Going For Gold In The Cold -- A Sport-By-Sport Look At Who's Favored To Take Home The Medals In Albertville

ALPINE SKIING

In 1968, a dashing French skier named Jean-Claude Killy won three gold medals and downhill skiing was never the same

But it's doubtful Killy would recognize alpine skiing today. For starters, specialization has eliminated virtually any chance that Killy's three gold medals will be duplicated. Paul Accola (Switzerland) and Marc Girardelli (Luxembourg) are the only men's all-around skiers left; Petra Kronberger (Austria) is the sole woman.

Then the courses have become so difficult that even the experts are wary. The men's site in Val d'Isere has been called too slow, too tight and too technical by some racers. And that was before the avalanche in mid-December.

U.S. outlook: A.J. Kitt's World Cup victory at Val d'Isere earlier this year snapped a U.S. downhill drought that dated to 1984. He could be the first U.S. alpine medalist in eight years. Among the women, Eva Twardokens (giant slalom), Diann Roffe (giant slalom) and Julie Parisien (slalom) have a chance.

World leaders: Alberto Tomba of Italy is telling everyone they'll have to rename it "Alberto-ville" after he becomes the first skier to successfully defend two gold medals, and he may be right; the slalom and giant slalom are his to lose. Only Accola and Finn-Christian Jagge (Norway) are threats.

In the downhill, Franz Heinzer (Switzerland) is the undisputed world leader, leaving Patrick Ortlieb (Austria), Daniel Mahrer (Switzerland) and Kitt to fight it out. The super G comes down to Accola or Girardelli. Accola is the best bet for the combined.

In the women's competition, Vreni Schneider (Switzerland) is defending her slalom and giant-slalom gold medals from Calgary, but Kronberger, Sabine Ginther (Austria) and Carole Merle (France) figure to make it tough. Kronberger is the recognized leader in the downhill, Katja Seizinger (Germany) is a 20-year-old phenom, and Ulrike Maier (Austria) is a threat in the super-giant slalom and combined.

BIATHLON

One of the strangest Winter Olympic sports, the biathlon makes perfect sense if you're from Scandanavia - how else are you supposed to hunt if not on skis?

The crux of the biathlon comes in lowering one's heart rate from the 190 beats per minute required on the course to the 90 beats needed to steady a rifle - all in about 20 seconds.

Northern European nations Norway, Germany and the Soviet Union have dominated this event. In fact, those nations have combined to win 16 of the 17 Olympic gold medals awarded.

U.S. outlook: Although medal favorite Anna Sonnerup failed to make the U.S. team, the squad could surprise. Joan Guetshow and Beth Coats are the top-ranked women, and the men's chances rest with Josh Thompson, a member of the 1988 Olympic team.

World leaders: Germany continues to dominate: Mark Kirchner is ranked No. 1 on the World Cup circuit and Frank-Peter Roetsch is fourth; Antse Misersky and Petra Schaff are 1-2 among the women.

BOBSLED

With a standout "Dream Team" that featured track star Edwin Moses and NFL veterans Herschel Walker, Willie Gault and Greg Harrell, the United States shook up the bobsledding establishment one year ago. They even won a couple of World Cup medals and the first Olympic medal in 36 years was suddenly a possibility. But myriad personal, political and financial problems have gutted the American effort.

U.S. outlook: Walker and Harrell won pushoff trials to earn places on the U.S. squad. Moses quit to devote more time to running hurdles, and Gault missed the cut. In the end, the whole bungled affair prompted the U.S. federation to suspend its chairman and McDonald's withdrew $220,000 of support. U.S. sleds are in good hands, however: drivers Randy Will (four-man) and Brian Shimer (two-man) each rank among the top 10 in World Cup standings.

World leaders: As always, Gustav Werder (Switzerland) and Wolfgang Hoppe (Germany) are the men to beat. Chris Lori (Canada) and Ingo Appelt (Austria) have looked sharp this year, Monaco's team is anchored by Prince Albert, and British star Mark Trout is a member of the Royal Tank Military Corps. And, yes, the Jamaicans will be back.

FIGURE SKATING

Injuries have hobbled the world's top three men - Kurt Browning of Canada, Todd Eldredge of the United States and Victor Petrenko of the Commonwealth of Independent States - but that's unlikely to effect the status quo.

