The Associated Press
Tristan Gale starts down the track on her way to a first-place finish at the U.S. Olympic skeleton trials in December at Park City, Utah. Skeleton is an Olympic sport for the first time since 1948.

The Associated Press
U.S. freestyle skier Jonny Moseley has a new trick called the Dinner Roll, a jump so difficult that hardly anyone else in the world even thinks about trying it. He'll unleash it at the Olympics.

Shea

Hackl

Cohen

Racine

SPORT-BY-SPORT WINTER OLYMPICS CAPSULES

Alpine skiing

- WHERE: Snowbasin Ski Area.

- WHEN: Sunday (Feb. 10) through Feb. 23.

- MEDALS: Five disciplines each for men and women. Training is permitted only on the downhill course, which is largely a test of speed. The slalom requires more control by the skier. Also on the program are the longer giant slalom, super giant slalom (super-G) and Alpine combined, consisting of a downhill and two slaloms.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Defending Olympic champion Hermann Maier of Austria is out, recovering from a motorcycle accident. Austrian Stephan Eberharter, winner of a super-G and downhill on consecutive days last month, is a medal favorite along with Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway, Benjamin Raich of Austria. Americans Daron Rahlves, Bode Miller and Erik Schlopy should compete. American Chad Fleischer injured his knee in World Cup downhill training and is out. One year after a career-threatening knee injury, Dane Spencer made the United States team and will compete in the giant slalom. Women -- Anja Paerson of Sweden, winner of four World Cup slaloms, and Andrine Flemmen of Norway are medal favorites, along with Americans Sarah Schleper, Kirsten Clark, Kristina Koznick and Caroline Lalive. Other hopefuls are Italy's Isolde Kostner, a two-time gold medalist at Lillehammer, Switzerland's Sonja Nef and Austrian Renate Goetschl. Wild cards are Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden, a four-time world champion with two previous Olympic golds, and American Picabo Street, also an Olympic gold medalist. Both are on the comeback trail after serious knee injuries.

Biathlon

- WHERE: Soldier Hollow.

- WHEN: Monday (Feb. 11) through Feb. 20.

- MEDALS: Eight individual sprint, pursuit and relay races combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Individual races are 15 kilometers for women, 20K for men. Pursuits are 10 kilometers for women, 12.5K for men. Sprints are 7.5 kilometers for women, 10K for men. Relays are 30 kilometers, each divided among four contestants per team.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- 1998 gold medalist Ole Einar Bjoerndalen of Norway remains the one to beat despite training for cross-country as well. Russian Pavel Rostovtsen and German Frank Luck have closed the gap at the top this season, along with France's Raphael Poiree. Women -- Sweden's Magdalena Forsberg has been the sport's dominant woman since 1997, but she's looking for her first Olympic medal. She has won five straight overall World Cup titles and is on her way toward a sixth. Her precise shooting, which was her downfall in Nagano, makes her a gold-medal favorite again in the 15K individual, 7.5K sprint and 10K pursuit.

Bobsled

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Park.

- WHEN: Feb. 16-23.

- MEDALS: Two-man, four-man and two-woman races. For men, final time is a combination of four runs, two on each day of competition. Women, racing in the Olympics for the first time, have two runs on a single day.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Christoph Langen of Germany, gold medalist in two-man and four-man events at the world championships, is the top men's sledder. Langen and Markus Zimmermann won gold and bronze at Nagano. World Cup leader Todd Hays and veteran Olympian Brian Shimer head the U.S. men's team, trying to win its first bobsled medal in 46 years. It will be Shimer's fifth and final Winter Olympics. Switzerland's Martin Annen and Germany's Andre Lange are 2-3 in World Cup standings. Sandis Prusis of Latvia, one of the world's top four-man pilots, was reinstated after being banned from the Games for steroids. Women -- Bonny Warner failed to qualify for the U.S. women's team, leaving Jean Racine and Gea Johnson as the top American sledders. Germany's Sandra Prokoff and Susi Erdmann and 2001 world champion Francoise Burdet of Switzerland are also considered strong contenders.

Cross-country skiing

- WHERE: Soldier Hollow.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 24.

- MEDALS: Classical and freestyle races from 1.5-kilometer sprints to 30K and 50K marathons. Men's and women's 1,500 freestyle races will be added for the first time at Salt Lake.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- After finishing 10th in his race in Nagano, Sweden's Per Elofsson is primed for greatness at these Games. The 2001 world champ could win five medals and challenge the sport's Olympic record of three golds. Sweden won just one medal in 1998, a silver. Women -- With the 1.5K sprints a new event, there should be a good duel between Katerina Newmanova of the Czech Republic and Bente Skari of Norway. They're also 1-2 in this season's World Cup standings.

Curling

- WHERE: The Ice Sheet at Ogden.

