Top US Olympians To Watch In 2010

It’s almost time for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games! This year, they are being held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from February 12-25. We wanted to find out which American athletes we should be watching as they go for the gold in 2010!

No. 10: Rachel Flatt & Mirai Nagasu :: Figure Skating

Rachel is 17 and Mirai is 16 – both are still in high school and both are headed to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games after securing their spots on the Olympic Team in January’s US Figure Skating Championships, held in Washington state.

No. 9: Angela Ruggiero :: Women’s Hockey

The three-time Olympic hockey player is hoping to end her career on ice better than she did on TV. Angela survived 10 weeks on The Apprentice before Donald Trump told her she was fired. Now she’s made up her mind to go for gold one more time in Vancouver.

No. 8: Shauna Rohbock :: Bobsleigh

In 2002, Shauna had been pushing someone else’s sled for two years before a last-minute replacement bumped that woman off the Olympic roster. Shauna stepped up and went on to win the gold medal. Four years later Shauna was given her shot at the 2006 Turin Olympic Games as a driver and earned a silver medal in the women's event.

No. 7: Shani Davis :: Long Track Speed Skating

Shani, 26, is one of only two men to win sprint and allround world titles. At Turin he won gold in the 1,000 - the first African American to win an individual medal in the Winter Games - and silver in the 1,500. He's favored again at both distances.

No. 6: Katie Uhlaender :: Skeleton

Though several members of the skeleton team have won World Cup championships, none has climbed the Olympic podium. Katie will be fighting for that honor as she speeds down the icy track.

No. 5: Caydee Denney & Jeremy Barrett :: Pairs Figure Skating

While Florida isn’t exactly the first place that comes to mind when you think of ice skating, Caydee and Jeremy are positioned to win gold at the 2010 Games, especially after winning first place at the recent 2010 US Figure Skating Championships.

No. 4: Lindsey Jacobellis :: Snowboard Cross

Lindsey’s learned her lesson after blowing a huge lead in Torino in 2006, when she decided to plat crowd-pleaser with some hot-dogging that cost her gold. If she tones down the sizzle, we think she’ll walk away from Vancouver with some pretty nice hardware around her neck in 2010.

No. 3: Apolo Ohno :: Short Track Speed Skating

Apolo, always easy to spot with his red bandana and soul patch, won Dancing With The Stars and has had tons of success in short track speed skating, with five Olympic medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze) that tie him with for second place for the most won by any U.S. winter athlete in history.

No. 2: Lindsey Vonn :: Alpine Skiing

In 2008-09, she became the first American woman - and second American ever - to win two alpine skiing overall World Cup titles in a row, but Lindsey’s probably best known for her fearless recovery from a crash at the 2006 Torino Games. Two days after being hospitalized Lindsey decided to race in the Olympic downhill, finishing an impressive eighth.

No. 1: Shaun White :: Snowboarding

With a 2006 Olympic halfpipe title, captivating talent in two sports (snowboarding and skateboarding) and lots of bright-red red hair, Shaun’s become the face of action sports.What you may not know is that he was born with a heart defect that required two major surgeries, 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 goal: become the first competitor in his sport's Olympic history to successfully defend the Olympic halfpipe crown.

Related Stories: