Shaun White, halfpipe: The Olympic gold medalist of 2006 is arguably the most popular athlete at these games. Shaun White has built an empire since taking over the reigns of the sport. He's certainly the highest paid athlete at the Games. Yet he's as hungry as ever this year. He dominated the U.S. Grand Prix by winning four of the five events, and the single loss didn't sit well with him at all. He went straight back into the training and mastered a new move called the Double McTwist 1260, which he put to use to win the very next event. White is clearly the favorite here to win. Given his untouchable bag of tricks, the only way he can lose is by not sticking a solid run. Of course, that's always possible when conditions are as challenging as they are, but rest assured Shaun will be ready for anything.

Nate Holland, snowboardcross:
Nate Holland just won his fifth straight X Games gold in snowboardcross. That's an amazing feat. But the only gold medal he really cares about at this point is the one he doesn't have: the Olympic gold. Nate will be making a hard push at remedying that situation here in Vancouver, but it won't be easy. He's really going to have to work on getting a better starts. That's his biggest weakness. He can't just rely on his solid gliding and passing abilities to carry him through if he wants to stay ahead of guys like Seth Wescott, who won gold in 2006. Holland has been beating Wescott consistently heading into the Games but Wescott is known for stepping up on large stages. And France's Pierre Vaultier, who's also a dominant player, will be having his say as well.

Torah Bright, halfpipe:
Torah Bright is already the most famous Australian at these Olympic Games. She's been a sensation in the women's halfpipe this season and stands a great chance of becoming a global celebrity if she can keep her recent success rolling. Bright has by far the most technical approach on the women's side. Her backside 360 to the switch McTwist 720 combination is stellar, and though I haven't confirmed it with my own eyes, there's rumors of her pulling off doubles. If so, she'll be the first women to do so, and it would help her lock down a gold medal and break up any U.S. sweep of the podium. However, Bright is recovering from two recent concussions and had to pull out of the recent X Games as a result. So whether or not that will affect her approach heading into Thursday's competition remains to be seen.

Louri Podladtchikov, halfpipe:
Switzerland's Louri Podladtchikov goes by the name "iPod" for obvious reasons, but this guy is the biggest threat to U.S. dominance in the halfpipe competition. He just drilled that point home at the X Games, where he finished second to Shaun White. He looked very comfortable in the spotlight there, so I don't think the pressure is going to get to him. He's coming to Vancouver with everything to gain. If he sticks his moves, I think the U.S. riders will have their hands full because iPod will throw down at least two double corks in his run and a couple 1080s to boot. He's got a lot of flare both on and off stage, too, which tends to help in events like this.


Pierre Vaultier, snowboardcross:
While much of the snowboardcross hype is built around guys like Nate Holland and Lindsey Jacobellis, the truth is France's Pierre Vaultier has been the most dominant rider in the sport this year. He won four of the five World Cup competitions in the lead-up to Vancouver, and finished second the only time he didn't win. Vaultier has been beating Holland and Wescott repeatedly. It's hard to even spot a weakness in his approach. He can absorb features like no other rider I've seen, and he's really improved in the turns of late. There's no question he's the biggest obstacle for guys like Holland and Wescott.