- WHEN: Monday (Feb. 11) through Feb. 22.

- MEDALS: Ten men's and women's teams compete in what has been described as shuffleboard on ice. Two teams take turns pushing a 42-pound stone toward a series of concentric circles. As the stone moves toward the circle, team members with modified brooms sweep the ice to clear the path and decrease any friction.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- The skip is the key player in curling and Salt Lake City will attract some of the best, including Peter Lindholm of Sweden, winner of two world championships, Switzerland's Markus Eggler and Greg McAulay, who led Canada to the 2000 world championship. Brothers Andreas and Christof Schwaller lead defending gold medalist Switzerland. Women -- Dordi Norby of Norway has a record 77 victories in world competition and is one of only three skips to win back-to-back world championships. Four-time world champion Elisabeth Gustafson leads a strong squad from Sweden. The U.S. team is led by national champion Kari Erickson.

Figure skating

- WHERE: Salt Lake Ice Center.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 22.

- MEDALS: Four medal events, ladies and men's singles, pairs and ice dancing.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Russians Yevgeny Plushchenko and Alexei Yagudin are favorites and have dominated since 1998. Yagudin won three world championships in a row before Plushchenko grabbed the title from him last year. American hopes are Todd Eldridge and Timothy Goebel. Women -- American Michelle Kwan resumes pursuit of Olympic gold without longtime coach Frank Carroll, with whom she split last year. Kwan won silver at Nagano behind Tara Lipinski. Her challengers are expected to include Russians Irina Slutskaya and Maria Butyrskaya, and Americans Sasha Cohen and Sara Hughes. Pairs -- Soviet Union or Russian skaters have won the last 10 Olympic gold medals in pairs. Anton Sikharulidze and Yelena Berezhnaya hope to keep the streak going. Jamie Sale and David Pelletier of Canada are medal threats with American hopes riding on John Zimmerman and Kyoko Ina. Ice dancing -- Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France, 2000 world champions, are favored. Canadians Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz beat them in the Grand Prix final.

Freestyle skiing

- WHERE: Deer Valley Resort.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 19.

- MEDALS: Aerials and moguls for men and women. Moguls combine speed and jumping with skiing technique. Aerials are acrobatics in the air.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Much of the mogul competition depends on 1998 Olympic champion Jonny Moseley, and whether he can do the much-ballyhooed Dinner Roll jump in which he flies off the mogul, then rotates twice with his body parallel to the ground. If he pulls it off, he should win the gold. American Eric Bergoust is the favorite in aerials.Women -- Defending world champ and World Cup series champion Kari Traa of Norway is the top moguler. Hannah Hardaway is the best American hopeful. Australian Jacqui Cooper is favored in aerials.

Ice hockey

- WHERE: The Peaks Ice Arena and E Center.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 24.

- MEDALS: Men's tournament consists of 14 teams with many NHL players. Eight teams advance to the medal round. Women's tournament has eight teams.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Rosters are crammed with NHL stars, including goaltender Dominik Hasik, the six-time Vezina Trophy winner who helped the Czech Republic win gold in Nagano. No team has more pressure than Canada, which last won gold in 1952. Executive director Wayne Gretzky has assembled an impressive roster of NHL players hoping to end that drought, led by Mario Lemieux. The American team includes goalies Mike Richter and Tom Barrasso, forwards Mike Modano and Brett Hull and defensemen Brian Leetch and Chris Chelios. Women -- Captain Cammi Granato is among 14 returning members of the U.S. team that won gold in 1998. Canada is the main competition. The U.S. has lost all seven world championships to Canada but swept eight straight against Canada on a pre-Olympic tour. Finland and Russia should contend for bronze.

Luge

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Park.

- WHEN: Sunday (Feb. 10) through Feb. 15.

- MEDALS: Men's and women's singles and men's doubles. Singles consists of four runs with times added to compile a final score. Doubles consists of two runs in one day with fastest total time determining the winner.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Three-time Olympic champion Georg Hackl is back, competing despite the death of his father in December. Two-time World Cup champion Armin Zoeggler of Italy is favored. Tony Benshoof and 1998 Olympian Adam Heidt are the top Americans along with Mark Grimmette and Brian Martin, bronze medalists at the Nagano Olympics. Women -- German teammates Silke Kraushaar, the defending Olympic champion, and Sylke Otto are the fastest female lugers. Angelika Neuner of Austria and Barbara Niederhuber of Germany are contenders.

Nordic combined skiing

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Park and Soldier Hollow.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 22.

- MEDALS: Sprint, individual and team competition. Individual consists of ski jumping from the normal hill and a 15-kilometer cross-country race. Sprint consists of ski jumping from the large hill and a 7.5K cross-country race. Team consists of four competitors ski jumping from the normal hill and a 20K cross-country race.

