Racky programme on Tuesday
Facing a manageable programme on Monday, winter sports fans had to deal a lot with Olympic stories. On Tuesday, however, it’s back to business as usual. The schedule is jam-packed with numerous decisions, preliminaries and ice hockey. If you get up early anyway, you can enjoy twelve to 14 hours of Olympic moments.
Snowboarders and athletes in freestyle start with the decisions. The first real highlight then starts at 4:00 in the night. In Alpine skiing, the women’s downhill is on the Olympic programme. Kira Weidle wants to finally win the first alpine medal for Germany. The women from Austria and Switzerland also have a good chance of winning.
From the morning onwards, the action will continue in quick succession and it might be worthwhile to have a second screen ready. First, the German men will try to pull off a surprise in the biathlon relay. Afterwards, the Nordic combined competition from the large hill will continue, before the German two-man bobsleighs will try to secure the gold medal in the Yanqing Sliding Centre.
In between there are still the round of 16 in ice hockey. Germany already has to take to the ice at 5:10 against Slovakia and hopes to break the knot. The same goes for the Swiss Nati, who lost all their games in the preliminary round and want to take revenge for the defeat in the group games at breakfast time with the Czech Republic.
The most important decisions of the day
Alpine Skiing – Women’s Downhill
From 4:30 a.m. CET – Yanqing Alpine Ski Centre
It will be interesting to see what Sofia Goggia is capable of after breaking her leg. The Italian was the outstanding downhill skier of the winter and doesn’t want to let an injury ruin her Olympic dream. She has shown in the training sessions that she will be competing for the medals.
This also applies to the Swiss women, who have Joana Hählen, the best woman of the last training session, and Lara Gut-Behrami, the Olympic champion in the Super-G. Austria also has a strong quartet at the start and precious metal should be possible especially for Cornelia Hütter and Ramona Siebenhofer. Maybe there is even gold in it for Team Austria.
From the German point of view, we have to keep our fingers crossed for Kira Weidle. German athletes are still waiting for their first Alpine medal. In the training runs, the German has shown that she can handle the piste in Yanqing very well.
Biathlon – 4x 7.5 km relay men
starting at 10:00 CET – Zhangjiakou Biathlon Centre
Maybe it was a coincidence and maybe Denise Herrmann took advantage in the women’s individual. Overall, however, things are not going according to plan for the German biathlon team. Even in the men’s relay, where medals were always on the line, the German quartet is only outsiders. However, it has to be said that a medal would not be an absolute sensation either.
The big favourites, however, are the Norwegians, who will simply bring the four best athletes to the start. But that doesn’t mean that the gold medal is booked. The two relay teams from France and Russia are the main competitors. In the individual competitions, both nations proved to be very strong.
In addition, the Swedes have to be kept in mind, but they also have only two top athletes and should possibly be on the same level as the German team. Maybe there will be a surprise in Zhangjiakou on Tuesday. However, this can hardly be expected from the relay teams from Austria and Switzerland.
Nordic combined – individual Gundersen large hill
from 12:00 CET – Zhangjiakou Jumping Centre
The German team continues to have personnel worries. Terence Weber has now been completely dropped from the Olympic line-up and Eric Frenzel remains in the quarantine hotel. Nevertheless, the German men will be competing with Vinzenz Geiger, the Olympic champion from the normal hill. With Johannes Rydzek, the DSV team has another hot iron in the field.
The Norwegians are desperate for the gold medal. Jörgen Grabaak also has to be kept on the radar in this race. Jarl Magnus Riiber has meanwhile passed a negative test and could well be in the mix on Tuesday. But then it remains to be seen how well he has come out of quarantine. In normal form he is certainly a gold candidate.
The Austrians also want to be among the front runners again. This time Johannes Lamparter, after all the leader in the overall World Cup, hopes to secure precious metal. Lukas Greiderer won bronze on the normal hill and will now want to prove his good form in the second competition. Maybe the strong Finn Ilkka Herola still has to be taken into account.
Bob – men’s two-man bob
from 13:15 CET – Yanqing Sliding Centre
A lot will have to happen if Francesco Friedrich is going to let the gold he was aiming for in the two-man bobsleigh slip away. He is the best bobsledder in the world in recent years. That’s why we would pretty much bet that the Olympic victory will go to Germany I’s bobsleigh team. However, there could be even more precious metal for the German sledders.
Johannes Lochner and also Christoph Hafer still have every chance of standing on the podium in the end as well. All three medals could also go to Germany. Rotislav Gaitiukevich from Russia should be the toughest opponent. However, Austria’s Benjamin Maier must also be kept on the radar.
