Olympic Speed skating

An early favorite to win the men's speedskating 1,500 meters will not compete in Tuesday's event.

According to an Associated Press report, Denis Yuskov is among six Russian athletes whose appeal will not be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport until after the 2018 Winter Olympics. Despite breaking Shani Davis' 1,500-meter world record in December, he was not invited to Pyeonchang, South Korea, as a result of previously serving a drug ban for marijuana.

That leaves the door open for Davis and Joey Mantia to garner gold for the United States in the long-distance race. The American duo still face steep competition, most notably from the Netherlands' Koen Verweij and Kjeld Nuis.

U.S. viewers who miss the morning's action live will have two more opportunities to watch.

        

Speedskating: Men's 1,500-Meter Schedule

Date: Tuesday, February 13

TV Times: 11:30 a.m. ET on NBC Sports; 3 p.m. ET on NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com (Event starts at 6 a.m. ET)

      

Preview

A 1,500-meter Olympic mainstay, Davis earned silver in 2006 and 2010 before stumbling to 11th in 2014. After losing his world record set in 2009, he placed third in the U.S. team trials in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

At age 35, the 10-team world champion will look to rebound from the disappointing 2014 Sochi Games, where he also finished eighth in the 1,000-meter event. 

"I still want to win," Davis said after qualifying for the Olympic 1,500 meters, per Shannon Ryan of the Chicago Tribune. "I still want to be the best in the world. I’m a fighter. I've always wanted to skate fast since I was a little kid. I still want to do that now. And I still have fun. It's just getting back to that success at the highest level."

The two-time Olympic gold medalist, however, has not triumphed in any major event since winning the 2015 World Single Distance Championships. Despite bouncing back to qualify, he's no longer a clear favorite at Pyeongchang.

Mantia is the next American capable of bolstering the nation's medal count. In addition to winning both the 1,000- and 1,500-meter U.S. qualifiers, the 32-year-old captured gold at the mass start in Gangneung, South Korea.

With Yuskov out, Verweij becomes the favorite. Four years ago, he finished three-thousandths of a second behind Poland's Zbigniew Brodka for the gold. 

He also settled for a tough-luck second place at the 2017 World Cup. While Yuskov set a world record, the 27-year-old notched a national milestone at 1:41.63, 0.61 of a second behind the victor.

Nuis, meanwhile, narrowly edged out Yuskov to win the 2017 world championship. He also snatched the 1,000-meter gold.

Sports Illustrated's Brian Cazeneuve picked Verweij and Nuis to finish second and third, respectively, before Yuskov lost any chance of winning his appeal in time to compete. Now the Netherlands pairing may fight each other for gold.

The Dutch have already picked up four medals—two gold—in a pair of weekend speedskating events. Don't be surprised if they strengthen their stranglehold on the sport come Tuesday.

Speed-skating legend Ireen Wust added yet another gold medal to her resume on Monday, winning the women's 1,500 meters event at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The 31-year-old finished in a time of 1 minute, 54.35 seconds, just beating out Japan's Miho Takagi. In the process, she became the all-time Olympic medal leader in her sport, breaking a tie with Germany's Claudia Pechstein, who earned nine medals during her great career.

Per sportswriter Jose Been, she set even more records: 

https://twitter.com/TourDeJose/status/963047403053109248

Gracenote Olympic took note of another record she set:

Ireen Wüst (🇳🇱) becomes the first athlete in any sport to win at least one individual (excludes team events) gold medal 🥇at FOUR different Olympic Winter Games. #TeamNL #PyeongChang2018

— Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) February 12, 2018

Compatriot Marrit Leenstra completed the podium, giving the Netherlands yet another great result in a speed-skating event. The nation swept the podium during the 3,000 meters on Saturday, with Wust grabbing silver.

Here's what the result means for the overall medal tally:

Nao Kodaira set the first solid time of the 1,500-meter final, opening up at a blistering pace and settling for a final time of 1:56.11. Fans were waiting for the latter pairings, however, which contained most of the favourites.

