THE AMERICANS
U.S. Ski and Snowboard President Bill Marolt predicted 10 medals from his athletes at the 2002 games, and they came through. The dirty little secret? Freestylers, aerialists and snowboarders did most of the heavy lifting. Only Bode Miller's two silvers kept the alpiners from being blanked. But the U.S. team has since gotten better—and deeper. With at least two legitimate medal contenders in every discipline, this squad could give racing fans what they love most: an old-fashioned U.S. vs. Them showdown. So break out the cowboy boots and 10-gallon hats, because this looks like an Olympic shootout for the ages.
Bode Miller, 28, Franconia, N.H.
2005 World Cup overall and super G champ, four-time World Champion, two-time Olympic medalist
Miller isn't just the best American racer of all time; he's also the least conformist—a constant reminder to his bemused coaches that racing is a fiercely individual sport. In the past year alone, he's threatened to start his own racing tour, won the World Cup overall, suggested antidoping laws should be relaxed and implied he might not even show up in Torino. Whether he likes it or not (we're betting he won't), he'll be marketed—much as swimmer Michael Phelps was in Greece—as the Great American Gold Medal Hope. And if he does show up (we're betting he will), he'll be the odds-on favorite to win. Everything.
Daron Rahlves, 31, Sugar Bowl, Calif.
Best U.S. speed skier ever, with 10 World Cup wins, including the Hahnenkamm; 2001 World super G champ
The quiet Californian's constant underdog status not only reinforces his all-American image; it serves as useful motivation. Rahlves gets fire from being underestimated, underappreciated, and yes, undersized (5-foot-9, 185 pounds). He's the only American ever to win the famed and feared Hahnenkamm in both super G and downhill, and he's quietly become the most successful U.S. speed specialist—ever. The daredevil and action sports junkie is nearing the end of his career but says he won't quit until he wins a World Cup title and an Olympic medal. Last year's win on the Torino downhill course bodes well for his chances of reaching at least one of those goals.
AMERICAN DARK HORSES
Ted Ligety, 20, Park City, UtahTwo-time U.S. champion (slalom and combined), World Junior silver medalist, six World Cup top-15 finishes
Resi Stiegler, 20, Jackson Hole, Wyo. Sixth place, 2005 World Championship slalom; silver medalist, 2005 World Junior slalom
Ligety grew up in Park City, home of the USSA and the 2002 Olympics. Stiegler spent her high school years there. Exposure to World Cup races, athletes and venues has primed both for what they'll encounter on the way to the top, and neither is wasting time getting there. Ligety won the second run of the Solden GS this year, then took third in the Beaver Creek slalom. Stiegler—daughter of Austrian Olympic medalist Pepi Stiegler—took 11th in slalom at her first-ever World Cup and has added numerous top-15s.
Julia Mancuso, 21, Squaw Valley, Calif.
World Championship double bronze medalist; ninth overall, 2005 World Cup
If consistency is a hobgoblin, it's not such a bad one for ski racers. Multitalented Mancuso scored top-10s in every discipline last year. She's irreverent, ironic and downright adorable, but not to be dismissed as another pretty face. She charmed the Bormio crowd last year with her quick wit and Italian heritage, but was also busy taking World Championship bronzes in super G and GS. The Italian games will be something of a homecoming, and with her endearing style—and formidable talent—she could easily become the bella donna of Torino.
Lindsey Kildow, 21, Vail, Colo.
Two-time World Cup winner, six additional podiums, third in '05 super G standings
One of Kildow's most memorable races last year wasn't on snow. It was a test of nerves (and Audis) on winding mountain roads between Bormio, site othe World Championships, and Innsbruck. Her opponent? Daron Rahlves. Kildow's passion for speed led to the revocation of her driver's license at age 17 (she avoided arrest because her mom was in the car), but it serves the Minnesota native well in speed events. She won the first downhill last season and never slowed, finishing third in the super G standings and fifth in downhill. Two fourth-place frustrations at the World Championships only intensify her hunger for gold in Torino.
[NEXT]THE EUROS
The Europeans have long enjoyed the home-field advantage in this sport. And they have inhabited the role of playground bully well over the years: riding from race to race in their chauffeured cars, followed by their fan clubs and enjoying first-class treatment at every tour stop. The scrappy Americans have gotten under their skin lately, but don't expect these winners to hand over the medals without a fight.
Hermann Maier, 32, Flachau, Austria
Four-time World Cup overall champion, two-time Olympic champion, six-time World Championship medalist (three gold)
It's widely known that the Herminator's continuing presence, let alone dominance, on the World Cup is little short of miraculous. A 2001 motorcycle crash left one leg dangling by a single ligament. Eighteen months later, still severely mangled, he limped onto a World Championship podium to receive a silver medal in super G. Fluke? No one was saying that after he claimed the World Cup overall title in 2004. And his GS win at this year's World Cup opener put him second only to the great Ingemar Stenmark in total World Cup victories. His competitors may wish he would just go away, but after sitting out Salt Lake, Maier's determined to pick up at Torino where he left off in Nagano.
Janica Kostelic, 24, Zagreb, Croatia
Two-time World Cup overall champ, triple Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion
What does a Croatian call a complete tear of the MCL, ACL, PCL and meniscus? If you're Janica Kostelic, you call it motivation. Just two and a half years after a debilitating crash in St. Moritz, Kostelic was winning everything in sight at the 2002 Olympics. She took three golds (slalom, GS, combined) and a silver (super G)—the most successful Olympic Games any skier has ever had. Kostelic also has had about as many knee surgeries as any other skier, too. Throw in a 20-month layoff due to a thyroid illness, and the fact that she's racked up five World Championship titles and is back for more Olympic glory this February seems, frankly, a little selfish.
