Bode Miller attempts to master a course he has already condemned as "treacherous" in pursuit of the Olympic Games downhill title on Sunday while hosts Russia look to open their medal account.
On the busiest day of the Sochi Games when eight gold medals will be won, most eyes will be on 36-year-old American Miller in the blue riband event of the skiing competition.
Miller may have not won a World Cup race for more than two years, but he was fastest in training on Saturday and will be the man to beat as he chases a sixth Olympic medal.
Likely competition will come from Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal, the world champion and current leader of the World Cup downhill standings, who was second fastest on Saturday.
"I think I will have to beat Bode. What he is doing is really impressive, especially on the second half of the course," said the Norwegian.
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2014 Winter Olympic Games calendar for Sunday, February 9
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Russia could win their first gold of the Games and lift the burden of expectation with victory in the figure skating team competition.
The hosts have 47 points, six points ahead of Canada (41) with the United States third on 34 ahead of the third and final day.
Fittingly, veteran Russian star Yevgeny Plushenko, 31, can seal his second Olympic gold after 2006 when he skates in the men's free skating final, with the women's and ice dancing finals also scheduled for later Sunday.
Switzerland's Simon Ammann, the 2002 and 2010 double Olympic champion, will aim to become the first ski jumper to win five gold medals when the normal hill final is staged.
But the favourites will be Kamil Stoch of Poland, the current World Cup leader, and Austria's Gregor Schlierenzauer, the 2010 team gold medal winner on the large hill.
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Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko (C) celebrates with his team and his coach in the 'kiss and cry' zone after performing in the men's figure skating team short program, at the Iceberg Skating Palace, during the Sochi Winter Olympics, on February 6, 2014
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"Gold medal is my goal, but it's going to be difficult. To win at the Olympic Games you need not only good form but also luck," said Schlierenzauer.
"Adam Malysz was winning everything, but he didn't manage to win Olympic gold."
The men's luge could see Russian 42-year-old Albert Demchenko become the oldest Winter Olympic medallist in an individual event.
Demchenko knows he has a real opportunity to make history after he finished the first day of the men's singles in second position with two more runs to come on Sunday.
However, defending champion Felix Loch of Germany, who leads after two rounds remains the red-hot favourite for the title.
There are also gold medal events in the women's 3,000 metres speed skating, women's snowboard slopestyle, the men's Nordic cross country skiathlon and the women's biathlon 7.5km sprint.
hollywoodtone.blogspot.com Bode Miller, Russia target Olympic golden starts