2018 Olympic Medal Picks: Predicting the Podium For All 102 Events
Which nation will top the table? SI's Brian Cazeneuve picks gold, silver and bronze medals for all 102 events at the 2018 Winter Olympics.These picks originally appeared in the Jauary 29-February 5 double issue of the magazine. His expected medal table is at the bottom.
Alpine Skiing
Men
Downhill
- Gold: Beat Feuz, Switzerland
- Silver: Aksel Lund Svindal, Norway
- Bronze: Max Franz, Austria
Svindal won a medal of every color in 2010.
Super-G
- Gold: Kjetil Jansrud, Norway
- Silver: Vincent Kriechmayr, Austria
- Bronze: Max Franz, Austria
Jansrud broke a knuckle in his Olympic debut in 2006.
Combined
- Gold: Marcel Hirscher, Austria
- Silver Kjetil Jansrud, Norway
- Bronze: Alexis Pinturault, France
Hirscher lost gold at worlds by .01 of a second
Giant Slalom
- Gold: Marcel Hirscher, Austria
- Silver: Henrik Kristoffersen, Norway
- Bronze: Alexis Pinturault, France
Hirscher fractured his left ankle in August.
Slalom
- Gold: Marcel Hirscher, Austria
- Silver: Henrik Kristoffersen, Norway
- Bronze: Michael Matt, Austria
Hirscher has won six straight overall World Cup titles.
Women
Downhill
- Gold: Lindsey Vonn, U.S.
- Silver: Tina Weirather, Liechtenstein
- Bronze: Sofia Goggia, Italy
Liechtenstein’s nine medals have all come in Alpine skiing.
Super-G
- Gold: Lara Gut, Switzerland
- Silver: Tina Weirather, Liechtenstein
- Bronze: Federica Brignone, Italy
Mikaela Shiffrin only skied two Super-Gs this season, but she could strike here, too.
Combined
- Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.
- Silver: Sofia Goggia, Italy
- Bronze: Wendy Holdener, Switzerland
Goggia missed the Sochi Games with a torn left ACL.
Giants Slalom
- Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.
- Silver: Tessa Worley, France
- Bronze: Viktoria Rebensburg, Germany
Croatia’s Janica Kosteli´c’s four Alpine medals in 2002 are the most in one Games.
Slalom
- Gold: Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S.
- Silver: Frida Hansdotter, Sweden
- Bronze: Petra Vlhova, Slovakia
Shiffrin has been in the top three in 25 of the last 26 World Cup slaloms.
Mixed team
- Gold: Austria
- Silver: France
- Bronze: Switzerland
Austria has won 114 Olympic Alpine medals. The Swiss are next with 59.
Biathlon
Men
10K Sprint
- Gold: Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway
- Silver: Martin Fourcade, France
- Bronze: Arnd Peiffer, Germany
Fourcade’s older brother, Simon, is a threetime Olympian.
12.5K Pursuit
- Gold: Martin Fourcade, France
- Silver: Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway
- Bronze: Anton Shipulin, Russia
Fourcade’s hometown, Ceret (pop. 7,700), is said to produce the world’s sweetest cherries.
15K Mass Start
- Gold: Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway
- Silver: Martin Fourcade, France
- Bronze: Tarjei Bø, Norway
Tarjei, 29, is five years older than brother Johannes.
20K Individual
- Gold: Johannes Thingnes Bø, Norway
- Silver: Martin Fourcade, France
- Bronze: Ondřej Moavec, Czech Republic
World champ Lowell Bailey of the U.S. has been struggling.
4 x 7.5K Relay
- Gold: Norway
- Silver: France
- Bronze: Germany
Career medal leader Ole Einar Bjørndalen didn’t make Norway’s team.
Women
7.5K Sprint
- Gold: Anastasiya Kuzmina, Slovakia
- Silver: Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Finland
- Bronze: Laura Dahlmeier, Germany
Kuzmina’s brother, Anton Shipulin, competes in biathlon for Russia.
10K Pursuit
- Gold: Dorothea Wierer, Italy
- Silver: Anastasiya Kuzmina, Slovakia
- Bronze: Darya Domracheva, Belarus
Kuzmina’s husband, Daniel Kuzmin, competed for Israel in cross-country until 2011.
12.5K Mass Start
- Gold: Laura Dahlmeier, Germany
- Silver: Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Finland
- Bronze: Darya Domracheva, Belarus
Dahlmeier won five golds at worlds.
