Olympic Speedskating 2014: Schedule, TV Info, Team Medal Predictions for Day 3
Day 3 of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will be filled with speedskating action.
The men’s 500-meter long-track and men’s 1,500-meter short-track will give out medals in the finals, and there will be qualifying runs for the women’s 500-meter short-track and women’s 3,000-meter short-track relay.
Here is a look at the complete schedule and broadcast information for Day 3 action on the speedskating rink.
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Men's 500-meter long-track final
Date: Monday, Feb. 10
Time: 10 a.m. ET, 7 p.m. Sochi time and 3 p.m. GMT
TV Broadcast: NBC at 8 p.m. ET (rebroadcast) and BBC at 3 p.m. GMT
Men's 1,500-meter short-track final
Date: Monday, Feb. 10
Time: 7:15 a.m. ET, 4:15 p.m. Sochi time and 12:15 p.m. GMT
TV Broadcast: NBC at 8 p.m. ET (rebroadcast) and BBC at 12:15 GMT
Women's 500-meter short-track heats
Date: Monday, Feb. 10
Time: 5:30 a.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. Sochi time and 10:30 a.m. GMT
TV Broadcast: NBC at midnight ET (rebroadcast) and BBC at 10:30 a.m. GMT
Women's 3,000-meter short-track semifinals
Date: Monday, Feb. 10
Time: 6:45 a.m. ET, 3:45 p.m. Sochi time and 11:45 a.m. GMT
TV Broadcast: NBC at midnight ET (rebroadcast) and BBC at 11:45 a.m. GMT
The most intriguing storylines of Day 3 for speedskating will revolve around who takes home the medals in the men’s 500-meter long-track race and the men’s 1,500-meter short-track race. With that in mind, let’s dig into some predictions for those races.
Men’s 500-meter long-track
The predicted medalists:
Michael Mulder, Netherlands: gold
Mo Tae-bum, South Korea: silver
Joji Kato, Japan: bronze
If Mulder wins the gold, he will be heralded in his speedskating-loving country. Paul Myerberg of USA Today breaks down just how important the sport is in the Netherlands:
"In the world of men's speedskating—and in the long-distance races in particular—the rest of the world is chasing the Netherlands, a country that views Olympic dominance as a quadrennial birthright.
Theirs is a skating powerhouse that stems in large part from the Netherlands' devotion to the sport. While soccer rules on sunny days, speedskating occupies the country's undivided attention throughout the winter and during Olympic years in particular.
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While that devotion from the fans would seem to add some pressure for many competitors, Mulder specializes in the 500-meters. He was the overall men’s champion at the 2014 World Championships and will look to take home the gold after missing the 2010 Olympics.
His biggest competitor may be Mo from South Korea.
He also thrives in the 500-meters and won the gold in the event in Vancouver in the 2010 Olympics.
However, if his comments were to be believed, he would be just as happy staying out of the limelight if he wins again (via NBCOlympics.com): "But my personality is, I don't like people treating me like a hero just because I have a gold medal around my neck."
As for the predicted bronze medalist, Kato is a veteran who won his first Olympic medal (a bronze) in 2010 in the 500-meters. Look for him to challenge for the podium once again.
Men’s 1,500-meter short-track
The predicted medalists:
Charles Hamelin, Canada: gold
Lee Han-bin, South Korea: silver
J.R. Celski, United States: bronze
Celski won two bronze medals in the 2010 Olympics and likely represents the United States’ best opportunity at a medal in short-track in Sochi.
He is certainly proud to be there representing his country:
Celski had an up-and-down World Cup season but did win the gold in the 1,500-meters at the final World Cup event. Look for him to parlay momentum from that finish onto the podium.
As for the predicted gold medalist, Hamelin has quite an impressive resume. He counts a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics in the 5,000-meter relay and a gold medal in the 500-meter individual and 5,000-meter relay in the 2010 Olympics as part of it.
Finally, Lee has momentum from his first place finish in the 1,500-meter in the Torino stop in the World Cup. Look for him to challenge Hamelin for the gold medal.
Note: Past accomplishments courtesy of individual athlete profiles on NBCOlympics.com.
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