Olympic Speedskating 2014: Schedule, TV Info, Team Medal Predictions for Day 6
It's time for the women to shine on Day 6 of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, as the ladies' 1,000-meter speedskating final will be contested on Thursday.
It's the only race of the day on the speedskating schedule, and there are a few international stars competing for glory.
There have already been some upsets in the early goings, however, and the field is loaded with world-class athletes who have a shot at knocking off the favorites.
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Here's a look at when and where you can catch the action, followed by medal predictions for the upcoming race.
Speedskating: Women's 1,000 Meters
Where: Adler Arena Skating Center
When: Thursday, Feb. 13
Watch: NBC during prime-time broadcast, beginning at 8 p.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Athletes to Watch: Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson, Christine Nesbitt, Olga Fatkulina and Zhang Hong
Outlook
Canada's Christine Nesbitt will attempt to defend her gold medal from 2010, but the aging superstar isn't favored to win this year's race.
Instead, America's Heather Richardson comes into the 2014 Winter Games as the favorite, with teammate Brittany Bowe as her chief rival.
The two U.S. skaters come into the Games as the No. 1 and No. 2 skaters in the world, and they have an interesting, albeit competitively beneficial relationship.
“We raced for years on inlines together and now we actually live together up at Park City. So we train together, we live together, we hang out together, we are with each other all the time,” Richardson said, as noted by Willie Cornblatt of NBCOlympics.com. “So it’s really nice that we grew up together and now we are here at the same stage together.”
Nobody should count out Russia's Fatkulina, however, as she's the current world champion at this distance. Additionally, China's Zhang Hong will be in the mix for a medal, and Dutch skater Ireen Wust is always a dangerous competitor.
Prediction
American fans who are worried about their nation's lack of dominance thus far in Sochi will be pleased on Thursday when Richardson and Bowe hit the ice for this 1,000-meter race, as pointed out by SI.com's Richard Deitsch:
Two medals should be expected in this event, and there's a chance they'll be of the gold and silver variety.
And while Canada's Nesbitt would love to build her legacy with another medal in 2014, it's more likely that Fatkulina will represent her home country on the podium on Thursday.
Gold: Heather Richardson, USA
Silver: Olga Fatkulina, Russia
Bronze: Brittany Bowe, USA
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