SPORT-BY-SPORT SYNOPSES.Byline: - capsules by Michael Rosenthal, Rick Hazeltine, Michael A. Anastasi ALPINE SKIING Alpine skiing Class of competitive ski events consisting of speed events (the downhill and the supergiant slalom) and technical events (the slalom and giant slalom). EVENTS: Downhill; combined; Super-G; giant slalom giant slalom n. A downhill skiing race in which participants must pass between pairs of gates set along a course that is larger and often steeper than a slalom course. ; slalom TV: Feb. 10-11, 13-14, 16-17, 20-23 (NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. ) OUTLOOK --Men: An injury to Austrian Hermann Maier Hermann Maier (born December 7, 1972, Altenmarkt) is an Austrian skier who has won four overall World Cup titles (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004), two Olympic gold medals (both in 1998), three World Championship titles (1999: 2, 2005: 1) and 53 races in the World Cup. opens up the competition. Benjamin Raich Benjamin Raich (born 28 February 1978 in Arzl im Pitztal, Tyrol) is an Austrian alpine skier who won gold medals in the giant slalom and slalom at the 2006 Winter Olympics of Turin, Italy. , a 23-year-old from Austria, might be the most talented skier to come along in years. He'll be favored in the slalom races. Stephan Eberharter Stephan ("Steff") Eberharter (born March 24, 1969) is an Austrian skier, born in Brixlegg, who won the World Cup (overall) title in 2002 and 2003. He was arguably the closest rival of compatriot Hermann Maier in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He has now retired from the sport. , also Austrian, is a perennial runner-up to Maier and will challenge Raich. Eberharter won silver in the giant slalom in 1996. The U.S. is strong. Bode Miller Samuel Bode Miller (born October 12 1977), best known as Bode Miller (pronounced Bo-dee, in IPA [boʊˈdiː]), is an American alpine skier. , Daron Rahlves Daron Louis Rahlves (born June 12, 1973 in Walnut Creek, California) is an American skier widely regarded as the most successful American speed racer of all time. He was educated at the Green Mountain Valley School in Vermont and currently resides in Truckee, California. and Erik Schlopy Eric Schlopy (born August 21, 1972 in Buffalo, New York) is an American Alpine skier who competed in three Olympic games - 1994 Winter Olympics, 2002 Winter Olympics and 2006 Winter Olympics. At the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, he placed 34th in giant slalom. are all medal contenders. Miller won a giant slalom race in December; Rahlves won the Super-G world title last year, and Schlopy will be skiing on his home slopes. --Women: Picabo Street Picabo Street (born April 3, 1971, in Triumph, Idaho) is an American skier, now retired and living in Park City, Utah. She was raised on a small farm in Triumph, several miles southeast of Sun Valley, Idaho, where she learned to ski and race. of the U.S. beat Austrian Michaela Dorfmeister Michaela Dorfmeister (born 25 March, 1973 in Vienna) is a professional alpine skier from Austria. Her specialities are both the Downhill and Super-G disciplines, although she skis in and has had success in Giant Slalom. by .01 seconds in the 1998 downhill; the two could battle it out again in 2002, though Street is the oldest American. Sonja Nef Sonja Nef (born 19 April 1972 in Heiden) is a Swiss former alpine skier. Nef was World Champion in Giant Slalom in 2001. She won the 2001 and 2002 World Cup in Giant Slalom. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, she finished third in Giant Slalom. , defending world champion in the giant slalom, is one to watch. Americans Kristina Koznick, inconsistent but talented, and versatile Caroline Lalive could medal. UNFORGETTABLE: For one day, in 1984, Americans were unquestionably un·ques·tion·a·ble adj. Beyond question or doubt. See Synonyms at authentic. un·ques  tion·a·bil the best skiers in the world. Phil and Steve Mahre Steven Mahre (born May 10, 1957, in Yakima, Washington) is an American former Alpine skier and twin brother of skier Phil Mahre (Steve is younger by 4 minutes).Steve Mahre won the silver medal in slalom at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, finishing 21 hundredths of a , twin brothers from Yakima, Wash., finished first and second in the slalom even though their best days appeared to be behind them. YOU DON'T SAY: Alberto Tomba (( alberto la bomba was a latin lover in his day and was a full on play boy.)) Alberto Tomba (born December 19 1966), popularly called Tomba la Bomba ("Tomba the Bomb"), is a retired Italian alpine skier. of Italy became the first skier to win the same event twice - the giant slalom, in 1988 and 1992. ALPINE SKIING MEDAL COUNT: Country G S B Tot. MEN Austria 15 13 18 46 Switzerland6 11 9 26 France 9 4 7 20 WOMEN Austria 8 13 10 31 Germany 10 9 6 25 Switz. 