Winter Olympics Diary Day Four: Will to win can see Ricker home in Snowboard Cross

Vancouver Diary / Vince Shuley / 16 February 2010 / Leave a comment

Can Maelle Ricker land the hosts a much needed gold in the Snowboard Cross?

Vince Shuley explains the story behind the celebrated Dave Murray ski run and reports on a productive day for the Swiss and another disappointing one for the hosts.

The Dave Murray Downhill. There are no other ski runs on the mountains of Whistler Blackcomb that hold such a legacy. Dave Murray was one of the Crazy Canucks, the legendary group of Canadian ski racers that challenged the European domination of alpine ski racing in the 70's and 80's.

The countless times I have skied this run I have thought of it as just that - a ski run. Sure, it's fast and a lot of fun. But seeing the world's best alpine racers today, hurtling themselves down towards Whistler Creekside in pursuit of Olympic gold? If only the great man himself could be here to see this day. Dave Murray died of cancer in 1990 at just 37 years of age.

Monday was a productive day for the Swiss with two gold medals. Veteran racer Didier Defago clinched the Men's Downhill and Dario Cologna led the Men's 15km free in Cross Country Skiing. The women's hockey team were not so fortunate, losing 10-1 to Canada. To be fair, scoring a single goal against the ruthless Canadian women's hockey team does deserve some credit.

It was a mediocre day for the Canadian downhill racers. Manuel Osborne Paradis, who had more training time on Dave Murray Downhill than any other Olympic athlete, made multiple errors which left him in 17th place. Erik Guay was the best placing Canadian in fifth place.

Seth Westcott of the US solidified his position in Snowboard Cross by winning his second gold medal.

Best Bet: Women's Snowboard Cross Gold Medal- Maelle Ricker (CAN) @ [3.3]
Living just an hour away from the competition venue at Cypress Mountain, Ricker has all the home advantage. After being injured in Salt Lake City and crashing out in Torino, her shy and timid nature on the track has been replaced by a focused will to win.

Tags: snowboard cross betting, Vancouver 2010 betting, Winter Olympics betting odds