2002
33 participants in the Olympic season, equal to the record: AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, FIN, FRA, GER, HKG, HUN, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MEX, MGL, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, POR, PRK, ROM, RUS, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA. Thus we ned a preliminary round of 1 match. The 2nd round participants from last year, JAP, POR, NOR, POL, CAN, ROM, FIN, LAT, BEL, CHN, GER, ITA, AUT, USA, RUS, NED, are exempt. The draw is: NZL-HKG. The match:
New Zealand-Hong Kong 3-2
The first round proper then consists of: AUS, AUT, BEL, BLR, CAN, CHN, CZE, DEN, FIN, FRA, GER, HUN, IRE, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, MEX, MGL, NED, NOR, NZL, POL, POR, PRK, ROM, RUS, SWE, SWI, UKR, USA. The quarter-finalists from last year, USA, JAP, NOR, NED, GER, CAN, CHN and FIN, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. Here is the draw: SWI-CHN, GER-POL, LAT-AUS, POR-NOR, MEX-ROM, NZL-UKR, NED-IRE, ITA-SWE, PRK-FIN, KOR-FRA, BLR-KAZ, MGL-BEL, DEN-RUS, AUT-CAN, JAP-HUN, CZE-USA. The results of the matches:
Switzerland-China 3-8
Germany-Poland 9-2
Latvia-Australia 5-5; distances: 5-5; Latvia win on perceived quality
Portugal-Norway 0-11
Mexico-Romania 0-9
New Zealand-Ukraine 0-9
Netherlands-Ireland 11-0
Italy-Sweden 10-1
North Korea-Finland 1-10
South Korea-France 9-2
Belarus-Kazakhstan 5-6
Mongolia-Belgium 3-7
Denmark-Russia 0-11
Austria-Canada 0-11
Japan-Hungary 11-0
Czechia-USA 0-11, with Sábliková on the team
Then the second round consists of: BEL, CAN, CHN, FIN, GER, ITA, JAP, KAZ, KOR, LAT, NED, NOR, ROM, RUS, UKR, USA. The semi-finalists from last year, GER, NED, JAP and FIN, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw: ITA-RUS, NOR-CHN, UKR-LAT, USA-CAN, JAP-BEL, KOR-GER, FIN-ROM, NED-KAZ. The matches proceed as follows:
Italy-Russia 1-10
Norway-China 6-5, tough
Ukraine-Latvia 6-4, tough, too
USA-Canada 7-4
Japan-Belgium 10-1
South Korea-Germany 3-8
Finland-Romania 7-4
Netherlands-Kazakhstan 11-0
The quarter-final consists of: FIN, GER, JAP, NED, NOR, RUS, UKR, USA. The finalists from last year, NED and JAP, are seeded and cannot be drawn against each other. The draw is as follows: GER-NOR, USA-UKR, JAP-FIN, RUS-NED. Results of the matches:
Germany-Norway 8-3
USA-Ukraine 11-0
Japan-Finland 10-1
Russia-Netherlands 0-11
Semi-final draw: NED-GER, USA-JAP. Matches:
Netherlands-Germany 6-5
USA-Japan 7-4
Bronze final: Germany-Japan 6-5
FINAL: Netherlands -USA
37,54- 38,16 (1-0) 1.14,45- 1.13,83 (1-1) 1.56,02- 1.55,26 (1-2) 3.58,94- 4.04,99 (2-2) 6.49,22- 7.06,89 (3-2) 34,72- 34,42 (3-3) 1.07,18- 1.07,61 (4-3) 1.44,45- 1.43,95 (4-4) 3.40,02- 3.45,57 (5-4) 6.14,66- 6.17,98 (6-4) 12.58,92-13.32,99 (7-4)
Final result 7-4
Statistics:
NOR GOLD 46x RUS GOLD 36x NED GOLD 15x FIN GOLD 4x JAP GOLD 3x SWE GOLD 2x GDR GOLD 2x GER GOLD 2x AUT Silver 5x USA Silver 3x HUN Silver 2x CAN Silver 2x CZE Silver 1955 CHN Silver 1965 LAT bronze 1940 GBR bronze 1949 PRK bronze 1963 ITA bronze 1991 SWI 4th 4x POL 4th 3x FRA 4th 2x DEN 4th 1912 BEL 4th 1946 KOR 4th 1982 KAZ 4th 1994 EST QF 5x ROM QF 2x LIT QF 1927 AUS QF 1974 UKR QF 2002 POR 2R 2x MGL 2R 1989 BLR 2R 1995 NZL 1R 13x IRE 1R 10x YUG 1R 5x GRE 1R 2x BOS 1R 2x MEX 1R 2x ISV 1R 1972 ESP 1R 1989 IRN 1R 1993 ARG 1R 1994 PAN 1R 1995 RSA 1R 1998 ISR PR 5x ICE PR 2x TPE PR 2x HKG PR 2x COL PR 1933