Predictions

Biathlon

Women’s 15k: Magdalena Forsberg of Sweden is the dominant female biathlete in the world. She should win the gold medal in every individual women’s event. Forsberg has won five straight World Cup championships and has a significant lead in the standings this year. Normally a terrific shooter with the .22-caliber rifle, Forsberg was off target in Nagano and didn’t win a medal. That should change in Salt Lake City.

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Men’s 20k: The Germans are strong here with Frank Luck and Sven Fischer considered contenders, along with Russia’s Pavel Rostovtsev, the World Cup leader. The young American team has been pointing for this home-country Olympics for years. No American has ever won a biathlon medal, but Jay Hakkinen of Kasilof, Alaska, a two-time Olympian, won a world junior championship in 1997.

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Men’s 10k Sprint: Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway won gold in this event four years ago and could well do it again. Norway is traditionally strong in biathlon, and this Olympics should not be any different. American Jeremy Teela of Anchorage, Alaska, took ninth place in the world senior championships in 2001. Another top contender is Raphael Poiree of France.

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Women’s 7.5k Sprint: Once you get past Forsberg, 1998 medalist Ursula Disl of Germany, Olena Zubrilova of Ukraine, and Liv Grete Poiree of Norway--who is married to Raphael Poiree--loom as the most likely medal contenders. The United States has no chance for a medal. The only member of the American team who has scored World Cup points this year is Rachel Steer of Anchorage. Steer has 12 U.S. junior and senior titles.

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Men’s 12.5k Pursuit: A new event on the Olympic calendar in the cross-country ski-shooting discipline. The first half of the race, with competitors leaving the starting line in a staggered start, is a 10k. The top 60 racers advance to the second half of the race, a 12.5k, with racers departing the starting line based on how far apart they finished in the first race. Once again Bjorndalen should be formidable.

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Women’s 10k Pursuit: If Forsberg skis and shoots the way she has in all world-class competition except for the Nagano Olympics, there is no reason to be believe she will be beaten. Poiree can be a factor here and Olga Pyleva of Russia, performing well on the World Cup tour, should also be in the mix.

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Men’s Relay: Germany seems to have the most depth. But neither Norway nor Russia can be counted out. The U.S. doesn’t have the necessary depth to be a factor in the race and can only hope for a satisfactory result.

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Women’s Relay: Forsberg doesn’t have the backup needed for Sweden to be a medal winner. That leaves the usual suspect countries of Germany, Norway and Russia to fight it out and share the medals.

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Lew Freedman