The finest athletes from countries around the world have gathered for the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. Some who are virtually unknown outside of their respective countries have the chance for worldwide fame should they pull off career performances in their respective events.
Other participants, like Italy's superstar skier Alberto Tomba, have the pressure of being gold-medal favorites and may find disappointment instead of medals as many are waiting to upstage them should they falter.Following is a thumbnail look at key athletes at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games.
Alpine Skiing
Men
- Alberto Tomba, Italy. Two-time gold medalist at the 1988 Games in Calgary is trying to become first male skier to win consecutive Olympic titles. Has five wins, three seconds and two third places in 10 World Cup races this season. Will start only two races at Albertville, skipping the super-giant slalom.
- Paul Accola, Switzerland. Was second to Tomba in the first slalom and giant slaloms of the season and overtook him as the overall World Cup leader in January.
- Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg. Has won four World Cups and is the only active skier who has won the championship. He started slowly this year, however, after having his left knee surgically reconstructed in the offseason.
The Super-G, a downhill-giant slalom hybrid, could be an Accola-Girardelli duel. Accola and Girardelli also are picks for the combined medal, which is awarded on the basis of aggregate results in a special slalom and downhill race.
- Franz Heinzer, Switzerland. The reigning world champion. One of the favorites in the downhill.
- Leonhard Stock, Austria. 1980 Olympic gold medalist. A favorite in the downhill.
- A.J. Kitt, United States. Will battle Heinzer and Stock in the downhill. Trying to become first American to win an Olympic gold medal in Alpine skiing since Phil Mahre captured the slalom at the 1984 Games, just days after Bill Johnson gave America its first and only downhill gold medal. Kitt is perhaps the best American downhiller ever.
- Kristian Ghedina, Italy. Italy's No. 1 downhiller enters the Albertville Olympics 10 months after a near fatal highway accident and says the compulsory rest and a late start in training may help him to win an Olympic medal. Hopes to become the first Italian since Zeno Colo in 1952 to capture a downhill title. Career includes two World Cup downhill wins in 1990 and a silver medal, in the combined event, at the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, last year.
Women
- Petra Kronberger, Austria. Only woman to have won gold medals in all five World Cup downhill events. A two-time World Cup champion who is expected to win five Olympic medals, at least some of them gold. In the 1988 Calgary Olympics, her best showing was sixth place in the downhill. She did not win a medal at the 1989 World Championships in Vail, Colo. Has won 15 races so far, and goes after a third consecutive overall title this year.
- Vreni Schneider, Swiss. Slalom and giant slalom champion in Calgary and the slalom world champion in 1991. Has been more consistent than Kronberger in major championships and has been Kronberger's closest rival for the last two World Cup overall titles.
- Diann Roffe, Pottsdam, N.Y. A veteran of the U.S. team who has had top 10 finishes this season in the giant slalom.
- Eva Twardokens, Santa Cruz, Calif. A veteran of the U.S. team who had top 10 finishes this season in the giant slalom.
- Julie Parisien, Auburn, Maine. Finished third in the slalom on Jan. 14 at Hinterstoder, Austria. Stunned the skiing world when she won the giant slalom last March at Waterville Valley, N.H., giving the United States its first World Cup win in four years.
Nordic skiing
- Vladimir Smirnov, the reigning men's World Cup cross-country ski champion from Russia looking for his first Olympic gold. The best gold medal prospect in the men's Nordic ski events for the Commonwealth of the Independent States' new "United Team." One of Smirnov's three World Cup wins last season came in a 30K classic-style race at Les Saises outside Albertville, where the Olympic cross-country events will be held. Won two individual Olympic medals, a bronze in the 15K and a silver in the 30K classic-style events, and a silver medal in the 40K freestyle relay in the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.
- Vegard Ulvang and Bjorn Dahlie of Norway dominated the pre-Olympic cross country meets and will both be looking for their first Olympic gold medals.
- Bill Koch. United States. Became four-time Olympian after dispute ended with him on U.S. team. Koch, 36 and coming back after six years off, 16 years ago in Innsbruck, Austria, became the only U.S. athlete to win an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing by placing runner-up in the 30K.
- Torgny Mogren. Sweden. A former World Cup champion also trying for his first Olympic gold. He's favored in the 50K, the sports blue-ribbon event that he won in last year's World Championships in Italy.
Women
The CIS team, led by World Cup champion and overall leader Elena Valbe, looks as strong as the former Soviet teams always were in the women's cross country skiing. But Italy could be a threat, especially in the relay. Stefania Belmondo, 23, won the final World Cup race (a 30K) before the Olympics to move into second overall, but no CIS skier competed.
Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi of Finland, at 36 the oldest women's entry, will be back. A triple Olympic champion in 1984, she has competed sparsely on the World Cup circuit this winter.