The break-up of the Soviet sports machine figures to shatter that country's domination, particularly in the pairs and ice-dancing events. "This is our last breath," said veteran coach Tamara Moskvina.

The United States, meanwhile, is angling to become the first to sweep the women's competition, matching the American men's 1-2-3 finish in 1956. An expected showdown between Kristi Yamaguchi of the U.S. and Midori Ito of Japan could come down to a match-up of artistry (Yamaguchi) vs. athleticism (Ito).

U.S. outlook: How deep is the U.S. women's team? Jill Trenary took one look at the competition and decided to pass. Yamaguchi and Tonya Harding have each won U.S. titles, and, joined by Nancy Kerrigan, pulled off an unprecedented sweep at the 1991 world championships.

Among the men, Eldredge is a safe bet for a medal if the back injury doesn't flare up. The wildly unpredictable Christopher Bowman and veteran Paul Wylie could surprise.

The Blue Collar Kids - a k a bartender Calla Urbanski and truck driver Rocky Marval - have a decent shot at a pairs medal.

World leaders: If Browning, a three-time world champion, can overcome the injuries, he'll win the gold. No one knows what to make of Petrenko, who placed third in his country's nationals due to a bad ankle. Among the women, Ito is the only foreign gold-medal threat.

The Soviets have won every pairs gold medal since 1964 and this year figures to be no exception.

In the ice dance, everybody's waiting for Paul and Isabelle Duchesnay of France's latest creation.

FREESTYLE SKIING

Barely 10 years old as a World Cup sport, freestyle skiing nevertheless was promoted to medal status by an Olympic movement desperate to modernize. Medals will be awarded in the moguls competition; aerial and ballet events will remain demonstration sports.

U.S. outlook: Not surpringly, freestyle skiing is the sort of event at which the U.S. excels. Donna Weinbrecht is a two-time World Cup moguls champion, and Chuck Martin took the bronze medal at the 1991 world championships.

World leaders: Canada has moved to the front of mogul skiing behind John Smart and Jean-Luc Bressard. France's Edgar Grospiron makes $250,000 per year and is a national hero, and teammate Raphaelle Monod could take a women's medal.

HOCKEY

Given that Canada and the United States have combined for a grand total of two gold medals since 1956 - both belonging to the U.S. - you'd think they'd wise up and get the NHL to release their players, a la the NBA.

Olympic hockey remains a largely amateur undertaking in North America, and the balance of power is definitely toward Europe. European nations have won 18 of the last 21 Olympic medals, sweeping the top three spots in 1984 and 1988.

But today's Olympians really are tomorrow's NHL stars.

U.S. outlook: After The Miracles of 1960 and 1980 and The Letdowns of 1984 and 1988, the U.S. is a bona-fide medal contender. It finished 3-13-3 in NHL exhibitions and suffered 13 straight losses at one point but wound up 15-26-6 overall. The U.S. also took the bronze medal in the recent world junior championships, a best-ever finish.

World leaders: Sweden is the defending world champion and has added former NHL star Borje Salming to its roster, but the Unified Team (formerly Soviet Union) still has enough to vie for the gold.

LUGE

You don't have to be crazy to compete in the luge, but it helps. This is a sport where sliders hurtle 70 mph through a chute at up to five times the force of gravity in the space of 41 seconds - metabolically speaking, most human bodies go into seizure at less.

Germany has traditionally dominated this sport, and not just because the East German women were caught heating the runners on their sleds in 1968. East and West German competitors have won 32 out of a possible 42 single-seater medals to date.

Wonder why? Consider that Germany boasts four luge tracks, almost one-third of the world total.

U.S. outlook: Duncan Kennedy, who actually has "U.S. Luge" tatooed on his left bicep, could win the first Olympic luge medal for the U.S. Bonny Warner is the best U.S. luger ever and finished 10th at the worlds in time off from her job as a United Air Lines pilot. In the two-man competition, Suckow and Bill Tavares are the only U.S. medal hopes.