Team USA's Brittany Bowe was an exception, as she skated her heat against Poland's Natalia Czerwonka midway through the final. Bowe finished in a time of 1:55.54, setting the mark before the ice was resurfaced.

Wust started in Heat 11, and after a false start, she fell behind the pace. By the first split, she was four-tenths of a second down, but she sped up toward the end of her run and finished with a superb 1:54.35 time.

Leenstra was up next, and she opened with an excellent split of 25.38 seconds. She held the lead entering the final lap, but fell off the pace and came up short.

Lotte van Beek completed the trio of Dutch contenders in the next heat, taking on Japan's Ayaka Kikuchi. Van Beek finished behind Leenstra, guaranteeing Wust the bronze and the Olympic speed-skating medal record.

In the final heat, Heather Bergsma of the United States and Takagi were both expected to set a good pace early, and after another false start, both got under way quickly. Takagi appeared to be on her way to the gold entering her final lap, but she couldn't keep up the blistering pace, losing the lead in the final 200 meters.

The Netherlands are the major force when it comes to speedskating, and they are likely to dominate again at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, after winning 23-of-36 available medals four years ago

Canada claimed a silver and a bronze in Sochi and are already halfway to matching that achievement in Pyeongchang after Ted-Jan Bloemen claimed silver in the men's 5,000 metres on Sunday.

Dutchman Sven Kramer won gold in that event, and Norway's Sverre Lunde Pedersen was third, while the Netherlands claimed all three medals in Saturday's women's 3,000 metres.

Here are the favourites for the remaining individual events in speedskating at the 2018 Games, along with Canada's best prospects, via OddsShark:

            

Men's 500m

Favourite: Ronald Mulder, Netherlands (+350)

Top Canadian: Laurent Dubreuil (+1100)

          

Women's 500m

Favourite: Nao Kodaira, Japan (+350)

Top Canadian: Marsha Hudey (+3300)

      

Men's 1,000m

Favourite: Kjeld Nuis, Netherlands (+210) 

Top Canadian: Vincent De Haitre (+1600)

         

Women's 1,000m

Favourite: Nao Kodaira, Japan (-150)

Top Canadian: Kali Christ (+10000)

       

Men's 1,500m

Favourite: Denis Yuskov, Olympic Athletes of Russia (+105)

Top Canadian: Vincent De Haitre (+2800)

           

Women's 1,500m

Favourite: Miho Takagi, Japan (-110)

Top Canadian: Ivanie Blondin (+6600)

            

Women's 5,000m

Favourite: Martina Sablikova, Czech Republic (+150)

Top Canadian: Ivanie Blondin (+500)

               

Men's 10,000m

Favourite: Sven Kramer, Netherlands (-400)

Top Canadian: Jordan Belchos (+10000) 

               

Ivanie Blondin missed out on a medal in the ladies' 3,000 metres, eventually finishing in sixth place after admitting to being "nervous all day," per the National Post's Rob Longley.

However, her hopes of leaving South Korea with a medal are not completely gone as she remains arguably Canada's best remaining prospect to add to their tally in the speedskating.

The 27-year-old is joint-third favourite for the ladies' 5,000 metres, which takes place on Friday, while she should also be in contention for a medal in the mass start event, in which she is a former world champion.

In the men's individual disciplines Canada's best hopes of another medal, as far as the odds are concerned, is Laurent Dubreuil in the 500 metres.

The 25-year-old from Quebec will have a daunting trio of Dutchmen to beat out including Sochi medallists Jan Smeekens and Ronald Mulder, and he will have to produce a huge performance if he is to claim a medal.

With the team pursuit medals also up for grabs and some decent depth for Canada in both teams there is every chance they could match their achievements from Sochi in the speedskating.

However, given the dominance of the Netherlands a gold medal seems unlikely for Canada, as does exceeding their tally from four years ago. 

