What to Watch and When

The Winter Olympics have always produced galvanizing moments in sport: Franz Klammer's kamikaze downhill run at Innsbruck in 1976, when he beat not only his competitors but a challenging mountain with his will to win; Peggy Fleming's fluid elegance in the 1968 figure-skating finals in Grenoble; Jean-Claude Killy's domination of the slopes in the same Games as he won all three alpine gold medals for la gloire de France. Before the events at Lake Placid draw to a close on Sunday, Feb. 24, they will have created moments of pure gold. Key events to watch on ABC television (all times E.S.T.; check local listings):

Opening ceremonies, Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2:30-4:30 p.m.: For lovers of panoply, the parade of athletes from 37 nations and the lighting of the Olympic flame are traditions that never lose their splendor.

Thursday, Feb. 14, 9-10:30 p.m.: The men's downhill, a 70-m.p.h. drop on Whiteface Mountain, is likely to be decided by a few hundredths of a second after a long day's racing. The downhill usually produces the Winter Games' biggest thrills and most spectacular spills. The favorites: Liechtenstein's Andreas Wenzel and Canada's Ken Read. Top U.S. challenger: Phil Mahre, 22, now recovered from a badly broken right ankle. At 11:30-11:45 p.m. comes cross-country skiing. Bill Koch, first American to win a medal in the event--a silver in 1976--will try again for glory.

Friday, Feb. 15,8-11 p.m.: Eric Heiden, 21, starts his campaign to become the first man to win all five speed-skating gold medals as he competes in the 500-meter sprint. In the women's 500, Eric's sister Beth, 19, leads an American bid to sweep all three medals. In the pairs' figure skating, America's Tai Babilonia, 19, and Randy Gardner, 20, open their duel with the Soviets' husband-and-wife team of Irina Rodnina, 30, and Alexander Zaitsev, 27, in the "short program," which lasts two minutes or less and involves set routines. The most unforgiving event of the pairs' competition, the test could give an advance indication of who will win the gold.

Saturday, Feb. 16, 9-11 p.m.: Eric Heiden tackles the 5,000-meter endurance grind.

Sunday, Feb. 17, 7-11 p.m.: The Soviet-U.S. showdown in the figure-skating pairs concludes with the free-skating program that should be one of the Games' most exciting and widely viewed events. Watch for the Americans to start spectacularly as Gardner lifts Babilonia and sends her spinning to land 20 ft. away. Watch also for the highflying lifts that the Zaitsevs have added to their routine in an attempt to match the young Americans' grace. Ski jumpers, including America's Jim Denny, provide an exhibition in soaring madness. In the women's downhill, from 1-3:30 p.m., America's Cindy Nelson, 23, will ski her last Olympic race matched against such formidable opponents as Liechtenstein's Hanni Wenzel (sister of Andreas) and Austria's Annemarie Moser-Proell.

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 8-11 p.m.: The giant slalom presents the finest male skier in the world: Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, 23, who dissects mountains with the cool aplomb of a heart surgeon. Stenmark's top rivals: Yugoslavia's Bozan Krizaj, Liechtenstein's Wenzel and the game Mahre, whom Killy calls "a first-rate athlete." At 11:30-11:45 p.m., Eric Heiden tries for gold in the 1,000 meters.

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 9-11 p.m.: Yet another chapter in the saga of the Heiden family: Beth skates in the 3,000 meters. In the women's giant slalom, Liechtenstein's Hanni Wenzel is the one to catch.

Thursday, Feb. 21, 8-11 p.m.: Men's figure skating reaches balletic heights in the free-skating competition. America's Charlie Tickner, 26, a former world champion and a stylish and explosive performer, takes on Britain's Robin Cousins, Europe's titleholder; East Germany's Jan Hoffmann and the Soviets' Vladimir Kovalev, the current world champion. Says Cousins of the showdown: "It depends upon who makes the mistakes under pressure." Eric Heiden skates in the 1,500 meters.

Saturday, Feb. 23, 8-11 p.m.: The women's free-skating program, the most lovely and ethereal of all the figure-skating events, is one of the few competitions to be shown live. Look for an everything-goes performance from America's Linda Fratianne, 19, the world champion. Earlier, Eric Heiden skates in his final event: the 10,000-meter backbreaker.

Sunday, Feb. 24, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.: The ice hockey finals should offer a look at the Soviet squad that warms up for the Olympics by whipping National Hockey League all-star teams. With a lot of luck, the young and feisty U.S. squad could find itself facing off against the Soviets. At 2:30-5 p.m., the finals of the four-man bobsled pair the world's best racers and the world's fastest, toughest course in duels of icy nerve at speeds of up to 95 m.p.h. A fortnight of competition concludes (7 p.m.-10:30 p.m.) with ceremonies marking the end of the 13th Winter Olympiad.

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