US Olympic Figure Skating Team 2014: Biggest Stars to Watch For in Sochi

Among the several sports in the 2014 Winter Olympics, figure skating is one of the most elegant and beloved events throughout the entire Games.

With Evan Lysacek emerging after winning the men's singles gold medal in the 2010 Olympics and several other triumphant stories for the U.S. figure skating team, the Olympic stage has always been the biggest platform for emerging stars in the sport.

This year, several standouts from the U.S. will be travelling to Sochi to compete for medals to bring back home. While the field is stacked in every competition, the Americans should return with multiple medals in figure skating.

Before the competition officially begins, here are the stars to watch for when the 2014 Winter Olympics are underway.

Winter Olympics Information

What: 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

Where: Fisht Olympic Stadium

Opening Ceremony: Feb. 7, 11:14 a.m. (ET)

Closing Ceremony: Feb. 23

TV: NBC; NBCSN (figure skating)

Biggest Stars to Watch

Jeremy Abbott

One of the most veteran members of the Olympic team for the U.S., Jeremy Abbott is looking to get one more medal to add to his collection in Sochi.

Though Abbott has never won a medal at the Olympics, he is one of the most respected athletes on the ice for the Americans. After announcing that he plans to retire following this season, Abbott is making one last go around in Sochi.

Abbott might not be one of the favorites in the competition, but he certainly believes he has something in his favor. The 28-year-old said he has fallen in love with the ice in Sochi, according to Bryce Miller of the Detroit Free Press:

"

I love, love, love the ice here. [...] It’s kind of an odd mixture of speed skating and figure skating. Usually, when the ice is springy and soft, it doesn’t have a lot of glide. You have to really work to push. Then usually when it’s fast, it’s very hard and you don’t get a lot of spring for your jumps.

This is like a cool mixture of the two, where you get a lot of speed across the ice but there’s still a lot of spring to it.

"

Abbott will have to compete with fellow American star Jason Brown, who emerged in the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, as the biggest star on his own team. But with his consistency over the years and his veteran leadership, Abbott will be one to watch in Sochi.

Gracie Gold

When it comes to star power, Gracie Gold might be the biggest American star competing in Sochi after skier Lindsey Vonn went down due to injury.

The 18-year-old is on top of the sport for the U.S. contingent and has been paraded around the country following her win at the 2014 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. When asked about her chance to medal, according to Kelly Whiteside of USA Today, responded by saying, "I think it's a realistic goal."

Gold went on to talk about her idols on the ice and her hopes to join them, according to Whiteside:

"

But then you think about Olympic performances and maybe you want an Olympic gold medal and be like Kristy (Yamaguchi) or Sarah (Hughes). It's hard to pick one. [...] I definitely see myself in the top of the nation and top of the world for years to come.

"

Pretty confident comments from a skater who was expected to finish behind fellow American Ashley Wagner before the U.S. Championships took place.

Gold's confidence and her star power won't be enough to defeat Yuna Kim, the favorite to repeat as a gold medalist out of South Korea. But if Gold can put together a strong performance and bring home a medal for the U.S., she will be a huge figure for years to come before the 2018 Olympics.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White

It has been considered a foregone conclusion for months that the duo of Meryl Davis and Charlie White will take the gold medal in 2014 in the ice dancing competition.

Much of that confidence in Davis and White has come from their consistency and six U.S. figure skating championships. But even with their success on the ice, White said the duo continues to work hard ahead of the Olympics to perfect their technique, according to Whiteside.

"We kick our butts every day on the ice and off the ice," White said. "Everyone has it in them, and luckily we have had coaches who can get it out of us."

While they have enjoyed plenty of success on the world stage, the duo fell just short during the 2010 Olympics. After falling short in the Vancouver by finishing second to the Canadian pair of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Davis and White will look to bounce back on the biggest stage.

But with a stacked field including Virtue and Moir yet again, the task will still be difficult for the duo. White and Davis are the biggest full-blown stars of the entire team and will likely be wearing gold medals around their necks after it's all said and done.

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