The Sports Illustrated Olympic Daily is published in Salt Lake City and available in event venues and on newsstands for 16 straight days during the 2002 Winter Games. Here are some sights and scenes from today’s edition.

Is Anni Another Anna?

Germany's Friesinger has two shots left to live up to the hype

Joe Cavaretta/AP Q: What's the difference between a luge sled and a skeleton sled? A: They travel the same tracks, but the two are about as similar as a Jaguar and a Jeep. In luge (French for "sled") a slider rides on a fiberglass "pod" with curved edges that stabilize the lower body during feetfirst descents of up to 90 mph. Sleds used in skeleton (the name comes from the bare-bones construction of the sled's frame) have no such features. A skeleton sled is six to nine inches shorter and about 40 pounds heavier than a luge. While the headfirst, facedown approach of skeleton may make it look like a wilder ride, it's actually the safest sliding sport. Because skeleton sleds are controlled with subtle body movements rather than by the runners that lugers press with their calves, it's much more difficult for a driver to wipe out on a turn. —Kelley King

Friesinger, 25, again has some big shoes to fill. With eight-time Olympic medalist and defending 3,000-meter Olympic champion Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann of Germany pregnant and sitting out the competition, Friesinger entered the Games as a favorite in the 3,000 and 5,000 meters. In the former, on Feb. 10, she powered to an Olympic-record 3:59.39 on the ultrafast Utah Olympic Oval, only to see the mark evaporate minutes later when countrywoman Claudia Pechstein lowered her own world record with a winning time of 3:57.70. Friesinger ended up fourth. On Sunday she lumbered to fifth in the 1,000 behind Chris Witty and now looks to her final two races, the 1,500 today and the 5,000 on Saturday, as a chance to live up to the pre-Olympic hype. "I feel lots of pressure but am in excellent health," says Friesinger, who is undefeated this World Cup season in the three longest events. "You can be strong mentally, have the best equipment and be nothing if you are not in top condition. As an athlete, my body is my temple."

Plenty of her countrymen are prepared to worship. The scantily clad subject of several magazine spreads, she is speed skating's answer to Anna Kournikova. "She's very free and open," says manager Klaus Karcher of Friesinger, who gets more press for the Celtic flame tattoo on her belly than the rest of her teammates do for their skating. "Sometimes, [her openness] gets her in trouble."

Take last year, when Friesinger publicly dismissed the methods of national training centers in Berlin and Erfurt as "no fun." Friesinger trains almost exclusively on an outdoor oval in Inzell with younger brother Jan, 21, who yesterday placed 41st in the 1,500 meters. "I go my own way," says Friesinger.

With Pechstein back for the 5,000 along with Jennifer Rodriguez of the U.S., who took bronze in the 1,000 on Sunday, Friesinger hopes her way finally leads to the medal stand. She is running out of races. "I've never been a patient person," she said last Friday. "I want all of my wishes to come true."

—Kelley King

Olé, Olé, Ole!

"We drive from Evanston, Wyoming, to Calgary to train. It should take 14 hours, but I'm a bobsled driver, so it only takes me 11." —Jamaica's Winston Watt , a two-time Olympian

What biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen needs is just a little more dedication. A bit more practice. A tad more commitment. According to Team Norway coach Erlend Slokvik, that is all that is separating Bjoerndalen from being one of the best in the world.

In cross-country.

Of course, he's already the best in the world in the biathlon. With his blowout victories in the individual, sprint and pursuit, Bjoerndalen is the only triple gold medalist at these Olympics, an achievement Slokvik once considered "impossible."

While Bjoerndalen's normally erratic shooting has been excellent here, his skiing has made the difference. On Feb. 9 in the 30-km cross-country event, Bjoerndalen finished sixth, less than 13 seconds from the rare feat of winning a medal in a second sport at a Winter Games. The 28-year-old shoots for his fourth gold today in the 4x7.5-km cross-country relay. (He would join speed skaters Eric Heiden of the U.S., in 1980, and Lydia Skoblikova of the U.S.S.R., in 1964, as the only athletes to win four or more golds in one Winter Games.) "If he tried only cross-country for one to two years," says Slokvik, "he'd be one of the best."

When Bjoerndalen dedicates himself, even the impossible is possible.

—Gene Menez