索契冬奧會(huì)：哪些運(yùn)動(dòng)員值得關(guān)注

Watch Out for These Athletes at the Sochi Winter Olympics

索契冬奧會(huì)：哪些運(yùn)動(dòng)員值得關(guān)注

Countries across Asia and Oceania, including some that have never seen snow, will compete at the Sochi Olympics. South Korea, Japan and China are sending some of the biggest teams and will be legitimate contenders to win many medals, particularly in skating, ski jumping and freestyle skiing. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, South Korea finished seventh in overall medals, while China placed eighth and Japan finished a disappointing 16th. Here's a look at these countries' top athletes in Sochi, as well as some interesting characters from smaller countries, including a skier from East Timor and a luger from Tonga.

CHINA

Li Nina, a freestyle skier from northeast China's Liaoning province, made a comeback last year after retiring with silver medals in aerials from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as well as the 2006 Games in Turin. She is now 31 years old, and Sochi will surely be the last chance Li - who is nicknamed Snow Princess - has of winning that elusive Olympic gold. This is her fourth winter Olympics, as she also competed at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Xu Mengtao, a former gymnast and the great-niece of famous storyteller Liu Lanfang, is one of the favorites to win the women's freestyle skiing aerials event in Sochi. Since finishing sixth at the Vancouver Olympics, the 23-year-old from Liaoning province has risen to the top of the sport and is the reigning world champion. China's other medal hopes in the women's aerials include Cheng Shuang and Zhang Xin.

Liu Zhongqing, nicknamed Daqing Flying Man, won bronze in the men's aerials event at the Vancouver Olympics. At 28, he is the oldest member of the Chinese men's aerials team, which includes Jia Zongyang, Qi Guangpu and Wu Chao. All of them will be looking to emulate Han Xiaopeng, who won China's first Olympic skiing gold medal, in the men's aerials at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. According to the official website for the Sochi Olympics, Liu has a pragmatic sporting philosophy. 'I get what I want from ice and snow,' is his motto.

Fan Kexin will be carrying Chinese hopes in short-track speedskating since Wang Meng, the country's most successful winter Olympian, was ruled out of the Games after breaking her ankle in training last month. Even Fan's nickname is Shadow of Wang Meng, according to her Olympic profile. She finished second in the 500-meter World Cup standings last season. Sochi is the 20-year-old's first Olympics. Zhou Yang, a short-track skater from Changchun, is another medal prospect in skating. She won two gold medals at the Vancouver Olympics, in the 1,500 meters and the relay.

Pang Qing and Tong Jian prove that love is on the ice, as well as in the air. The couple, who won silver in Vancouver, got engaged in 2011 when Tong proposed during a live television show called 'Art on Ice.' 'Before the Vancouver Winter Games, claiming an Olympic medal was my dream. But now my dream is to have you with me forever,' Tong said during the show in Shanghai. Tong and Jian are fourth in the International Skating Union world rankings.

Wang Bingyu, Liu Yin, Yue Qingshuang, Zhou Yan are among the lesser-known Chinese Olympic medal winners, namely because they compete in a sport that scarcely existed a decade ago in China. After winning won bronze in curling at the Vancouver Olympics, this team of female Chinese curlers, who have been training under Canadian champion Marcel Rocque, will slide on the ice again for a chance at gold.

South Korea

Kim Yuna is eyeing a second-straight gold after she became the first figure skater to win a medal for South Korea in Vancouver. Her preparation for Sochi, however, has been unsettled after she injured her foot in September. The 23-year-old returned to action in December, winning an event in Croatia's capital Zagreb. If Kim wins, she will become the first person to take two straight gold medals in figure skating since Katarina Witt of East Germany in the 1980s. Kim was the sixth-highest paid female athlete in the world last year with earnings of $14 million, according to Forbes. She says she will retire after Sochi.

Lee Sang-hwa won gold in the women's long-track speed-skating 500 meters in Vancouver and set the world record over that distance in November, when she clocked 36.36 seconds in the Speed Skating World Cup in Utah. She had already broken the world record twice during that event. Lee, who made her international debut in 2005 at the age of 14, hasn't been beaten over 500 meters in World Cup events this season.

Mo Tae-bum won Olympic gold in the skating 500 meters on his birthday in Vancouver, and he also took silver in the 1,000 meters. His stated ambition is to become Korea's first Olympic 1,000-meter champion. He won both the 500- and 1,000-meter events in the last World Cup event before Sochi, which took place in Berlin in December.