The United States is one of many nations hoping to break the Dutch dominance in speedskating at some point during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Three Americans, one male and two females, carry the best chances for the U.S. to climb on to the medal podium in the sport once again being dominated by the Netherlands in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Americans will be in the hunt for medals in the traditional Olympic events, but the newest speedskating discipline on the Olympic schedule is where they will find their most success. 

Below is a look at when to watch the best American speedskaters throughout the Winter Olympics.

            

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Women's 500 meters

Brittany Bowe (+900)

Heather Bergsma (+1,600)

           

Women's 1,000 Meters

Heather Bergsma (+500)

Brittany Bowe (+1,000)

           

Women's 5,000 Meters

Carlijn Schoutens (+3,300)

          

Men's 1,000 Meters

Joey Mantia (+2,500) 

            

Men's 1,500 Meters

Joey Mantia (+2,000)

Brian Hansen (+8,000)

           

Predictions

Bergsma or Bowe Will Medal in Sprint Events

The best opportunity for the United States women to win a speedskating medal comes in the 500 meters and 1,000 meters.

Heather Bergsma and Brittany Bowe are expected to contend for the medal positions in both events, with the 1,000 meters presenting the best chance for gold.

Bergsma is the world champion in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters, but she'll struggle in the 1,500 meters as the Dutch fight for a second medal sweep.

Once she gets acclimated to the Olympic ice in Pyeongchang, Bergsma will challenge for gold alongside Japan's Miho Takagi and Nao Kodaira in 1,000 meters.

Although Bergsma is seen as the best American contender for gold in speedskating, Bowe has the potential to reach the podium as well.

Bowe's results on the World Cup circuit have been up and down this season, and she's finished anywhere from fourth to 13th in her marquee events.

A fourth-place finish in the 500 meters in Stavanger, Norway, was Bowe's best result in three World Cup competitions.

A medal from Bergsma in a sprint event won't come as a shock, but if Bowe can record the same, it would be a welcome surprise for the Americans.

               

Mantia Will Only Thrive in Mass Start

Joey Mantia is going to be in contention for the medal podium in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters, but he'll come up just short as the Dutch continue their dominance.

However, he will achieve success in the mass start, which is the new event on the speedskating program in Pyeongchang.

Mantia is the world champion in the event that differs greatly from the traditional side-by-side style of speedskating we're used to.

The 32-year-old described the madness of the mass start before the Olympics, per NBCOlympics.com via the Associated Press.

"This will get people looking at long-track and say, 'OK this is a little bit like Formula One,'" Mantia said during an interview at the Thialf oval in northern Netherlands. "It's pretty simple: you have instant gratification in terms of who is across line—first, second, third is gold, silver, bronze. That's it. There is no waiting for 25, 30 minutes to see who else is going to do the time trial and how is it going to unfold."

With the gold in mass start being an attainable goal, expect Mantia to use the 1,000- and 1,500-meter races to get his legs under him and create momentum building into the race, which is the final event on the speedskating schedule.

               

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Team USA and Olympic.org.

Many American fans who tune into the Winter Olympics on television have a difficult time relating to events like the biathlon, luge and cross-country skiing events because they are simply not familiar with them, and they have a strange and unfamiliar look.

That is not the case with speedskating, which has a similar look to running events that take place on a running track.

While short-track speedskating appears somewhat like roller derby because of all the bumping that may occur while skaters position themselves, speedskaters on a long track depend on speed, balance, tactics and endurance to win their races. 

Contact is not an issue.

Speedskating is a traditional winter Olympic event, and while European countries tend to dominate these events, Americans have had many brilliant moments in this sport. Eric Heiden dominated the 1980 Winter Olympic speedskating events, and he probably would have been the top story to emerge from the Lake Placid, New York, event if the U.S. hockey team had not performed in such a historic manner.

On the women's side, Bonnie Blair won gold medals in speedskating in 1988, 1992 and 1994 and became a legend in the process.

Men and women compete at distances of 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, team pursuit and mass start

Americans are not likely to come away with many medals in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but they have a few elite-level skaters.

The American women have a better chance of reaching the podium in more events than the men. Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson-Bergsma both have a chance to medal in the 500-meter sprint.