15K Individual
- Gold: Kaisa Mäkäräinen, Finland
- Silver: Nadezhda Skardino, Belarus
- Bronze: Valj Semerenko, Ukraine
Mäkäräinen plans to teach physics.
4 x 6.5K Relay
- Gold: Germany
- Silver: France
- Bronze: Ukraine
Eric Heiden’s niece, Joanne Reid, is on the U.S. team.
Mixed Relay
- Gold: Germany
- Silver: France
- Bronze: Russia
Biathlon is the only winter sport in which the U.S. has never won a medal.
Bobsled
Men
Two-man
- Gold: Germany (driver: Francesco Friedrich)
- Silver: Canada (driver: Justin Kripps)
- Bronze: Germany (driver: Johannes Lochner)
Kripps was born in Naalehu, Hawaii.
Four-man
- Gold: Germany (driver: Johannes Lochner)
- Silver: Germany (driver: Nico Walther)
- Bronze: Germany (driver: Francesco Friedrich)
Friedrich’s brother David spent three months in a coma after a sled crash in 2005.
Women
Two-women
- Gold: Canada (driver: Kaillie Humphries)
- Silver: U.S. (driver: Elana Meyers Taylor)
- Bronze: Germany (driver: Stephanie Schneider)
Meyers Taylor’s husband, bobsledder Nic Taylor, proposed while she was on a podium.
Cross-Country Skiing
Men
1.4K Sprint (Classical)
- Gold: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway
- Silver: Emil Iversen, Norway
- Bronze: Federico Pellegrino, Italy
Klæbo is an active vlogger on YouTube with 30,000 subscribers.
Team Sprint (Freestyle)
- Gold: Italy
- Silver: Norway
- Bronze: Sweden
The Russians who won Sochi silver have been banned for doping.
15K Freestyle
- Gold: Dario Cologna, Switzerland
- Silver: Maurice Manificat, France
- Bronze: Alex Harvey, Canada
Harvey’s dad, Pierre, was an Olympian in cycling and cross-country.
30K Skiathlon
- Gold: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Norway
- Silver: Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Norway
- Bronze: Maurice Manificat, France
Sundby has won three overall World Cup titles but never Olympic gold.
50K Mass Start (Classical)
- Gold: Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Norway
- Silver: Alex Harvey, Canada
- Bronze: Alexey Poltoranin, Kazakhstan
Sochi winner Alexander Legkov was banned for doping.
4 x 10K Relay
- Gold: Norway
- Silver: Russia
- Bronze: Sweden
Norway leads all countries with 40 crosscountry gold medals.
Women
1.2K Sprint (Classical)
- Gold: Maiken Caspersen Falla, Norway
- Silver: Stina Nilsson, Sweden
- Bronze: Jessie Diggins, U.S.
At worlds, Nilsson crashed out in the semis.
Team Sprint (Freestyle)
- Gold: Sweden
- Silver: U.S.
- Bronze: Norway
The U.S. was eighth in 2014.
10K Freestyle
- Heidi Weng, Norway
- Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, Norway
- Jessie Diggins, U.S.
Weng sleeps 12 hours per day.
15K Skiathlon
- Gold: Charlotte Kalla, Sweden
- Silver: Heidi Weng, Norway
- Bronze: Marit Bjørgen, Norway
Kalla made up a 25-second deficit to lead Sweden to Sochi gold in the 4×5K relay.
30K Mass Start (Classical)
- Gold: Heidi Weng, Norway
- Silver: Charlotte Kalla, Sweden
- Bronze: Marit Bjørgen, Norway
Bjørgen’s partner is two-time Nordic combined gold medal winner Fred Børre Lundberg.
4 x 5K Relay
- Gold: Norway
- Silver: Sweden
- Bronze: Finland
Norway leads all countries with 107 total cross-country medals.
Curling
Men
- Gold: Canada
- Silver: Sweden
- Bronze: Switzerland
The U.S. is ranked fourth in the world.
Women
- Gold: Canada
- Silver: Great Britain
- Bronze: Sweden
Two thirds of curling stones come from the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig.
Mixed Doubles
- Gold: Switzerland
- Silver: Canada
- Bronze: China
The Swiss nipped Canada 6–5 at worlds.
Figure Skating
Men
- Gold: Nathan Chen, U.S.
- Silver: Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan
- Bronze: Shoma Uno, Japan
Sochi champion Hanyu played a Samurai lord in a 2016 film.
