Some of the best athletes in the world will be gathering this week to kick off the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing on February 4^th. The United States looks ready to gear up for the games; however, they are not projected to win the medal count. Team USA is expected to finish in fourth place in the medal count race. Norway is expected to win the games, with Germany and Russia trailing behind in second and third respectively according to FanDuel odds. I would not count the USA out from winning the medal count as they have some incredible athletes who could really shake things up. Let’s take a look at a few of USA’s Olympic stars.

Shaun White is one of the most decorated USA Olympians, and he is going for gold once again in the snowboarding halfpipe event. Shaun White won the halfpipe gold medal in 2006, 2010, and in 2018. He is now gunning for his fourth gold medal in Beijing. The 35-year-old stated that these Olympic games will be his last in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE magazine. Shaun White is an absolute must watch as he attempts to cap off his career with a fourth Olympic gold medal.

Mikaela Shiffrin is among the early favorites in the Alpine Skiing women’s giant slalom. She is currently favored to win the event, although she has recently contracted COVID-19. That could through a wrench in some of her training leading up to the games; however, she is expected to compete and to be fully healthy at the start of the prelims for Alpine Skiing.

Some other athletes to watch for are Jamie Anderson (Women’s Snowboarding), Kevin Bickner (Men’s Ski Jumping), and Brittany Bowe (Women’s Speedskating) just to name a few. Also, it is important to note that NHL players are not allowed to compete in the Olympic Games. The United States was originally projected to take the silver medal home; however, since America’s hockey players are forced to stay home, the U.S. hockey team will be at a significant disadvantage. The USA hockey team now has +1250 odds to win the Olympic gold medal (currently the sixth highest odds) according to Bovada.

Let’s hope we see some Miracle on Ice as the USA Hockey team must overcome significant odds to beat the Russian team who is favored to win the Olympics with +132 odds of winning gold.