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Ones to watch: Top U.S. athletes

White, Vonn lead strong cast of expected U.S. Olympians
By Matt Stroup
Posted Monday, February 2, 2009 1:06 PM ET

With the Opening Ceremony of the XXI Olympic Winter Games set for Feb. 12, 2010, here's a look at the American athletes who are expected to author some of the most memorable moments on the snow and ice of Canada during 17 days in Vancouver.

Shaun White, Snowboarding: With a 2006 Olympic halfpipe title, captivating talent in two sports (snowboarding and skateboarding) and a sizable shock of red hair, the charismatic California native has become the face of action sports. But ascending to that lofty status has not been easy - White had two surgeries to repair a heart defect before his first birthday, and his family used to sleep in a van to save money while traveling for his snowboarding career. At his second Games in Vancouver, the king of snowboarding has a clear objective: become the first competitor in his sport's brief Olympic history to successfully defend the Olympic halfpipe crown.

Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing: In 2008-09, she became the first American woman - and second American ever - to win consecutive alpine skiing overall World Cup titles, but Vonn may be best known for her fearless recovery from a crash at the 2006 Torino Games. Two days after being hospitalized in a vicious downhill training fall, Vonn - spurred on by a visit from her idol and mentor, 1998 Olympic super-G champion Picabo Street - elected to race in the Olympic downhill. The Minnesota native finished eighth in that race, but the return from hospital to mountainside spoke volumes about her competitive spirit. She didn't win a medal in Torino (or at her first Olympic appearance in Salt Lake City), but Vonn - the 2009 downhill and super-G world champion - has established herself as a multi-medal threat in timely fashion for an Olympic breakthrough in Vancouver.

Julia Mancuso, Alpine Skiing: Her gold in the Torino giant slalom stood out as the only alpine skiing medal for an American woman at the 2006 Games. Since that Olympic triumph, the California native has fought injuries (including hip surgery at the end of the 2006 World Cup campaign), but came back to finish third in the 2006-07 overall World Cup standings. Like Vonn, Mancuso will be making her third Olympic appearance in Vancouver, where she will be 25.

Apolo Ohno, Short Track: Among American winter sports athletes, he is the resident arbiter of stylistic accessories (red bandana, soul patch), high-profile dancing competitions (he won Dancing with the Stars in 2007) and short track speed skating success. Ohno's five Olympic medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze) tie him with Eric Heiden and place him one behind Bonnie Blair for the most by any U.S. winter athlete in history.

Shani Davis, Chad Hedrick and Trevor Marsicano, Speed Skating: At the 2006 Torino Games, Davis became the first American man to win the Olympic 1000m title since Dan Jansen in 1994. In Vancouver, the Chicago native has a chance for more history, as he looks to become the first man to ever repeat as Olympic 1000m champion. The 1000m is undoubtedly Davis' signature event, but it won't be his only shot at gold - the 2006 Olympic 1500m silver medalist will be a top contender in that race as well. And if he's able to complete the 1000m-1500m double, he'll be the first man to win both events at the same Olympics since Gaetan Boucher of Canada at the Sarajevo Games in 1984.

Hedrick, a former inline skating world champion, won three medals in Torino: gold in the 5000m, silver in the 10,000m and bronze in the 1500m. The Texas native was once dubbed "The Exception" by 2002 Olympic speed skating champion Derek Parra (a nod to Hedrick's immense talent, which allowed him to quickly reach an elite level with a less-than-exhaustive training regimen), but Hedrick has since elevated and intensified his training routine.

Marsicano emerged as a breakout star at age 19, when he won four medals at the 2009 World Single Distance Championships: gold in the 1000m, silver in the 1500m, bronze in the 5000m and bronze in the team pursuit. That 1000m world title made Marsicano the youngest competitor to ever win gold in the 14-season history of the Single Distance Worlds.

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Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, Figure Skating: The fourth-place finisher in Torino and a two-time world bronze medalist, Lysacek authored his breakthrough performance at the 2009 World Championships, where he won his first world title in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles. Though repeating in Vancouver won't be easy, the historical record works in Lysacek's favor. The last American man to enter an Olympics as world champion was Scott Hamilton in 1984. He won gold.

