This being a women's short track event, the usual suspects are all here: China, South Korea and the U.S.
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Olympic Contenders: Women's 1,500-metre short track
- February 20, 2010 5:15 PM |
- By John Shmuel
Story provided by
Here is a look at Saturday's women's 1,500-metres long-track speedskating race, which gets underway at 10:51 p.m. ET.
The Contenders
This being a women's short track event, the usual suspects are all here: China, South Korea and the U.S. The fiercest competition to claim first will definitely be between the Chinese and Koreans. Eun-Byul Lee, the 18-year-old South Korean speedskating sensation, is heavily favoured as a gold contender. She's shown nearly boundless potential on the junior circuit, and a lot is weighing on the teenager despite being relatively untested on the world level. This will be her first Olympic Games.
The Chinese are also packing serious gold medal potential. Yang Zhou will be determined to see the Chinese-Korean short track rivalry tip in favour of her home country. Fellow countrywoman Lin Lin Sun, ranked fourth, will also be looking to push her way onto the podium.
The U.S. is also entering a relatively fresh rookie into the event. Katherine Reutter, ranked third in the World Cup and making her Olympic debut, is the United States' primary medal hope. The 21-year-old placed a disappointing seventh in the women's 500-metre race, and the 1500 will be her shot at redemption.
The Top Five (Current World Cup rankings)
1. Yang Zhou, China, 2640 pts
2. Eun-Byul Lee, South Korea, 2440 pts
3. Katherine Reutter, United States, 1968 pts
4. Lin Lin Sun, China, 1722 pts
5. Quihong Liu, China, 1547 pts
Canadian Medal Hopes
Kalyna Roberge is Canada's main medal hope here. But don't hold your breath for it. Roberge's strongest event is the 500-metre race, and her only medal on the World Cup circuit was in the 1000-metre race. Oh, and she won it in 2006
The Dark Horse
Canadian Valerie Maltais is a relatively untested speed skater that's done fairly well on the junior circuit. She was the 2009 Canadian Champion in the 1500-metre race, and has traditionally done very well in that distance. A medal would be a longshot, but she could find her way into the top ten.
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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