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Biathlon

What is it?
It seems a safe bet that these guys are the world's fittest athletes. In order to compete in this sport, you will need to race over long cross-country distances, stopping off every now and then to shoot at a target 50 yards away. This element of the sport requires complete and utter control of your pulse-rate to be that accurate with five shots in 25 seconds. The targets have a diameter of 45mm when a competitor is standing or 115mm when prone. If an athlete misses, they could be handed a minute penalty or a 150-meter penalty loop. The variations of the event broadly follow the regular cross-country; there are women's sprints, men's sprints, relays, mass start, and pursuit.

History
This sport was training used by the military in Scandinavia at the beginning of the 16th century. Norwegian soldiers created this event and the world's first club, the Trysil, was initially established to promote home defense. In fact, when it was first involved in the 1924 Games it was called 'Military Patrol'. It disappeared soon after but made a return for the 1960 event. The pursuit and mass start varieties have only come in since the turn of the Millennium. During the 80s and 90s, two Russian women, Raisa Smetanina and Ljubov Yegorova, dominated the event, although the legacy of the latter has been tarnished by a positive drugs test.

Who to watch
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen from Norway will arrive in Vancouver with a total of nine Winter Olympic gold medals. He now has the chance to break the all-time record of 12 held by compatriot Bjorn Daehlie. He is the favorite but Germany's Michael Greiss will provide strong competition all the way. Jay Hakkinen, of the United States, could also challenge.

Fact
Greiss was so popular in Germany following the games in Torino that he pushed aside Michael Schmuacher to win Germany's Sportsman of the Year award back in 2006.

Best Bet
It is hard to see beyond Bjoerndalen and Russia's Olga Zaitseva is also a top tip in the women's Mass Start.

Speed Skating

What is it?
The only guys to spend as much time with their hands behind their backs as speed skaters are butlers! The long, loping side-to-side stride is another iconic image of the winter games. Racers skate around a 400m rink in an anti-clockwise direction. In the individuals, they swap lanes to ensure that the skater on the inside is not handed any advantage. There are competitions over 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m, and a mighty 10,000m. Furthermore, there is a team pursuit, which consists of eight teams of five skaters. Just three are allowed on the ice at any one time and all times are taken when the third team member crosses the line.

History
The first official competition was staged in 1763 in England and the first world championship took place in Holland just before the turn of the 20th century. It was an Olympic sport at Chamonix in 1924 where Clas Thunberg of Finland took three gold medals. The United States' Eric Heiden eclipsed that in 1980 at Lake Placid, winning five golds (he also secured a total of seven world titles). Women only started competing in the Winter Games back in 1960. That year, Lydia Skoblikova won two golds at Squaw Valley before adding another four in Innsbruck at the next Olympics.

Who to watch
Shani Davis, from America, is the favorite in the 1,000m and 1,500m events. He holds the world record in both disciplines. His only real competition should come from his compatriot Chad Hendrick, who pipped Davis in the 1,500m at the World Cup event in Calgary back in December.

Fact
With 68 medals (28 gold), speed skating is America's most successful sport in the history of the Winter Olympics. Davis was also the first black athlete to win an individual gold at the Games.

Best Bet
Davis will take all the column inches but Sven Kramer of the Netherlands may offer better value. He won a medal in the 500m and 10,000m in Torino but he has improved since then.