Anticipation builds for rivalries at PyeongChang 2018
- 6 years ago
The Games in Pyeongchang will be the biggest Winter Olympics in history in terms of the number of athletes and countries participating.
There are 15 snow, ice and sliding events,... and that means a lot of exciting line-ups between the world's top winter sport rivals.
Our Won Jung-hwan takes a look at some of the highlights.
First off,… women's ice hockey will see an intense match between two big rivals. The United States, who are number one in the world, are looking to make a comeback against their northern neighbors,
second-ranked Canada, on February 15th.
In men's hockey this time around, professional players are out due to a decision by the NHL, so it'll be the women's teams getting the attention.
The Canadian women have won the gold medal in four straight Olympics since 2002,… while the U.S. has won seven of the last eight world championships.
In skeleton, meanwhile, Korea has a chance to win its first medal in that event. The first Korean skeleton slider to finish on top of the podium at international events, Yun Sung-bin, could be on the road to gold in his home country on February 16th. He's the current world number one, having won five golds and two silvers this season. But he'll have a tough competitor in 33-year-old Martins Dukurs from Latvia, who has more experience. Dukurs has won the world championship five times plus two silver medals at the Olympics.
South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa has twice won Olympic gold in the women's 500-meter race, and she's ready to add another in Pyeongchang.
Just last week in Germany she set a new personal best,
but she could have a strong challenger in Japan's "sprint queen" Nao Kodaira, who's won the 500-meter in all seven of the most recent international tournaments. Their final race will be at the Gangneung Oval Stadium on February 18th.
Finally, there's the glitz and glamour of figure skating, which will be a true spectacle at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Nearly 150 of the world's best figure skaters will be competing in five events, eager for the chance to call themselves Olympic champions. In ice dance, there are two teams, France and Canada, who could end up neck-and-neck for gold.
French duo Papadakis and Cizeron won their fourth consecutive European title last month with a new world record,… while Canada's Virtue and Moir, who paired up in 1997 and have won Olympic gold before, are looking to cap their career with first-place finish at PyeongChang.
The Canadians will face off with the young French team at the Gangneung Ice Arena on February 20th.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.
There are 15 snow, ice and sliding events,... and that means a lot of exciting line-ups between the world's top winter sport rivals.
Our Won Jung-hwan takes a look at some of the highlights.
First off,… women's ice hockey will see an intense match between two big rivals. The United States, who are number one in the world, are looking to make a comeback against their northern neighbors,
second-ranked Canada, on February 15th.
In men's hockey this time around, professional players are out due to a decision by the NHL, so it'll be the women's teams getting the attention.
The Canadian women have won the gold medal in four straight Olympics since 2002,… while the U.S. has won seven of the last eight world championships.
In skeleton, meanwhile, Korea has a chance to win its first medal in that event. The first Korean skeleton slider to finish on top of the podium at international events, Yun Sung-bin, could be on the road to gold in his home country on February 16th. He's the current world number one, having won five golds and two silvers this season. But he'll have a tough competitor in 33-year-old Martins Dukurs from Latvia, who has more experience. Dukurs has won the world championship five times plus two silver medals at the Olympics.
South Korean speed skater Lee Sang-hwa has twice won Olympic gold in the women's 500-meter race, and she's ready to add another in Pyeongchang.
Just last week in Germany she set a new personal best,
but she could have a strong challenger in Japan's "sprint queen" Nao Kodaira, who's won the 500-meter in all seven of the most recent international tournaments. Their final race will be at the Gangneung Oval Stadium on February 18th.
Finally, there's the glitz and glamour of figure skating, which will be a true spectacle at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Nearly 150 of the world's best figure skaters will be competing in five events, eager for the chance to call themselves Olympic champions. In ice dance, there are two teams, France and Canada, who could end up neck-and-neck for gold.
French duo Papadakis and Cizeron won their fourth consecutive European title last month with a new world record,… while Canada's Virtue and Moir, who paired up in 1997 and have won Olympic gold before, are looking to cap their career with first-place finish at PyeongChang.
The Canadians will face off with the young French team at the Gangneung Ice Arena on February 20th.
Won Jung-hwan, Arirang News.