BY ROBERT MURRAY – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Since 2010, each discipline in the Winter Olympic program has undergone significant change. With less than one year to go until the 2014 Games, I’ll be taking a look at what to expect from Canada and the rest of the world in Sochi. Today I take a look at skeleton.
What happened in 2010?: Jon Montgomery successfully defended Canada’s Gold medal victory in Turin. 2006 Silver medalist Jeff Pain finished in ninth place, well back of the medals. In the Women’s event, after a Bronze in Salt Lake and Silver in Turin, Great Britain won their first Gold medal at the sport. Amy Williams held off a charge by two Germans racers to win by more than half a second.
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What has changed?: Duff Gibson, the 2006 Olympic Gold medalist for Canada, was named head coach of the National team shortly after the 2010 Olympics. Latvian Martin Dukurs has faced only one obstacle since the 2009-10 season – time. In Vancouver he lost the Gold medal to Montgomery by seven hundredths of a second. At the recent World Championships he lost the Gold by three hundredths of a second. Other than that, four consecutive World Cup titles and two World Championships have made Dukurs the favourite in Sochi. On the Women’s side, Melissa Hollingsworth has consistently been Canada’s top female performer on the World Cup tour. Amy Gough, who many forget finished just sixty-five hundredths of a second off the podium in Vancouver, has increased her profile in recent years. After a Silver medal in Turin, Shelly Rudman of Great Britain finished a disappointing sixth in 2010. However, she has hung around the top 10 of the World Cup standings ever since and captured the Overall World Cup for 2011-12.
What Canadians should I watch?: Eric Neilson. In his first three years on the World Cup circuit, he finished 51st, 53rd and 16th respectively. This year he finished sixth. Success for Canadian skeleton athletes isn’t new, it’s just a matter of maintaining it. John Fairbairn has also enjoyed success but has yet to burst out. Sochi could be that moment. For the Women, Sarah Reid and Melissa Hollingsworth have both won individual World Championship medals and could easily sit on the podium in Sochi.
Who could spoil the show?: On the Women’s side, Marion Thees of Germany finished eighth in Vancouver but is a two time World Champion in the Women’s singles race. the 2007-08 World Cup season was the last time she finished outside of the top 5. Expect her to lead the charge for the Germans on the Women’s side. For the Men, two athletes stand out. German Frank Rommel has hung around the outside fringe of the world elite in skeleton for quite some time now. After winning his first World Championship medal in 2008, he hasn’t missed a year. From the United States, I’m not talking about the golfer but John Daly is the best non-Canadian hope from North America. He’s hung around the top 15 of the World Cup for the past three seasons and won Gold at the 2013 World Championships in the team event. Daly will be on his own in Sochi but that shouldn’t stop people from taking him lightly.