Winter Olympics 2014 speed skating schedule: Victor An going for third Olympic medal

Three medal events in short track will be featured in primetime in Sochi on Friday afternoon, giving fans in the United States a chance to watch hardware be won live without having to wake up at an ungodly hour.

Russia’s Victor An, once a competitor for South Korea, will pursue his third medal and second gold at this year’s Olympics beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET with the start of men’s 500-meter quarterfinals. The event’s final will take place at 12:43 p.m.

In women’s short track, South Korea will look to capitalize on the momentum of a gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay. Both Suk Hee Shim and Seung-Hi Park have two medals apiece. They are going for their first individual golds when the women’s 1,000-meter quarterfinals begin at 11:44 a.m. ET. The event’s final will take place at 12:53 p.m.

In both events, the top two finishers from each quarterfinal will advance to the semis, from which the top five skaters advance to the final.

In the men’s 5,000-meter relay, the United States, Russia, Netherlands, Kazakhstan and China will compete for gold at 1:18 p.m. ET. The United States has yet to win a medal in any short track or speed skating events. Friday’s final is Team USA’s next best chance.

Speed skating will feature quarterfinals and semifinals in the men’s team pursuit, and quarterfinals in the women’s team pursuit. The finals for those events will be held Saturday.

Below is the full schedule of events for the day. All time are Eastern. Medal events are in italics.

11:30 a.m. -- Men’s 500-meter quarterfinals

11:44 a.m. -- Women’s 1,000-meter quarterfinals

12:13 p.m. -- Men’s 500-meter semifinals

12:21 p.m. -- Women’s 1,000-meter semifinals

12:43 p.m. -- Men’s 500-meter final

12:53 p.m. -- Women’s 1,000-meter final

1:18 p.m. -- Men’s 5,000-meter relay final

8:30 a.m. -- Men’s team pursuit quarterfinals

9:23 a.m. -- Women’s team pursuit quarterfinals

10:13 a.m. -- Men’s team pursuit semifinals