By JAMES CHRISTIE
Tuesday, November 20, 2001

Speed spectacle

In poll after poll, Canadians reveal their TV viewing habits to be the same-old, same-old for the Winter Olympics: hockey is the runaway leader, followed by figure skating and curling.
The rest of the sports hardly register, which is sad, considering most of Canada's medals come from the viewership also-rans.

In Nagano, nine of Canada's 15 medals came from speed skaters -- five long track and four in short track, which is one of the Games' most exciting spectacles. Four or six bodies, flying at top speed, bump and shove their way around a 111.12-metre course with hairpin turns. You'll see crashing takeouts to rival anything on a hockey -- or curling -- rink.

Ask Marie-Eve Drolet, who suffered a broken vertebra in a crash in March, 2000. The 19-year-old from Chicoutimi, Que., is on the verge of sewing up top spot in the Canadian Olympic short-track trials when they resume today in Abbotsford, B.C.

The two-time world junior champion is the best of a strong crew on the women's side with three race victories last week, two at 1,500 metres and one at 1,000.

"I was confident of being able to win the 1,500 but the 1,000 was better than I would have thought," she said. "I'm feeling good. All my preparation in the last few weeks has focused on these trials and being part of the Olympic team."

Annie Perreault of Rock Forest, Que., 1998 gold medalist at 500 metres at Nagano and bronze winner with the relay, is back to form after missing last season with a thigh injury and is leading the 500-metre trials.

Drolet, 19, captured the past two overall world junior titles. She capped last season with medal performances at the final World Cup event and the world senior championships.
Drolet, Alanna Kraus of Abbotsford and Amélie Goulet-Nadon of Laval, Que., should all make their first Olympic team.

Klassen in the hunt
Cindy Klassen of Winnipeg continues to chase down Germany's dominant long-track skaters with fourth-place World Cup results in 1,500 and 3,000 metres at Innsbruck, Austria, on the weekend. In the women's 1,500 metres, she led three-time Olympic medalist Claudia Pechstein until the last turn and was nipped by 0.09 of a second at the wire.

"I'm really happy with the way things are going right now," said Klassen, a triple medalist at the world championships last year. "I'm in a hard phase of my training and I'm looking to peak for the Olympics. I've only been paired with Pechstein once before."

Said Klassen's coach, Moira d'Andrea: "She saw her potential at the end of last year and worked hard over the summer. A year ago at this time she wasn't there."

Skeleton crew
Canada has a track record as a medal winner in new Olympic events -- witness the first competitions of freestyle skiing, snowboarding, curling and women's hockey. That invites speculation for Calgary skeleton sliders Jeff Pain and Lindsay Alcock.

The fearless Canadians each picked up a bronze medal in the World Cup kickoff at Koenigssee, Germany. Skeleton is most often likened to luge -- but face-first, belly down on the sled.

Trimming the roster
The Canadian women's hockey team made its last three cuts yesterday, leaving an Olympic roster of 21 -- 18 skaters, two goalies and a substitute goalie. The lineup includes eight first-time Olympians.

The team will play a three-game series against the United States, the defending Olympic champion, next week.

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