2010 Winter Olympics – Speed Skating Betting Preview

The United States hasn’t enjoyed any other event in the winner’s circle more often than speed skating. While it certainly doesn’t have the glory of ice hockey, nor the historical significance of the alpine ski events, it remains a thrilling event and one where you can stockpile your Vancouver Winter Olympics bets for solid payback. Speed skating as a sport has undergone a huge overhaul and transformation since it was first featured in the 1924 games, with a women’s bracket being added at the 1960 Winter Olympics.

You’ve probably seen a form of speed skating sometime on television and thought that it was pretty much like a real-life version of the 1975 movie Rollerball. It can be just as fun to watch as you think it would be, especially with skaters bumping and throwing each other out of the way as they race around a short track made of ice. The distances at the Vancouver 2010 Games will be the 500m, 1000m and 1500m sprints and the longer distances of 5000m and 10,000m.

Americans have won a grand total of 63 medals in speed skating, leading all countries with 28 gold medal victories. At the 2006 Turin games, Apolo Ohno broke in to fame by winning the 500m gold medal, along with a pair of bronze medals in the 1000m sprint and the 5000m team relay. Ohno will be back for the 2010 Winter Olympics and battle South Korean champion Ahn Hyun-Soo who won three gold medals at the 2006 games in the 1000m and 1500m sprints while serving as anchor for the 5000m relay team.

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Norway and the Netherlands used to dominate this competition, and their history shows it. The Norwegians have taken home 79 total medals with 25 gold medals to boot, while the Netherlands is in second with 75 medals overall. Both countries lead the silver medal earnings with 28 overall.

As always, what makes speed skating enjoyable is the pursuit style of racing which causes racers to draft off one another. In the team pursuit, the final standings are decided by the first three skaters of any four-man team to cross the line, meaning one of those teammates is going to have to engage in the dreaded “death pull” where the rider hits full throttle out front so the teammates can draft and recharge behind them. As individual as a sport like speed skating might seem, the team events are just as enjoyable to watch and even more fun to bank on in the sportsbook.

The South Koreans will be out in full force to boost their medal totals again this year and lead the way by vote of our oddsmakers in the standings, but hot on their heels are the rest of the field. Place your bets and enjoy the races as our Locker Room keeps you in the know with all the news leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.