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Gabriele Facciotti/Associated Press
In less than a week, the 2022 Winter Olympics will be underway in Beijing. The top skiers, skaters and more from around the world will be converging in one place to compete for medals at the first Winter Games to be held in China’s capital city.
Although the opening ceremony is set for Friday, some sports will begin play as soon as Wednesday. However, there won’t be any medals awarded until Feb. 5.
Going into the Winter Games, there’s an idea of who some of the top stars will be at the Olympics. But there’s always the potential for surprises and upsets, and you never know who may emerge as a hero for their nation with an incredible performance.
Still, some of the early favorites are likely to fare well in Beijing. Here’s a look at several athletes who should contend for medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, along with their odds of winning gold, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Mark Zaleski/Associated Press
Nathan Chen has never won Olympic gold, and his only career medal is a bronze that came as part of the team figure skating event at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. However, the 22-year-old American enters the 2022 Winter Olympics as the clear favorite in men’s single skating.
Having won six straight U.S. national championships and three consecutive world championships, Chen is the overwhelming favorite to win gold in men’s single skating in Beijing with odds of -400 (bet $400 to win $100). No other men’s skater has odds better than +550 (bet $100 to win $550).
Chen’s top competitor will likely be Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu (+550 to win), who has won the gold in men’s single skating at each of the past two Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. However, Chen has greatly improved since then, and he defeated Hanyu when the two faced off at the world championships in March 2021.
There’s always a chance that Chen could underperform or that somebody else could unexpectedly have a stellar showing. But heading into the Winter Games, it seems likely that Chen is in a good position to secure his first Olympic gold in Beijing.
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Marco Trovati/Associated Press
If you’re looking for somebody who could impress in his Olympic debut, it could be Swiss skier Marco Odermatt. The 24-year-old may not have prior experience at the Winter Games, but there’s a good chance that he could come away with numerous medals, and perhaps even a gold, from Beijing.
Odermatt has the sixth-best odds to win the men’s downhill event at +800, but he’s also the favorite to be victorious in the men’s super-G at +120. In the latter competition, it’s likely that the other top contender for the gold will be Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (+200 to win).
In addition to those two events, Odermatt is set to also compete in men’s giant slalom at the Winter Games. So it could turn out to be a big month for the World Cup leader.
Although Odermatt has the best odds to win in super-G, he’s actually been victorious in giant slalom at four of the five World Cup races this season. He’s also notched two wins in super-G, though.
Even if Odermatt comes up a bit short of gold this year, he could emerge as a top skier to watch at future Winter Olympics.
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Gabriele Facciotti/Associated Press
Most people who have watched the Winter Olympics in recent years know who Mikaela Shiffrin is. The 26-year-old American skier has captured a gold medal at each of the past two Winter Games, winning in women’s slalom in 2014 then finishing first in women’s giant slalom in 2018.
It’s no surprise that Shiffrin is expected to be a top contender in those events again this year. She’s the favorite to win women’s giant slalom (odds of +300), and she has the second-best odds to capture the gold in women’s slalom (+110).
There are some strong skiers who could prevent Shiffrin from reaching the top of the medal stand. The favorite to win in women’s slalom is Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova (-120), who will be looking to capture her first Olympic medal.
Shiffrin is hoping to compete in five events at this year’s Winter Games, so she could rack up quite a few medals. At the least, don’t be surprised if she keeps her streak of gold medals going, as she should be atop the stand at some point in Beijing.
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