Who are the United States' best remaining gold medal hopes?
With Shaun White, Shani Davis, Hannah Kearney, Bode Miller and other highly touted Americans failing to bring home the gold, the United States has lost out on some prime medaling opportunity. And while the U.S. remains in the medal total hunt thanks to unexpected wins like Thursday's slopestyle sweep, the fact remains that America has a high, snowy hill to climb to add to the gold total. Here are several of our best opportunities for future gold.
Ted Ligety, Giant Slalom, Combined: Ligety's stock continues to rise, and his Giant Slalom run next Wednesday is likely to be one of the highlights of the Sochi Games for Team USA.
[Throwback Photos: Olympians as kids]
Meryl Davis/Charlie White, Skating Dance: Putting aside the idea that there's some sinister conspiracy in connection with Russia, Davis and White are legitimate contenders for the gold. Judges' whims are as unpredictable as Sochi weather, though, so proceed with caution.
Noelle Pikus-Pace, Skeleton: A highly touted racer and expected to medal in skeleton, but the unpredictability of the run so far has even experienced racers concerned.
Mikaela Shiffrin, Slalom: Shiffrin is an overwhelming favorite in the women's slalom, which is a good sign and also a treacherous one, considering the fate of favorites lately.
Brittany Bowe, 1500m Long Track Speedskating: The first-time Olympian appears on track for a medal in the 1500m despite falling short at shorter distances.
Bode Miller, Combined: Despite a disappointing finish in the Downhill event, Miller has a shot at redemption on Friday in the Combined. Can he cap off his Olympics with gold?
Women's Hockey: The U.S. and Canada are both odds-on favorites to reach the gold medal game. Over on the men's side ... well, not so much. But 1980 is ever-present in every American hockey fan's mind.
[Photos: Best of #SochiProblems]
Men's Bobsled: Both the two- and four-man teams, piloted by Steve Holcomb, stand excellent chances of medaling at the least, and bringing home gold is a distinct possibility.
Women's Bobsled: Two separate two-woman teams, piloted by Elena Meyers and Jamie Greubel, are in position to medal. (Lolo Jones is not the pusher for either of these two.)
There's more than a week of competition left, and as every Olympics has shown, someone comes from nowhere to win gold and America's heart. Who's it going to be this year?
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