From the Swiss point of view, Michael Vogt is still hoping that everything will go according to plan in runs three and four. But the exotics are always exciting in bobsleighing, of which Monegasque Rudy Rinaldi is even among the front runners. Jamaica also has a sled at the start again. However, coxswain Shanwayne Stephens proved to be uncompetitive in the first two runs.
Important Olympic hockey matches tonight
Men – Slovakia vs. Germany
5:10am CET – Round of 16 – Beijing National Indoor Stadium
Germany had big problems getting into the tournament in Beijing and already conceded two defeats in the preliminary round. The medal they were aiming for seems a long way off. However, the DEB men also started like this in Pyeongchang and only then did things really get going. But the knot must break in the round of 16 against the Slovaks on Tuesday, otherwise the Olympics are already over for the German skaters.
The Slovaks delivered a similar performance in the preliminary round as the Germans. First they lost against the Scandinavians from Finland and Sweden, before they gained the necessary self-confidence for the round of 16 with a victory over Latvia.
Men – Czech Republic vs. Switzerland
9:40am CET – Round of 16 – Beijing National Indoor Stadium
The Czechs are certainly not the great world class team they once were, but still this team is capable of competing for the medals in the major tournaments. In the preliminary round, they lost 2-1 to Denmark, lost in overtime to Russia and won in a penalty shootout against Switzerland.
The Swiss, of all people, are now the Czechs’ opponents in the round of 16. The Nati had big problems in the preliminary round. The point against the Czech Republic was the only point in the group phase. They lost against Denmark and Russia. But maybe the Swiss will now manage to make this round of 16 open again and maybe even win in the end.
Team Germany to watch in Beijing
For Germany it can once again be a very successful day. Annika Morgan is only an outsider in the Big Air final with the snowboard, but directly afterwards the focus goes towards Kira Weidle. In the women’s downhill, the runner-up now also wants to win an Olympic medal. In training she was usually among the front runners.
After the downhill, it’s straight on to men’s ice hockey. It’s time to finally get in shape. From now on, a defeat means elimination. So a win is needed against Slovakia in the round of 16. Afterwards, with a lot of luck, there could be a medal in the men’s biathlon relay. However, everything has to go right and all four German men will have to improve.
But that’s not all. The second decision on the Olympic programme is in the Nordic combined. Maybe Vinzenz Geiger will be able to pull off an absolute hussar’s ride this time as well. In the last competition of the day, the gold medal for Francesco Friedrich in the two-man bobsleigh should only be a formality. In the Sliding Centre, however, a place on the podium is still possible for Johannes Lochner and Christoph Hafer.
Team Austria to watch in Beijing 2022
A lot of athletes from Austria are already at the start during the night. Anna Gasser will start at 2:30 a.m. and will try to be among the front runners in the Big Air final on the snowboard. But a medal would be a surprise after her performance in the preliminaries. In the men’s slopestyle, freestylers Matej Svancer and Daniel Bacher will try to secure a slot in the final.
A highlight from Austria’s point of view is the women’s alpine downhill. The ÖSV team has four women at the start and basically all four women don’t have a bad chance to be among the front runners. Those who have been up all night can take a short nap afterwards, because the men’s biathlon relay will continue at 10:00 am. Of course, the Austrians will hardly have a chance to place in the front field.
But that does not apply to the Nordic Combined. Especially Johannes Lamparter and Lukas Greiderer are expected to be in the lead again. A medal should be possible for the ÖSV athletes in any case. Maybe even gold is possible. At the end of the day, it will continue with the men’s two-man bobsleigh. But precious metal is probably already too far away in this decision.
Team Switzerland to watch at Olympia 2022
The men’s curling will kick off the new Olympic day for the Swiss. While the women are on course for a medal, the men still have to tremble. A win against the USA would therefore be very important. Otherwise, the Swiss night belongs to the skiers. In freestyle, the focus is on Mathilde Gremaud, before the Swiss hope to be successful in the women’s downhill.
Basically, all four Swiss women can be up front, but the best impression in Yanqing was made by Lara Gut-Behrami and Joana Hählen. Maybe it will be enough for the next alpine medal. After that, the important men’s ice hockey match is on the agenda. The first victory in the tournament is needed against the Czech Republic if they are to make it to the quarter-finals.
The Swiss will have nothing to say in the decisions at the end of the Olympic day. In the biathlon, no medal can be expected in the men’s relay. The same applies to the men’s two-man bobsleigh. In some medal decisions, the Swiss will not even have athletes at the start on Tuesday.