Lee Seung-hoon, another member of the strong South Korean skating team, won gold in the Vancouver Olympics in the 10,000 meters and silver in the 5,000 meters. Lee started as a short-track skater but switched to speed skating in 2009 when he failed to make the Korean short-track team. His main rivals include Sven Kramer of the Netherlands, who won gold in the 5,000 meters at the Vancouver Olympics.

Shim Suk-hee is the youngest member of South Korea's team in Sochi but is a strong candidate for medals in short-track skating. The 17-year-old won three gold medals at the 2012 World Cup in Calgary and holds the 1,000-meter world record. Sochi is her first Olympics and she is tipped for success in the women's 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters, as well as the 3,000-meter relay.

Sung Eun-ryung started her sports career in track and field before moving to taekwondo. She only took up the luge in 2011 but was soon a member of the national team. She is the first South Korean woman to compete in a sledding event at the Olympics. Sung's goal for Sochi is to place in the top 20 in the singles and the top 10 in the team race.

Shin Mi-sung is the captain and the oldest member of the South Korean women's curling team. Shin tried out the sport after discovering her university had a curling club. The South Korean women's team reached the semifinals of the 2012 World Championships in Canada. It also won the 2013 China Open and Pacific-Asia Curling Championships. At the end of last year, the Korean team was tenth in the World Curling Federation rankings.

Japan

Mao Asada is a highly rated figure skater whose main rival for gold in Sochi is South Korea's Olympic champion Kim Yuna. Asada lost out to Kim in Vancouver, picking up a silver medal in the 2010 Games. Like her South Korean rival, Asada says she will retire after Sochi. The 23-year-old is famous for her triple axels, though some observers say she should give up the move given how difficult it is to produce a clean landing. Even Asada's dog is well-known in Japan; it appeared in a commercial for chocolate. Japan's other medal hopes in women's figure skating include Akiko Suzuki and Kanako Murakami.

Sara Takanashi is being talked up as a hot favorite for gold in the women's ski jump, the first time the event has been included in the Olympics. Takanashi is only 17 years old but she is dominating the sport, winning 10 out of 13 events this season after being crowned world champion last year. The 5-foot tall student, who is coached by her father, Hiroya, has been dubbed The Big Small Jumper by the Japanese media. She says her hero is American ski jumper Sarah Hendrickson, whom she will be competing against in Sochi.

Noriaki Kasai is a veteran ski jumper who made his Olympic debut in the 1992 Games in Albertville, France. Sochi will be his seventh Olympics, more than any other ski jumper in history. In January, the 41-year-old became the oldest jumper to win a World Cup and he is now third in the season's rankings. His best result at an Olympics came in the team event in Lillehammer in 1994, when he won silver.

Yuzuru Hanyu is a figure skater from Sendai, which was devastated by the tsunami that followed the 2011 earthquake. Hanyu was reportedly training when the earthquake struck, and he ran from the rink in Miyagi without removing his skates. In April 2012, he moved to Toronto to be coached by Brian Orser. Hanyu, 19 years old, is in good form coming into Sochi, having won the Grand Prix finals in Fukuoka last month, as well as topping 100 points in the Japan nationals. Another medal hope in men's figure skating is Daisuke Takahashi, who won bronze at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Keiichiro Nagashima won silver in the men's 500-meter speed skating competition in Vancouver in 2010, his second Olympics. His compatriot Joji Kato won bronze in the same event. The skaters could be in line for payouts if they win medals again, with Nidec Sankyo Corp. offering 20 million yen ($200,000) to for a gold, 10 million yen for a silver and six million yen for a bronze.

Aiko Uemura is a freestyle skier competing in the moguls event. This is her fifth Olympics and she has been desperately close to winning a medal in the past. She came fourth in Vancouver 2010, fifth in Turin in 2006, sixth in Salt Lake City in 2002 and seventh in Nagano in 1998.

Australia

Dale Begg-Smith is Australia's most successful Winter Olympian. He is the country's first Olympic skiing gold medalist, an achievement made at the 2006 Turin Olympics when he became the youngest person to win the men's moguls. He was 21. After a cruciate ligament injury ruled him out of action for much of 2009, Begg-Smith won silver at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. He was born in Vancouver in 1985 and moved to Australia when he was 16. He wasn't allowed to compete for three years as he waited to get Australian citizenship.