Bowe is the plus-900 third choice, while Richardson-Bergsma is the plus-1600 fourth choice to win the event, according to OddsShark.

Nao Kodaira of Japan is the heavy favorite to win the event at minus-350, while Lee Sang-hwa of Korea is the second choice at plus-450. (A wager on Kodaira would require the bettor to risk $350 to win $100, while a $100 wager on Sang-hwa would return a profit of $450 if she wins the gold medal.)

Here is the list of the top 10 favorites to win the women's 500-meter sprint, per OddsShark (ties included):

• Nao Kodaira (JPN) -350
• Lee Sang-hwa (KOR) +450
• Brittany Bowe (USA) +900
• Heather Richardson-Bergsma (USA) +1600
• Arisa Go (JPN) +2000
• Vanessa Herzog-Bittner (AUT) +2500
• Angelina Golikova (OAR) +3300
• Marsha Hudey (CAN) +3300
• Zhang Hong (CHN) +3300
• Jorien Ter Mors (NED) +4000
• Yu Jing (CHN) +4000

Joey Mantia appears to be the top American skater on the men's side, and he has an outside chance of getting close to medal contention in the 1,000-meter race.

Mantia is plus-2500 to win the race, and that makes him the eighth-best choice to win the event. Kjeld Nuis of the Netherlands is the top choice to win the gold at plus-210, followed by countryman Kai Verbij and Denis Yuskov of the Olympic Athletes from Russia.

Here is the list of the top 10 favorites to win the men's 1,000-meter race, per OddsShark (ties included):

• Kjeld Nuis (NED) +210
• Kai Verbij (NED) +300
• Denis Yuskov (OAR) +350
• Havard Holmefjord Lorentzen (NOR) +500
• Koen Verweij (NED) +900
• Vincent De Haître (CAN) +1600
• Aleksey Yesin (OAR) +2000
• Joey Mantia (USA) +2500
• Mo Tae-Bum (KOR) +2500
• Alexandre St-Jean (CAN) +3300
• Mika Poutala (FIN) +3300

The women's 1,500-meter race will be contested in predawn hours Monday.

Miho Takaji of Japan is a strong minus-110 favorite to bring home the gold, while Richardson-Bergsma is the second choice at plus-400 along with Ireen Wust of the Netherlands. Bowe also has a chance to hit the medal stand in this event.

Here is the list of the top 10 favorites to win the women's 1,500-meter race, per OddsShark (ties included):

• Miho Takagi (JPN) -110
• Heather Richardson-Bergsma (USA) +400
• Ireen Wust (NED) +400
• Marrit Leenstra (NED) +900
• Lotte van Beek (NED) +900
• Brittany Bowe (USA) +1400
• Yekaterina Shikhova (OAR) +1400
• Martina Sablikova (CZE) +5000
• Ayaka Kikuchi (JPN) +6600
• Gabriele Hirschbichler (GER) +6600
• Ida Njatun (NOR) +6600
• Ivanie Blondin (CAN) +6600
• Natalia Voronina (OAR) +6600

                   

Predictions

Kodaira is the best skater in the field in the women's 500, and we see her winning the event rather easily. Sang-hwa will give the home fans in Pyeongchang something to cheer about by earning the silver, while Bowe will give the United States the bronze medal.

The Netherlands should take the gold and silver medals in the men's 1,000 meters with Nuis and Verbij in the top two spots, respectively. Mo Tae-Bum of Korea will earn the bronze medal.

Takagi appears to be a solid choice for gold in the women's 1,500-meter race, while Richardson-Bergsma will give her a challenge and take the silver. Ayaka Kikuchi of Japan has the best chance to come away with the bronze and join her countrywoman on the medal stand.

The third day of speedskating competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics could be an historic one.

Ireen Wust of the Netherlands has a chance to join elite company if she finishes in the top three of the women's 1,500 meters.

Wust, 31, won her ninth Olympic medal on Saturday in the 3,000 meters, which means she can join elite company with her 10th medal on Monday.