9 7 6 22 Note: The German total includes East Germany East Germany: see Germany. , West Germany West Germany: see Germany. and a united Germany. ICE HOCKEY ice hockey: see hockey, ice. ice hockey Game played on an ice rink by two teams of six players on skates. The object is to drive a puck (a small, hard rubber disk) into the opponents' goal with a hockey stick, thus scoring one point. EVENTS: Men and women TV: Feb. 9-24 (NBC, CNBC CNBC Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (artificial intelligence) CNBC Consumer News and Business Channel CNBC Congress of National Black Churches, Inc. , MSNBC MSNBC Microsoft/National Broadcasting Company ) OUTLOOK --Men: Another U.S. ``miracle?'' It'll be tough, even at home with 1980 coach Herb Brooks Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. (August 5, 1937 – August 11, 2003) was an American ice hockey coach, best known for coaching the U.S. hockey team to a gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in an event known as the Miracle on Ice. in charge once again. The Americans, who failed to medal in 1998, have plenty of goal scorers but question marks on defense and in goal. Meanwhile, immensely talented Canada is determined to make up for also being shutout in '98 while the defending-champion Czech Republic Czech Republic, Czech Česká Republika (2005 est. pop. 10,241,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. and Russia are typically solid all around. Sweden is a capable dark horse. And don't count out Ziggy Palffy-led Slovakia. --Women: The defending-champion U.S. team should make it two in a row. The Americans went 27-0 in their per-Olympic schedule, including eight victories over rival Canada. However, the opposite was true going into the '98 Games and the U.S. pulled off the upset. UNFORGETTABLE: The 1980 ``Miracle on Ice'' pops into mind when the subject of Olympic-sized upsets comes up. However, the 1960 U.S. team was the first to pull off such a stunner stunner device used in abattoirs to stun an animal so that it is unconscious when it is bled out. concussion stunner a captive-bolt, nonpenetrating device, activated by a standard bullet. . The undermanned U.S. team beat Canada, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia in succession behind the play of goalie Jack McCartan Jack William McCartan (Born: St. Paul, Minnesota, August 5, 1935) was a goaltender for the gold-medal-winning 1960 United States hockey team. He was a college standout at the University of Minnesota. After graduating, he joined the U.S. Army. to win the gold medal. The U.S. had never beaten the USSR USSR: see Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. in hockey. YOU DON'T SAY: Canada, which won the first four gold medals, hasn't won the men's championship since 1952. ICE HOCKEY MEDAL COUNT: CountryG S B Tot. MEN Canada 6 4 2 12 USSR/Rus 8 2 1 11 USA 2 6 1 9 Note: Women competed in ice hockey in 1998 for the first time. The U.S. won the gold medal, Canada the silver and Finland the bronze. SPEEDSKATING EVENTS: 500, 1,000, 1,500, 3,000 (women), 5,000, 10,000 (men) TV: Feb. 9-14, 16-17, 19-20, 22-23 (NBC) OUTLOOK --Men: Gianni Romme of the Netherlands is the man to beat at the longer distances - 5,000 and 10,000, in which he holds the world records. Jeremy Wotherspoon of Canada, who has won every award short of a gold medal, is the favorite in the shorter distances. Americans Casey FitzRandolph and Derek Parra could sneak in for a medal. --Women: Two-time medalist Chris Witty of the U.S. would have been a favorite at several distances but has battled mononucleosis mononucleosis /mono·nu·cle·o·sis/ (-noo?kle-o´sis) excess of mononuclear leukocytes (monocytes) in the blood. chronic mononucleosis chronic fatigue syndrome. and is a question mark. Germans Anni Friesinger, the world champion at 1,500, and Claudia Pechstein, the two-time gold medalist at 5,000 who will compete in her fourth Olympics. American Jennifer Rodriquez, a former roller skater, could medal. UNFORGETTABLE: Eric Heiden of the U.S. established himself as perhaps the best speedskater ever when he won gold medals in each of his five events in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics Lake Placid, New York, on the Adirondack Mountains, has been the host to two Winter Olympic Games (1932 and 1980). Lake Placid was the first Winter Olympic Games to use artificial snow (1980) and Lake Placid is only one of the three cities to host two Winter Olympics (St. . YOU DON'T SAY: The speedskating competition in the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, was canceled because of warm weather. SPEEDSKATING MEDAL COUNT: Country G S B Tot. MEN Norway 24 26 23 73 Netherlands 9 17 15 41 USSR/Rus 13 11 10 34 WOMEN Germany 14 20 14 48 USSR/Rus 13 8 10 31 USA 8 9 6 23 BOBSLED EVENTS: 2s (M&W), 4s (M) TV: Feb. 16-17 19, 22-23 (NBC) OUTLOOK: The women make their Olympic debut and the U.S. is the most dominant country with three teams ranking among the top six in the world. Only