Winter Olympics preview: Super Combined

Object Of The Game

First, get down the hill fast, then get down the hill fast again, but this time go through the closely spaced together gates. It’s not the most imaginative of titles as the Super Combined event is literally a combination of Downhill and Slalom with the total aggregated time from both deciding the winner. The baby of Alpine Skiing, this event made its Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Games.

Details

• 52 male competitors; 52 female competitors.

• Combined time of one downhill run and one slalom run.

Schedule

All times EST.

Most Likely Podium (Men)

1. Ivica Kostelic (Croatia): A silver medalist in this event four years ago, Kostellic won silver again at the 2013 World Championships, before taking Slalom gold. At 34, he’ll look to leave his last Olympics on top.

2. Ted Ligety (United States): The gold medalist in this event at Vancouver and the 2013 World Championships, there’s little reason to doubt another top performance from the American.

3. Alexis Pinturault (France): The young gun on the scene, Pinturault was first overall on the World Cup circuit in Super Combined last season.

Most Likely Podium (Women)

1. Tina Maze (Slovenia): First overall in last season’s World Cup standings hasn’t slowed Maze down at all. She’s the best all around skier on the circuit, and this event will let her show off that fact.

2. Maria Hoefl-Riesch (Germany): The gold medalist four years ago has still got it going on, winning the event yet again at the 2013 World Championships.

3. Nicole Hosp (Austria): The veteran’s Olympic swan song would sound all the better with a podium finish to add to her silver medal from the 2006 Games. With her gold medal at the 2013 World Championships in the team event, she’s won seven Championship medals since 2007.

2013 FIS World Championships (Men)

1. Ted Ligety (United States)

2. Ivica Kostelic (Croatia)

3. Romed Baumann (Austria)

2013 FIS World Championships (Women)

1. Maria Hoefl-Reisch (Austria)

2. Tina Maze (Slovenia)

3. Anna Fenninger (Austria)

2010 Winter Olympics Podium (Men)

1. Bode Miller (Men)

2. Ivica Kostelic (Croatia)

3. Silvan Zurbriggen (Switzerland)

2010 Winter Olympics Podium (Women)

1. Maria Hoefl-Reisch (Germany)

2. Julia Mancuso (United States)

3. Anja Parson (Sweden)