The decorated speedskater also has a chance to rewrite the Dutch Olympic record book, but as we witnessed on Saturday in the women's 3,000 meters, an unexpected winner can emerge on the Olympic ice.

      

Date: Monday, February 12

Start Time: 7:30 a.m. ET

TV: NBCSN

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

      

Wust Going for 10th Olympic Medal

Wust kicked off her time in Pyeongchang with a silver medal in the women's 3,000 meters, and she's looking for more on Monday along with the rest of the Dutch team.

As talented as the Dutch squad may be, Wust will have all the attention on her as she searches for her 10th Olympic medal.

The 31-year-old won a remarkable five medals in Sochi, including gold in the 3,000 meters and team pursuit. She also won gold in the 1,500 meters in Vancouver and the 3,000 meters in Turin. In addition to her four golds, Wust has a collection of four silvers and a bronze.

If she takes first on Monday, Wust will become the first athlete from the Netherlands to win five gold medals.

Wust talked about her motivation entering the 1,500 meters following her silver-medal performance in the 3,000 meters, per Reuters' Simon Jennings.

"My dream was to have four Olympics -- Turin, Vancouver and Sochi I won gold, and to win gold again here in Pyeongchang but I have another chance on Monday. I‘m looking forward to that. I‘m always determined for gold but maybe now a little extra."

Not only does Wust have a chance to make Dutch Olympic history on Monday, she also has a chance to become the sixth Winter Olympian to win 10 or more medals.

      

Is Takagi Capable of Upsetting Wust and Winning Gold?

Japan's Miho Takagi is trying to become the first gold medalist from outside the Netherlands in the 1,500 meters since 2006.

The Japanese skater is also aiming to be just the third non-Dutch medalist since 2010 after a medal sweep occurred four years ago.

Takagi experienced success on the Olympic ice a year ago at the World Championships by finishing third in the 1,500 meters

Her victory on the World Cup circuit in Salt Lake City on December 9 gave her confidence that she can go head-to-head with the Dutch women as she beat out Marrit Leenstra for first place.

Monday marks Takagi's second Olympic appearance, as she took 23rd in the 1,500 meters eight years ago in Vancouver.

However, she isn't the only non-Dutch speed skater looking to capture gold on Monday, as Heather Bergsma of the United States is one of the top medal contenders.

     

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Olympic.org and ISU.org.

Sven Kramer of the Netherlands became the most decorated racer in speedskating history on Sunday when he clinched gold in the men's 5,000-metre final with an Olympic record-breaking time of six minutes and 9.76 seconds on Sunday.

The Dutch dynamo added the eighth overall medal to his Winter Olympics trophy cabinet and his third successive gold in this event following wins at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.

As well as taking his overall medal tally up at the Winter Olympics, Kramer also wrote a piece of Games history thanks to his win, per Gracenote Sports:

Sven Kramer (🇳🇱) wins the men's 5000m and is the first male athlete to win three gold medals 🥇🥇🥇 in a single speed skating event at the Olympic Winter Games. #PyeongChang2018

— Gracenote Olympic (@GracenoteGold) February 11, 2018

Canadian Ted-Jan Bloemen took home the silver and Sverre Lunde Pedersen grabbed bronze on behalf of Norway, with both ending 1.85 seconds off the winning pace set by Kramer, per Australian broadcaster 7Olympics:

https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/962611170233401344

Here's an updated look at the overall medal table at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea:

Japanese racer Seitaro Ichinohe staked an early claim on the gold medal with his early run time of six minutes and 16.55 seconds, but it wasn't long before the Olympic debutant was knocked from the top.

In fact, the prediction put forward by statistician Simon Gleave prior to the final getting underway suggested that wouldn't be sufficient to notch the victory:

We are experimenting with a method to try and predict the winning times in the Olympic speed skating races.

Today is the men's 5000m.

