Russia's Winter Olympians face intense scrutiny to perform at their home Sochi Games from a public hungry for success to prove the country remains a sporting superpower more than two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But it remains to be seen whether the relatively inexperienced team will be able to satisfy the weight of public expectation, with sport in Russia still suffering from the disappearance of the sports system that vanished along with the USSR.

Russian athletes endured a near-debacle at the 2010 Vancouver Games, returning home with just three gold medals and facing angry questions from a public brought up on the crushing victories of the Cold War years.

There was talk in the years up to the Games that Russia would instigate an "own the podium" program similar to that which saw Canadians win 14 medals at their home Games in Vancouver.

In the end, Russian sports officials saw the danger of setting targets that might never be met. But in a sign of the pressure they are under, Russian athletes at the Games have yet to give a single major news conference.

"Ahead of the Games there are some nerves, but this does not mean that they are closed up," said Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.

"We have a very young team and as they go through the Olympics they will become more open," he said.

The average age of Russia's female Olympians is just 21.

'Upset to tears'

Russian athletes failed to win any medals on the first day of competition, with Anton Shipulin coming closest with fourth place in the biathlon sprint and berating himself for the missed target that cost him a medal in the ski-and-shoot discipline.

"I am upset to the point of tears," he said in emotional comments that revealed the pressure Russian athletes are under.

"Before my last shot I saw the medal and missed it. My dream of many years was decided. What more can I say?"

President Vladimir Putin had made clear to athletes ahead of the Games what Russia was expecting from them, saying: "We are really counting on you."

Given Russia still has little pedigree in alpine sports or the new snowboard and freestyle events, huge pressure is on its Nordic skiers, biathletes, figure skaters and sliders to come up with the goods.

But the greatest pressure is on the men's hockey team, the former "Red Machine" whose event is seen by most Russians as the top Olympic draw.

The Russians flopped spectacularly in Vancouver, and their exit sparked a campaign of vilification in the media that even its US-based National Hockey League stars have never forgotten.

The team only arrived in Sochi after the opening ceremony in a bid to avoid the media glare, and captain Alexader Ovechkin, who leads the NHL in goals this season, has said nothing short of gold will be satisfactory.

Old timers, new faces

Worryingly for Russia, much of the pressure will be on some usual suspects, none more so than 2006 gold medalist and skating icon Yevgeny Plushenko, 31, who has helped make Russia a favorite in the team competition.

Other oldtimers seen with a serious chance of medals include luger Albert Demchenko, 42, bobsleigh pilot Alexander Zubkov, 39, who carried the Russian flag at the opening ceremony, and speed skater Ivan Skobrev, 31.

Young stars may break through, like Irina Avvakumova, 22, in the women's ski jumping. But if a surprise wins the nation's hearts it could come in the shape of the women's team in curling, a sport that was barely known in Russia a decade ago.

One of its members is Nkeirouka Ezekh, a Muscovite born to a Russian mother and Nigerian father who is a rare symbol of multicultural diversity on the Russian team.

"The Olympic Games are always something unique and special and impossible to repeat," said Ezekh.

"You could be at your tenth Olympics and it would still be like the first time," she said.

Great things are also expected from the short track speedskating legend once known as Ahn Hyun-soo from South Korea who now races for Russia under the name Viktor Ahn after a fast-tracked citizenship.

(China Daily 02/10/2014 page24)