How does one follow up winning a gold medal? They don't, unless they of course, come back to win another. Here's a look at the Americans who will return to Olympic competition in Vancouver to either strive for continued success or redeem themselves from previous disappointment.
Apolo Ohno (Short Track Speed Skating) Seattle, Washington
The Seattle native has been the face of short track speed skating since bursting on the scene at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He will try and become the most successful American Winter Olympian, by earning two more medals in Vancouver. With five career medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze), he is currently tied with Eric Heiden and is one short of Bonnie Blair's six total medals.
Since the Games, Ohno has made his mark on popular culture, winning Season Four of Dancing With the Stars. Back on the ice, he won the overall title at the 2008 World Championships, and he just recently defended his 2009 national overall title at the US Short Track Olympic Trials, earning a bid to the 2010 Vancouver Games. Ohno won the finals of the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m events at the Trials, and remains a strong candidate to medal in each of the three events in Vancouver.
Shaun White (Snowboarding- Halfpipe) Carlsbad, CA
The product of Southern California, Shaun White returns to defend his Olympic snowboarding halfpipe gold medal in Vancouver. White has been competing professionally since he was nine years old, arriving on the big stage with a silver medal in the 2002 X Games. White emerged from the Torino Games, the biggest star, appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone and Men's Health.
After overcoming significant obstacles, including being born with a heart defect, White has become the face of snowboarding. He has won a medal in each X Games since 2002, and recently became only the second competitor ever to defend a gold medal in the super pipe event at the 2009 Winter X Games. The charismatic king of snowboarding will try to become the first in his sport to defend the Olympic halfpipe title.
Lindsey Vonn (Alpine Skiing) Vail, Colorado
With roots in St. Paul and Vail, Lindsey Vonn showed her incredible toughness while competing in the 2006 Torino Games. During a downhill training run, Vonn crashed, bruising her back and hip. She returned the following day to compete on the same course and finished eighth. In her first Olympic appearance, at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, Vonn competed in the slalom and combined, with her best result being a sixth place finish in the combined.
Vonn hopes third times a charm in Vancouver. She has exploded on the scene in recent years, becoming the most successful American female skier in World Cup history, with back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. She has won 22 World Cup race victories since 2004, and will look for her first taste of Olympic success in Vancouver.
With roots in St. Paul and Vail, Lindsey Vonn showed her incredible toughness while competing in the 2006 Torino Games. During a downhill training run, Vonn crashed, bruising her back and hip. She returned the following day to compete on the same course and finished eighth. In her first Olympic appearance, at the 2002 Salt Lake Games, Vonn competed in the slalom and combined, with her best result being a sixth place finish in the combined.
Vonn hopes third times a charm in Vancouver. She has exploded on the scene in recent years, becoming the most successful American female skier in World Cup history, with back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. She has won 22 World Cup race victories since 2004, and will look for her first taste of Olympic success in Vancouver.
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (Ice Dancing) Detroit, Michigan
Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto made history at the 2006 Torino Olympics when they became the first American couple to win an ice dancing silver medal. It was the country's first medal in the event in thirty years.
A tiara-clad Julia won the only U.S. women's alpine gold, Shaun dominated the halfpipe and Hedrick walked away with a hat trick. After 17 days of many highs and many lows, Team USA finished the Games with 25 medals. When the 2006 Olympic competition came to a close, all came together one last time for a Fellini-inspired Closing Ceremony, and the northern Italian city passed the torch to its Canadian successor.
The duo has been skating together since 1998, but was ineligible to compete in the Olympics until 2006 because the Canadian-born Belbin was not yet an American citizen. Belbin would become a naturalized citizen just weeks before the Opening Ceremony. Coming off their Olympic triumph, Belbin and Agosto continued their success by earning their fourth and fifth consecutive national titles in 2007 and 2008, in addition to placing third at the 2007 World Championship.
Chad Hedrick (Speed Skating) Spring, Texas
Chad Hedrick arrived in Torino as just the fourth American to have captured the World Allround title. The Texas native left the Games as a three-time Olympic medalist, winning a gold, silver and bronze. The former inline skating champion became intrigued with the idea of transitioning to speed skating when he saw his former inline rival, Derek Parra win gold at the 2002 Games.
With his three medals, Hedrick became only the third American ever to win three medals in a single winter Olympics. After the Olympics, Hedrick went on to win the 2006 World Cup and finished sixth in the 2007-2008, 5000m/10,000m World Cup standings. Hedrick is said to be in good shape entering this season, and will look to follow up on his Torino success.