Time required to win: 6 minutes 6.82 seconds. #PyeongChang2018 #speedskating

— Simon Gleave (@SimonGleave) February 11, 2018

Korea took over at the summit thanks to the pace of Seung-Hoon Lee while Belgium's Bart Swings moved into second with a time just 42 milliseconds off the then-gold standard.

Bob De Vries of the Netherlands had a disappointing run at six minutes and 22.26 seconds, meaning the Dutch wouldn't be able to complete the podium clean sweep some were expecting.

Countryman Jan Blokhuijsen fared better but tired late in his attempt and could only cut in at fourth, while New Zealand's Peter Michael bided his time to steal in late and snatch the lead by eight milliseconds.

The elite really emerged when world-record holder Bloemen chased back late to finish neck and neck with Norway's Pedersen, the latter found to be two-thousandths of a second slower after the replay.

Bloemen's time of 6:11.616 wasn't anywhere near sufficient for the Canadian to challenge his own world record, but as sports writer Kristina Rutherford illustrated, it was just about good enough for top spot:

Bloemen —wow —photo finish shows tie with Norwegian, and Bloemen edged him by .002. He’s in gold medal position with 4 skaters to go.

— Kristina Rutherford (@KrRutherford) February 11, 2018

But then came Kramer's turn alongside Germany's Patrick Beckert, and winter sports blogger Ken Childs detailed how the latter picked up his speed incredibly as the race wore on:

Sven Kramer just set a new speed skating Olympic Record in the 5,000 meter. Dude was hauling the mail there.

— Ken Childs is on Bluesky (@TheKenChilds) February 11, 2018

A slow, pace-setting rhythm put the dominant Dutch star in stead for a composed run at the top of the leaderboard, and Kramer pulled his run off to perfection with a new Olympic record to boot, breaking his own previous best.

Kramer helped the Netherlands win the team pursuit at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and will look to match that achievement later on in these Pyeongchang Games.

China set the fastest time in the women's 3000-metre short-track speedskating relay at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Saturday by establishing a new Olympic record. 

Korea, Canada and Italy also booked their places in Final A.

Here are the full times from each relay heat, per the Games' official website:

Heat 1

1. Republic of Korea 4:06.387

2. Canada 4:07.627

3. Hungary: 4.09.555

4. OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia) 4:21.973

          

Heat 2

1. China 4:05.315

2. Italy 4:05.918

3. Netherlands 4:05.977

4. Japan 4:12.664

       

Here is the medal tracker:

Choi Minjeong and Shim Sukhee led a strong Korean team, one forced to overcome an early tumble, seconds after the first change in the opening heat at the Gangneung Ice Arena.

The fall wasn't enough to slow the hosts, though, who recovered to produce a remarkable skate and finish ahead of Canada. In the process, Choi and Shim led the way to what was temporarily a new record.

CBC reporter Devin Heroux was left impressed by how the host nation had not lost focus even after its early misfortune:

What made that race even more dramatic is that one of the Korean skaters fell but tag her other skater sliding on the ice. What a remarkable maneuver.

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) February 10, 2018

Heroux also saw Marianne St-Gelais lead Canada into Final A after a solid and determined skate. The Canadians handled the changes efficiently but couldn't overcome the pace of the Koreans, who were buoyed by raucous support.

China and Italy also booked their places in Final A after a frenetic race in the second heat. Once the results were made official China had the Olympic record all to themselves.

Italy had kept pace, condemning Japan and the Netherlands to a place in the B final. The same fate also awaits Hungary and OAR's athletes.

However, Korea, China and Canada showed their class with some highly impressive skating to win tough races against strong competition.

Final B and Final A will get under way on Tuesday, February 20.

The women's speedskating 3,000 meters race Saturday will be a showcase of the sport's legends.

Ireen Wust of the Netherlands, Claudia Pechstein of Germany and the Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova have ruled over the sport for decades, and their latest head-to-head showdown will come on the ice of the Gangneung Oval.

The trio has 22 Olympic medals between them and each of the past four gold medals in the women's 3,000 meters.

