Petra Majdic of Slovenia was just a blip on the cross country radar when she finished in sixth place at the 2006 Olympics. But she's back and ready to be a contender for the gold medal in the sprint classic.
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Olympic Contenders: Women's sprint classic final
- February 16, 2010 9:57 PM |
- By Erin Valois
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The ladies' individual sprint classic final gets under way at 4:45 p.m. ET, on Wednesday. Here is a breakdown of the competition:
The Contenders
Petra Majdic of Slovenia was just a blip on the cross country radar when she finished in sixth place at the 2006 Olympics. But she's back and ready to be a contender for the gold medal in the sprint classic. Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk will be one of the few competitors that could take the title away, as she beat Majdic in one of the early World Cup races this season.
The Top Five (current World Cup rankings)
1. Petra Majdic, SLO, 446 points
2. Justyna Kowalczyk, POL, 439 points
3. Aino-Kaisa Saarinen, FIN, 295 points
4. Hanna Falk, SWE, 276 points
5. Vesna Fabjan, SLO, 251 points
Canadian Medal Hopes
Canadian Chandra Crawford won this event at the last Winter Olympics in Turin, but officials changed the race technique from skate skiing to classic for 2010. While Crawford specializes in skate skiing and finished the World Cup season in 52nd, there is always hope for Sara Renner who was the best Canadian on the world circuit this year, finishing in 35th place.
The Dark Horse
Finland's Aino-Kaisa Saarinen is more well-known for dominating team events instead of individual races. But with her World Cup record of finishing in the top ten every race, and her bronze medal at the last Olympics in the team sprint, Saarinen is definitely a veteran presence that will put more pressure on Majdic to perform.
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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