Olympic Speed skating

Team USA is expected to bring back multiple medals from the speedskating events in Sochi. Both the men's and women's teams have top contenders for gold on the long track.

On the short track, things aren't looking quite as bright, which is understandable considering the chaos that group is trying to overcome. 

More on the chaos and controversy in a moment. First, have a look at the vitals for the action.

Where: Sochi, Russia

Watch: NBC has the coverage on its various networks. Here is a link to NBC’s broadcast schedule.

Speedskating Schedule: View the full schedule at Sochi2014.com. Speedskating action will begin on Feb. 8 and conclude on Feb. 22. 

The short-track team is still trying to recover from the resignation of controversial coach Jae Su Chun, the suspension of a key skater and the void left by the retirement of legend Apolo Anton Ohno.

In case you're not up to speed on all the drama surrounding this group, the suspended skater is 2010 Olympic bronze medalist Simon Cho. He was suspended for good reason, as he admitted to tampering with a competitor's skate before an event.  

That wasn't all Cho had to say, either. He also added that he was instructed to do so by Su Chun.

That was far from the only allegation Chun has faced. No less than 12 Team USA short-track skaters accused Chun of physical and mental abuse.  

All of this understandably took its toll on the team. At the 2013 World Championships, the Americans won just three medals. 

I expect Sochi to go better for the Americans. 

On the women's side, Jessica Smith is the clear class of the team. She won the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters at the trials. 

At 30, this will be her first trip to the Olympics. She narrowly missed out in 2010, but she has made huge strides in the last four years. Chun is a huge reason why. In fact, she values his technical coaching so much that she's kept him on as a private coach. 

Now she is set to possibly bring back multiple medals, but she is not the short-track skaters' best medal hopeful. 

That honor belongs to J.R. Celski.  

He is just 23, but he's experienced. At the age of 19, he took home two bronze medals from the Vancouver Games after he bruised his femoral artery at the trials in a blood-gushing crash. 

After the 2010 Olympics, Celski took a year off from the ice. He came back a more mature competitor. 

Jared S. Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune passed along this quote from Celski on his return to the ice: "I developed this — I don't know, like a burning love almost inside of me that I just wanted to get up and I just wanted to skate every single day and get better."

Celski enters these Olympics as the 500-meter world record holder, and he's looked good recently. In fact, according to the Associate Press via ESPN, he only lost a single race during the U.S. trials.

I expect an outstanding Olympics from Celski, as he takes the mantle left open by Ohno and helps lead this team back to glory. 

Get ready for super suits, Sochi.

Thanks to Under Armour and Lockheed Martin, U.S. speedskaters will be wearing some of the most technologically advanced gear in the sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

According to Lorraine Mirabella of The Baltimore Sun, Under Armour teamed up with the aerospace technology company to create a skin suit of unsurpassed comfort and aerodynamics. Designers insist that the result will be a measurable increase in performance for the U.S. athletes.

Initial development of the suit began over two years ago, and the laborious testing methods were kept secret. Until now.

The suit is called the "Mach 39," and it is the final product of over 300 hours of wind tunnel testing and experimentation. Under Armour and Lockheed Martin utilized high-speed cameras to ascertain the most important positions a skater enters over the course of a race.

Custom fiberglass mannequins were created of each position and clothed in over over 100 different materials to help the companies determine which fabrics registered the least drag in each section of a skater’s race.

“There wasn’t any one position to put a skater or mannequin in to test,” said Kevin Haley, Under Armour’s vice president of innovation, per Mirabella. “We built six different mannequins that captured the most important positions.” 

The companies ultimately concluded that no one material was superior in all sections of a speedskating competition. Using their findings, they decided to create a skin suit out of a number of different materials, placing each fabric throughout the garment in a way that maximizes aerodynamic efficiency in the most important speedskating positions.

Also, from a less technical standpoint, these things look B.A. 

Click here for more pics.

Be on the lookout for these suits in action this weekend. The men’s 5,000 meters begin at 6:30 a.m. ET. I predict the suits will help Team USA—if not from a technical standpoint, at least from a psychological one.

You got to feel fast to go fast, right?

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Crash course: As baseball is to the United States and ice hockey is to Canada, speedskating is to the Netherlands. That country loves its heroes, and Sven Kramer was ready to fulfill that role in 2010 at the Vancouver Olympics. He won the 5,000-meter race and he seemed destined to go home with the 10,000-meter gold as well. While he dominated the field with his speed, he moved into the wrong lane on a crossover and was disqualified. Goodbye double gold; hello Bill Buckner.

Athletic profile: Kramer, 27, is one of the most decorated winter sports athletes in the world. He won a gold and bronze medal in Vancouver and two silver medals at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. He has also won six world all-around championships, as well as 13 single-distance gold medals.

