Miller and Svindal aim to end Sochi ski drought

By Keith Weir SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - American Bode Miller and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway will be seeking to end a surprise Sochi medal drought on Sunday when they race in the super-G, the last speed race of the Olympic Alpine skiing program. The super-G in the mountains above Sochi looks like the highlight on a day when a total of five gold medals are to be won. Svindal is the defending super-G champion from Vancouver in 2010 where he beat Miller into second place. Both have a point to prove after missing out in the downhill and the super-combined events. The Americans, with only one Alpine skiing medal so far, will also look to super-G world champion Ted Ligety to help improve on that tally. Warm weather means that the start time has been brought forward by an hour to 1000 local (0600 GMT) to help ensure that the snow is not too mushy. Down in the Olympic park by the Black Sea coast, Dutch speed skater Ireen Wust aims for her second gold of the Games in the women's 1,500 meters. The Dutch missed out in the men's race on Saturday when Pole Zbigniew Brodka denied Koen Verweij by just three thousandths of a second in the indoor Adler Arena. Norway's men look to restore their cross-country skiing pride in the 4x10km relay after their women's team suffered a rare defeat when they finished fifth behind Sweden on Saturday. In biathlon, Frenchman Martin Fourcade, who has already won two gold medals at these Games, is the favorite for another in the 15 km mass start. In the other medal event, Canada's defending champion Maelle Ricker will face competition from compatriot Dominique Maltais and American Lindsey Jacobellis in what is the first of four snowboarding cross events. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)