Olympic Short-Track Speedskating 2014: Preview and Predictions for Men's 500m
The final men's individual short-track event at the 2014 Winter Olympics takes place on Friday with the 500-meter race.
The medal events at the Iceberg Skating Palace have seen six different nations win a medal, but not the United States.
This could all change if American J.R. Celski pulls out a victory in the 500, but he will face some stiff competition.
Continue reading for a complete preview of Friday's race.
Overview
Friday's proceedings will begin with the quarterfinal round as four heats with four skaters each will race to determine the semifinalists.
The top two from each of the quarters will move on to two semifinal heats, where the first two racers to cross over the line in those races will advance to the final.
The shortest race of the Olympic program is sure to see high drama and a few disqualifications, two qualities that are usually associated with short-track.
American J.R. Celski is the current world-record holder with a time of 39.937 that he skated in Calgary back in 2012.
Schedule, TV and Live Stream Info
The quarterfinals will commence at 11:30 a.m. ET on Friday with the four scheduled quarterfinal heats.
The skaters who advance to the semifinals and final will get a break that lasts around 30-minutes between races before a champion is crowned in the four-man final.
All of the races can be streamed live on nbcolympics.com.
How Did We Get Here?
On Tuesday, eight qualifying heats were held at the Iceberg Skating Palace, and a few favorites failed to advance out of them.
The main name that did not qualify for the quarterfinals was Charles Hamelin of Canada, who crashed in the last of the eight heats that was won by Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands.
American Eduardo Alvarez also suffered the same fate as he fell in the third heat.
The fastest qualifier was Canada's Charle Cournoyer, who won the second heat in a time of 41.180.
A complete list of the quarterfinalists for the event can be found here.
Top Storylines
Can Celski Finally Win an American Medal?
The Americans have been shutout in short track so far, and the one man who can end that drought is Celski.
"It's a bummer that we haven't performed quite the way we wanted to individually," Celski told reporters in Sochi. "The team energy and atmosphere is still positive."
Celski failed to advance to the final in the 1,500 meters and he finished fourth in the 1,000 meters, both of which can be deemed as disappointing skates for the top American.
If he can rebound from his bad form in Sochi and advance to the final, Celski will be one of the favorites to win gold.
Will Victor An Medal in His Third Event?
Russian Victor An has been one of the best stories for the home nation at the Games, winning two individual medals (one gold and one bronze).
An would love nothing more than to upset Celski and win his second gold in Sochi to close out the individual men's program in short track.
An has all of the momentum behind him at the moment and that could be a scary thing for his competitors.
Who Are the Sleepers?
Vladimir Grigorev
While all of the Russian eyes in the stands and across the nation will be on An, Vladimir Grigorev could deliver a medal in the 500 meters for the host nation as well.
Grigorev is no slouch, as he is already a silver medalist in the 1,000 meters.
If, for some reason, An fails to make it to the final, look for the Russian fans to get fully behind Grigorev as he chases a medal.
Charle Cournoyer
Canada's medal hopes were close to destroyed with the elimination of Hamelin in the qualifying heats, but they could still win a medal through Charle Cournoyer.
Cournoyer was one of the fastest racers in the qualifying heats and he will avoid Celski and An in the quarterfinals.
If he goes into the semifinals with a full head of steam, Cournoyer could earn a surprise berth for Canada in the final.
Who Is the Favorite to Win Gold?
Celski and An are the two favorites to win it all, but Celski has an advantage over the Russian in this event.
With the world record under his belt, Celski knows he can kick it up an extra notch in the final if he needs to.
Celski also has a mild advantage in the sense of fatigue as An has reached the final in both the 1,000- and 1,500-meter events, while the American has only competed in one of the two finals.
Complete Medal Prediction
Gold: J.R. Celski (United States)
Silver: Victor An (Russia)
Bronze: Vladimir Grigorev (Russia)
If all goes right, the 500 meters will see a fierce battle between Celski and An.
Celski should be able to squeeze out the victory over his Russian counterpart, but he will have to put in a perfect race to do so.
Grigorev has skated well in Sochi and expect him to be inspired by the home crowd and make it to the final, where he will challenge for bronze behind Celski and An.
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