Winter Olympics 2014: Your guide to Speed skating

8-22 Feb at Adler Arena

Short track speed skater Richard Shoebridge of Great Britain practices at the Iceberg Skating Palace (GETTY IMAGES)

What is it? A dozen golds to be won over distances from 500m to 10,000m around a 400m oval track.

What do I need to know? Lacks the thrills of short-track because athletes compete in pairs against the clock rather than in an out-and-out race.

Tell me something I don't know The American Eric Heiden swept the board in the 1980 Games, winning all five men's golds.

GB chances No qualifiers.

One to watch Shani Davis, the first black male to win Winter gold, is chasing a third in Sochi.