Alpine skiing at the Beijing Olympics: What are the events? Who are the big names? What is super-G?

Breakneck speeds and beautiful surroundings… it’s little marvel that alpine snowboarding gives the headline occasions on the Winter Olympics. The largest names hurl themselves down mountains on two skinny strips of heavily-engineered wooden, weaving between gates, in a race to the underside.

The tremendous margins imply solely 5 skiers have efficiently defended their Olympic titles, suggesting we’re in for one more explosive and unpredictable time at Beijing 2022.

We solely need to look again 4 years for arguably the largest shock within the historical past of the Winter Video games. Everybody was already packing up and making ready to crown Anna Veith (Austria) as super-G champion when little-known snowboarder Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic) abruptly stormed to the highest of the standings.

Ledecka would comply with up the triumph with victory within the parallel large slalom on her extra acquainted snowboard – turning into the primary individual in historical past to win gold medals on totally different tools on the identical Winter Video games.

The ladies’s area is stacked once more for China. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) is already within the GOAT dialog, regardless of being simply 26, and can be wanting so as to add to her two Olympics titles from Sochi 2014 (slalom) and Pyeongchang 2018 (large slalom).

She’s going to face stiff competitors from Petra Vlhova (Slovakia), the defending total FIS Alpine Ski World Cup champion who’s but to expertise the rostrum at an Olympics. Elsewhere, Lara Intestine-Behrami (Switzerland), Alice Robinson (New Zealand), Soffia Goggia (Italy), Corinne Suter (Switzerland) and Marta Bassino (Italy) are additionally set to mild up the slopes.

Within the males’s competitions, there’s a Marcel Hirscher-shaped gap. Now the legendary Austrian has retired, new names should come to the fore…

What are the occasions?

Alpine snowboarding is a catch-all time period for a collection of races. On the menu in Beijing:

• Downhill
• Tremendous-G
• Large slalom
• Slalom
• Mixed
• Workforce (blended)

Downhill: Just one factor issues: pace. Effectively, and remaining upright. There are gates for the skiers to navigate, however these comply with the pure circulate of the slope and are primarily there to forestall artful shortcuts. Skiers have been identified to high 100mph, whereas gradients can hit 85% and jumps can propel an athlete as much as 60 metres earlier than hitting the snow once more. It is all about discovering the perfect line whereas staying aerodynamic. Whoosh.

Tremendous-G: Aka tremendous large slalom. The joys of the downhill mixed with the intricacies of the enormous slalom. Excellent news for the athletes: the vertical drop will not be as extreme because the downhill. Now the dangerous information: no apply runs are allowed. As an alternative, the skiers have 90 minutes to digest the course on the morning of the race after which do the entire thing from reminiscence. What might go unsuitable?

Large slalom: Takes place throughout two programs on the identical day, with the occasions added collectively to seek out our champion. Extra technical than the super-G however rip-roaring pace nonetheless suggested.

Slalom: Arguably the trickiest of the lot. A number of quick turns packed collectively at a median of 1 gate per second, demanding the very best stage of technical prowess, focus and nerve from our hopefuls. Like the enormous slalom, the slalom options two totally different programs with occasions added collectively for the ultimate outcomes.

Mixed: This sees athletes sort out a downhill and a slalom – each on totally different programs to these used within the particular person occasions – with their two occasions, err, mixed to present the general rankings. Though the downhill usually takes twice as lengthy, it’s success/errors within the slalom that often determine the rostrum.

Blended workforce parallel slalom: Who doesn’t love a blended occasion? Skiers face off on similar programs, racing on the identical time facet by facet. 4 skiers from every nation – two males and two girls – have a collection of head-to-head battles. The workforce that wins 4-0 or 3-1 advances to the subsequent spherical. Within the occasion of a 2-2 tie, the workforce with the perfect combination time wins.

N.B. Solely athletes who full the primary course, and keep away from disqualification, progress to the ultimate spherical in large slalom and slalom. Athletes get one run within the downhill and Tremendous-G.

Workforce GB contributors and medal prospects

We’ve all fallen into the Dave ‘Rocket’ Ryding lure earlier than. Forward of Pyeongchang 2018, we have been speaking him up as a possible medallist within the males’s slalom. He completed ninth.

4 years on, he’s bought us believing once more. He bagged a podium on the Adelboden World Cup in January and completed fifth on the Val-d’Isere World Cup in December.

He stays Britain’s greatest medal hope in alpine snowboarding, so we’ve bought no selection however to leap aboard the Rocket hype prepare as soon as extra. No British athlete boasts an Olympic medal in alpine snowboarding, though Alain Baxter gained slalom bronze at Salt Lake Metropolis 2002, solely to have it stripped for testing constructive for a banned substance.

What are the principles?

Don’t miss a gate! Quickest wins! That’s mainly it.

Who gained the final Olympic gold medals in alpine snowboarding?

Eleven gold medals have been awarded at Pyeongchang 2018 within the numerous alpine snowboarding disciplines.

Aksel Lund Svindal (Norway – downhill), Matthias Mayer (Austria – super-G), Marcel Hirscher (Austria – large slalom and mixed) and Andre Myhrer (slalom) gained the boys’s titles.

Sofia Goggia (Italy – downhill), Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic – super-G), Mikaela Shiffrin (USA – large slalom), Frida Hansdotter (Sweden – slalom) and Michelle Gisin (Switzerland – mixed) claimed the ladies’s titles.

Switzerland gained the workforce competitors.

What’s the distinction between super-G and downhill?

The downhill is for daredevils. The course is extra vertical and longer (as much as 4.5 kilometres), whereas the super-G – aka the tremendous large slalom – calls for pace and technical prowess with extra twists and turns.

The super-G has one other trick up its sleeve: skiers should not allowed a apply run. As an alternative, they’ve 90 minutes to evaluate the course within the morning and bring it to mind. The upshot? Chaos is inevitable.

– – –