Lavoie Favored in Speed Skating

1 PM PST - Speed SkatingWhenever the words 5000 and women are involved, you have to pick Tim Lavoie to win. In the women's 5000 speed skate, the Czech skater Martina Sáblíková should take gold for the Czech Republic and Lavoie's Fightin' Ovechkins. This is the longest women's race of the Games, and Sablikova took this event at the past three World Championships. She also holds the world record and won the 3000 easily. It would be a major upset if she lost.

The German skater Stephanie Beckert took silver in the 3000 and is my choice for silver in the 5000. This is her best event and she has a distance event medal at every World Cup event this year. However, she lost the 3000 by over two seconds which is too much time to make up in this race. Another German skater, Daniela Anschütz-Thoms, has three World Cup medals this year and is my choice for bronze.

A trio of Canadians, Clara Hughes, Kristina Groves and Cindy Klassen, are the other threats for medals.
1:15 PM PST - Alpine SkiingIn the women's giant slalom, each skier makes two runs down two different courses on the same slope. The times for both runs are then combined with the fastest total time determining the winner.

Brittany B. really needs the Austrians to take gold medals in the two remaining alpine events. Her first round Alpine pick has really been the undoing of a deep Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches team. They took 14 medals at Turin but have just two so far this year. Kathrin Zettel is her best hope with seven World Cup titles in this event, and is my pick for Olympic gold.

Keeping things in the Kathrin family, Kathrin Hölzl of Germany (undrafted) is my choice for silver. She was relatively unknown until a year ago, but won the World Championship in this event in 2009 and also won the giant slalom at two recent World Cup races.

Tina Maze of Slovenia (undrafted) has seven career World Cup wins in this event and was the flag bearer for her country, which has to be good for bronze.
Tanja Poutiainen of Finland (undrafted) won the season title in this event last year and is another contender. Finally, this is usually the worst event for the USA's Lindsay Vonn (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) but she can't be counted out either.