Women
- Gold: Alina Zagitova, Russia
- Silver: Evgenia Medvedeva, Russia
- Bronze: Gabrielle Daleman, Canada
Zagitova, 15, beat world champ Medvedeva at the European Championships.
Pairs
- Gold: Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, Germany
- Silver: Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, China
- Bronze: Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, Canada
Savchenko used to skate for her native Ukraine, Massot for his native France.
Ice Dancing
- Gold: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Canada
- Silver: Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, France
- Bronze: Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, U.S.
All three U.S. duos are medal contenders.
Team
- Gold: Canada
- Silver: Russia
- Bronze: U.S.
Host Russia won the inaugural event in 2014.
Freestyle Skiing
Men
Aerials
- Gold: Anton Kushnir,Belarus
- Silver: Qi Guangpu, China
- Bronze: Maxim Burov, Russia
Defending champ Kushnir is in his fourth Olympics.
Halfpipe
- Gold: David Wise, U.S.
- Silver: Alex Ferreira, U.S.
- Bronze: Simon D’Artois, Canada
A U.S. sweep is possible.
Moguls
- Gold: Mikaël Kingsbury, Canada
- Silver: Dmitriy Reiherd, Kazakhstan
- Bronze: Ikuma Horishima, Japan
Horishima recently snapped Kingsbury’s record of 13 straight World Cup wins.
Ski Cross
- Gold: Alex Fiva, Switzerland
- Silver: Marc Bischofberger, Switzerland
- Bronze: Jean-Frédéric Chapuis, France
Fiva was born in Newport Beach, Calif.
Slopestyle
- Gold: Øystein Bråten, Norway
- Silver: Andri Ragettli, Switzerland
- Bronze: Ferdinand Dahl, Norway
The U.S. swept this event in Sochi and could return to the podium in PyeongChang.
Women
Aerials
- Gold: Xu Mengtao, China
- Silver: Hanna Huskova, Belarus
- Bronze: Lydia Lassila, Australia
Watch for U.S. veteran Ashley Caldwell.
Halfpipe
- Gold: Cassie Sharpe, Canada
- Silver: Brita Sigourney, U.S.
- Bronze: Marie Martinod, France
At 22, Martinod, now 33, quit skiing for six years to run a nightclub.
Moguls
- Gold: Jaelin Kauf, U.S.
- Silver: Britteny Cox, Australia
- Bronze: Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canada
Kauf’s parents, Scott and Patty, were moguls world champions.
Ski Cross
- Gold: Sandra Näslund, Sweden
- Silver: Fanny Smith, Switzerland
- Bronze: Georgia Simmerling, Canada
Simmerling won a bronze medal in team pursuit cycling in Rio.
Slopestyle
- Gold: Johanne Killi, Norway
- Silver: Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen, Norway
- Bronze: Jennie-Lee Burmansson, Sweden
Maggie Voisin, then 15, broke an ankle in Sochi; she’s now the U.S. hope.
Hockey
Men
- Gold: Sweden
- Silver: Russia
- Bronze: Canada
In six Olympics, Team Russia has yet to strike gold.
Women
- Gold: Canada
- Silver: U.S.
- Bronze: Finland
The U.S. and Canada have met for gold in all 18 world championships.
Luge
Men
Singles
- Gold: Felix Loch, Germany
- Silver: Wolfgang Kindl, Austria
- Bronze: Semen Pavlichenko, Russia
In 2010, Loch, then 20, became the youngest Olympic luge champ in history.
Doubles
- Gold: Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken, Germany
- Silver: Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt, Germany
- Bronze: Peter Penz and Georg Fischler, Austria
A German doubles team has won a medal in each Olympics since 1968.
Women
Singles
- Gold: Natalie Geisenberger, Germany
- Silver: Dajana Eitberger, Germany
- Bronze: Summer Britcher, U.S.
German-speaking women have won 40 of 42 Olympic medals.
Mixed
Relay
- Gold: Germany
- Silver: Austria
- Bronze: Italy
The U.S. and Canada are medal contenders.
Nordic Combined
Normal Hill
- Gold: Johannes Rydzek, Germany
- Silver: Jan Schmid, Norway
- Bronze: Jørgen Graabak, Norway
Rydzek lost a Sochi medal when he clipped a rival’s skis on the last turn.
Large Hill
- Gold: Jan Schmid, Norway
- Silver: Johannes Rydzek, Germany
- Bronze: Akito Watabe, Japan
Watabe grew up within walking distance of the Nagano Olympic jumping venue.
