Account
Olympic Speedskating Schedule 2018: TV, Live-Stream Info for Women's 3,000M
February 10, 2018
The women's speedskating 3,000 meters race Saturday will be a showcase of the sport's legends.
Ireen Wust of the Netherlands, Claudia Pechstein of Germany and the Czech Republic's Martina Sablikova have ruled over the sport for decades, and their latest head-to-head showdown will come on the ice of the Gangneung Oval.
The trio has 22 Olympic medals between them and each of the past four gold medals in the women's 3,000 meters.
Although there's room for a surprise, you should expect to see one of the three end with a gold medal—and potentially all of them on the medal podium.
Date: Saturday, February 10
Time: 6 a.m. ET
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
TV: NBCSN (Delayed coverage at 1 p.m. ET)
Legends Wust and Pechstein Go Off Earlier Than Other Favorites
Two legends of speedskating will hit the ice in back-to-back heats in the women's 3,000 meters.
Wust is the defending champion in the event, and she also won the gold medal in the event back in 2006.
The 31-year-old is the owner of eight medals, including golds in the 1,500 meters from Vancouver and the team pursuit from Sochi.
If you can believe it, there's a more decorated athlete than Wust in the field who is 14 years her senior in Pechstein.
The German, who has five career Olympic gold medals, first competed in the Winter Olympics in 1992. Four of her five gold medals have come in different Olympics. The 45-year-old still holds the Olympic record in the 3,000 meters from Salt Lake City in 2002.
Wust and Pechstein are serious medal contenders once again in 2018, and since they will be competing in Heats 9 and 10, they will be able to set times that put pressure on the other contenders in the final two heats.
Will Sablikova Win from Last Heat?
Sablikova is one of the athletes who has the unfortunate pleasure of following Wust and Pechstein on the ice.
The long-distance specialist is the two-time defending champion in the 5,000 meters, and she took first in the 3,000 meters eight years ago in Vancouver.
Sablikova's dominance in the longest events of speedskating extends to the World Cups, where she hasn't finished below second in either event since 2009.
At the 2017 World Single Distance Championships,, Wust defeated Sablikova by six-hundredths of a second to win the title.
Sablikova entered Sochi in the same situation four years ago, placing second to Wust at the 2013 World Single Distance Championships. She went on to lose to Wust in the Olympic race.
With Wust going three heats before her, and in light of her wealth of experience in the event and on the ice in South Korea, Sablikova has a great opportunity to finish off the competition with a first-place race.
If she reverses the result from 2014, Sablikova would earn her fourth Olympic gold medal.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Start list according to the Games' official website.