U.S. Athletes to Watch on Facebook

SI Staff | Jan 28, 2014

U.S. Athletes to Watch on Facebook /

U.S. Athletes to Watch on Facebook

Hannah Teter: Snowboarding

Facebook released their Sochi 2014 top 20 Team USA Athletes to Watch on Facebook. Here is a look at the athletes. No stranger to the podium, Teter won halfpipe gold at Turin in 2006 and silver at Vancouver in 2010. After a successful 2013, she has her eyes on another Olympic medal in Sochi. Hannah Teter's Facebook page.

Shaun White: Snowboarding

White could nab his third straight gold medal in the halfpipe. He also has won gold in the World Cup on three occasions, in addition to his numerous accolades in the Winter X Games. Shaun White's Facebook page.

Julia Mancuso: Alpine Skiing

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Mancuso will be participating in her fourth Olympic games. She won gold in 2006 and two silver medals in 2010. Without teammate Lindsey Vonn participating, Mancuso has a great shot to claim another gold medal. Julia Mancuso's Facebook page.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White: Ice Dancing

Perhaps the best shot for the U.S. figure skating team to claim a gold medal, Davis and White have been skating together for 16 years. They claimed the silver medal in 2010. Meryl Davis and Charlie White's Facebook page.

Mikaela Shiffrin: Alpine Skiing

Only 18, Shiffrin is the youngest American to win a World Cup title in any category. Sochi will be the first Olympics for Team USA's newest skiing star. Mikaela Shiffrin's Facebook page.

Nick Goepper: Freestyle Skiing

A 19-year-old freeskier, Goepper is coming off a big 2013 in which he earned gold at X-Games Aspen, won the Association of Freeskiing Professionals slopestyle title, placed third at the FIS World Championships, and graduated high school. Nick Goepper's Facebook page.

Arielle Gold: Snowboarding

Not quite 18 -- her birthday is in May -- Arielle Gold hopes to live up to her name at her first Olympics. She emerged as a star in 2013, winning the FIS World Snowboarding Championships and earning bronze at X-Games Tignes, among a host of other accolades. Arielle Gold's Facebook page.

Ted Ligety: Alpine Skiing

Competing in his third Olympics, Ligety won gold in the Alpine combined at Turin in 2006. He's won the World Cup giant slalom on four occasions, and he's looking to add another medal to his collection in Sochi. Ted Ligety's Facebook page.

Sarah Hendrickson: Ski Jumping

This year's Olympics is the first time that women's ski jumping will be an event, and Hendrickson is aiming to take the inaugural gold medal. She underwent knee surgery last August, but still earned a spot on the team. Sarah Hendrickson's Facebook page.

Jeremy Abbott: Figure Skating

Abbott won his fourth title at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in early January and was named to his second Olympics immediately after the competition. Abbott is hoping to rebound from a poor Olympic showing in 2010, in which he finished 9th. Jeremy Abbott's Facebook page.

Gracie Gold: Figure Skating

Gracie Gold won the U.S. figure skating title in January and hopes more than just her surname will be gold in Sochi. It will be her first Olympic competition. Gracie Gold's Facebook page.

Hannah Kearney: Freestyle Skiing

After winning a gold medal at Vancouver in 2010, Kearney will take to the slopes in Sochi to aim for a repeat. She also participated in the Turin Olympics in 2006. Hannah Kearney's Facebook page.

Torin Yater-Wallace: Freestyle Skiing

Though he just turned 18 in December, Yater-Wallace has been skiing like a veteran for the last couple of years. He earned a silver medal in his X-Games debut in 2011 and hasn't looked back. He'll be competing in the new halfpipe skiing event in Sochi. Torin Yater-Wallace's Facebook page.

Heather Richardson: Speed Skating

After participating in the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, Richardson took the speedskating world by storm. In a brilliant 2013 campaign, she took home the World Cup overall 1000-meter championship and the World Sprint Championships overall title. Heather Richardson's Facebook page.

Jamie Anderson: Snowboarding

Sochi is the first Olympics to feature snowboard slopestyle, and Anderson probably gives Team USA its best chance to take home a medal in the event. Jamie Anderson's Facebook page.

Steven Holcomb: Bobsled

Holcomb participated in the Olympics in 2006 and 2010, and is viewed by many as a favorite to take home gold for Team USA in at least one bobsled event. Holcomb won the gold medal for the four-man bobsled competition at Vancouver. Steven Holcomb's Facebook page.

Julie Chu: Hockey

Playing in her fourth Olympic games, the forward is aiming for her first Olympic gold. She's been close before: Her last three Olympic squads won silver, bronze and silver. Julie Chu's Facebook page.

Kelly Clark: Snowboarding

After failing to medal in 2006 in the women's halfpipe -- she finished fourth -- Clark reclaimed a spot on the podium with a bronze medal in 2010. She took home gold in 2002, and looks to earn Team USA another medal in Sochi. Kelly Clark's Facebook page.

Noelle Pikus-Pace: Skeleton

Pikus-Pace is looking to follow up a fourth-place finish in Vancouver with a medal this time around in Sochi. She earned a spot on this year's Olympic team just a year after the birth of her son, Traycen. Noelle Pikus-Pace's Facebook page.

Amanda Kessel: Hockey

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Kessel, the younger sister of Toronto Maple Leafs forward and fellow U.S. Olympian Phil Kessel, notched 46 goals and 101 points last year during her junior season at the University of Minnesota. Her offensive firepower could be the difference in lifting Team USA to a gold medal on the ice. Amanda Kessel's Facebook page.

Published Jan 28, 2014

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