Olympic Short-Track Speedskating Schedule 2018: Saturday Live-Stream Guide
The exhilarating event of short-track speedskating captures our attention for the first time on Saturday, February 10.
The 2018 Winter Olympics short-track slate begins with one medal event and two sets of qualification heats inside Gangneung Ice Arena in South Korea.
In the men's 1,500-meters, the defending champion is looking for a repeat in a field that won't be at full strength.
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Over on the women's side of the sport, host nation South Korea is looking to use Saturday's heats in the 500-meters and 3,000-meter relay to excite the home crowd about what's to come over the next two weeks.
Saturday Schedule (5-7:30 a.m. ET)
All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com
Men's 1,500-meters qualification, semifinal and final heats
Women's 500-meters qualification heats
Women's 3,000-meter relay qualification heats
Hamelin Searching for Repeat in Men's 1,500-Meters
Canada's Charles Hamelin is back for his fourth Olympics, and the first achievement he's looking to earn in Pyeongchang is the repeat of his 1,500-meters title.
The decorated 33-year-old has three career gold medals, and he is expected to contend for his fourth in the first medal event of short-track speedskating.
Hamelin's top competition comes from Sjinkie Knegt of the Netherlands, who won three golds at the 2018 European Championships.
Although the Dutch are known for their success in long-track speedskating, Knegt was the first athlete from the Netherlands to earn a short-track medal in 2014 in 1,000-meters.
While the competition between Hamelin, Knegt and others will be riveting on the ice, there will be one notable missing face, as Victor An's appeal along with 44 other Russian athletes to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to compete in Pyoengchang was rejected on Thursday, per Reuters.
An, who was born in South Korea and became a Russian citizen in 2011, has six Olympic gold medals to his name.
Choi Min-jeong In Search of Strong Start
All of the pressure of the host country weighs on South Korea's Choi Min-jeong, who has the chance to win three individual gold medals on the short track in Pyeongchang.
The 19-year-old's first appearance on the ice comes during Saturday's qualification heats for the women's 500-meters.
She burst on to the scene with three gold medals at the 2015 World Championships, and she'll be looking for the same haul alongside her South Korean teammates.
The eyes of South Korea will turn to Gangneung Ice Arena every time a short-track event is contested since 21 of the nation's 26 Winter Olympics gold medals have come in the event.
Other names to keep an eye on in Saturday's qualifiers are Canada's Marianne St-Gelais and Elise Christie of Great Britain.
South Korea Attempting to Extend Relay Dominance
Short track is already chaotic enough in the individual events, which makes the team relays a must-watch frenzy.
Saturday's women's 3,000-meter relay qualification heats will give us our first look at the fast pace of the team event, with South Korea expected to be out in front.
Outside of China's gold in the event in 2010 in Vancouver, the South Korean team has been dominant in the relay, with wins in three of the last four Olympics since the turn of the century.
In total, South Korea has won five of the seven women's 3,000-meter relays at the Olympics, and barring a setback in qualification, there's no reason to believe the host nation won't come out on top again in the February 20 final.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org and NBCOlympics.com.
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