By David Hein Jan 26, 2010, 5:06 GMT
Munich - Skeleton World Cup leader Martins Dukurs enters the 2010 Vancouver Games hoping to capture Latvia's first ever gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Dukurs, 25, has been in great form all season and must be considered the favorite to clinch the history-making gold medal on the Whistler Sliding Centre course.
Latvia are yet to get a gold at the snow and ice Games, four years after Martins Rubenis won the Baltic nation's first winter medal in 2006 by clinching bronze in the men's luge.
The only Olympic gold medals for Latvia so far came at the Summer Games and were won by Maris Strombergs in the 2008 cycling BMX race and Igors Vihrovs in the 2000 men's gymnastics floor exercise.
Dukurs is not the only Latvian with a chance of gold. His older brother Tomass, 28, is also a contender, having registered five top seven finishes this season.
Martins Dukurs' quest for gold will be made easier by the fact that Switzerland's Gregor Staehli will not be participating in Canada.
Staehli, who did not recover in time from a torn thigh muscle, is not only the man to win two skeleton Olympic medals - bronze in 2002 and 2006 - he is also the 2007 and 2009 reigning world champion.
But Team Canada will still provide a serious challenge, which features two-time world champion and 2006 Olympic silver medalist Jeff Pain as well as 2008 worlds silver medalist Jon Montgomery.
The host nation actually has solid chances of winning both skeleton gold medals.
Canada's Mellisa Hollingsworth, bronze medalist from Turin 2006, has been in a three-way battle all season with 2006 Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman of Britain and Kerstin Szymkowiak of Germany.
The Germans pose the biggest threat to Hollingsworth and Rudman. In addition to Szymkowiak, the German stall includes reigning world champion Marion Trott and 2008 world champion Anja Huber.
Factbox: Sport: Skeleton Venue: Whistler Sliding Centre Events: 2 (1 men, 1 women) Stars: Martins Dukurs (Latvia), Jeff Pain, Jon Montgomery (both Canada), Mellisa Hollingsworth (Canada), Shelley Rudman (Britain), Kerstin Szymkowiak (Germany)
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