- OUTLOOK: This demanding sport blends a ski-jump competition with a grueling cross-country race the next day and gives the United States its best chance for a medal in the Nordic sports. Todd Lodwick is competing in his third Olympics, after finishing 13th and 20th. Last year's retirement of Norwegian Bjarte Engen Vik, who won two golds in Nagano, opens the door for two favorites: Austria's Felix Gottwald, the 2001 World Cup champion, and this season's leader, German Ronny Ackermann.

Short track speedskating

- WHERE: Salt Lake Ice Center.

- WHEN: Wednesday (Feb. 13) through Feb. 23 .

- MEDALS: Races at 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters. Women also skate in a 3,000-meter relay and men in a 5,000-meter relay.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Defending Olympic champion and World Cup champion Kim Dong-Sung of South Korea, who will be 22 on the first day of the Games, is expected to win more than one medal. Seattle native Apolo Anton Ohno is a medal contender in all four events. He could be one of the big stars in Salt Lake City. Women -- The Chinese and Koreans have the strongest teams. Amy Peterson, a three-time Olympic medalist, heads the American team. China has two skaters with the same name -- Yang Yang. They are unrelated.

Skeleton

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Park.

- WHEN: Feb. 20.

- MEDALS: Skeleton returns for first time since 1948 with women's competition to be held for the first time. Men and women compete in two runs on one day, guiding heavy sleds belly down and headfirst. Aggregate time determines final standings. Sled is steered by dragging feet and shifting weight.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Jimmy Shea, world champion in 1999, is America's top medal hope and a third generation Olympian. His grandfather, 91-year-old Jack, was killed in an auto accident 17 days before the Opening Ceremony. Jack Shea won golds in the 500-meter and 1,500-meter speedskating events at the 1932 Games. Jim Shea Sr. competed in three Nordic events at the 1964 Games. American Lincoln DeWitt, who won a World Cup event last February, Martin Rettl of Austria and Jeff Pain of Canada are other medal hopefuls. Women -- Two-time world champ Alex Coomber of Britain, Maya Pedersen of Switzerland and American Tricia Stumpf are favorites in the first women's skeleton competition.

Ski jumping

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Park.

- WHEN: Today (Feb. 8) through Feb. 18.

- MEDALS: Individual men's competition and team event with jumps from a 90-meter (295-foot) hill and 120-meter (394-foot) hill.

- OUTLOOK: Sven Hannawald of Germany swept the Four Hills competition, a major Olympic prep. Adam Malysz of Poland won six of 13 World Cup events. Other top competitors include Martin Schmitt of Germany, Martin Hoellwarth of Austria, and Finland's Matti Hautamaeki and Janne Ahonen.

Snowboarding

- WHERE: Park City Mountain Resort.

- WHEN: Sunday (Feb. 10) through Feb. 15.

- MEDALS: Men's and women's halfpipe and parallel giant slalom competitions. Halfpipe competitors come up over the rim of a long pipe and perform aerial tricks. Parallel giant slalom is head-to-head competition, two at a time on side-by-side courses.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Chris Klug, who received a liver transplant in July 2000, is the top American man in Alpine snowboarding. One of the favorites in the parallel giant slalom is Canadian Jasey Jay Anderson. In halfpipe, Tommy Czeschin heads a strong American team that will challenge World Cup champion Magnus Sterner of Sweden and Heikki Sorsa of Finland. Olympic champion Gian Simmen and Fabienne Reuteler of Switzerland won halfpipe events in a pre-Olympic meet. Women -- Karine Ruby of France and Americans Shannon Dunn and Rosey Fletcher are favorites. Stine Brun Kjeldaas of Norway heads a wide-open halfpipe competition after winning silvers at Nagano and 2001 world championships. Natasza Zurek of Canada and Americans Tricia Byrnes, Gretchen Bleiler and Kelly Clark Byrnes could challenge.

Speedskating

- WHERE: Utah Olympic Oval.

- WHEN: Saturday (Feb. 9) through Feb. 23.

- MEDALS: Men and women each have 500-meter, 1,000-meter and 1,500-meter races. Men also have 5,000- and 10,000-meter races and women have 3,000- and 5,000-meter races.

- OUTLOOK: Men -- Canada's Jeremy Wotherspoon is the sprint favorite. Americans Derek Parra and Casey FitzRandolph are among the medal hopefuls. Jochem Uytdehaage of the Netherlands won the European overall title, while Frank Dittrich of Germany took the 10,000. Women -- Catriona Le May Doan is the sprint favorite, while Anni Friesenger of Germany could take three gold medals at the longer distances after winning 500, 1,500 and 3,000-meter races at European championships. Jennifer Rodriguez and Chris Witty are the top American hopefuls.

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