The final men’s discipline of Alpine Skiing is the Slalom and it will take place on Saturday February 23 and has a start time of 7:45 am (ET). The event will be televised live at www.nbcolympics.com or you can check your local listings to find out when you can catch the action on television. Odds for the top 13 in the event are listed below, with a slightly detailed look at the top 5 in the field.
Marcel Hirscher (Austria) is the favorite at 8/5 odds. Marcel has only participated in the Giant Slalom in these games and he finished 5th in that event. Hirscher enters the slalom competition with a fourth and two fifths in Olympic competition over the past two Olympics. He is the overall number 1 ranked skier in the Slalom in the World Cup standings and finished 3rd in 2012. Of his 22 career victories, 12 of them have come in the Slalom. This is his best event and he is the best in the world at it, so I would expect him on the podium somewhere.
Felix Neureuther (Germany) is next at 4/1 odds. Like Marcel, Felix has only competed in the Giant Slalom in these games and he finished 11th in that event. Felix finished the 2013 ranked second in the Slalom World Cup rankings and in 2014 he already has 2 slalom wins, a 2nd place finish and a 3rd place finish, so he is coming in with so momentum Of his 8 career wins, six have come in the Slalom. He will be a contender for sure.
Henrik Kristoffersen (Norway) is next on the list at 9/2 odds. This Is Henrick’s only appearance in Sochi and 2013 has been his only year that he has been skiing in World Cup competition. He fished 2013 ranked 22nd in the world in the Slalom, but has had a decent 2014 thus far, with a win, a 2nd place finish and two 3rd place finishes so far. He attained his first World Cup podium in Novembe2 2013, a third place finish in slalom at Levi, Finland. The way he has skied in 2014 gives a great shot at taking a medal in this event.
Alexis Pinturault (France) is next at 8/1 odds. Alexis took part in the Giant Slalom and also took home the bronze in that event. Aexis finished 9th in the World Cup standings for the Slalom in 2013. He has 6 career wins with 2 of them being in the Slalom and of his 22 career podium, just 3 of them have been in the Slalom. He is more than capable of making a podium visit here, even though this isn’t his better event. He does have a win in the Slalom back in January in Switzerland.
Mario Matt (Austria) is next at 9/1 odds. This is Mario’s only event at the 2014 Sochi games. He has been racing since 2000 and has 11 career finishes in the top 10 Slalom World Cup standing. His best finish was back in 2007, when he finished 2nd in the world. He has 15 career wins, with 14 of them being in the Slalom, while 39 of his career 41 podiums have come in the Slalom. Despite a solid career in this event he has just 1 prior trip to the Olympics and that was in 2006. He has no Olympic medals, but he is a clear threat to take one here.
Next 5 Skier Odds... Andre Myhrer- Sweden (16/1)... Mattias Hargin- Sweden (16/1)... Patrick Thaler- Italy (22/1)... Jean-Baptiste Grange- France (25/1)... Manfred Molgg- Italy (25/1)... Fritz Dopfer- Germany (28/1)... Ivica Kostelic- Croatia (33/1)... Steve Missillier- France (40/1)
Prediction: This is Marcel Hirscher's race to lose. This is his best event and he is the top Slalom skier in the world. Taking the Silver I like Alexis Pinturault, while I will go with Mattias Hargin for the bronze. Would love to take a look at Henrik Kristofferson, but I think he is just a bit too green, having only been in competition for one year. He has the ability but I feel that Olympic pressure nay just get to him.
Many thanks to Wikipedia and Bleacher Report for providing the info needed for this article.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
RJ Bell Talks Daily Fantasy Sports — LISTEN on Soundcloud
The Myth Regarding Sharps vs Squares
Brady Kannon and host Steve Fezzik from Pregame.com, discuss the myths regarding the Sharps vs the Squares theory.