Ski jumping
- Toni Niemen, Finland. The first six World Cup events this season all have been won by jumpers using the new V style, where the tips of the skis are spread wide out scissors-style, while the tails of the skis are crossed. The style provides for greater lift and longer, more spectacular jumps and the new wave is led by the 16-year-old Nieminen, who has taken the torch from Matti Nykanen. Trying to become youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history. His two biggest competitors could also be teen-agers - Martin Hoellwarth, 17, and Werner Rathmayr, 19, of Austria.
Speed skating
Men
- Dan Jansen, the four-time World Cup champion, must overcome memory of falling twice in 1988 Games after the death of his sister. His 36.59 in the Olympic trials in Milwaukee is the world's fastest this winter.
- Uwe-Jens Mey. One of the few remaining remnants of the once-powerful East German Olympic machine. Defending Olympic 500-meter champion and four-time World Cup champion, won a World Cup race in the final Olympics tuneup Jan. 11-12 in Davos, Switzerland. Leads the World Cup standings 144-141, or about the width of a skate blade, over Jansen and also owns the world record of 36.43.
- Igor Zhelezovski, the top men's 1,000-meter skater last season, will skate in the Olympics under the new United Team banner, rather than that of the former Soviet Union
- Johan Olav Koss, Norway. Reigning world all-around champions. Owns world records in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and has won the last two world all-around titles.
- Geir Karlstad. Norway. Leads the men's 5,000-meter standings with teammate Koss third at 1,500 and 5,000. Japan's Toshiyuki Kuroiwa and Zhelezovski are 1-2 at 1,000 and teammates Falko Zandstra and Rintje Ritsma of the Netherlands are 1-2 at 1,500.
Women
- Bonnie Blair, Champaign, Ill. The only returning American gold medal winner in any sport. As good as she was in '88, she's been even better this season, winning three 500-meter World Cup races. Will also be a major player in the 1,000 meters, having set a rink record in Collalbo, Italy, while winning the final pre-Olympics World Cup race Jan. 12. She also qualified for Albertville in the 1,500, but hasn't decided whether she'll skate that race.
- Christa Luding, known then as Christa Rothenburger, defeated Blair at 1,000 meters in Calgary, but later got married and quit skating. She mounted a comeback last year, but has yet to repeat her world-record times.
- Angela Hauck, the 1990 world sprint champion for East Germany, skated terribly last year, but has improved to third in the World Cup 500-meter standings.
Figure skating
Men
- Kurt Browning, Canada - The three-time world champion and first skater to hit a quadruple jump in competition, Browning should be the favorite. But he has been sidelined by a bad back almost all season, disrupting his training.
A marvelous jumper and entertainer, Browning has improved every year since the 1988 Olympics, where he was eighth. At 25, he is headed for the touring shows - will he take a gold medal with him?
- Viktor Petrenko, CIS - Ever since his wonderfully artistic and creative long program at Calgary, Petrenko has been a budding champion.
- Todd Eldredge, United States - Having to skip nationals will hurt Eldredge, who won't be finely tuned at Albertville. He won't be there at all if his back continues plaguing him.
At 20, Eldredge figures to be a favorite for 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway. He does have all the skills to win at Albertville, however, giving the United States three straight Olympic champions. But he needs more excitement in his programs.
- Christopher Bowman, United States - Bowman also could use more excitement in his skating, if not his personal life. He had a conservative program at Orlando that was good enough to win without Eldredge around. It won't do the job in France.
Women
- Midori Ito, Japan - The most spectacular jumper in women's skating, Ito also is the most exciting skater. Once known solely for her athletic maneuvers - she was completing triple axels competitively when her peers weren't even practicing them - Ito has improved her presentation dramatically.
Her problem is nerves. With compulsory figures eliminated, she was expected to dominate the skating world. But it hasn't happened, partly due to injuries, but mainly because she tends to get rattled in major events.
Nothing is more major than the Olympics. Still, Ito will be tough to beat.
- Kristi Yamaguchi, United States - Her top performance came at the national championships, where Yamaguchi hit seven triples in the free skate in a well-rounded program. She seems to have learned from past mistakes - all three of her runner-up finishes at nationals were caused by her errors when victory was within reach.
Since she dropped pairs in 1990, Yamaguchi has prospered with a world and U.S. title.
- Tonya Harding, United States - The unpredictable Harding injured a tendon in her right ankle at nationals. She probably wouldn't have won, anyway, but it certainly hampered her, particularly on the triple axel, which she missed twice.
- Harding has all the jumps to compete with Ito. She has the flair to outscore Ito. But does she have the mindset? Other than her showing in 1991, when she took the U.S. crown and was second at worlds, Harding has struggled to peak at major events.
- Nancy Kerrigan, United States - She does everything well, nothing spectacularly. The judges like her smooth edges and flowing performances.
Kerrigan won the bronze medal at the '91 nationals and worlds. She must skate a clean program to do that well or better at Albertville. Once known for messing up in big championships, Kerrigan seems to have put such shortcomings behind her.