first run and going well in the second, only to lose control of the sled with a few turns remaining.

Britain's two four-man sleds finished 10th and 15th after an illness-hit start to the year.

North Korea boost for Games

GENERAL: A North Korean Olympic official has been quoted as saying that his country is "likely to participate" in next month's Winter Olympics.

North Korea and South Korea will hold high-level talks this week with the aim of finding a way for North Korean athletes to attend next month's Games in Pyeongchang.

The meeting, on 9 January, follows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un saying last week that sending a delegation to the Games would be "a good opportunity to show unity of the people".

Japanese jumper bounds on to another Games

SKI JUMPING: Noriaki Kasai will become the first athlete to participate in eight Winter Olympics after being named in Japan's ski jumping team.

The 45-year-old made his debut in 1992, and won bronze and silver four years ago in Sochi, having also won a silver in 1994.

This week's winter sports on the BBC

Friday 12 Jan: 08:30-09:30, Women's skeleton, heat one, Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup, BBC Red Button and online (heat two, 10:00-11:00, BBC Red Button and online)

12:00-13:00, Men's skeleton, heat one, Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup, BBC Red Button and online (heat two, 13:30-14:30, BBC Red Button and online)

Sat 13 Jan: 08:30-09:30, Women's bobsleigh, heat one, Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Cup, BBC Red Button and online (heat two, 10:00-11:00, BBC Red Button and online; repeated 17:30-18:30, BBC Red Button)

09:30-11:30, Women's downhill, Ski Sunday Extra: Alpine Skiing World Cup, BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online

12:00-13:00, Two-man bobsleigh, heat one, Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup, BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online (heat two, 13:30-14:30, BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online)

Sun 14 Jan: 10:45-11:45, Four-man bobsleigh, heat one, Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cup, BBC Red Button and online (heat two, 12:15-13:15, BBC Red Button, Connected TV and online)

17:35-18:20, Ski Sunday, BBC Two

The 2018 Winter Olympics take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9-25 February. You will be able to follow live BBC Sport coverage of the Winter Games on TV, radio and online.