Wednesday features the first action for Nordic combined, as well as some of the more popular events in speedskating, figure skating and alpine skiing. Additionally, hockey and curling continue their preliminary rounds on both men's and women's draws as each nation attempts to jockey for position in the next round.
There is a lot left to be decided in these Olympics, but some of the best in the world are already proving why they have reached this point. A few more stars will see their dreams come true on Day 5.
Here is a look at a sport-by-sport breakdown of Feb. 12, with how to watch each event. NBC will show its primetime coverage at 8 p.m. ET, featuring a replay of some of the competition that took place during the day.
While some events are not offered live, you can view any of the competition at NBC Olympics Live Extra. For a full schedule, check out Sochi2014.com.
Alpine Skiing
.jpg)
Event: Women's Downhill
Time: 11 a.m. local; 2 a.m. ET
Venue: Rosa Khutor Alpine Center
TV: NBC (Primetime)
Outlook
This was the event that Lindsey Vonn won in 2010 and was hoping to defend in Sochi before an injury forced her to drop out of the Olympics. When asked about what events she will be watching, she told Kelly Whiteside of USA Today:
I think maybe watch the technical events, but I'm not sure I'll watch the downhill. It may be too emotional for me but we'll see. I'm kind of in the process of accepting the fact that I'm not there. I think it will still be difficult to watch the events I would be a contender in.
She still has a chance to root for her teammate Julia Mancuso, who recently took bronze in the super combined slalom. She will attempt to win a gold over favorite Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany.
Curling
Event: Men's and Women's Round Robin
Time: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. local; 12 - 10 a.m. ET
Venue: Ice Cube Curling Center
Full Schedule
Curling Schedule - Feb. 12
Bracket Matchup Time (local)Time (ET) TV
Men's Denmark vs. USA 9 a.m. 12 a.m. NBCSN
Men's China vs. Switzerland 9 a.m. 12 a.m. -
Men's Norway Germany 9 a.m. 12 a.m. -
Women's USA vs. China 2 p.m. 5 a.m. USA
Women's South Korea vs. Switzerland 2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Women's Japan vs. Russia 2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Women's Canada vs. Great Britain 2 p.m. 5 a.m. -
Men's Switzerland vs. Great Britain 5 p.m. 8 a.m. CNBC
Men's Germany vs. China 5 p.m. 8 a.m. -
Men's Denmark vs. Sweden 5 p.m. 8 a.m. -
Men's Russia vs. Canada 5 p.m. 8 a.m. -
Outlook
The team to watch on the men's side is Canada, which entered the week as one of the favorites but have only managed a 1-2 start thanks to losses to Sweden and Switzerland. If this team cannot turn it around against Russia, it could be tough to come back for a medal.
On the women's side, Great Britain is coming off a dominant 12-3 win over the United States, but the group must keep this momentum going with a tough matchup against Canada. Another win could put them in good position going forward.
Figure Skating
Event: Pairs Free Skate
Time: 7:45 p.m. local; 10:45 a.m. ET
Venue: Iceberg Skating Palace
TV: NBC Sports Network, NBC (Primetime)
Outlook
Every sport features some sort of home-field advantage, but Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov showed how much it matters in figure skating. The Russian pair was fueled by the home crowd and put together a fantastic effort in the short program, as noted by Nick McCarvel of NBC Olympics.
Along with current third-place group Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov, this seems like an event that Russia will dominate.
Ice Hockey
Event: Men's and Women's Group Stage
Time: 12 - 9 p.m. local; 3 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET
Venue: Shayba Arena, Bolshoy Ice Dome
Full Schedule
Hockey Schedule - Feb. 12
Bracket Matchup Time (local) Time (ET) TV
Women's Switzerland vs. Finland 12 p.m. 3 a.m. MSNBC
Women's Canada vs. United States 4:30 p.m 7:30 a.m. NBCSN
Men's Czech Republic vs. Sweden 9 p.m. 12 p.m. USA
Men's Latvia vs. Switzerland 9 p.m. 12 p.m. MSNBC
Outlook
While men's hockey usually takes center stage, the big matchup on Wednesday takes place on the women's side. That is because Canada and the United States will battle in one of the biggest rivalries in the sport.
These two teams have been by far the best in women's hockey and it has created some great contests over the years. Obviously, there are plenty of people excited:
Still, the men's competition will be exciting as well with the Czech Republic facing Sweden in a matchup of two teams that could win gold.
Luge
Event: Men's Doubles
Time: 6:15 p.m. local; 9:15 a.m. ET
Venue: Sanki Sliding Center
TV: NBC Sports Network
Outlook
Germany has won gold in both the men's and women's singles luge, and the men's doubles should just be more of the same. Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have been impressive on the international stage, winning multiple World Cup titles as well as last year's World Championship.
It would be a surprise if this duo does not at least medal in Sochi.
Nordic Combined
Event: Individual Gunderson Normal Hill
Time: 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. local; 4:30 - 7:30 a.m. ET
Venue: RusSki Gorki Jumping Center
TV: NBC Sports Network, NBC
Outlook
The participants in this grueling event will start things off with ski jumping before finishing with a cross-country race three hours later. While the United States has not had much historic success in this sport, Bill Demong won the country's first gold medal on the large hill in 2010 while Johnny Spillane won two silvers.
Plus, this will be a good opportunity for fans to see U.S. flag bearer Todd Lodwick, who has been doing this for quite some time.
He will be looking for his first individual medal at the Olympics this time around.
Snowboarding
Event: Women's Halfpipe
Time: 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 9:30 p.m. local; 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 12:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Rosa Khutor Extreme Park
TV: NBC (Primetime)
Outlook
Shaun White could not get the United States a medal in the men's halfpipe as Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland took the gold. Fortunately, Team USA has a lot of talent on the women's side between Hannah Teter, Kelly Clark and Arielle Gold.
Meanwhile, they will have tough competition in the field of 28, including Australia's Torah Bright. The qualification round will start at 2 p.m. local time, followed by the semifinals and eventually the finals as one of the last events of the night.
Speedskating
Event: Men's 1,000-Meter
Time: 6 p.m. local; 9 a.m. ET
Venue: Adler Arena Skating Center
TV: NBC (Primetime)
Outlook
This event is there for Shani Davis to win. The American won at this distance in both 2006 and 2010 and is the favorite to win again. However, Willie Cornblatt of NBC Olympics points out how difficult it is to replicate this much success:
Denis Kuzin of Kazakhstan took first at the most recent world championships, and Mo Tae-bum is looking for redemption after failing to medal in the 500-meter race.
Of course, anyone from the Netherlands must be feared after the Dutch grabbed all six medals in the first two men's events in speedskating. Until something changes, anyone wearing orange should be considered a favorite.
This blog is sponsored by: http://8070132083.acnshop.eu
No comments:
Post a Comment