Chance for redemption: The pain of his error in Vancouver has not dissipated for Kramer. He says the pursuit of Olympic gold is his sole motivation. "It is beyond question that I have to win," Kramer told a Dutch broadcast network. "That is also the reason why I am into sports." His Olympic goal is to come away with gold in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and the team pursuit (a relay-type event).

The error: Kramer bears the responsibility for the error that caused his disqualification. However, his coach Gerhard Kemkers mistakenly sent him into the wrong lane at the improper time. Kramer was immediately confused, followed his coach's advice and lost his Olympic gold.

Rude behavior: After Kramer won the 5,000-meter gold in Vancouver, an NBC producer attempted to interview him for a packaged feature. She asked him to state his name, country and his winning event at the top of the interview. Instead of complying, he looked at her quizzically, refused the request and asked her if she was stupid (30-second mark). 

Family Affair: Kramer's father, Yep, is a Dutch speedskater who competed in the 1980s and '90s and specialized in marathon events. His sister, Brecht, is also a speedskater.

Social Profile: Kramer has a Twitter page with more than 100,000 followers. He also has a Facebook fan page with more than 40,000 likes.

Quote: "He will only get over it if he gets gold in the 10K in Sochi. If he does not win there, it will only rub more salt into the wound." —Kramer's trainer Geert Kuiper to the Associated Press.

The United States has had a long history of success in long-track speedskating. Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair's accomplishments in the 1980 and 1994 Olympic Games, respectively, set the table for others to follow in their successful footsteps.

In 2006 and 2010, Shani Davis won the gold medal in the 1,000 meters. He also captured the silver in those two Olympiads in the 1,500-meter event.

As the Sochi Games approach, Davis is undoubtedly the face of American speedskating in 2014. His quest for a third straight Olympic gold medal in the 1,000 meters and his first in the 1,500 meters will be heavily covered.

Jerry Hinnen of CBS Sports breaks down Davis' potential impact in Sochi:

Given that no man had ever defended the 1,000-meter Olympic title before Davis did it in Vancouver, yes, a third straight win for Davis in Sochi would be unprecedented as far as speed skating goes ... but it would also make him the first American man to win gold in the same event in three straight Winter Games in any sport.

Add in a potential sixth career Olympic medal -- quite possibly gold -- in the 1,500, and Davis would leave what's likely his final Games as one of the most decorated American Winter Olympians ever.

In a Q&A with ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs, Davis was asked what will make his third Olympic experience different from the previous two. He said:

I've learned a great amount -- how to prepare to be the best I can be, getting to the Olympics and being my best there, rather than being awesome in the beginning of the season and not being at my best at the Olympics. It's just trial and error, gaining experience. You learn how to do everything you have to do to execute on those given days.

Davis is one of those athletes who simply has a magnetic presence when he's performing. His grace on the ice resonates with almost anyone who can appreciate elite-level athletics.

The 1,000-meter competition begins on Feb. 12 and the 1,500 meters commences on Feb. 15.

Davis is the man for America in Sochi, but he isn't the only athlete to watch in long-track speedskating. Here are two other speedskaters primed to make headlines.

Heather Richardson

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics were rough for Richardson. She didn't place in the top five in any event. With that painful and disappointing experience behind her, Richardson is now one of the United States' brightest hopes in the women's 500 meters and 1,000 meters.

Richardson also races the 1,500 meters, but it is clearly her weakest event of the three.

Hoping to exorcise the demons from Vancouver, Richardson's quest to make her mark in Sochi will be one of the more compelling stories of the Winter Games.

Sven Kramer

After a coaching mishap cost Sven Kramer a gold medal in the 10,000-meter race during the Vancouver Olympics, he is focused on capturing the top podium spot in that event in Sochi.

The Dutch skater did win gold in the 5,000 meters in Vancouver, but he could further assert his dominance in the longer-distance runs in the sport by winning the 10,000-meter race.

In Vancouver, Kramer's coach Gerard Kemkers waved the skater into an illegal lane change that cost him the gold medal. It's tough to lose such an important race on a technicality. It's probably even harder to have to wait four years for a shot at redemption.

Kramer's time has come. We'll have to see if he is able to capitalize. The 10,000-meter competition begins on Feb. 18, and the 5,000 meters takes place on Feb. 19.

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Age doesn't discriminate on the stacked U.S. speedskating squad.

Team USA speedskating legend Apolo Ohno is no longer on the team. The question isn't if an athlete wearing red, white and blue will step up to fill his skates, but who, due to the fact that the Americans have plenty of youthful and veteran talent in the sport.

Here are the top three U.S. speedskating medal contenders in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

3. Heather Richardson, Long Track

Richardson's Olympic history isn't as impressive as the other skaters on this list. Of course, she entered the 2010 Winter Olympics at only 20 years old. Despite her inexperience, she still managed to finish sixth in the 500-meter race, ninth in the 1,000 meters and 16th in the 1,500 meters.