Shani Davis (Speed Skating) Chicago, Illinois
Shani Davis achieved what no other African-American ever had. America's tallest speed skater finished with gold in the 1000m event to become the first African-American to win a gold medal in an individual event at a winter Olympics. Appearing in his first Olympic Games, the Chicago native took home two medals, also capturing a silver in the 1500m event by holding off rival Chad Hedrick, who finished third.
After earning 2009 World Cup titles in the 1000m and 1500m events, Davis looks strong as he prepares for Vancouver. He also set world records in both events, winning the 1500m world title at the World Single Distance Championships, and the 2009 Sprint Speed Skating Championship in Moscow. He became only the second male skater in history to achieve victories in both the World Allround and World Sprint titles.
Todd Lodwick (Nordic Combined) Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Todd Lodwick is back in action and hasn't lost a step in his return. The Steamboat Springs resident retired from competition in 2006, after participating in four winter Olympics and 143 World Cup events from 1993 to 2006. After his two-year retirement, Lodwick returned to competition in 2009 and won his first competition; an International Cup meet.
At 33, Lodwick re-captured his winning ways and completed his fairytale comeback by winning the 2009 Nordic Combined World Cup. He now sets his sights on what would be his 5th Olympic appearance in 2010. Despite competing on such a level for so long, Lodwick has never medaled at an Olympics. His best finish was fourth at the 2002 Salt Lake Games in the 4x5 km team event.
Evan Lysacek (Figure Skating) Naperville, Illinois
Evan Lysacek will arrive in Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics with a certain kind of swagger that only world champions possess. The Los Angeles resident won the 2009 World Championship, becoming the first American to accomplish such a feat since Todd Eldredge in 1996. Despite suffering a stress fracture in his left foot, the resilient Lysacek was able to win the World Championship in his adopted hometown of L.A.
Looking back at Torino, Lysacek can only hope to build upon his success. After a disastrous short program left him in 10th place, Lysacek rallied with eight triple jumps in an almost perfect free skate to propel himself to 4th, just short of a bronze. He will compete in Vancouver with history on his side. The last American man to enter the Games as world champion, Scott Hamilton, won gold in 1984.
Lyndsay Jacobellis (Snowboard Cross) Stratton, Vermont
So close, but so far was Lindsey Jacobellis from winning gold in the inaugural Olympic snowboard cross competition. In what appeared as a foregone conclusion, the Stratton, Vermont native took an insurmountable lead into the final jump. Instead of finishing conservatively, she decided to attempt a trick and her dreams came crashing down when she fell and managed to finish second.
Four years removed from the crushing turn of events, Jacobellis remains a favorite for gold in Vancouver. She has been dominant in the sport, winning her fifth gold medal in six years at the 2009 X Games.
Casey Puckett (Ski Cross) Aspen, Colorado
Casey Puckett could not stay away from the sport of skiing for long, returning after a long hiatus to pick up the new sport of ski cross. The four-time Olympian and six-time US champion from Aspen has become a star of the newest Olympic sport that will make its debut in Vancouver.
Puckett retired from alpine skiing in 2002, but returned to capture a X Games gold medal in 2007 in the new discipline of ski cross. Puckett will attempt to make a remarkable fifth Olympic team at the age of 36. His best Olympic finish was seventh in the slalom at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
Casey Puckett could not stay away from the sport of skiing for long, returning after a long hiatus to pick up the new sport of ski cross. The four-time Olympian and six-time US champion from Aspen has become a star of the newest Olympic sport that will make its debut in Vancouver.
Puckett retired from alpine skiing in 2002, but returned to capture a X Games gold medal in 2007 in the new discipline of ski cross. Puckett will attempt to make a remarkable fifth Olympic team at the age of 36. His best Olympic finish was seventh in the slalom at the 1994 Lillehammer Games.
Daron Rahlves (Ski Cross) Sugar Bowl, California
Like his teammate Casey Puckett, Darren Rahlves has dusted off his skis, coming out of retirement to compete in the Olympic debut of ski cross. With 12 World cup victories to his name, the Truckee, California resident is known as one of the most successful U.S. male downhillers of all time.
After 13 years of skiing on the US alpine ski team, Rahlves made an immediate transition to the new discipline of ski cross, taking home the gold at the 2008 X Games. He will now look to do something he has never done before; win an Olympic medal. The three- time Olympian's best finish was seventh in the super G at the 1998 Nagano Games.
