2018 Olympic Predictions

[Bart Parnell]

Here goes:

Women's
GS: Rebensburg
SL: Vlhová
Combined: Who Cares?
SG: Gut
DH: Goggia

Men's
DH: Feuz
Combined: Worthless Event
SG: Svindal
GS: Hirscher
SL: Hirscher

Team Event: Austria

I think Vonn won't do well on hard manmade snow on a track she hasn't run 20 times before. She has every advantage here but luck and fate still matter.

And Shiffrin will be too nervous due to media pressure and expectations like Bode in 2006, she'll redeem herself in 2022. I feel hugely sorry for her, it's the penalty for the USST focusing everything on one star for almost ten years and pushing every marketing opportunity, milking the cow to death.

None of the other Americans have a chance and the USST will continue as it has been afterwards, hitching everything to Mikeala's single star while blowing resources on staff, studies, and management techniques. I'd love to see some college and independent racers blow the doors off this organization.

 

[Tricia]

Great thread. I have some thoughts, but for now, ...
I will predict that it will be cold! Really Cold!
That's a big change from Sochi, eh?

 

[robertc3]

I'll play.

Women's
GS: Worley
SL: Shiffrin
Combined: Shiffrin
SG: Gut
DH: Vonn

Men's
DH: Feuz
Combined: Jansrud
SG: Svindal
GS: Hirscher
SL: Hirscher

Team Event: Austria

 

[James]

Shiffrin will be fine. She'll just puke at the start like she used to. She's had some time to train slalom which is what she needed.

Vonn will also hammer. I'll predict gold in dh, but seeing as margins are likely to be so small there if she's second or third it's hardly a failure.

Women-
Dh- Vonn gold, Goggia silver, Mowinkle bronze
Shiffrin- gold slalom, combined, bronze gs
Gs- Rebensburg gold, Worley silver, Shiffrin bronze
Super G- Weirather gold, Veith silver, Gut bronze

 

[HardDaysNight]

Predictions are always dangerous, especially ones about the future!

 

[James]

Men:
Dh
Going to go off here- Mathias Mayer gold, Dominik Paris silver, Beat Feuz bronze

Sg
Svindal gold, Jansrud silver, Adrian Theaux bronze
Gs
Hirscher gold, Pinterault silver, Manny Feller bronze!

Sl
Hirscher Gold, HK silver (yet again), Daniel Yule bronze

People, go here and click on men, women, and each event for the standings. Then take a stab at it. Your guess is as good as any. There's always surprises in the Olympics, esp in downhill. It's like a March madness pool, seems like the less you know, the better.

FIS WCup Standings

 

[Swede]

Ok, just to add to the fire...

Swiss will win the team event.
Hector Women’s GS.
Shiffrin Women’s SL
Vonn SG and DH.
Gisin combined. Mowinkel a contender.

Hirscher SL and GS (I think Ted might be a contender in GS as well as Mats Olsson).
SG ... that is hard, but Janserud
Feutz DH
Combined to ... Luca Aerni...

 

[Erik Timmerman]

My prediction - the North Korean athletes are actually secret assassins or saboteurs.

 

[Franzz]

Drama Vonn will pancake on those mega jump and stay down for days without being hurt.

 

[Tricia]

Someone in her 5th Olympics is Kelly Clark.
I know she's a snowboarder, so not someone who'd be on the radar of those of us on a ski website, but Dang!
She's come back from some serious stuff and is heading to her 5th Olympics!
I can't help but watch her, riveted to see how she does.
Her USSA page
https://usskiandsnowboard.org/athletes/kelly-clark

 

[Muleski]

Kelly Clark has been at it a long time, and it's neat to see her there.

My alpine best guess:

Women:
DH: Vonn
SG: Goggia {a Vonn double will not surprise me}
GS: Worley {Podium with Rebensberg and MS perhaps}
SL: MS. I bet her/their entire focus is on this. Fingers crossed as it will be ugly if it does not happen.
Combined: MS {assuming she skis it}

Men:
DH: Fuetz {My least confident pick. My emotional pick is Svindal. Olympic DH gold can come form anywhere!}
SG: Jansrud {same as above re: Svindal}
GS: Hirscher {I'd bet the farm on this one}
SL: Hirscher {He's in HK's head, IMO}
Combined: If he really pushes it, Hirscher. Aerni is a very good bet.

Team: I like the Swiss over the Austrians. Nobody else close.

I'm going to love watching Hirscher. Very curious as to how close we are to the end of his career. I'm thinking one more year. Watch him every moment possible while it lasts!

