Day 2 Preview: Medal Rounds Begin

The Games begin in earnest Saturday with six medals at stake. Four of those will be up for grabs Saturday afternoon on the East Coast, although at this blog I list times in PST to make it seem like there's some chance I'm at Vancouver.

9:45 AM PST - Ski Jumping
The medal rounds of normal hill ski jumping kick off tomorrow's action. Favorite Austria is expected to give Brittany B.'s Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches an early lead in the fantasy points. Ski jumping was extensively covered here in the qualifying round preview. Unlike Alpine Skiing, this event is sure to go off as it's on an artificial slope.

11:45 AM PST - Alpine Skiing
Alpine skiing is scheduled to begin with the men's downhill. But the weather at Whistler has been terrible, with rain resulting in slushy conditions which cancelled training runs Friday. "If the slope remains the same as it is right now, there will certainly be no downhill," said race director Gunther Hujara.
The men's downhill is one of the marquee events of the Winter Olympics. It consists of a single high-speed run down a slope with a huge vertical drop of over 2500 feet. The event is meant to take place on basically a sheet of ice with minimal powder on top. I doubt they would run it in slushy conditions.

If the race does go off, Swiss skier Didier Cuche (Joy Sadaly/Olympic Ring Worm Wood Stock Market District Attorney) is the favorite in a deep field. The Nagano silver medalist is a seasoned veteran who is used to all conditions. He finished first in the World Cup in 2007 and 2008, and also took silver at last year's World Championships. I like him to take his first Olympic gold medal in the downhill.

Austrian Michael Walchhofer (Brittany B./Buck-Toothed Rabbit Bitches) won Wednesday's training run and is another veteran, a former slalom skiier who switched to downhill. He finished first in the 2009 World Cup and also won silver in the downhill at Turin. I think he'll repeat that performance and take silver.

If the race does begin in less than ideal conditions, this could favor Canadians Manuel Osborne-Paradis, Erik Guay and Robbie Dixon (Brian Schwartz/Nordique Combined). The Canadians have all had experience skiing Whistler in many different conditions. I think one of the trio will take the bronze.

Of course, the USA's Bode Miller (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) is another threat. I think he was unfairly maligned for his performance at Turin, and will certainly finish in the top ten with a chance to medal.

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal (John Binz/Da Nang Dynamos) is a name to watch throughout the skiing events, but I think the two-time overall World Cup winner is a better bet for the combined gold medal than downhill. Switzerland's talented contingent of Ambrosi Hoffman, Didier Defago and Carlo Janka are all threats to medal as well.

Remember, if you need to stop at the bottom, snowplow.

Noon PST - Ice Hockey
Sweden faces off against Switzerland in the first women's hockey game of the Vancouver Games.
Sweden (John Binz/Da Nang Dynamos) took silver at Turin in a huge surprise, on the way becoming the first team other than Canada to beat the USA. Sweden and Finland are expected to battle for the bronze this time around.

Switzerland (Zach Chromiak/Bankers Club), meanwhile, is basically a long shot despite being sixth best in the world. Although the Swiss finished 4th at the 2008 World Championships, there's an extreme lack of parity in the sport meaning basically the top four countries win all the medals. It's mainly an issue of popularity as Sweden has 2,888 women's hockey players while Switzerland has 735. I'm taking Sweden to win this game, 5-0.

Noon PST - Speed Skating
In an event which you probably won't see unless the men's downhill is cancelled, the Netherlands' Sven Kramer (Ellis Kunka/Cornballers) is a decided favorite in the men's 5000 Meter speed skating race.

How much of a favorite is he? If you bet a dollar on him to win, and he wins, you will win 20 cents. I will not go against odds like that. Sven Kramer is the reigning world champion, the world record holder, and the pick to win gold. He won silver at Turin but has improved a lot since.

Norway's Håvard Bøkko (undrafted) has a circle over the A in his first name, but I bet his girlfriend writes it as a heart. With a crossed out O in his last name as well, and a silver medal in the 5000 at last year's World Championships, that's good for a silver medal at Vancouver.

Italy's Enrico Fabris (Brian Schwartz/Nordique Combined) took the bronze in this event at Turin and also is a former world record holder, a record he held for a week before Sven Kramer broke it. I think he gets bronze again though it's really a toss-up over Bob De Jong of the Netherlands. De Jong is always a threat in any long race, but he's better at even longer races so I think he won't medal until the 10,000.

American Chad Hedrick (Zach Chromiak/Bankers Club) won gold at Turin and is a great champion who can't be discounted, but I'm guessing he's lost a step by age 32 and finishes no better than fourth. Also a threat is Russia's Ivan Skobrev (Adam Claus/Ice Lugers), the rare skater who's good at every event.

1 PM PST - Biathlon
It is 3 a.m. and I am not even going to pretend to know anything about the Women's 7.5km Sprint. I can report that the two skills involved in biathlon are cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.

Nonetheless, betting sites tell me that the favorite is Germany's Magdalena Neuner (Adam Claus/Ice Lugers). This chick looks super talented to me. Romance in Durango, indeed.
Keep checking back like I know you will. All rosters will be posted Saturday afternoon as well as previews of the evening's action. Results and the first standings will be posted Saturday night.