Key Olympic dates and events to watch

Published February 12, 2010 5:00am ET



Women’s Snowboard Cross: Tues. Feb. 16, 3:15 p.m. » Always an unpredictable event anyway, this sport debuted in Torino and earned its place on the map thanks to a mistake by American Lindsey Jacobellis. She showboated on her final jump and fell, losing out on the gold medal. Jacobellis will battle Canada’s Maelle Ricker and Norway’s Helene Olafsen, among others.

More OlympicsFollow our daily coverage with our Olympics RSS feed.» All eyes on Ohno in Vancouver» The Olympics are all about pressure and Vancouver should prove no different» Vancouver: An outdoor enthusiast’s dream» Key Olympic dates and events to watch» Olympics preview: America’s best» Jim Williams: Costas, Michaels will lead NBC coverage

Ice Dancing Free Skate: Mon. Feb. 22, 7:45 p.m. » Excellent chance for multiple United States medals. Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto became stars after their silver-medal dance in Torino. But Meryl Davis and Charlie White have won the last two U.S. titles. Can they handle the pressure of their first Olympics?

Ladies’ Free Skate: Thu. Feb. 25, 8 p.m. » Interest at home may be down because there is no established American star. But this event is always one of the most anticipated. South Korea’s Kim Yu-na is the heavy favorite with Japan’s Mao Asada — the 2008 world champion — expected to mount a challenge.

Men’s Short-Track Speedskating 5,000-meter: Fri. Feb. 26, 10:50 p.m. » Maybe the most chaotic event in the Olympics. Each country uses four skaters and wipeouts are common. South Korea is the favorite, but both Canada — with its home crowd — and the United States will make a push. Laurel, Md.’s Simon Cho, 18, skates for the U.S. team.

Hockey gold-medal game: Sun. Feb. 28, 3:15 p.m. » The game all of Canada is waiting for. They just hope their boys are in it. The Canadians — led by Sidney Crosby — are favored on home ice. But Sweden and Russia can match their talent. And look out for darkhorse teams from the United States, Finland and the Czech Republic.

[email protected]