two U.S. teams qualify for the Olympics. The world's top team is Jean Racine (driver) and Gea Johnson. Germany and Switzerland will challenge. The U.S. men are poised to win a medal for the first time since 1956. American drivers Todd Hays and Brian Shimmer will lead the U.S. 2- and 4-man teams. Hays had four golds, four silvers and a bronze during recent World Cup competition. As usual, Switzerland and Germany are medal favorites. UNFORGETTABLE: Racine had teamed with Jen Davidson since 1998 and the duo has won the past two World Cup titles. But Racine dropped Davidson before the Olympic Trials and qualified No. 1 with Johnson. Davidson did not qualify. YOU DON'T SAY: At the 1928 Olympics, bobsled featured only a five-man event and the U.S. finished 1-2. BOBSLED MEDAL COUNT: Country G S B Tot. Switzerland 9 9 8 26 U.S. 5 4 5 14 E. Germany 5 5 3 13 CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING EVENTS: 1.5K sprint; 10K classical (women), 15K classical; 30K freestyle; 50K classical (men); 5K classical combined pursuit (women), 10K classical combined pursuit; 5K freestyle combined pursuit (women), 10K freestyle combined pursuit (men); 4x10K relay. TV: Feb. 9, 12, 14-15, 17, 19, 21, 23-24 (NBC, MSNBC) OUTLOOK --Men: Defending world champion Per Elofsson of Sweden finished 10th in his race 1998 but has evolved into a favorite here. He could win an unprecedented five gold medals. He'll be tested by biathlon biathlon (bīăth`lŏn), sport in which cross-country skiers race across hilly terrain, occasionally stopping to shoot with rifles at sets of fixed targets. The biathlon features the 10-km (6. specialist Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway. John Bauer dominated U.S. qualifying but could be overmatched by the Europeans. --Women: Katerina Newmanova of the Czech Republic and Bente Skari of Norway, 1-2 in this season's World Cup standings, are expected to battle it out in the new 1.5-kilometer sprint. Meanwhile, at the other distances, Larisa Lazutina and Julia Tchepalova figure to perpetuate Russian dominance. Veteran Nina Kemppel is the U.S.' best. UNFORGETTABLE: No American had ever won an Olympic cross-country medal until Bill Koch of Guilford, Vt., won silver in the 1976 Olympics. Koch revolutionized the sport when he introduced the skating technique to Olympic distances. YOU DON'T SAY: Bjorn Daehlie of Norway won eight gold medals and 12 overall in cross-country skiing in three Olympics. CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING MEDAL COUNT: Country G S B Tot. MEN Norway 23 21 10 54 Finland 11 13 19 43 Sweden 17 13 12 42 WOMEN USSR/Rus 26 21 16 63 Finland 8 9 9 26 Norway 2 7 7 16 SKELETON EVENTS: Singles (M&W) TV: Feb. 20 (NBC) OUTLOOK: Hometown star Lincoln DeWitt finished No. 1 in the World Cup standings and fellow American Jim Shea Jr. was No. 3. They'll be challenged by Switzerland's Gregor Stahli, who came out of retirement when the sport was added to the Olympics. The U.S. women are also strong and a threat to medal with U.S. Olympic Trials winner Tristan Gale and Lee Ann Parsley Lee Ann Parsley (born June 12, 1968) in Logan West Virginia is an American skeleton racer who competed from 2000 to 2005. She won a silver medal in the women's sksleton event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. . The top-ranked woman is Alex Coomber, who is from Great Britain but lives and trains in Germany. Maya Pedersen of Switzerland was No. 2 in the World Cup standings. Steffi Hanzlik of Germany should also challenge. UNFORGETTABLE: Shea is a third-generation Winter Olympian. His father competed in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined in the 1964 Olympics. His grandfather, Jack Shea, won the 500- and 1,000-meter speed skating events in 1932. He was killed in January by a drunk driver. YOU DON'T SAY: Skeleton is making its Olympic debut for women and returns for men for the first time since 1948. FIGURE SKATING EVENTS: Pairs, dance, men and women's individual TV: Feb. 9, 11-12, 14-15, 17-19, 21-23 (NBC, MSNBC) OUTLOOK --Women: Four-time world champion Michelle Kwan, 21, has it all - except an Olympic gold. That's why she's competing in these games, and that's what Russian Irina Slutskaya is here to grab for herself. Throw in two other Americans who could medal - indeed, it's not inconceivable that the U.S. sweeps - and another Russian named Maria Butyrskaya, who stunned Slutskaya by winning last month's European Championships, and the ladies' competition figures to easily be Salt Lake City's most dramatic. Kwan has lost to Slutskaya, a vastly superior jumper, three times this season and there was her much-publicized firing of longtime coach Frank Carroll for no apparent reason. Although that seemingly had no effect on her performance at January's U.S. Championships in Los Angeles (Kwan won her sixth title), many insiders doubt an elite skater can succeed at the international level for long