Heiden Has Faith in Hedrick

Eric Heiden believes that U.S. speedskating standout Chad Hedrick just might equal Heiden’s haul of five gold medals at one Olympics.

“I think he’s got a good chance of coming away with three medals for sure,” Heiden said Wednesday.

Heiden was 21 when he set five Olympic records and one world record in sweeping every distance from 500 to 10,000 meters at the 1980 Lake Placid Games.

“Four, there’s a good possibility; five, a longshot,” he said of Hedrick’s chances. “But Chad does a lot of things that people don’t expect.”

Heiden, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at UC Davis Medical Center -- and the U.S. speedskating team’s doctor for the second consecutive Games -- said Hedrick’s best chances were in the 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000.

Hedrick, a Texas native and inline skater who took to the ice as a long-track skater in 2002, isn’t entered in the 500 but will compete in the 1,500 and the team pursuit. Speedskating competition starts Saturday at the Oval Lingotto.

“He’s a longshot in the 1,000, if he can get up to speed quick enough, and he’ll have to rely on some teammates in the pursuit,” Heiden said.

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Speedskater Derek Parra of San Bernardino, who struggled this season while going through a divorce and qualified for the long-track team on his last try at the Olympic trials, says he has improved since he secured his berth in the 1,500. Parra won gold in the 1,500 and silver in the 5,000 at Salt Lake City.

“Since I made the team, it gave me a chance to refocus and kind of step back and work on my skates a little more, kind of have a little sigh of relief,” he said.

He acknowledged he’s “not in the same ballpark” as he was at this point four years ago. “My skating is getting better now, my turns are getting better and close to where they were in Salt Lake,” he said.

“It’s a difficult thing, knowing that getting here has cost so much, but the fact it has cost so much makes it all the more meaningful why I have to be here and why I have to finish this out, not only for skating but for me, personally.”

-- Helene Elliott

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The Olympic torch relay was diverted for the second time this week because authorities feared planned protests along the route could turn violent.

The torch was supposed to have passed through Avigliana, about 15 miles west of Turin. But Olympic organizers said they diverted the relay to a stage between Buttlgliera Alta and Rosta, based on the recommendations of law enforcement agencies.

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Italian Olympic officials made a cautious forecast for the country’s performance at the Games here, saying they hope home athletes will win at least 10 medals.

“We are aiming for double digits,” Italian delegation head Raffaele Pagnozzi said. “We have won 90 medals so far in Winter Games and hope to reach the 100 mark.”

At the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Italy won 13 medals -- four of them gold.

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Nordic combined skiers who tried the jumping hill at Pragelato for the first time had a strange sinking feeling.

“It is quite difficult. I feel no air because of the altitude,” said Finnish medal prospect Hannu Manninen.

“It blows you up after the takeoff and then you suddenly and quickly go down,” he added. “And it is even worse for me, as I am a big guy.”

The Olympic website lists Manninen’s weight as 183 pounds.

Pragelato is in Val Chisone at an altitude of 4,980 feet.

-- Associated Press