Olympic Speedskating 2014: Previewing Men's Team Pursuit Event
The men's team pursuit event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi will feature eight teams competing in a knockout-style, two-day tournament for the gold medal, though the competition in this one may very well be for the silver and bronze medals.
The Netherlands have absolutely dominated in speedskating events in Sochi. They've already racked up 19 long-track medals (20 medals if you count the short-track bronze) in speedskating (an Olympic record) and are far from done. Without question, the Dutch are the team to beat entering the competition.
Needless to say, the competition for each spot on the podium will be fierce.
TOP NEWS
NFL Rookies with Most to Gain ๐
MLB owners, players open to missing games over labor dispute
World Cup 3rd-Place Game Could Be Epic
Here's what to watch for in the event, including a schedule of when each round of the tournament will take place.
| Event | Date | Time (ET) |
| Quarterfinals | Fri., Feb. 21 | 8:30 a.m. |
| Semifinals | Fri., Feb. 21 | 10:13 a.m. |
| Finals | Sat., Feb. 22 | 8:51 a.m. |
The Dominance of the Netherlands
The Dutch have swept the podium four times in Sochi. They've competed in nine speedskating events. Another sweep would mean that the Netherlands had three speedskaters on the podium in 50 percent of the events.
That's simply ludicrous.
Gary D'Amato of the Journal Sentinelย breaks their dominance down even further:
"Thirteen skaters from the Netherlands have medaled, led by Ireen Wust with gold in the women's 3,000 meters and silver in the 1,000 and 1,500. The Dutch also have set three Olympic records: Sven Kramer in the 5K, Jorrit Bergsma in the 10K and Jorien ter Mors in the women's 1,500.
"
Kramer will be joined by Koenย Verweij andย Jan Blokhuijsen in the team pursuit, and they'll be looking to bring another medal to the nation. If it's any consolation to the rest of the competition, the Dutch cannot win all three medals in this event.
I mean, it is a team competition.
Look for the Dutch to continue their unbelievable dominance in this discipline.
Can the United States Stop the Disappointment?
While no team has been able to come anywhere close to the success of the Dutch, the United States have been particularly disappointing.
The team, led by Shani Davis, was favored to bring home several medals in this installment of the Winter Games. Instead, they've missed their chances several times.
After finishing 11th in his most recent event, Davis tried his best to explain the poor performance, via Wayne Coffey of theย New York Daily News:ย
"โThere were too many factors going on. The energy was really bad. I try not to make excuses for my performance, but if we could have eliminated all those distractions and I could have put that energy into performing and skating, it would have been a totally different outcome.โ
"
Davis will lead a U.S. team that will also feature Brian Hansen and Jonathan Kuck. Earning a medal in this event will help make up for their disappointing finishes in earlier races.
Will South Korea Compete for a Podium spot?
The team of Cheol-Min Kim, Kyou-Hyuk Lee and Hyong-Joon Joo has been competing well in the first three races of the ISU Speed Skating World Cup. The event takes place over four races in different locations, and South Korea has earned two bronzes and a silver thus far.
The Netherlands earned gold all three times, whereas the United States took silver twice and failed to medal in the third race. Instead, Poland took the bronze.
Korea isn't on the level of the U.S. or Netherlands, but their consistency in 2013-14 is difficult to ignore. Their most recent performance finished with a silver medal, and there's a good chance they earn the same medal in this event.
If South Korea can maintain its consistency, then it'll be stiff competition for the rest of the field.
Follow me on Twitter: @kennydejohn