Team
- Gold: Germany
- Silver: Norway
- Bronze: Finland
Norway nipped Germany by 0.3 of a second in Sochi.
Skeleton
Men
- Gold: Martins Dukurs, Latvia
- Silver: Yun Sung-bin, South Korea
- Bronze: Axel Jungk, Germany
Eight-time European champ Dukurs is still seeking his rst Olympic gold.
Women
- Gold: Jacqueline Lölling, Germany
- Silver: Tina Hermann, Germany
- Bronze: Elisabeth Vathje, Canada
Vathje is engaged to Austrian bobsledder Benjamin Maier.
Ski Jumping
Men
Normal Hill
- Gold: Kamil Stoch, Poland
- Silver: Stefan Kraft, Austria
- Bronze: Daniel-André Tande, Norway
Stoch won both the normal and large hill events in Sochi.
Large Hill
- Gold: Richard Freitag, Germany
- Silver: Kamil Stoch, Poland
- Bronze: Andreas Wellinger, Germany
Watch for Japan’s eight-time Olympian Noriaki Kasai, 45.
Team
- Gold: Germany
- Silver: Poland
- Bronze: Norway
The U.S. has a single medal (Anders Haugen’s bronze in 1924) in the sport.
Women
Normal Hill
- Gold: Maren Lundby, Norway
- Silver: Katharina Althaus, Germany
- Bronze: Sara Takanashi, Japan
Takanashi entered Sochi with 15 of 18 wins, but came in fourth.
Snowboarding
Men
Big Air
- Gold: Mark McMorris, Canada
- Silver: Chris Corning, U.S.
- Bronze: Marcus Kleveland, Norway
Kleveland was the first rider to land a quad cork 1800 in Big Air competition.
Halfpipe
- Gold: Scotty James, Australia
- Silver: Shaun White, U.S.
- Bronze: Iouri Podladtchikov, Switzerland
In 2010, James, 15, became Australia’s youngest male Olympian in 50 years.
Parallel Giant Slalom
- Gold: Nevin Galmarini, Switzerland
- Silver: Alexander Payer, Austria
- Bronze: Roland Fischnaller, Italy
Reigning world champ Andreas Prommegger of Austria, 37, is still a threat.
Slopestyle
- Gold: Red Gerard, U.S.
- Silver: Marcus Kleveland, Norway
- Bronze: Hiroaki Kunitake, Japan
Gerard grew up with a terrain park in his Colorado backyard.
Snowboard Cross
- Gold: Alex Pullin, Australia
- Silver: Pierre Vaultier, France
- Bronze: Alessandro Haemmerle, Austria
Pullin is also a guitar player, songwriter and singer.
Women
Big Air
Gold: Anna Gasser, Austria
Silver: Miyabi Onitsuka, Japan
Bronze: Julia Marino, U.S.
Watch for 17-year-old X Games champ Hailey Langland of the U.S.
Halfpipe
- Gold: Chloe Kim, U.S.
- Silver: Maddie Mastro, U.S.
- Bronze: Kelly Clark, U.S.
This would be the fourth podium for the 34-year-old Clark.
Parallel Giant Slalom
- Gold: Ester Ledecká, Czech Republic
- Silver: Selina Joerg, Germany
- Bronze: Julia Dujmovits, Austria
Ledecká’s grandfather, Jan Klapác, won two Olympic ice hockey medals.
Slopestyle
- Gold: Christy Prior, New Zealand
- Silver: Jamie Anderson, U.S.
- Bronze: ReiraIwabuchi, Japan
British-native Prior didn’t snowboard until she was 17.
Snowboard Cross
- Gold: Michela Moioli, Italy
- Silver: Lindsey Jacobellis, U.S.
- Bronze: Chloe Trespeuch, France
Jacobellis has won 10 X Games gold medals, but she crashed in the last three Olympics.
Speed Skating (Long-Track)
Men
500 Meters
- Gold: Ronald Mulder, Netherlands
- Silver: Kai Verbij, Netherlands
- Bronze: Håvard Holmefjord Lorentzen, Norway
Mulder’s twin, Michel, won the 500-meter long-track event in Sochi and came in third at 1,000 meters.
1,000 Meters
- Gold: Kjeld Nuis, Netherlands
- Silver: Kai Verbij, Netherlands
- Bronze: Vincent De Haître, Canada
De Haître was Canada’s 1,000-meter track cycling champ in 2013.
