2014 Olympics: 10 Names to Know Now for Sochi Winter Games

The 2012 London Summer Olympic Games kick off Friday evening with the opening ceremonies from the Olympic Stadium.

The next two-and-a-half weeks will be filled with intense Olympic action full of triumph and heartbreak. When the curtain comes down on the London Games the world will focus its attention on Sochi, Russia—the site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

There will be plenty of storylines to follow in the upcoming months regarding the American athletes who could participate in the Games.

Will Apolo Ohno return for another go-around and build on his already historic medal count?

Will anyone be able to challenge Shaun White for halfpipe supremacy?

And will Evan Lysacek return to defend his gold medal and become the first American men's singles competitor since Dick Button to win back-to-back golds?

These are some of the storylines which undoubtedly draw some attention in the months preceding the Sochi Games. Here are 10 American Olympic athletes to keep an eye on as we look forward to Sochi 2014.

Julia Mancuso: Alpine Skiing

World Championship Medals: (4)

Bormio (2005): Bronze (x2) - Giant Slalom, Super G

Are (2007): Silver - Combined

Garmisch (2011): Silver - Super G

Olympic Medals (3)

Turin (2006): Gold - Giant Slalom

Vancouver (2010): Silver (x2) - Downhill, Combined

Julia Mancuso will be looking to build on her record-setting three career alpine skiing Olympic medals at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Mancuso took home two Olympic silver medals in the downhill and combined events at 2010 Vancouver. Combined with the Olympic gold medal she won at 2006 Turin, Mancuso is the most decorated women's alpine skier in U.S. Olympic history.

She will be looking to add on to those numbers if she participates in the Games. Mancuso joined fellow U.S. Alpine team members last week in New Zealand to continue training.   

Johnny Spillane: Nordic Combined

World Championship Medals: (1)

Val di Fiemme (2003): Gold - 7.5-km Sprint

Olympic Medals (3)

Vancouver (2010): Silver (x3) - 10-km large hill, 10-km normal hill, 4x5-km team

Johnny Spillane pulled off the Olympic medal hat-trick at the 2010 Vancouver Games by taking home three silver medals in Nordic combined skiing.

He was the first American ever to win a Nordic combined medal with his silver placing in the 10-km large hill. He followed up that performance with two more silvers in 4X5-km team relay and 10-km large hill events. 

Spillane and fellow U.S. teammate Bill Demong figure to make some noise if they make an appearance at Sochi 2014.  

Katherine Reutter: Speed Skating

World Championship Medals: (7)

Gangneung (2008): Bronze  - 3,000 meters

Sofia (2010): Bronze (x2) - 1,000, 3,000-meter relay

Sheffield (2011): Bronze, Silver (x2), Gold - 1,000 (b); 3,000, overall (s); 1,500 (g)

Olympic Medals (2)

Vancouver (2010): Silver, Bronze - 1,000, 3,000-meter relay

One of the Sochi 2014 U.S. Olympic hopefuls you are sure to be hearing about in the upcoming months is Katherine Reutter.

The two-time Olympic medalist in short-track speed skating will be looking to inch closer to the legendary Bonnie Blair. Blair won a record five Olympic gold medals, six medals overall in women's speed skating. Coincidentally enough, both Blair and Reutter hail from Champaign, Illinois.

Shaun White: Snowboarding

Olympic Medals (2)

Torino (2006): Gold - Halfpipe

Vancouver (2010): Gold - Halfpipe

One of the most recognizable faces in winter sports is snowboarder Shaun White. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe is the odds-on favorite to repeat if he participates in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

White has collected 17 Winter X-Games medals (12 gold) and six gold Winter Dew Tour medals. Along with being an Olympic snowboarder, White is also an accomplished skateboarder who has won five Summer X-Games medals.      

Lindsey Vonn: Alpine Skiing

World Championship Medals: (5)

Are (2007): Silver (x2) - Downhill, Super-G

Val d'Isere (2009): Gold (x2) - Downhill, Super-G

Garmisch (2011): Silver - Downhill

World Cup Titles: (4)

2008-10, 2012 

Olympic Medals: (2)

Vancouver (2010): Gold, Bronze - Downhill (g), Super-G (b) 

Lindsey Vonn joined an exclusive club in 2012, becoming the only American woman to win a World Cup race in all five skiing disciplines. She is hoping that momentum will carry over into Sochi 2014, where she will be looking to add on to her two career Olympic medals.

Apolo Ohno: Speed Skating

World Championship Medals: (21)

Olympic Medals (8)

Salt Lake City (2002): Silver, Gold - 1,000 meters, 1,500

Turin (2006): Bronze (x2), Gold - 1,000 (b), 5,000-meter relay (b); 500 (g)

Vancouver (2010): Bronze (x2), Silver - 1,000 (b), 5,000-meter relay (b); 1,500 (s)

If Apolo Ohno decides to return for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games he will be looking to further his legacy. Ohno, who will be 31 at the time of the games, will have the opportunity to add on to his record-setting eight Olympic short-track speed skating medals.

Ohno has been keeping himself busy off the ice as he completed the 2011 ING New York City marathon with a respectable time of three hours and 25 minutes.  

Kelly Clark: Snowboarding

Olympic Medals (2)

Salt Lake City (2002): Gold - Halfpipe 

Vancouver (2010): Bronze - Halfpipe

Kelly Clark figures to be in the medal conversation in snowboarding at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. The two-time Olympic medal winner will face stiff competition in the halfpipe from fellow American Hannah Teter and up-and-comer Jamie Anderson, who may also compete.

Clark has won seven Winter X-Games medals (three gold) in the superpipe. She was also nominated for a 2012 ESPY in the category Female Action Sports Athlete.   

Evan Lysacek: Figure Skating

World Championship Medals: (3)

Moscow (2005): Bronze - Singles

Calgary (2006): Bronze - Singles

Los Angeles (2009): Gold - Singles

Olympic Medals: (1)

Vancouver (2010): Gold - Singles

Evan Lysacek announced last September that he intends on defending his gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. He will look to become the first American skater to win back-to-back singles gold medals since Dick Button accomplished the feat in 1948 and 1952.   

Hannah Kearney: Freestyle Skiiing

FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships

Ruka (2005): Gold - Moguls

Inawashiro (2009): Bronze - Dual Moguls

Deer Valley (2011): Silver, Bronze - Moguls, Dual Moguls

Olympic Medals: (1)

Vancouver (2010): Gold - Moguls

Hannah Kearney can become the most accomplished freestyle skier of all time if she can earn her second gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games. 

The only other American woman to earn a gold medal in freestyle skiing was Donna Weinbrecht (moguls) at the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville, France.

Bill Demong: Nordic Combined

World Championship Medals: (3)

Sapporo (2007): Silver - 15-km gunderson

Liberec (2009): Gold, Bronze - 10-km large hill (g), 10-km normal hill (b)

Olympic Medals (2)

Vancouver (2010): Gold, Silver - 10-km large hill (g), 4x5-km team (s)

The performances of U.S. Nordic combined teammates Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane were one of the noteworthy highlights of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Both men took home a total of five Olympic medals during the course of the Games. If Demong returns, rest assured the friendly competition will continue at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.