Alex Pullin is a snowboarder from Sydney. He competes in the snowboard cross event, which is a race involving four snowboarders at a time. Pullin, who is nicknamed Chumpy, came 17th in the Vancouver Olympics, but he won the World Championships in Stoneham, Canada, last year. He also won the championships in La Molina, Spain, in 2011-the first time an Australian won a world championship snowboard title.

Torah Bright won gold in the snowboard halfpipe at the Vancouver Olympics. The 27-year-old will compete in the halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboard cross in Sochi, becoming the first person to participate in three different Olympic snowboarding events.

Lydia Lassila is a freestyle skier and reigning Olympic champion in the aerials. Her main competitors at Sochi include the Chinese pair of Li Nina and Xu Mengtao. Like her Chinese rivals, Lassila used to be a gymnast. The 32-year-old has competed at three Olympics, finishing eighth in Salt Lake City in 2002 and 14th in Turin in 2006. At Sochi she is aiming to become the first person to win two Olympic golds in freestyle skiing.

Belle Brockhoff has been selected in Australia's snowboard cross team. This is her first Olympics, though her family has history with the event as her uncle, Peter Brockhoff, skied in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. The 21-year-old, who is gay, says she has been working for Athlete Ally, an organization that aims to make sports inclusive for everyone. The organization has said athletes at Sochi have a unique opportunity to draw attention to Russia's antigay laws.

Independent Olympic Participant

Search for India on the country dropdown menu on the official website for Sochi and you'll find a word that starts with the letters I-n-d. But the word isn't India, it is Independent. That's because the Indian Olympic Committee has been suspended as it failed to comply with the International Olympic Committee's charter. As a result, Shiva Keshavan, a veteran of four Olympics, can't compete under the Indian flag in the luge event. After being so badly let down by his national Olympic committee, Keshavan will race in a suit bearing the names of well-wishers rather than the Indian tricolor. Keshavan's best performance at an Olympics came at the 2006 Games in Turin, where he finished 25th.

Tonga

That's right. Tonga, a tropical archipelago in the south Pacific, will be represented in Sochi. Bruno Banani(previously called Fuahea Semi) will compete in the luge event, fulfilling Tongan princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita's unlikely wish of seeing someone from the nation compete at the Winter Olympics. The 26-year-old moved to Germany and changed his name as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign for an underwear manufacturer. He finished 28th in a World Cup event in Utah in December, which was comfortable enough to secure his place in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The Philippines

Michael Christian Martinez is a 17-year-old figure skater from a Manila suburb. He came in seventh in the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck in 2012 and finished fifth in the World Junior Championships in Milan last year. He has suffered several injuries in his brief career, which he blames on the poor quality of ice rinks in the Philippines. Martinez is the first skater to represent the Philippines at the Winter Olympics, and the first person from his country to compete at the Games in 22 years. He took up the sport after walking past an ice rink in a mall.

New Zealand

Three brothers are among those carrying New Zealand's hopes at Sochi. Josiah Wells, Byron Wells and Beau-James Wells are all freestyle skiers, and they are all experiencing their first Olympics. A fourth brother,Jackson, is also a skier but at 15 is too young to qualify for these Games. They are coached by their father, Bruce.

Christy Prior won the snowboard slopestyle event at the World Cup in Stoneham, Canada, in January and is ranked seventh in the world in the discipline. In Stoneham, the last Olympic qualifying event ahead of Sochi, Prior was top of the podium ahead of Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands and Anna Gasser of Austria.

Kazakhstan

Elena Khrustaleva won Kazakhstan's only medal at the Vancouver Olympics: a silver in the biathlon. She is one of 10 athletes from Kazakhstan competing in the biathlon at Sochi, according to reports. Khrustaleva's silver in 2010 is the only time Kazakhstan has won a medal in the biathlon. Kazakhstan is the third country she has represented at the Olympics. She has also competed for Russia and Belarus.

Taiwan

Taiwan is sending three young athletes to the Winter Olympics. Lien Te-An, 19 years old, will compete in the luge, while Sung Ching-Yang and Mackenzie Blackburn, both 21 years old, will compete in the speed-skating and short-track skating events, respectively.

