Winter Olympics 2014: Your guide to Short-track speed skating

10-21 Feb at Iceberg Skating Palace

Italy's short track speed skating team train at the Iceberg Skating Palace (Reuters)

What is it? Fast and frenetic. Four to six racers compete round a tight 111m oval track over distances ranging from 500m to 1500m.

What do I need to know? Athletes must be able to look after themselves – there is plenty of pushing and shoving, and falls are the norm.

Tell me something I don't know Steven Bradbury recovered from a broken neck to reach the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. His tactic was to skate at the back and wait for the falls. In the final the entire field was wiped out apart from the Australian, who skated through to win a last-man-standing gold.

GB chances Good – Elise Christie was world No 1 at 1,000m last year.

One to watch Victor Ahn, the Korean turned Russian, carries home hopes.