Stars ready to shine at Vancouver Olympics (Feature)

By Barry Whelan Jan 27, 2010, 5:04 GMT

Berlin - Can Vancouver produce the equivalent of a Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps?

The imponderables of winter sport - where changeable weather conditions or the vagaries of a judge's marks can prove decisive - make predictions difficult.

But the 2010 Games has several athletes with the potential to scoop up medals, as sprinter Bolt and swimmer Phelps did at the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.

In alpine skiing, where the margin for error is so slight and opportunities can vanish with the parting of a cloud or the distribution of a start number, pre-Olympics form often counts for nothing.

Otherwise you could put all your money on Lindsey Vonn.

The overall World Cup winner of the past two seasons, and current leader, looks a sure bet for medals to break her Olympic duck. After winning two golds at the 2009 world championships, the affable 25- year-old American has the temperament to be an Olympic great.

Competition could come though from the likes of slalom specialist Maria Riesch of Germany or Sweden's Anja Paerson, the seven-time world champion and 2006 Olympic slalom champion, who always seems to rise to the big occasion. Or from an outsider who seizes her moment.

The men's competition looks particularly prone to a surprise or two.

Austria's Benjamin Raich will be looking to add to slalom and giant slalom Olympic golds, while all-rounders Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway and Swiss newcomer Carlo Janka will be seeking first Olympic golds.

But there are any number of candidates for medals. Perhaps American Bode Miller, a two-time overall World Cup champion and four- time world champion who, at 32, would dearly love to add to the two silvers he won in Salt Lake City in 2002.

The US have plenty of Olympians to watch including speed skating all-rounder Shani Davis, gold medallist in the 1,500 metres in 2006, who is seeking medals in five individual events.

Teammate Apolo Ohno, with five Olympic medals including three golds already to his name, wants another two medals to overtake Bonnie Blair as the US winter Olympian with the most career medals.

Collecting medals has become something of a hobby for Norwegian biathlon great Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.

Now fourth in the all-time medals of winter Olympians, Bjoerndalen could well add to his record five biathlon golds (nine medals in total) and even has compatriot Bjoern Daehlie, who tops the list eight eight cross-country golds (12 medals in all), in his sights.

The Norwegians will again be looking for cross-country medals. The outspoken and confident Petter Northug, who is likely to opt for four events on his Olympic debut, is a major candidate.

Figure skating could capture much of the attention in Vancouver where reigning world figure skating champion Kim Yu-Na has South Korean medal hopes on her slender shoulders, but has hot rivals in Japan's Mao Asada and home favourite Joannie Rochette to contend with.

Hannu Manninen and Felix Gottwald have both come out of retirement in the quest for Nordic combined glory.

Austrian Gottwald, 34, a double Olympic champion from 2006, retired in 2007 but returned to competition this winter.

Finland's Manninen, 31, is also back from two years' retirement as he goes for an individual gold medal, the only prize missing from an illustrious catalogue which includes three world championship golds.