1,500 Meters
- Gold: Denis Yuskov, Russia
- Silver: Koen Verweij, Netherlands
- Bronze: Kjeld Nuis, Netherlands
Born in Moscow, Yuskov, who thought he was going to soccer practice at his first training session, grew up in Moldova.
5,000 Meters
- Gold: Sven Kramer, Netherlands
- Silver: Ted-Jan Bloemen, Canada
- Bronze: Nicola Tumolero, Italy
Dual citizen Bloemen is a Dutch native.
10,000 Meters
- Gold: Sven Kramer, Netherlands
- Silver: Jorrit Bergsma, Netherlands
- Bronze: Patrick Beckert, Germany
Kramer’s girlfriend, Naomi van As, won two Olympic golds in field hockey.
Team Pursuit
- Gold: Netherlands
- Silver: Norway
- Bronze: Canada
Dutch skaters won eight of 12 races in Sochi.
Mass Start
- Gold: Lee Seung-hoon, South Korea
- Silver: Joey Mantia, U.S.
- Bronze: Sven Kramer, Netherlands
Mantia twice won Pan-Am Games golds in in-line skating.
Women
500 Meters
- Gold: Nao Kodaira, Japan
- Silver: Lee Sang-hwa, South Korea
- Bronze: Arisa Go, Japan
Two-time Olympic champ Lee turns 29 on the day of the closing ceremony.
1,000 Meters
- Gold: Nao Kodaira, Japan
- Silver: Miho Takagi, Japan
- Bronze: Heather Bergsma, U.S.
Bergsma and her Dutch husband, Jorrit, have combined for 23 worlds medals.
1,500 Meters
- Gold: Miho Takagi, Japan
- Silver: Marrit Leenstra, Netherlands
- Bronze: Ireen Wüst, Netherlands
Takagi was a 2010 Olympian at age 15.
3,000 Meters
- Gold: Martina Sábliková, Czech Republic
- Silver: Claudia Pechstein, Germany
- Bronze: Antoinette de Jong, Netherlands
European 3K champ Esmee Visser made the Dutch team only at 5K.
5,000 Meters
- Gold: Martina Sábliková, Czech Republic
- Silver: Natalia Voronina, Russia
- Bronze: Claudia Pechstein, Germany
Sábliková is a former national cycling champ in the time trial.
Mass Start
- Gold: Francesca Lollobrigida, Italy
- Silver: Kim Bo-reum, South Korea
- Bronze: Guo Dan, China
The mass start returns to the Olympics after an 86-year layoff.
Team Pursuit
- Gold: Netherlands
- Silver: Japan
- Bronze: Germany
Dutch skaters won 23 medals in Sochi; Poland was next with three.
Speed Skating (Short-Track)
Men
500 Meters
- Gold: Wu Dajing, China
- Silver: Shaolin Sándor Liu, Hungary
- Bronze: Samuel Girard, Canada
Wu says his sports hero is Michael Phelps.
1,000 Meters
- Gold: Shaolin Sándor Liu, Hungary
- Silver: WuDajing,China
- Bronze: Hwang Dae-heon, South Korea
Sándor’s girlfriend is Elise Christie.
1,500 Meters
- Gold: Hwang Dae-heon, South Korea
- Silver: Charles Hamelin, Canada
- Bronze: Sjinkie Knegt, Netherlands
In 2014, Knegt became the first Dutch person to win a short-track medal.
5,000-Meter Relay
- Gold: South Korea
- Silver: Canada
- Bronze: Netherlands
The U.S. team could nab a medal.
Women
500 Meters
- Gold: Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
- Silver: Marianne St-Gelais, Canada
- Bronze: Elise Christie, Great Britain
South Korea has never won gold or silver at 500.
1,000 Meters
- Gold: Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
- Silver: Kim Boutin, Canada
- Bronze: Elise Christie,Great Britain
Christie has dyed her hair a dozen different colors before events.
1,500 Meters
- Gold: Choi Min-jeong, South Korea
- Silver: Shim Suk-hee, South Korea
- Bronze: Kim Boutin, Canada
In 2015, Choi was world champ at age 16.
3,000-Meter Relay
- Gold: South Korea
- Silver: China
- Bronze: Canada
All but five of South Korea’s 26 winter golds have come in short track.
Projected medal count
Here's the top of the medal table if all these projections are correct. The U.S. will match its total from Sochi, while Norway tops the table and depleted Russia (er, Olympic Athletes of Russia) takes a fall.
