The Day of the Swiss?
Slowly but surely the Olympic Winter Games are turning into the home stretch. The medal table seems to be decided in favour of the Norwegians, but up to this point we can be very satisfied with the performances of the athletes from our home region. More medals should be added on Wednesday. Especially the Swiss athletes will be in the foreground.
There are two decisions tonight where the Swiss want to be at the top, namely in the men’s slopestyle and the men’s alpine slalom. Especially in the alpine slalom, the Austrians are also hoping for precious metal. For Germany, the day actually starts with the women’s biathlon relay, where they can definitely hope for a precious metal.
In terms of excitement, the team relays in cross-country skiing are the absolute highlights of the day. In the men’s event, our athletes will not reap anything, but in the women’s event, Germany, Austria and Switzerland definitely have what it takes to cause a surprise. Maybe Katherine Sauerbrey and Katharina Henning will have a race similar to the one in the women’s relay.
The Swiss will also be able to look at their ice hockey teams. First, the men will play Finland in the quarter-finals. The Nati are big underdogs, but anything is possible in the playoffs. The women can definitely win a medal in the late Chinese evening, because they will also play Finland in the bronze medal match.
The most important decisions of the day
Alpine Skiing – Men’s Slalom
from 3:15am CET – Yanqing Alpine Ski Centre
The last individual decision in alpine skiing is on the Olympic schedule on Wednesday. In the men’s slalom, there are some favourites who can finish at the top. The races in the World Cup have already shown that this race should be completely open. The Norwegians in particular have several candidates who can fight for the gold medal.
With Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, Henrik Kristoffersen and Lucas Braathen three moose are rated very strong by the betting companies. All three are at least candidates for the podium. Austria is sending a very experienced and strong athlete in Manuel Feller into the race. A victory for Austria is not out of the question in this competition either.
Perhaps the best slalom skier in the field, however, is the Frenchman Clement Noel. However, he has not been able to completely convince in the last races in the World Cup. Therefore, there could be a very exciting slalom on Wednesday, the outcome of which is open. The two Italians Alex Vinatzer and Giuliano Razzoli as well as the Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen are still promising outsiders.
Biathlon – Women’s 4×6 km Relay
from 8:30am CET – Zhangjiakou Biathlon Centre
The German men showed that medals are possible in the biathlon relays, even if it wasn’t quite enough. There was a dramatic final in the men’s event. Perhaps it will be very similar in the women’s event on Wednesday. The big favourites are the Swedes, who probably have the strongest team overall, but who always have problems at the shooting range.
The loss of Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold hurts the Norwegians. Two top athletes could be too few. Nevertheless, the Norwegian women have the chance to win the gold medal in this race and to extend Marte Olsbu Roeiseland’s festival even further. In addition, the quartet from Belarus has to be kept in mind.
In general, the French team is very strong because France has no weak point. Maybe the German women will be able to pull off another upset. If the skis go well, a medal is definitely possible, but all four women will have to have an almost perfect day. In the run-up to the event, a forecast for a German medal is at least permissible.
Cross-country skiing – women’s team sprint classic
from 12:00 CET – Zhangjiakou Cross Country Centre
In cross-country skiing, there are two decisions on the programme on Wednesday that have it all. Medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s team sprints. We are looking at the women because the German women have done excellently up to this point in Zhangjiakou. The silver medal in the relay might have given the DSV ladies a boost.
Even in the classic style, in which the team sprint will now also be completed, the German women have made a very good impression.
There are the three Scandinavian teams from Finland, Norway and Sweden, all of whom you can imagine on the podium, even though these three nations lost out to Germany in the women’s relay. In addition, there is a strong duo in Russia and perhaps the US women also have to be taken into account.
Important Olympic ice hockey matches tonight
Men – USA vs. Slovakia
5:10 a.m. CET – Quarterfinals – Beijing National Indoor Stadium
The United States is the best team so far in the men’s ice hockey tournament. Winning all three games in the preliminary round, the US boys punched their direct ticket to the quarter-finals and could relax on Tuesday about who their opponents will be. It also means they had an extra day off to recharge their batteries.
The Slovaks started the tournament with two defeats and then improved. They won against Latvia and against Germany in the round of 16 they won 4:0. We don’t think a surprise in this duel is out of the question, even if the bookmakers consider Slovakia to be the underdogs.
Women – Finland vs. Switzerland
12:30 CET – Bronze medal match – Wukesong Arena
While the men’s game is about advancing to the semi-finals, the women’s game on Wednesday is already about the bronze medal. Maybe the match between Finland and Switzerland is the expected match. In the semi-finals, the North American teams were too big for the two opponents. But that was clear in advance and the focus was clearly on bronze.
The two teams already met in the group phase. At that time, the Swiss team won 3:2, which makes it all the more surprising that the odds on a Swiss victory are extremely high. It could be worth betting on a win for the Nati, even though a bronze medal match is a completely different pressure situation.
Team Germany to watch in Beijing
It’s a quiet Wednesday for the German team after the men’s ice hockey team was eliminated in the round of 16 and has to travel home. So the only German team at these Winter Games has been eliminated. Nevertheless, there are some exciting competitions in the schedule. The starting signal will already be given in the night when the alpinists will make their last individual decision.
One should not expect a medal. The field of favourites is broad, but the German Linus Straßer, Alexander Schmid and Julian Rauchfuss are not among them. Katherine Sauerbrey and Katharina Henning may have better chances in the women’s team sprint. Both have performed outstandingly in the relay in the classical style and perhaps a medal is also in the cards on Wednesday.
The women’s biathlon team is also hoping for a medal in the relay. Overall, the performances in Zhangjiakou have been manageable so far, but with the quartet, the podium is possible. That won’t be the case in the men’s cross-country team sprint and one shouldn’t expect too much from Anna Seidel, the only German starter in the short track either.
Team Austria to watch in Beijing 2022
There is not much on the agenda for the Austrians on Wednesday either. At night they can first hope for Matej Svancer in the men’s slopestyle. But the focus is mainly on the last alpine decision in the men’s event. The slalom is on the programme and the ÖSV is bringing four strong athletes to the start.
Marco Schwarz, Manuel Feller, Johannes Strolz and Michael Matt have what it takes to be at the top. Especially Feller is considered to have good chances by the betting companies. In the morning, the focus is on the cross-country skiers. In the women’s team sprint, Teresa Stadlober and Lisa Unterweger certainly have a chance of reaching the final and maybe even winning a medal.
In the men’s race, on the other hand, the Austrians will not be able to reap anything. That probably also applies to the women’s biathlon relay. A place among the best six nations would already be a great success for Lisa Theresa Hauser and Co. More Austrians will then not be at the start on Wednesday.
Team Switzerland to watch at Olympia 2022
For Switzerland, it’s big match day on Wednesday. The teams of the Confederates form the framework on this day. In curling, the women have one foot in the semi-finals. Maybe they don’t even need to win. The men, on the other hand, will have a hard time making it into the medal round. In ice hockey, there could be precious metal.
The Swiss women will play Finland for bronze and the same pairing will also play in the men’s quarter-finals. Both times the ice comrades are underdogs, but victories are not out of the question. In the men’s slalom, the Swiss are not favoured, but Daniel Yule in particular can be expected to finish in a good place.
In the women’s slopestyle, too, one can hope for a medal with three Swiss finalists. The same goes for the aerials. In the team sprint of the cross-country skiers one can also be curious to see what Nadine Fähndrich and Laurien van der Graaff will do. The cross-country skiers, on the other hand, should not play a role, which applies even more to the women’s biathlon relay.
