Predictions
A major subplot, will Kjetil Jansrud start? He was a DNS in yesterday's DH after deciding his knee wasn't ready? Was he able to get in ready overnight? Other than that this is really the Kilde vs Odermatt show. They've dominated super-g on the World Cup this season and there's no reason to think they won't be major players today. I think Kilde will get redemption after yesterday and take the win.
Course Info
The course is situated in the Xiaohaituo Mountain Area in northwest Yanqing about 100km northwest of Beijing in the Yanqing District which is sandwiched between the Yellow Sea and the Gobi Desert. The super-g is on the same slope as the downhill course, but starts at the saddle jump.
Course Name: Rock
Course Designer: Swiss legend Bernhard Russi
Start Altitude: 1,930m / 6,332 ft
Finish Altitude: 1,285m /4,216 ft
Vertical Drop: 645m/ 2,116 ft
The Favorites
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde - Kilde has never finished in the top 10 in eight Olympic starts. He's won 3 of 5 SGs this season and six for his career(Odermatt is the only other man to have a SG this season). This course plays to Kilde's strengths. He dominated the DH training runs before maybe trying to do too much and finishing 5th in yesterday's DH.
Marco Odermatt - Has won 2 of the 5 SGs this season, including the most recent race contested in Wengen. After being nowhere in DH training Odermatt brought it on race day, finishing 7th less than one second out. At just 24 years of age is Odermatt ready to handle the pressure of being an Olympic favorite?
Matthias Mayer - Mayer had some wild DH training runs, at times looking lost before finishing with a bronze on race day. Mayer has three SG podiums on the World Cup this season, including two 2nd place finishes. Mayer now three Olympic medals. He has one gold at each of the last two Olympics(DH & SG) in addition to his bronze from Beijing.
Vincent Kriechmayr - Has two SG podiums this season and is the only man besides the three I mentioned above with multiple podiums this year. Won the SG season globe last year.
The Canadians - Crawford was 5th in the most recent SG in Wengen. Thompson announced himself and the Canadian men's team when he finished 3rd in Beaver Creek.
The Americans
Travis Ganong - Traditionally a better downhiller, Travis podiumed in Beaver Creek and has been skiing well in SG all season. RCS was looking like one of the best SG skiers in the world last year before his neck injury in Kitzbuehel. He was 4th in the Bormio SG this season.
Facts & Trivia
Super-G has only been an Olympic discipline since 1988, debuting in Calgary.
There have been nine Olympic SGs, only 4 nations have won gold.
Norway & Austria have won every Olympic super-g since 1998. Switzerland has never won the men's Olympic SG.
Mayer can win back-to-back SG golds.
Kilde could become the fourth Norwegian man to win SG gold.
Mayer can become only the 5th man with at least three Olympic alpine gold medals.
Feuz & Mayer are looking to join a very exclusive club of skiers with four Olympic alpine medals.
The Start List
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