The fifth-place finisher in Torino and a bronze medalist at the 2008 World Championships, Weir is a native of Eastern Pennsylvania who owes much of his career success to Eastern Europe. He trains part time in Moscow, and is currently coached by Galina Zmievskaya (who helped Ukraine's Oksana Baiul win Olympic gold in 1994) and by Viktor Petrenko, who won gold for the Unified Team in 1992. In addition to Lysacek and Weir, another skater to watch is the emerging Jeremy Abbott, who won gold at the 2008-09 Grand Prix Final.

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, Figure Skating: In Torino, Belbin and Agosto's runner-up finish made them the first American ice dancers to win an Olympic medal since the Innsbruck Games in 1976. In Vancouver, the dynamic ice dancing pair will attempt to capture another Olympic medal when the Winter Games return to Belbin's homeland. Belbin was born in Kingston, Ontario, and became a U.S. citizen on New Year's Eve, 2005.

Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler, Snowboarding: Since winning halfpipe gold in Torino, Teter has turned her Vermont family's tradition of making maple syrup into a significantly broader endeavor. Her charity, Hannah's Gold, sells Vermont maple syrup to help individuals in an impoverished community in Kenya. Bleiler is the biggest star in women's snowboarding, but finished second behind Teter at the 2006 Torino Games. In Vancouver, the photogenic Aspen High grad and Harley-Davidson enthusiast is hoping to reach the top of the halfpipe podium in her second Olympic appearance.

Seth Wescott and Lindsey Jacobellis, Snowboarding: The 2006 Olympic snowboard cross champion, Wescott (who will be 33 in Vancouver) has made a name for himself as a big-mountain rider with a tradition of going to Alaska in the spring to complete the first descent of the latest treacherous peak. Jacobellis entered Torino as the favorite for women's snowboard cross gold, but ended up creating one of the Games' unforgettable moments when she attempted a trick with a seemingly insurmountable lead on the final jump, only to fall and finish second. One year later, Jacobellis claimed her second straight world title, and, in 2010, she'll get a shot at Olympic redemption.

Mirai Nagasu and Caroline Zhang, Figure Skating: The daughter of Japanese immigrants, Nagasu won the 2008 U.S. ladies' singles title, but at age 14, was too young to compete at that year's World Championships. Up until the 2008 season, her daily routine included skating, studying and sleeping on a cot at her parents' Los Angeles area sushi restaurant until closing time, when they would bring her home. Zhang, the 2007 world junior champion and a daughter of Chinese immigrants, idolizes two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan, whose parents emigrated from Hong Kong in the 1970's. The connection between Zhang and Kwan runs even deeper: Zhang trains at the Kwan family's rink and shares Kwan's agent. Like Nagasu, Zhang was too young to compete at the World Championships in 2008, but is expected to be a key component of the U.S. women's figure skating hopes in 2010.

Ted Ligety, Alpine Skiing: He was the youngest member of the U.S. men's alpine squad in Torino, yet at age 21, Ligety came away with the only U.S. men's medal: gold in the combined. Nicknamed "Ted Shred," the Utah native is an outstanding technical skier who is also an emerging threat in the speed disciplines. Aside from his clear passion for ski racing, Ligety directs much of his focus toward his company, Shred, which sells goggles, sunglasses and helmets.

Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton: She appeared to be on course for a standout Olympic debut in Torino after a World Cup title in 2004-05 (the first for an American woman in skeleton) and a silver medal at the 2005 Worlds. However, Pikus-Pace's hopes for the 2006 Games were derailed when she was hit by a bobsled and suffered a broken leg in a freak accident in October 2005. She returned to the ice seven weeks later, but couldn't accrue enough points to qualify for the 2006 Games. The resurgent Pikus-Pace went on to win the 2007 world title, then sat out the 2007-08 season to give birth to her first child. The Vancouver Games represent not only a long-awaited Olympic debut, but also a legitimate shot at Olympic gold.

Hannah Kearney, Freestyle Skiing: A former multi-sport sensation in high school, Kearney won New Hampshire state soccer and track championships in addition to gold medals at the junior world championships before getting her high school diploma in 2004. One year later, she won the world title at age 19, but went on to finish a disappointing 22nd in her Torino Olympic debut before missing the 2007 Worlds due to a torn ACL. Fully recovered from that injury (she won the 2008-09 World Cup moguls title) and four years wiser after a challenging Olympic debut, Kearney has a chance to capture the first U.S. women's freestyle medal since Shannon Bahrke's silver at the 2002 Salt Lake Games.


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