Benni Raich, 28, Pitztal, Austria
Double Olympic medalist, two-time World Champion, 16 World Cup wins
Quiet, steady Raich, a slalom ace emerging as a four-event skier, is respected for his consistency, but few fear him as they do Maier. Perhaps they should. In the past two seasons, Raich has finished second and third overall, and he outshined everyone at the 2005 Worlds, taking two golds (slalom, combined), a silver (GS) and a bronze (super G). He's smaller, quicker and more understated than the Austrian speed giants, but he's not likely to wither under the Olympic spotlights.
Anja Paerson, 22, Taernaby, Sweden
Two-time World Cup overall champ, four-time World Champ, double Olympic medalist
Hailing from the same hometown as childhood hero Ingemar Stenmark, Paerson idolized the great Swede. As an adult, she's doing her best to eclipse him. Calm, kind and confident, yet relentless in her attack on any ski course, Paerson is truly at her best when her competitors are at theirs. She initially favored technical events, winning GS silver and slalom bronze at the 2002 Games, but lately she's shown mastery of speed events, too, with wins in every discipline and two consecutive World Cup overall titles to show for it. Surely, Torino will be treated to at least one of her trademark victory belly slides in the finish arena.
[NEXT] EUROPEAN DARK HORSES
Lasse Kjus, 33, Siggerud, Norway Five Olympic medals, 11 World Championship medals
Kjetil Andre Aamodt, 33, Oslo, Norway Seven Olympic medals, 12 World Championship medals
Felix and Oscar, Bert and Ernie—they've heard it all. And if it seems like they've been around forever, that's only because they've been winning since age 19. Both are coming off injuries, but they're notorious big-event specialists, with an astonishing 35 Olympic and World Championship medals between them.
FREESTYLE
Given that freestyle skiing is native to the U.S., it's not surprising that the Americans have been so successful. What is remarkable, though, is that they continue to be so dominant.
Jeremy Bloom, 23,Fort Collins, Colo.
2003 World Champion, 2005 World Cup overall champ
Within hours of crossing the finish at the Olympic mogul competition, the star wide receiver for the University of Colorado will be on a plane heading to the NFL Combine. Will this make him go any faster? Considering speed counts for 25 percent of a mogulist's score, he can hope so. The two-sport standout—equal parts cover boy and bad boy—sparred with the NCAA over skiing sponsorship money. But now the controversy's moot, and with a record run of six consecutive World Cup victories last year, Bloom is poised to lead the strongest American mogul contingent ever.
FREESTYLE DARK HORSES
Jeret Peterson, 24, Boise, Idaho2005 World Cup aerials champ, three-time World Cup winner, 2004 U.S. Nationals champ
Hannah Kearney, 19, Norwich, Vt. 2005 moguls World Champion, two-time World Cup winner, two-time Junior World Champ
Peterson's brimful enthusiasm and love of the cartoon character Speed Racer earned him the nickname Speedy. Talent and consistency earned him last season's aerials title. Now he's hoping he can stick a quint (five twists, three flips) to nail down gold. Kearney, like most Easterners, prefers substance over flash. The reigning moguls World Champion says no matter what her competition does in the air, she can best them on the ground. With perfect turns and clockwork rhythm, she's mastered the biggest scoring component of her event.
FEBRUARY 2006/b>
Lasse Kjus, 33, Siggerud, Norway Five Olympic medals, 11 World Championship medals
Kjetil Andre Aamodt, 33, Oslo, Norway Seven Olympic medals, 12 World Championship medals
Felix and Oscar, Bert and Ernie—they've heard it all. And if it seems like they've been around forever, that's only because they've been winning since age 19. Both are coming off injuries, but they're notorious big-event specialists, with an astonishing 35 Olympic and World Championship medals between them.
FREESTYLE
Given that freestyle skiing is native to the U.S., it's not surprising that the Americans have been so successful. What is remarkable, though, is that they continue to be so dominant.
Jeremy Bloom, 23,Fort Collins, Colo.
2003 World Champion, 2005 World Cup overall champ
Within hours of crossing the finish at the Olympic mogul competition, the star wide receiver for the University of Colorado will be on a plane heading to the NFL Combine. Will this make him go any faster? Considering speed counts for 25 percent of a mogulist's score, he can hope so. The two-sport standout—equal parts cover boy and bad boy—sparred with the NCAA over skiing sponsorship money. But now the controversy's moot, and with a record run of six consecutive World Cup victories last year, Bloom is poised to lead the strongest American mogul contingent ever.
FREESTYLE DARK HORSES
Jeret Peterson, 24, Boise, Idaho2005 World Cup aerials champ, three-time World Cup winner, 2004 U.S. Nationals champ
Hannah Kearney, 19, Norwich, Vt. 2005 moguls World Champion, two-time World Cup winner, two-time Junior World Champ
Peterson's brimful enthusiasm and love of the cartoon character Speed Racer earned him the nickname Speedy. Talent and consistency earned him last season's aerials title. Now he's hoping he can stick a quint (five twists, three flips) to nail down gold. Kearney, like most Easterners, prefers substance over flash. The reigning moguls World Champion says no matter what her competition does in the air, she can best them on the ground. With perfect turns and clockwork rhythm, she's mastered the biggest scoring component of her event.
FEBRUARY 2006
