Olympic Hopefuls

A summary of Russia’s top gold medal hopefuls, by event:

ALPINE SKIING

Women: Varvara Zelenskaya (this 25 year old skier from Kamchatka is Russia’s standout in the downhill and super giant slalom, the two alpine events focusing on speed).

Men: No top seeds.

BIATHLON

Women: If she passes the trials, Anfisa Reztsova will be the woman to beat.

Men: Sergei Tarasov and Vladimir Drachev (as a past champion, Tarasov is the best hope, but the pair also has a good shot at the relay event).

BOBSLEIGH: Not a strong Russian event; don’t expect a medal here.

CURLING: Russia will not participate.

FIGURE SKATING

Women: Irina Slutskaya (if she can bounce back from recent disappointing performances, Slutskaya will be Russia’s best chance for a medal).

Men: Alexei Urmanov and Alexei Yagudin (Urmanov, if he can overcome injuries and participate, is the top hope; in the alternative, the highly original Yagudin will be a favorite)

Pairs: Marina Yeltsova and Andrei Bushkov, Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev  and Yelena Verezhnaya and Anton Sikhuralidze (all are equally able to take a medal, and the competition will be close in this typically Russian-dominated event).

Ice Dancing: Oksana “Pasha” Grischuk and Yevgeny Platov (the pair has the inside track to take the gold, but Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsyannikov will give them some stiff competition).

FREESTYLE SKIING

Women: Elena Batalova is top ranked in the world; she could well pull in her first Olympic Gold.

Men: Don’t expect a medal here.

ICE HOCKEY

Women: Russia will not participate.

Men: While the team is strong, Russia’s top stars are sitting out the Olympics in a battle with Russia’s Sports Federation.

LUGE: Not a strong Russian event.

NORDIC SKIING

Women: Yelena Vyalbe, Larisa Lazutina, Olga Danilova (all in relay and individual races; Vyalbe is particular odds-on favorite as a two-time Olympic gold medalist).

Men: Alexei Prokurorov (in the 30 and 50 km races — Prokurorov is also a past gold medalist).

SKI JUMPING: There were standouts in the past, but don’t expect Russia to contend here.

SNOW BOARDING: No Russian contenders in this new event.

SPEED SKATING

Women: Svetlana Zhurova is the top hope.

Men: Alexander Golubev and Sergei Klevchenya are both good bets.