Canada's Mellisa Hollingsworth has been unstoppable on the World Cup circuit this year. The 2006 bronze medallist is the overwhelming favourite to win gold on home soil.
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Olympic Contenders: Women's skeleton
- February 17, 2010 7:29 PM |
- By Erin Valois
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The women's skeleton gets under way at 7 p.m. ET, on Thursday. Here is a breakdown of the competition:
The Contenders
Canada's Mellisa Hollingsworth has been unstoppable on the World Cup circuit this year. The 2006 bronze medallist is the overwhelming favourite to win gold on home soil. Hollingsworth shot to the top of the standings this year after a seventh place finish in the World Cup standings last year. But she still has to worry about Switzerland's Maya Pedersen. Pedersen has been quiet during international action this year, but it's never a good idea to count out the defending gold medallist.
The Top Five (current World Cup rankings)
1. Mellisa Hollingsworth, CAN, 1646 points
2. Shelley Rudman, GBR, 1604 points
3. Kerstin Szymkowiak, GER, 1574 points
4. Marion Trott, GER, 1468 points
5. Amy Williams, GBR, 1312
Canadian Medal Hopes
Amy Gough and Michelle Kelly are the backbone of a strong Canadian contingent in the skeleton. Gough is sixth in World Cup standings this year, including a career-best second place finish at a Utah World Cup stop.
Kelly has had a tough season, as she nearly failed to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team due to an equipment violation that disqualified her from the selection trials. She was later reinstated and is 13th on the World Cup circuit.
The two racers will have trouble knocking off Hollingsworth for the gold, but they both have a shot at the podium after finishing near the top of the pack in training.
The Dark Horse
Great Britain's Amy Williams has outperformed teammate Shelley Rudman so far with two second-place finishes in the first two training runs. She has a good history with the Whistler track, as she captured a top-three finish in a World Cup race here last year.
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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