Vonn, Davis, White, Ohno headline big day for Americans at Vancouver Games

Big day ahead for big-name Americans in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Even after being shut out for a day, the United States is on pace for an impressive medal haul at the Vancouver Olympics.

And the biggest American stars have barely contributed yet.

Shaun White, Shani Davis and Apolo Anton Ohno are all competing Wednesday in what is shaping up as the most intriguing day so far for the U.S. NBC will showcase the three in prime time Wednesday along with Lindsey Vonn, who will have competed earlier in the day in the downhill.

White is competing in the halfpipe, Davis tries for gold in 1,000-meter speedskating, and Ohno will race in preliminary short track heats.

“I’ve given up a lot in my life and my career to be here,” Vonn said.

The U.S. didn’t win a medal Tuesday but still finished the day with eight, one behind first-place Germany. The Americans won only six medals at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, the last time the Olympics were held in Canada.

Granted, some sports have been added to the program since, but the U.S. has shown progress in traditional events, too, winning a medal in Nordic combined for the first time over the weekend. Even Bode Miller managed a bronze medal in the men’s downhill, redeeming himself a bit for his 2006 flameout.

Now, the stage is set for some of the headliners of these Olympics. But will they live up to the hype?

Vonn has endured the most adversity, battling an injured shin. She wasn’t able to compete before Wednesday because of uncooperative weather that delayed some Alpine events.

Davis finished 12th in the 5,000, nearly 14 seconds behind winner Sven Kramer. He was matched up in a pairing against Kramer, so viewers had a chance to see exactly how wide the gulf was between the two skaters.

In the 500, Davis placed 18th in the first of two heats and then called it a day, already looking ahead to the 1,000. That’s the event Davis won at the 2006 Games, and he’s also the world record holder.

Davis could face a challenge from 500 champion Mo Tae-bum of South Korea — and there’s also no telling what logistical problems might come up. Problems with various ice-resurfacing machines at the speedskating venue caused a long delay during the 500.

Like Davis, White came on the scene four years ago, winning gold at the Turin Olympics. Known as the Flying Tomato because of his red hair, White is one of the most recognizable athletes at the Vancouver Games even though the halfpipe is in only its fourth Olympics as part of the official program.

White has been working on the Double McTwist 1260, a move that requires him to pack 3½ spins inside of two head-over-heels flips.

Aside from that, the snowboarder been a bit coy about his planned run.

“I don’t want to give everything away,” White said. “Big airs.”

Ohno has already won a medal at these Olympics, crossing the finish line in second place in the short track 1,500 when two South Koreans took each other out in a crash on the final turn. That was his sixth career medal, tying Bonnie Blair for the U.S. Winter Games record. He won’t have a chance to surpass Blair on Wednesday, but he will skate in the 1,000 heats and the 5,000 relay semifinals.

Also Wednesday, the Czech Republic faces Slovakia in men’s hockey, and defending champion Sweden takes on Germany. Those games will be carried by CNBC.