Winter Olympics 2010 Guide: Short-track

Ice-skating / Editor / 04 February 2010 / Leave a comment

You fall, you lose - that's right, carnage can ensue when short-track gets going but there's method to the madness so read on to learn how to place the best bets...

"With as many as six racers in the heats this is elbows-out competition and tumbles are common."

What is it?

This is speed skating's five-a-side - a faster and shorter version of the main game. The action takes place within the cramped confines of an ice hockey rink. The oval track is 112 metres long and, aside from the obligatory fast start, cornering is the key skill. If you fall, you lose. You also go slithering into the padded boards surrounding the track. With as many as six racers in the heats this is elbows-out competition and tumbles are common.

The medals are decided by a number of heats followed by a semi-final and final. Men and women compete over 500m, 1000m and 1,500m. In addition there is a long-form relay for each gender, men over 5,000m and women over 3,000m. Typically, there are seven or eight changeovers with each competitor only skating for 1.5 laps at a time. There is no baton, instead competitors just have to tag each other. Realistically this means the waiting athlete crouches down and receives a sizeable shove from the incoming racer. Bloody carnage.

History
Speed Skating first put toe to ice in Holland in the 13th century, however the short-track version was developed in North America around a century ago. It become a demonstration event at the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and achieved full status in Albertville four years later. Guess which country took two golds that did not count in the last Canada games? Give you a clue. The winner was called Wilf O'Reilly and he came from Guildford.

Who to watch
Apolo Onho will surely add to his five Olympics medals. The issue is, in which discipline? However Lee Ho-Suk has been the No 1 skater since the Torino games taking world titles in 1,000m and 1,500m. Meanwhile Wang Meng could well sweep the board in the women's events. The Chinese athlete's dominance has flown in the face of the sport's unpredictable reputation.

Fact
At the Lillehammer games, Kim Yun-Mi - at the age of 13 years and 83 days - became the youngest gold medallist of all-time. She was a member of the South Korean team that won the women's 3,000m relay.

Best Bet
Meng is about as strong a favourite as Vonn in the downhill. Just choose your distance.

Tags: Ice-skating betting odds, Ice-skating betting tips, Richard Douglas, Short-track betting, Speed skating betting, Vancouver 2010 betting, Wang Meng, Winter Olympics betting odds