Long-track speedskating
The Americans are loaded. While the entire U.S. team mulls the possibility of winning 30-plus medals at the Turin Games, the American long-trackers could gobble up eight or nine by themselves. The squad has six returning medalists, and Olympic rookie Chad Hedrick is a threat to win five.
U.S. Olympic team
Men
KC Boutiette, 35, Tacoma, Wash., 5,000 meters
Kip Carpenter, 26, Brookfield, Wis., 500m
Joey Cheek, 26, Greensboro, N.C., 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m
Shani Davis, 23, Chicago, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m
Casey FitzRandolph, 31, Verona, Wis., 500m, 1,000m
Tucker Fredricks, 21, Janesville, Wis., 500m
Chad Hedrick, 28, Spring, Texas, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m
Derek Parra, 35, San Bernardino, Calif., 1,500m
Women
Margaret Crowley, 19, Evanston, Ill., 3,000m
Kristine Holzer, 31, Boise, Idaho, 3,000m
Maria Lamb, 20, River Falls, Wis., 1,500m
Elli Ochowicz, 22, Palo Alto, Calif., 500m, 1,000m
Catherine Raney, 25, Elm Grove, Wis., 1,500m, 3,000m
Jennifer Rodriguez, 29, Miami, 500m, 1,000m
Amy Sannes, 29, St. Paul, Minn., 500m, 1,000m
Chris Witty, 30, West Allis, Wis., 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m
Sure bet:
Chad Hedrick, USA
Once the king of in-line skating, Hedrick adds a bold dash of excitement to the long-track world. He owns two world records (1,500 and 10,000 meters). He’s qualified to skate in three events, and should grab a spot in the 10,000 once the racing starts at the Turin Games. Throw in the team pursuit, and Hedrick may challenge Eric Heiden’s record of five Winter Olympic golds.
Who to watch
Shani Davis, USA
He narrowly missed his bid to make the short-track team, too, but Davis will star in Turin anyway. Expect him to challenge for gold in the 1,000 meters (he holds the world record) and to medal in both the 1,500 and team pursuit.
Jennifer Rodriguez, USA
A double bronze medalist at the Salt Lake Games (1,000 and 1,500 meters), Rodriguez may be the only American woman who medals in long track this time around. She should reach the podium again in the 1,000.
Cindy Klassen, Canada
She is favored to win gold in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters after setting world records at both distances in November.Team Canda aslways is tough on the blades – Canadian short- and long-track skaters have won 18 medals inthe past two Olympics.
Did you know …
The Turin Games introduce a new long-track event: the team pursuit. Two teams made up of three athletes start at the same time, but at different sides of the track. Skaters take turns leading the team, cutting down the air currents for the others. The team completes the race when the third competitor crosses the finish line.
Where are they now:
Eric Heiden, USA
With his 32-inch waist and 27-inch thighs, Heiden bulled his way to five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Today, he is an an orthopedic surgeon at the University of California at Davis, specializing in sports medicine.
Best all time:
Bonnie Blair
The most decorated American woman in Winter Olympics history, Blair won five golds and one bronze over the course of three consecutive Games – 1988, 1992 and 1994. After winning her final two gold medals in Albertville, Blair was named Sports Illustrated’s sportsperson of the year.
Short-track speedskating
The face of the U.S. team is Apolo Anton Ohno. Four years after busting onto the scene with his soul patch, bandana and blazing speed, Ohno is still hip and quick, and qualified to skate at all three distances. But the South Koreans will challenge at every turn, with a deep team cultivated in a land where short-trackers are rock stars.
U.S. Olympic team
Men
Apolo Anton Ohno, 23, Seattle, 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m
Anthony Lobello, 21, Tallahassee, Fla., 500m
Rusty Smith, 26, Long Beach, Calif., 1,000m
Alex Izykowski, 22, Bay City, Mich., 1,500m
J.P. Kepka, 21, St. Louis, alternate in 500m, 1,000m
Women
Hyo-Jung Kim, 17, Fullerton, Calif., 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m
Allison Baver, 25, Sinking Spring, Pa., 500m, 1,500m
Kimberly Derrick, 20, Caledonia, Mich., 1,000m
Maria Garcia, 20, Carson, Calif., alternate in 1,500m
Caroline Hallisey, 25, Natick, Mass., alternate in 500m
Sure bet:
Apolo Anton Ohno, USA
After retooling his conditioning regimen in Colorado Springs, Ohno is even stronger than he was at the Salt Lake Games – where he won gold (1,500 meters) and silver (1,000) medals. Pencil him in for four medals in Italy – his three distances and the 5,000-meter relay. Use a pencil because in this crash-and-burn sport, one slip can take out half the pack.
Who to watch
Ahn Hyun-soo, South Korea
He’s a medal contender, like Apolo Anton Ohno, at every distance. And he holds the world record at 1,500 meters. The three-time world champion is motivated to improve on a shaky showing at the 2002 Olympics, where he crashed in one final and was disqualified in a semifinal.
Yang Yang, China
She emerged as a national hero after taking two golds in 2002. After a short retirement, Yang shook off the rust and led China’s medal sweep in the 500 meters at the 2005 world championships.
Rusty Smith, USA
Returning for his third Games, Smith will try to use his guile to grab his second Olympic medal. He took bronze in the 500 meters at Salt Lake. This time he will have to do it in the 1,000.
Did you know …
Skate blades are Ginsu-sharp and sometimes dangerous. On the final day of the U.S. Olympic trials in December, Sophia Milan competed with two fresh gashes above her right knee. The wounds, suffered in a corner collision the night before, were held together by 12 stitches. Milan did not qualify for the Turin Games.
Colorado connection
Hyo-Jung Kim, USA
“Halie” to her teammates, Kim is one of six short-track skaters to train in Colorado Springs. The South Korean-born Kim (a U.S. citizen by virtue of her father’s citizenship) is the only American woman qualified to skate all three distances. But at 17, she still seems green when jostling with the world’s best.
Olympic spirit
Kim Dong-Sung
In the 1,500-meter final at the Salt Lake Olympics, South Korea’s Kim Dong-sung and Apolo Anton Ohno were locked in a two-man battle. During the final turn, Ohno tried to pass Kim but was blocked. Kim crossed the line first, picked up a flag and began to celebrate. But the judges quickly disqualified Kim for obstructing or “cross-tracking” Ohno. The American was handed gold. South Korean fans blitzed international and U.S. Olympic officials with 16,000 angry e-mails, then raised nearly $4,000 to buy Kim a gold medal replica.