without help. Americans Sasha Cohen, 17, and Sarah Hughes, 16, are both Olympic rookies but have each defeated Kwan and Slutskaya in previous competitions. Look for Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. to attempt to become the first woman to land a quadruple jump. --Men: The Cold War is on. The world's two best skaters are Russians Evgeny Plushenko, the reigning world champion, and Alexei Yagudin, a three-time world champ. Three Americans challenge. Todd Eldredge, the most decorated skater in U.S. history, is the sentimental favorite but has yet to win an Olympic medal. Tim Goebel, the 21-year-old who won at Staples Center last month, is the sport's ``Quad King,'' and one thing is for sure about these Games - to win the gold, you'll need to execute the quad. Mike Weiss has been inconsistent but is capable. The key question is whether the home crowd will buoy the Americans to capstone performances or whether the added pressure will affect their concentration. ``In terms of having a shot at a medal, I think all three of us do,'' said Weiss, 25 and a father of two. ``Todd and I have Olympic experience and Tim has the youth.'' --Pairs: For the first time, North America has a shot at breaking the sport's long-standing European domination. Canada fields a strong team - Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won this year's Grand Prix Final - and Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman could bust through for a bronze. Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze, two-time world pairs champions, just won the Russian championship, and the Russians have won 35 of the past 38 European championships. Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin won last month's. France's Sarah Abitbol and Stephane Bernadis also will challenge. --Dance: The top teams are France's Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat, the reigning world champions Barbara Fusar-Poli and Maurizio Margaglio of Italy and Canada's Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz. The U.S., led by Naomi Lang and Russian immigrant Peter Tchernyshev, has little chance of a medal. UNFORGETTABLE: Dick Button is best known today as figure skating's indomitable in·dom·i·ta·ble adj. Incapable of being overcome, subdued, or vanquished; unconquerable. [Late Latin indomit television commentator, but he was America's first star in the sport. He won gold medals in 1948, when the 18-year-old was the first to complete a double-axel in competition, and in 1952. YOU DON'T SAY: Ice dancing and pairs skating are two entirely different disciplines. Ice dancing is basically ballroom dancing on ice For information on Dancing on Ice in other countries, see . For the Australian version of the show, see . Dancing on Ice is a British television show, in which celebrities and their professional partners dance on ice in front of a panel of judges. ; the two skaters must always be touching, and artistry and emotion are key. Pairs skating is more much athletic, featuring spins and jumps. The two skaters are not required to remain in contact throughout the program. FIGURE SKATING MEDAL COUNT: Country G S B Tot. Russia/USSR/ Unified 19 14 6 39 USA 12 13 13 38 Austria 7 95 21 SKI JUMPING EVENTS: Individual K90; individual K120; team K120 TV: Feb. 8, 10, 12-13, 18 (NBC) OUTLOOK Sven Hannawald of Germany became the first skier ever to sweep the Four Hills competition - a series of four events in Europe - to emerge as the favorite. Adam Malysz of Poland, winner of 6 of 13 World Cup events, could be Hannawald's principal challenger. Alaskan Alan Alborn, the first American to soar beyond 200 meters, has a legitimate chance to become the first American to medal. The second-best American jumper is 17-year-old Clint Jones, who became the youngest champion in any U.S. ski discipline when he won the U.S. large-hill championship last March at age 16. UNFORGETTABLE: Michael ``Eddie the Eagle'' Edwards of England finished in last place (with less than half of the points of any other competitor) but won the hearts of people worldwide with his courage. Or should that be stupidity? YOU DON'T SAY: A crowd of 150,000 witnessed the large-hill ski-jump competition in the 1952 Oslo (Norway) Olympics, the largest number of people to witness an Olympic event. SKI JUMPING MEDAL COUNT Country G S B Tot. Norway 8 9 8 25 Finland 10 5 3 18 Austria 3 6 8 17 CAPTION(S): photo, 7 boxes Photo: In the bobsled event, the United States men's team is expected to claim a medal for the first time since 1956 Steve C. Wilson Box: (1) ALPINE SKIING MEDAL COUNT (see text) (2) ICE HOCKEY MEDAL COUNT (see text) (3) SPEEDSKATING MEDAL COUNT (see text) (4) BOBSLED MEDAL COUNT (see text) (5) CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING MEDAL COUNT (see text) (6) FIGURE SKATING MEDAL COUNT (see text) (7) SKI JUMPING MEDAL COUNT (see text) |
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