Predictions

Bobsled

Two-Man: Todd Hays’ hopes of winning the United States’ first Olympic bobsled medal in 46 years took a hit when push athlete Pavle Jovanovic failed a late-December drug test and was disqualified from the Games, pending an appeal. Garrett Hines was pushing Jovanovic for a spot on the two-man sled, so Hays’ medal chances aren’t dead. The gold-medal favorite is Christoph Langen of Germany, who won three of the four World Cup races he entered. World Cup champion Martin Annen of Switzerland, Christian Reich of Switzerland and 1998 gold medalist Pierre Lueders of Canada are strong medal contenders.

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Four-Man: Hays led the two-man and four-man World Cup standings before pulling off the circuit early to train, but losing Jovanovic probably would end his four-man gold-medal chances and open the door for Germany’s Andre Lange. Langen, the defending Olympic champion, Annen and Switzerland’s Christian Reich have a shot at a medal too. Five-time Olympian Brian Shimer of the U.S. can drive with the best of them but probably lacks a fast enough start to grab that elusive medal.

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Women: The United States’ Jean Racine won the World Cup 2000 and 2001 titles but slumped this season and dumped brake person and former best friend Jen Davidson for former NCAA heptathlon champion Gea Johnson in December. Racine and Johnson broke the Utah Olympic Park track record, but their lack of experience together and the furor caused by the switch may hurt them, though they should still win a medal. German drivers Susi Erdmann (an Olympic luge medalist) and Sandra Prokoff have been models of consistency. Switzerland’s Francoise Burdet and the United States’ Jill Bakken also are medal threats.

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Luge

Men’s Singles: German legend Georg Hackl finished third in the World Cup standings but won four of the seven races and should become the first athlete to win four straight Winter Olympic gold medals in the same individual event. World Cup and European champion Markus Prock of Austria will challenge Hackl, who is using a new sled Porsche engineers helped build. Armin Zoeggeler of Italy, the 1998 silver medalist, also is a medal favorite. Tony Benshoof, the top U.S. hope, was seventh in the World Cup standings but a career-best second in the finale Jan. 27 in Winterberg, Germany.

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Men’s Doubles: The United States’ two 1998 doubles medals were its first Olympic medals in luge. Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin may repeat their bronze-medal finish. Silver medalist Chris Thorpe replaced the retired Gordy Sheer with former Canadian Olympian Clay Ives, and although the pair struggled through most of the World Cup season, they finished second in the circuit finale Jan. 26 in Winterberg. The German teams of Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch, and Steffen Skel and Steffen Woeller are strong medal contenders, as are Austria’s Tobias and Markus Schiegl.

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Women’s Singles: It’s doubtful anyone will keep Germany from filling all three spots on the medal podium. Defending Olympic champion Silke Kraushaar and Sylke Otto dominated the World Cup circuit, with ’98 silver medalist Barbara Niedernhuber finishing third. Austrian Angelika Neuner, third in the ’98 Olympics, is the best bet to prevent a German sweep. Becky Wilczak, a 21-year-old from River Forest, Ill., finished fifth in the World Cup standings and may place as high as fourth in the Olympics.

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Skeleton

Men: Gregor Stahli of Switzerland heads to Salt Lake as the clear gold-medal favorite. Also strong is Martin Rettl of Austria. America’s top medal hopes are Chris Soule, second this year on the World Cup tour, and Jim Shea Jr., heir to a U.S. Olympic legacy. Shea’s grandfather, Jack, won gold medals in speedskating at the 1932 Winter Games; his father, Jim, competed in three Nordic events at the 1964 Games. Jack Shea, 91, was killed in an automobile accident Jan. 22. Can the grandson channel his emotions at the Park City course, or will he be overcome by the moment? Lincoln DeWitt of the United States won a World Cup event last February.

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Women: The Salt Lake Games mark the first women’s skeleton competition in Olympic history; the men raced in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in 1928 and 1948. Alex Coomber of Britain, the two-time world champion, and Maya Pedersen of Switzerland figure to duel for gold. Lea Ann Parsley of the U.S., who is working on her doctorate in nursing from Ohio State, finished fourth in the final 2000 World Cup standings, her first season on the tour, and sixth in the 2001 standings; she climbed back to fourth this year and could surprise in Salt Lake.

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Barry Temkin