German bobsleigh gold again in the Sliding Centre?
Before the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing already come to an end on Sunday, the last major competition day with eight decisions is on the programme on Saturday. There could be medals for all our German-speaking teams. Robin Briguet from Switzerland will be the first to go into the halfpipe in the night’s ski freestyle and hopes to achieve a good result there.
The Olympic programme continues in the night with the last decisions in the alpine competitions. Switzerland and Austria in particular can hope for the gold medal. Afterwards, there will be the classic 50 kilometre cross-country race for the men, where Russians and Norwegians will probably fight for the medals.
It will be exciting in speed skating. The medals will be awarded in the men’s and women’s mass start. Claudia Pechstein will possibly make her last appearance at the Winter Olympics. The only German-speaking medal hope is Switzerland’s Livio Wegner, who only just missed the podium in Pyeongchang four years ago.
At lunchtime, the figure skaters take to the ice for their last round. The pair skating will be the deciding event. It will be really hot for Germany when the last medals of the day are awarded. In the women’s two-man bobsleigh, the German athletes will be aiming for their eighth gold medal in the ninth decision at the Sliding Centre.
The most important decisions of the day
Alpine Skiing – Parallel Team Competition
From 3:00 am CET – Yanqing National Ski Centre
The weather is also difficult to control around Yanqing. That’s why the team competition of the alpine skiers was brought forward one hour and will now start already at 3:00 am in the morning. Medals for the German-speaking athletes are not out of the question. However, the German team has been hit hard by the draw. To start with, they have to face Sweden, who are among the favourites.
Switzerland has had a much easier time of it. The first round will be against the hosts China. A place in the quarter-finals should be a mere formality. In general, the Swiss are a strong contender. In the alpine competitions in Yanqing, the Swiss really came up trumps and a gold medal in the last alpine competition is also conceivable.
The top seed, however, is the Austrian team. Since only 15 teams will be competing, Team Austria has a bye and is already assured of a place in the quarter-finals. If the ÖSV athletes get their pace on the piste, then a medal is definitely possible. We can very well imagine a final between Austria and Switzerland.
Men’s Cross-Country Skiing – 50 km Freestyle
from 7:00 am CET – Zhangjiakou Cross Country Centre
The final men’s cross-country event is the quintessential classic, although the men’s 50 kilometre course has been changed over the years. On Saturday, this race is done in freestyle, and there is also no interval start, but a mass start. But the bottom line remains the toughest cross-country race at the Winter Games.
It would be no surprise if the two teams from Russia and Norway decide the medals between themselves.
However, the Russians around Alexander Bolshunov, Denis Spitsov and Sergey Ustiugov also have numerous tactical options. We assume that the athletes from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will not be able to follow relatively soon. None of our athletes from the home area will have anything to do with the medal award.
Bob – women’s two-man bob
from 13:00 CET – Yanqing Sliding Centre
The next gold at the Yanqing Sliding Centre is within reach for Germany. Laura Nolte set a track record in each of the first two runs in the women’s two-man bobsleigh and is clearly in the lead. Basically, she can only beat herself. Yanqing is the place that has brought a shower of medals of unprecedented proportions for Germany.
Besides gold, the silver medal is also possible, as Mariama Jamanka is in second place with her pusher Alexandra Burghardt, who competed in the 100 metres in Tokyo. If she brings two decent runs down, then nothing should stand in the way of a German double victory. However, Jamanka did not look quite as confident as Nolte.
An attack can still be expected, especially from North America. The two US-Americans Kaillie Humphries and Elena Meyers Taylor have a good chance of winning the bronze medal. Canada’s Christine de Bruin is also expected to attack. Perhaps Kim Kalicki, the third rider from the German camp, will have something to say about the bronze medal.
Important Olympic ice hockey matches tonight
Men – Sweden vs. Slovakia
14:10 CET – 3rd place match – Beijing National Indoor Stadium
You can’t get more bitterly eliminated in an Olympic semi-final. The Swedes fought their way to a 1-1 draw in regulation time and had a couple of high-calibre chances in overtime to advance to the final themselves. In addition, they were already ahead in the penalty shootout, but were still eliminated by Russia and will now give everything to at least get bronze as a consolation prize.
For the Slovaks, reaching the semi-finals was already a great success. In the semifinals, Slovakia put up a tough fight against the runners-up from Finland. They were trailing 0:1 until seconds before the end and put all their eggs in one basket. When the goalie left the field for a sixth player, Finland struck. Now the Slovaks will be underdogs in the bronze medal game as well.
Team Germany to watch in Beijing
From the German point of view, a lot of attention can be paid to the Sliding Centre already in the early morning hours, because the first two runs in the men’s four-man bobsleigh will take place during the night. After the triple success in the two-man bobsleigh, a similar triumph is also possible with the big sled. All three German pilots are flirting with a medal.
In the parallel competition of the alpine teams, Germany certainly has an outside chance. To do so, however, they have to beat the co-favourites from Sweden in the round of 16. If they win there, they might go far. In the cross-country marathon nothing will be possible in the early morning. The German athletes will probably lose touch early on.
In the mass start in speed skating, the focus will be on Claudia Pechstein, who may be celebrating her last Olympic appearance. Perhaps she will make it to the final once more. At the end of the day, the gold medal should be won in the women’s two-man bobsleigh. Laura Nolte will almost certainly stand at the top of the podium.
Team Austria to watch in Beijing 2022
For Team Austria, the highlight is expected in the early morning. Although two sleds are competing in the men’s four-man bobsleigh, the first two runs are unlikely to be anywhere near the podium. Afterwards, however, there will be another alpine decision, in which the Austrians are traditionally strong.
The Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) is at the top of the seedings list, has a bye in the first round and is certainly one of the favourites for Olympic gold. After that, there is not much more to see from an Austrian point of view. Gabriel Odor will start in the men’s speed skating but will probably not compete for the final. In the women’s two-man bobsleigh there will be no precious metal for Team Austria.
Team Switzerland to watch at Olympia 2022
Maybe it will be exciting from a Swiss point of view in the final of the Ski Freestyle in the Halfpipe. Robin Briguet convinced in the qualification and can compete for the first three places. That’s where the Swiss team should also go in the parallel race of the alpine skiers. In the round of sixteen, they will have to deal with China. It will only get really serious for the Swiss in the later rounds.
In speed skating, the stage belongs to the Wenger family. Nadja won’t have much of a chance in the women’s event, but her brother Livio might even make it onto the podium in the men’s event. It is possible that Dario Cologna, the great Swiss cross-country skier, will have his last big race in the 50 kilometres. He won’t finish in front, but he deserves respect for his outstanding career alone.
In the women’s two-man bobsleigh, the two Swiss sleds will not play a major role. But it is definitely worth taking a look at the Ice Cube at the end of the day. Unfortunately, the Swiss women will only play for bronze in curling after losing to Japan in the semifinals. But maybe they will get a happy ending with a win over Sweden