I've become much more of a Vonn fan since this summer. Intense focus, great work ethic. I think her set up is very, very good {can say the same, BTW about Hirscher and MS....never better}. She is dialed and she is showing the "old" incredible competitive spirit, with a doe of fun thrown in. I would have bet no chance whatsoever that she's ever get 87 wins {and a few years ago I thought 100 was doable} not long ago, now I think she'll do it, and stick around for it. I'm impressed. And I was not a year and two ago.

 

[Rudi Riet]

My $0.02, FWIW:

Women:
SL: Shiffrin, Hansdotter, Vlhova (dark horse: Schild)
GS: Worley, Shiffrin, Rebensburg (dark horse: Goggia)
SG: Goggia, Weirather, Gut (dark horses: Veith and Vonn)
DH: Vonn, Weirather, Gut (dark horse: Shiffrin, tho it's not her kind of course, and Johnson)
Combined: Shiffrin (if she races it), Goggia, Rebensburg

Men:
DH: Mayer, Feuz, Svindal (dark horses: Jansrud or Bennett)
SG: Svindal, Jansrud, Reichelt (dark horses: Kriechmayr or Kilde)
GS: Hirscher, Pinturault, Kristoffersen (dark horse: Ligety)
SL: Hirscher, Kristoffersen, Muffat-Jeandet (dark horses: Matt, Myhrer, Ryding)
Combined: Hirscher, Jansrud, Fill (dark horse: Ligety)

Team: Switzerland, Austria, Norway

So many variables in this field. The safest bets are Hirscher in GS and SL, as he's head-and-tails ahead of the rest of the field. Shiffrin is the best SL skier among the women, but she needs to have her mental game sorted out. Worley is the best GS skier among the women (has been all season, to my eyes), and she seems to have dialed things in at the right time. Vonn is on fire in DH heading into the games, though the course is one with which she isn't as familiar.

Should be some fun watching!

 

[S.H.]

Have to say, with all these predictions, the biggest surprise to me is that nobody has picked Pinturault in the Combined.

 

[Muleski]

Have to say, with all these predictions, the biggest surprise to me is that nobody has picked Pinturault in the Combined.

I agree. I have this hunch. Logical pick is Pintu. My season long fanboy crush on Hirscher comes into play, assuming he races. I think he can stick with Pintu in the speed, and crush him in the SL....if all goes well. Then again.....I know NOTHING about the hills.

Heck, the Olympics. Always fun.

 

[Andrew]

What about slopestyle?!?! (or do we only care about racing)
Mens:
Gold: Jesper Tjäder - Swedish
Silver: Henrik Harlaut - Swedish
Bronze: Andri Ragetti / Oystein Braaten

 

[Muleski]

What about slopestyle?!?! (or do we only care about racing)

Thanks for posting that! I think that we "care" and are interested in it all. Some of us, like me, know absolutely NOTHING about the slopestyle medal contenders! Doesn't mean we're not interested and don't appreciate the insight!

Thanks!

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for posting that! I think that we "care" and are interested in it all. Some of us, like me, know absolutely NOTHING about the slopestyle medal contenders! Doesn't mean we're not interested and don't appreciate the insight!

Thanks!

Slopestyle is even more volatile score wise compared to racing because it's not about speed or times. It's subjected to a judge panel.

 

[Muleski]

I do know that much ^^^^^. My son's two ski academy roommates went on to quite a bit of success as pro slope style guys.
I'm about 6-8 years removed from the game. What I do see gets more impressive every single year, every contest. It's not the alpine racing world that I've been involved in "forever", but it's fun to watch. At this time, I realize how I really like watching most every on snow competition. The works: XC, Jumping, snowboarding......the whole slate.

Any North American Slopestyle contenders that we should keep an eye on?

 

[Swede]

Slopestyle ... and ski cross ... Sweden has good chances.
For the team event, I said Switzerland #1, but I think their contender will be Sweden. Not the Norsemen. Austrians too weak on the women’s side.

 

[Andrew]

I do know that much ^^^^^. My son's two ski academy roommates went on to quite a bit of success as pro slope style guys.
I'm about 6-8 years removed from the game. What I do see gets more impressive every single year, every contest. It's not the alpine racing world that I've been involved in "forever", but it's fun to watch. At this time, I realize how I really like watching most every on snow competition. The works: XC, Jumping, snowboarding......the whole slate.

Any North American Slopestyle contenders that we should keep an eye on?

Oh you want TEAM AMERICA EH?

• Bobby Brown
• Gus Kentworthy
• Nick Goepper