6 U.S. athletes to watch in Vancouver

Aside from Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, whose severe shin bruise may prevent her from pursuing multiple gold medals, among the most likely U.S. athletes to excel in the Vancouver Winter Olympics are:

Shaun White
Event. Snowboarding
From. Carlsbad, Calif.
The skinny.  You say "flying," he says "tomato." The 25-year-old with the flowing red locks, given the handle "The Flying Tomato," is overwhelming favorite to win gold in the halfpipe event, in which athletes launch themselves from the high walls of a snowy half tube for spinning, twisting, down-side up tricks.

Apolo Ohno
Event. Short track speed skating
From.  Seattle
The skinny.  A star who has  danced  on reality TV "Dancing With the Stars" (and won), Ohno, 27, now returns to his primary skill of speed skating, in which he has won five medals (two golds, one silver, two bronze) over two Olympics. His next medal will give him one more than any other American man in Winter Olympic history (Eric Heiden owns five gold medals). He skates in four events with his best chances in the 500- and 1,000-meter races.

Shani Davis
Event.  Speed skating
From.  Chicago
The skinny.  In 2002, Davis, 27, was an alternate on the U.S. short-track team but never got to compete. In 2006, he went to the long track version of the sport and his 1,000-meter victory made him the first black man to win a Winter Olympics gold medal. He also won a silver in the 1,500 four years ago. This time, he is favored to win both races.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White
Event.  Ice dancing
From.  West Bloomfield, Mich., (Davis)  Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (White)
The skinny. Not a traditional U.S. strength, ice dance suddenly has produced two strong American teams. Davis, 23, and White, 22, won the U.S. Championship earlier this month, defeating 2006 Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto. Both teams could medal and NBC-TV is bound play any U.S. figure skating success in a big way.

Tim Burke
Event. Biathlon
From. Paul Smiths, N.Y.
The skinny.  He is thoroughly unknown and competing in a thoroughly unfamiliar U.S. sport. The biathlon is an event of guns and cold noses -- target shooting combined with cross-country skiing -- but it could get a glimpse with Burke, 28, an upstate New York native. He stunned his sport by leading its World Cup standings in December, though he since has slipped to fifth place.