A look ahead

Hockey, slalom, bobsled highlight final weekend

Posted: Fri February 20, 1998 at 7:53 PM ET

The slalom provides Alberto Tomba one last chance to win a medal in four Olympics Clive Brunskill/Allsport

NAGANO, JAPAN (CNN/SI) -- The Winter Olympics wind down this weekend with medals in hockey, bobsled and the men's slalom still waiting to be awarded.

But it will be hard to surpass a week of stunning hockey upsets, incomparable speed skating performances and Friday's exciting figure skating faceoff between Americans Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan.

Still, Saturday's schedule in Nagano offers some important, potentially record-setting competition.

The long-delayed men's slalom, with Italian Alberto Tomba trying to medal in an unprecedented fourth Olympics, is the skiing highlight. Tomba crashed out of the giant slalom the other day and, if he runs Saturday, figures to be very sore.

That's if the race is run. The Alpine skiing schedule has been a victim of the Nagano weather from Day 1 of these Games, and it will take a little luck and artistic scheduling to make sure everything is run before Sunday's closing ceremonies.

The finals of the four-man bobsled had to be rescheduled, too, after rain wiped out the second run Friday. Americans, with driver Brian Shimer at the helm of USA 1, are in fourth place and have a chance at a medal for the first time in 42 years Saturday when the final two runs are scheduled to be run.

Also Saturday, one-time gold medal favorite Canada meets Finland in the bronze medal hockey game. The gold medal game between the Czech Republic and Russia is schedule for Sunday.

And figure skaters will do the traditional post-medal exhibition skate, coming on the heels of Lipinski's stirring skate that overtook Kwan for the gold medal Friday.

Tomba, probably the most outrageous and recognizable Italian athlete ever, is 31 now, so Saturday is his last chance at a medal. In Lillehammer four years ago, he came from 12th on the first run of the slalom to grab a silver medal.

Patrick Roy must shake off the disappointment in losing in the semifinals and stop Finland in the bronze medal game Brian Bahr/Allsport

His fans are still there. The question for Tomba is whether the magic still lives.

"One cannot live off memories," Tomba said, "but I have won everything there is to win."

Someone asked Tomba what his thoughts will be as he stands in the starting gate for the final time at an Olympics.

"How to get to the bottom the fastest," he said. "As always."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.