The now 24-year-old showed maturity as well as first-place potential when she earned gold in the 2013 World Sprint Speed Skating Championships. The Associated Press, Chicago Tribune and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation have pegged Richardson as a favorite to gold in Sochi, according to Jeff Mills of News & Record. The hype is well-deserved, considering that she finished first in the U.S. speedskating trials in the 500, 1,000 and 1,500-meter competitions.

2. J.R. Celski, Short Track

A deep, skate-to-the-thigh gash just months before the 2010 Winter Olympics failed to stop Celski from winning two bronze medals there. The 19-year-old's success in Vancouver foreshadowed a bright future.

The AP's Beth Harris reports that Celski will compete in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500-meter races in Sochi as well as the 5,000-meter relay (via the Columbus Dispatch). According to ESPN, Celski only lost a single race during the U.S. trials. The 23-year-old is much younger than the next skater on this list, but he has emerged as a leader on Team USA and will remain just that for years to come, especially if he meets his Sochi medal expectations.

1. Shani Davis, Long Track

Davis enters 2014 with a target on his back after winning gold in the 1,000-meter race in both the 2010 and 2006 Winter Olympics. He also won silver in the 1,500-meter competition in back-to-back Winter Olympics.

The 31-year-old Davis is the same age at the retired Ohno, but Davis still has plenty of speed left in him. He will again compete in the events that he won two straight Olympic medals in, winning the 1,000 and 1,500-meter races in the trials. If Davis earns yet another podium berth, he would be the first man to win three straight long-track Olympic gold medals, according to the Los Angeles Times' Philip Hersh.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

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The 2014 U.S. Olympic long-track speedskating trials concluded on Wednesday, Jan. 1 as 17-year-old Emery Lehman qualified for the men's 10,000-meter race and Maria Lamb took the spot for the women's 5,000-meter event. 

The long-track action from Kearns, Utah is over, but not before some of the most thrilling action in recent memory as the two final races of the six-day event did not disappoint. 

These notable results will certainly shake up how things will unfold in Sochi come February, as medal contenders were eliminated and others emerged as a surprise.

Here's a look at the results from Wednesday's long-track speedskating.

Men's 10,000 Meters: Emery Lehman Qualifies

America loves its young phenoms in the Olympics, and Emery Lehman will be one of them in Sochi for the 2014 Games. The 17-year-old won the 10,000-meter event in thrilling fashion to qualify for a second event in the Olympics. 

Despite the race going a full 25 laps, it came down to a mere .07 seconds between Lehman and Jonathan Kuck, and it was the youngster who emerged from the photo finish in a race that rarely sees such a close result. 

Even after holding off Kuck, who qualified and finished eighth in the event in the 2010 Games, Lehman's victory wasn't locked up quite yet. He had to survive an onslaught in the second paring between Patrick Meek and Edwin Park.

Park fell off the pace quickly, but Meek looked poised to best Lehman's time before coming up just short. He finished .39 seconds shy of the winning time. 

Despite their shortcomings, Meek and Kuck have already qualified for events as both qualified for the 5,000 and Kuck also will compete in the 1,500 in Sochi. 

Lehman took the 10,000-meter speedskating competition to qualify for his second event. He already had punched his ticket to Sochi by finishing as a runner-up in the 5,000.

Women's 5,000 Meters: Maria Lamb Qualifies

It was an awfully tough couple of days for Maria Lamb, but 2014 started for her the same way that 2010 and 2006 did as she secured an appearance in her third straight Olympic Games by dominating the 5,000-meter speedskating trials.

It wasn't even close, as Lamb notched a finishing time of 7:13.31. She beat the runner-up Petra Acker by more than seven seconds. 

With no 10,000, this race is the longest speedskating event for women, and Lamb made it obvious that she's far and away the most talented skater in the event by winning by a sizable margin. 

Lamb overcame a scare two days before the race when she checked into an emergency room with breathing issues and a severe migraine, per Associated Press' Paul Newberry (via Yahoo!). But she was able to bounce back enough to stake her claim as the top women's long-track speedskater in the U.S.

The 27-year-old will hope that things go more smoothly for her this time around than they did in 2010 and 2006, when she failed to medal. 

The 2014 U.S. Olympic trials in Utah mark the final opportunity for America's speedskaters to punch a ticket to Sochi, Russia, and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Helping to get the new year started on Wednesday, Jan. 1, the final day of speedskating trials features the longest events on the schedule: the men's 10,000-meter race and women's 5,000-meter competition. 

