Sochi 2014: 10 worldwide medal hopefuls for the Winter Olympics

02:19, 31 October 2013

MOSCOW. October 31. KAZINFORM With 100 days to go until the Games begin, BBC Sport profiles 10 of the leading global athletes expected to star at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

Alpine skiing

Lindsey Vonn (USA) - The high-profile American has set plenty of skiing records - now she is looking to overcome serious injury and clinch another Olympic gold.

Bobsleigh

Kaillie Humphries (Canada) - Reigning Olympic and world champion Humphries once considered switching allegiance to Great Britain, and her training routine includes pushing cars.

Cross-country skiing

Marit Bjoergen (Norway) - The 33-year-old is a 12-time world champion and won five Olympic medals in 2010, but her unrivalled success in Vancouver was soured by allegations of cheating.

Figure skating

Yuna Kim (South Korea) - A superstar in her own country, she is looking to end her glittering career at the age of 23 by retaining the Olympic figure skating title.

Ice hockey

Alex Ovechkin (Russia) - An NHL superstar famed for partying as hard as he plays, the Russian hopes to inspire his country to ice hockey gold.

Luge

Felix Loch (Germany) - Olympic and world champion Loch is the son of a Winter Olympian and will be the man to beat in Sochi.

Short track speed skating

Wang Meng (China) - Her country's most successful Olympian has put a ban behind her and will challenge for more gold in Sochi.

Ski jumping

Sara Takanashi (Japan) - The schoolgirl will start as favourite for gold when women's ski jumping makes its Olympic debut in Sochi.

Snowboarding

Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) - The American will head to Sochi still searching for redemption in the snowboard cross after her infamous crash at the 2006 Winter Games.
Shaun White (USA) - full profile: The Flying Tomato has lost his trademark locks but none of his snowboarding skills - he's bidding for a third consecutive gold.

Source: BBC NEWS

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