Although there's room for a surprise, you should expect to see one of the three end with a gold medal—and potentially all of them on the medal podium.

                

Date: Saturday, February 10

Time: 6 a.m. ET

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

TV: NBCSN (Delayed coverage at 1 p.m. ET)

            

Legends Wust and Pechstein Go Off Earlier Than Other Favorites

Two legends of speedskating will hit the ice in back-to-back heats in the women's 3,000 meters.

Wust is the defending champion in the event, and she also won the gold medal in the event back in 2006.

The 31-year-old is the owner of eight medals, including golds in the 1,500 meters from Vancouver and the team pursuit from Sochi.

If you can believe it, there's a more decorated athlete than Wust in the field who is 14 years her senior in Pechstein.

The German, who has five career Olympic gold medals, first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1992. Four of her five gold medals have come in different Olympics. The 45-year-old still holds the Olympic record in the 3,000 meters from Salt Lake City in 2002.

Wust and Pechstein are serious medal contenders once again in 2018, and since they will be competing in Heats 9 and 10, they will be able to set times that put pressure on the other contenders in the final two heats.

           

Will Sablikova Win from Last Heat?

Sablikova is one of the athletes who has the unfortunate pleasure of following Wust and Pechstein on the ice.

The long-distance specialist is the two-time defending champion in the 5,000 meters, and she took first in the 3,000 meters eight years ago in Vancouver.

Sablikova's dominance in the longest events of speedskating extends to the World Cups, where she hasn't finished below second in either event since 2009.

At the 2017 World Single Distance Championships,, Wust defeated Sablikova by six-hundredths of a second to win the title.

Sablikova entered Sochi in the same situation four years ago, placing second to Wust at the 2013 World Single Distance Championships. She went on to lose to Wust in the Olympic race.

With Wust going three heats before her, and in light of her wealth of experience in the event and on the ice in South Korea, Sablikova has a great opportunity to finish off the competition with a first-place race.

If she reverses the result from 2014, Sablikova would earn her fourth Olympic gold medal.

                       

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Start list according to the Games' official website.

In a sport dominated by the Dutch, the United States usually holds its own in speedskating, and it has a handful of medal favorites heading into Pyeongchang.

The Americans are looking to rebound from a porous showing four years ago in Sochi in which they failed to pick up a single speedskating medal.

As expected, the Netherlands has a bevy of talent in each event that will take place over the next two weeks, but the United States could sneak on to the top of the podium like it did in 2010 by way of Shani Davis in the 1,000-meters.

Davis returns for his fifth Olympics in 2018, but it will be another male and an American woman married to a Dutch speedskater that are the best medal hopes in South Korea.

       

Sppedskating Odds (via OddsShark)

Men's 500-Meters

Favorite: Ronald Mulder, Netherlands (+350)

Top American: Mitchell Whitmore (+4,000)

     

Women's 500-Meters

Favorite: Nao Kodaira, Japan (+350)

Top American: Brittany Bowe (+900)

      

Men's 1,000-Meters

Favorite: Kjeld Nuis, Netherlands (+210) 

Top American: Joey Mantia (+2,500)

     

Women's 1,000-Meters

Favorite: Nao Kodaira, Japan (-150)

Top American: Heather Bergsma (+500)

     

Men's 1,500-Meters

Favorite: Denis Yuskov, Olympic Athletes of Russia (+105)

Top American: Joey Mantia (+2,000)

    

Women's 1,500-Meters

Favorite: Miho Takagi, Japan (-110)

Top American: Heather Bergsma (+400)

    

Women's 3,000-Meters

Favorite: Ireen Wust, Netherlands (+200)

Top American: Mia Manganello (+10,000)

     

Men's 5,000-Meters

Favorite: Sven Kramer, Netherlands (-250) 

Top American: None

    

Women's 5,000-Meters

Favorite: Martina Sablikova, Czech Republic (+150)

Top American: Carlijn Schoutens (+3,300)

     

Men's 10,000-Meters

Favorite: Sven Kramer, Netherlands (-400)

Top American: None

      

Schedule

Saturday, February 10

Women's 3,000-meters (6 a.m. ET)

     

Sunday, February 11

Men's 5,000-meters (2 a.m. ET) 

    

Monday, February 12 

Women's 1,500-meters (7:30 a.m. ET)

    

Tuesday, February 13

Men's 1,500-meters (6 a.m. ET)

     

Wednesday, February 14

Women's 1,000-meters (5 a.m. ET)

    

Thursday, February 15

Men's 10,000-meters (6 a.m. ET) 

    

Friday, February 16 

Women's 5,000-meters (6 a.m. ET)

    

Sunday, February 18

Men's pursuit quarterfinals (6 a.m. ET) 

Women's 500-meters (6:56 a.m. ET)

    

Monday, February 19

Women's pursuit quarterfinals (6 a.m. ET)

Men's 500-meters (6:53 a.m. ET)

    

Wednesday, February 21

Men's and women's team pursuit (6 a.m. ET; women's final at 7:58 a.m. ET, men's final at 8:17 a.m. ET)

     

Friday, February 23

Men's 1,000-meters (5 a.m. ET)

    

Saturday, February 24

Men's and women's mass start (6 a.m. ET; women's final at 7:30 a.m. ET, men's final at 8 a.m. ET)

      

Medal Favorites

Heather Bergsma

Heather Bergsma hasn't placed higher than sixth in two Olympic appearances, but she's looking to reverse her fortunes in South Korea.

Bergsma, who is married to Dutch speedskater Jorrit Bergsma, won a pair of gold medals at the World Championships in the 1,000- and 1,500-meters in 2017.

The North Carolina native is favored to make the podium in each event, and she'll be a contender in the mass start, which is a new speedskating event for 2018.

Bergsma is vying to become the third American winner of the 1,000-meters, an event Bonnie Blair took back-to-back golds in 1992 and 1994.

If she achieves success in the 1,500-meters, Bergsma would be the first gold-medal winner from the United States in that event since Dianne Holum in 1972.

The last Americans to medal in those events were Christine Witty, who won the gold in the 1,000-meters in 2002 and Jennifer Rodriguez, who earned bronze in both the 1,000 and 1,500 in Salt Lake City.

        

Joey Mantia

The best male hope for American speedskating medals is Joey Mantia.

Mantia experienced a difficult Olympic debut in Sochi, as he placed 15th in the 1,000-meters and 22nd in the 1,500-meters.

The two-time Olympian is looking to make an impact in the 1,000-meters, an event won by Bergsma's husband in Sochi, and the 1,500-meters, but he'll face stiff competition from the Dutch.

The 32-year-old will also be relied upon in the team pursuit, an event the American men took seventh place in four years ago.

Also keep an eye on Mantia in the mass start, the new event that features a free-for-all start similar to short-track speedskating. Mantia was the 2017 world champion in the mass start.

Although the sport has been dominated by the Dutch, the Americans have achieved a gold in men's speedskating in three of the last four Olympics, but they were shut out in Sochi.

Mantia could end the gold-medal drought for the American men, and his best chance to do so will come on the final weekend of the Olympics in the mass start.

       

Brittany Bowe

While the spotlight will be focused on Bergsma, Brittany Bowe shouldn't be forgotten about on the women's side.

Bowe's best chance to reach the podium comes in the 500-meters, where she has a fourth- and fifth-place finish during the current World Cup season.

If Bowe makes her way on to the podium in the 500-meters, she will be the first American woman to do so in the event since Blair captured the gold in 1992 and 1994.

Bowe has an outside chance to join Bergsma as a contender in the 1,000-meters as well since she has a pair of top-six finishes and a "B" final victory on the World Cup circuit this season.

A breakthrough on to the podium by Bergsma and Bowe would mark the first time two American women placed in the 1,000-meters since Witty and Rodriguez in 2002.

The Netherlands has put two skaters on the medal podium in the 1,000-meters in each of the last two Olympics.

          

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Team USA.