Here's a look at the viewing information for these upcoming events:

Where: Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns, Utah

When: Wednesday, Jan. 1, at 5 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC Sports Network

Live Stream: NBC Sports Extra

These long events are grueling tests of endurance, and strategy will play an important role in determining the winner. Getting off to a hot start doesn't necessarily guarantee a strong finish, so the skaters will be conserving their strength for the final push.

On the men's side, there's a clear-cut favorite to win the 10,000-meter race, according to Nick Zaccardi of NBC's OlympicTalk: "[Jonathan] Kuck is expected to win the 10,000m at the Olympic Trials on the final day of skating Wednesday."

Kuck already secured his spot on the Olympic team, thanks to his victory in the men's 5,000-meter on Dec. 27.

Not surprisingly, he's relieved that it's out of the way, as noted by Zaccardi: “It’s nice to have it out of the way,” Kuck said on NBCSN. “A couple more races coming up [at trials], but there isn’t any question mark [about making the U.S. Olympic Team].”

Emery Lehman and Patrick Meek finished in second and third place, respectively, behind Kuck in the 5,000-meter competition, and they'll likely be top challengers once again on Jan. 1.

Over on the women's side, all the contenders will be charging after Jilleanne Rookard, who annihilated her competition in the 3,000-meter race by over four seconds on Dec. 27.

She earned her spot on the Olympic team with the win, as Carmela Diaz pointed out on Twitter:

Anna Ringsred finished in second place in that race, while Theresa Cliff-Ryan finished in third, and both were expected to challenge Rookard in the upcoming 5,000-meter race. 

Cliff-Ryan was training for said race on Dec. 30 when she unfortunately took a huge spill after another skater crashed into her, according to Paul Newberry of the Associated Press, via ABC News. Newberry also provides further details on her sustained injuries:

Olympic hopeful Theresa Cliff-Ryan was injured Monday when she landed on her head after being struck on the sidelines by a crashing speedskater, likely ending her quest to make the team for Sochi.

Cliff-Ryan sustained a concussion and had several teeth knocked out, according to her coach, Matt Kooreman, who added that she was lucky the injuries weren't more serious.

Matt Kooreman lamented the untimely accident, via Newberry: "It's really sad," the coach said. "Thought she had a great shot at winning the 5,000."

Cliff-Ryan's injury leaves the door open for another Olympic hopeful to rise to the occasion, however. Make sure to tune into the action on Jan. 1 to find out who it will be. 

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The Sportforum Hohenschönhausen in Berlin is the destination for the fourth weekend of this season’s ISU Speed Skating World Cup.

The series—which is in a shortened format this season due to the Winter Olympics—is made up of six events, with each competition taking place in a different city.

Calgary played host to the opening weekend of action Nov. 8-10, before the tour stopped off in Salt Lake City and then Astana. Berlin takes the baton this weekend (Dec. 7-9), and will be the final World Cup event before the skaters head to Sochi for the sport’s crown jewel in February. 

The World Cup series will come to a close after the Olympics in Russia, with Inzell (Mar. 7-9) and Heerenveen (Mar. 14-16) remaining on the calendar.

There has been plenty of drama in the opening three weekends of action, with two new world records being set in Calgary and a further four in Salt Lake City.

Lee Sang-Hwa of South Korea was responsible for three of those records—per the AFP via Yahoo.  

Lee broke the women’s 500-metre record in Calgary with a time of 36.74, before topping it twice in Utah with times of 36.57 and 36.36.

The Dutch men’s team pursuit achieved a similar feat when they posted a world-record 3:37.17 in the opening weekend, before breaking it again at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Oval with a time of 3:35.60.

America’s Brittany Bowe was another of those to send a world-record crashing at her home event:

Berlin, which is at a lower altitude than both Salt Lake City and Calgary, will not likely see many records fall, but it represents an important stop in the World Cup series.

There will be five events in total—500 metres, 1,000 metres, 1,500 metres, 3,000 metres and the Team Pursuit—for both the men and women. Each event, besides the TP, will be split into categories A and B, with the higher-ranked skaters making up the former. 

With plenty of points to play for ahead of the penultimate event in Inzell, here’s a look at this weekend’s schedule in Berlin.

What to Watch for This Weekend

Three competitors arrive in Berlin with a 100 percent record after the opening three events.

The aforementioned Lee, who is considered the finest female sprinter in the world, is one of those. She has dominated the 500-metre class with three wins from three, and sits atop the leaderboard with 600 points.

Shani Davis kept up his unbeaten run in the men’s 1,000 metres in Astana, and will once more be the favourite in the middle-distance event. The American will be pushed all the way by Dutchmen Kjeld Nuis and Michel Mulder, however, who lie second and third.

The third and final dominant skater is Sven Kramer of the Netherlands. The reigning Olympic gold medallist has won every World Cup event over 5,000 metres this year and will be odds-on to top the podium in Germany once more.