World leaders: It's crowded at the top: World Cup champion Marcus Prock (Austria), world champion Arnold Huber (Italy) and German Olympic medalists Georg Hackl and Jens Meuller all have a shot at the gold in the men's singles; among the women, Germans Susi Erdmann and Gabrielle Kolisch should finish 1-2. The German team of Stefan Krause and Jan Beherndt captured the 1991 world championship and is out to improve upon its silver-medal finish in 1988.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

It's no secret why northern Europeans have dominated cross-country skiing - when your country is buried under snow nine months of the year, everybody learns to get around on skis. Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Soviets have won 67 of the 69 gold medals, and this year should be no different.

The U.S., meanwhile, has just one medal - Bill Koch's silver in 1976 - and a warehouse full of Nordic Track exercise machines to show for its efforts.

U.S. outlook: Old American cross-country skiers don't die or fade away - they just keep competing. Audun Endestad, 38, a 12-time men's national champion, and Nancy Fiddler, 35, an 11-time women's winner, head up the U.S. effort and could crack the top 10. And Koch is back at 36.

World leaders: Vladimir Smirnov of the CIS, the reigning World Cup champion, is the prohibitive favorite. But Torgny Mogren (Sweden) and Bjoern Daehlie (Norway) are tough in freestyle events, and 1990 World Cup champion Vegard Ulvang (Norway) and Christer Majbaeck (Sweden) are solid in the classic races.

Former Soviet standout Elena Valbe was the women's 1991 World Cup champ and should team with Ljubov Egorova for a powerful punch.

NORDIC COMBINED

This sport essentially combined two other disciplines: ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Just what the two have in common is not clear.

Norway, Austria and Germany have dominated from the start.

U.S. outlook: The return of Joe Holland to active duty after taking two years off to finish college has bolstered the squad. Blue Teramoto, 20, is a long shot.

World leaders: Norway's Fred-Boerre Lundberg is the 1991 world champion, but Austrians Klaus Sulzenbacher and Klaus Ofner are right with him. Other medal contenders include 1988 Olympic champ Hippolyt Kempf (Switzerland), Allar Levandi (CIS) and Fabrice Guy (France).

SKI JUMPING

"You have to like the void," Finnish ski-jumping legend Matti Nykaenen once said.

Almost half of the world's top 15 jumpers use the V; small wonder a new discipline, "ski flying," was accepted recently on the World Cup circuit.

Finland has traditionally been strong, and Nykaenen was considered the best ever before alcohol problems took a toll. He won four gold medals and one silver from 1984 and 1988.

U.S. outlook: Veteran Mike Holland retired in 1990, but his younger brother, Jim, could crack the top 10 in Albertville. Holland is best on the 70-meter hill; Kris Severson is solid on the 90-meter hill.

World leaders: Nykaenen's place as Finland's hero has been taken by Toni Nieminen, a 16-year-old schoolboy who has come out of nowhere to dominate the World Cup. Austrians Werner Rathmayer and Andreas Felder are breathing down his neck, however, as is Stefan Zuend of Switzerland. Austria, Finland and Switzerland are 1-2-3 in the team rankings.

SPEED SKATING

"Blimey O'Reilly!" was an understandable reaction four years ago when an unknown Briton stepped upon the Calgary rostrum to take two gold medals for short-track speed skating, then a demonstration sport. Now it's for real, and Wilf O'Reilly is assured of celebrity status if he wins the 1,000 meters.

U.S. outlook: Dan Jansen is back. He recently set a world record in the 500.

The heartbreak kid of the 1988 Olympics who, hours after learning his sister had died of leukemia, fell in the 500 finals at Calgary, then fell again four days later while on a medal pace in the 1,000. He would rather be remembered as a great champion than a sad story and he could earn medals in the 500 and 1,000, maybe even a couple of golds.

Bonnie Blair is the skater to beat in women's sprints. As good as she was in 1988, she's even better now. She has won three 500 World Cup races and set a 1,000 rink record in Collalbo, Italy, in the final pre-Olympics World Cup race.

World leaders: Jansen's strongest competition will come from Germany's Jens Uwe-Mey, defending Olympic 500 champion and four-time World Cup champ. World all-around champions Johann Olav Koss of Norway and Gunda Niemann of Germany also should play prominent roles. Koss holds world records in the 5,000 and 10,000; Niemann owns the 3,000 world mark. Niemann could win medals in the 1,500 and 5,000.

In short track, O'Reilly of Britain and Sylvia Daigle of Canada will be favored. Korean men and Canadian women are best in relays.