Hong Kong

Pan-To Barton Liu is the first man to represent Hong Kong at the Winter Olympics. The 20-year-old short-track skater has done much of his training in northeast China and South Korea because of the lack of Olympic-size skating facilities in Hong Kong. His best World Cup performance this season came in Turin, where he finished 26th in the 1,500 meters.

Thailand

Vanessa Mae is a violinist and a British citizen, who is representing Thailand at the Winter Olympics in Sochi. She qualifies for the team because her biological father is from Thailand. She will compete in the slalom competition under the name Vanessa Vanakorn. In her record-breaking classical crossover music career - she shot to fame as child star - Mae has sold an estimated 10 million records. She is 35 years old. Mae, or Vanakorn, won't be the only person competing for Thailand in Sochi. Kanes Sucharitakul, who was educated at Cambridge University, England, is in the men's slalom and giant slalom.

East Timor

Yohan Goutt Goncalves will represent the small and snow-starved Southeast Asian nation of East Timor in Sochi. Goutt Goncalves, 19 years old, will compete in the men's slalom. He grew up in France (his father is French and his mother is from East Timor) and first tried skiing in Val d'Isère when he was 2 years old, according to French media reports. 'Tomorrow is a big day for me, the biggest step towards my dream, I will be on my way to the Olympic Games in Sochi...I will be the flag holder of my country, my nation,' an entry on his Facebook page said Wednesday.

Pakistan

Mohammad Karim will ski for Pakistan at Sochi. 'Karim is a great athlete and we think he has very strong medal chances during the Olympics,' the Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Obaid-ur-Rehman Abbasi, the spokesman of Ski Federation of Pakistan, as saying. Pakistan made its Winter Olympics debut in Vancouver in 2010, where Muhammad Abbas finished 79th in the giant slalom. Abbas is traveling to Sochi as a reserve in case Karim gets injured, the Express Tribune reported.

Nepal

Given the topography of Nepal, it's a surprise that the nation doesn't have any world-class downhill skiers. The country will, however, be represented in Sochi by Dachhiri Sherpa, a 44-year-old cross-country skier and bricklayer. Sherpa was born in the village of Chulemo at the foot of Mount Everest and raised in a monastery, according to an Agence France-Presse report, which also said he predicts he will finish last.

Mongolia

Byambadorj Bold will compete in the men's 15-kilometer cross-country skiing in Sochi, while Otgontsetseg Chinbat is in the women's 10-kilometer event. The two skiers trained at Sky Resort near Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar, according to local media reports, and are distinguished in Sochi as being among the first athletes to arrive at the Olympic Village.

亞洲和大洋洲國(guó)家(包括那些人們從未見(jiàn)到過(guò)雪的國(guó)家)都將派遣運(yùn)動(dòng)員參加索契冬奧會(huì)的角逐。韓國(guó)、日本和中國(guó)派出最大的代表團(tuán)，并將以合法競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者的身份贏得許多獎(jiǎng)牌，特別是在滑冰、跳臺(tái)滑雪和自由式滑雪項(xiàng)目上。在2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上，韓國(guó)在總獎(jiǎng)牌榜上列第七位，中國(guó)列第八位，日本列第16位。本文介紹上述國(guó)家參加索契冬奧會(huì)的明星陣容，以及其他小國(guó)部分有意思的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，其中包括一位來(lái)自東帝汶的滑雪運(yùn)動(dòng)員和一名來(lái)自湯加的無(wú)舵雪橇運(yùn)動(dòng)員。

中國(guó)

李妮娜，來(lái)自中國(guó)東北遼寧省的自由式滑雪空中技巧運(yùn)動(dòng)員。退役后，她去年選擇復(fù)出，她曾于2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)和2006年都靈冬奧會(huì)連續(xù)兩屆獲得該項(xiàng)目銀牌。李妮娜現(xiàn)年31歲，無(wú)疑索契將是她獲得奧運(yùn)金牌的最后一次機(jī)會(huì)，李妮娜還有“雪上公主”的昵稱。這是她的第四屆冬奧會(huì)，她還參加了2002年鹽湖城冬奧會(huì)。

徐夢(mèng)桃，她曾是一名體操運(yùn)動(dòng)員，其母是大名鼎鼎的評(píng)書表演藝術(shù)家劉蘭芳的外甥女。徐夢(mèng)桃是索契冬奧會(huì)女子自由滑雪空中技巧項(xiàng)目冠軍的有力競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者之一。徐夢(mèng)桃在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上獲得第六名以來(lái)，這位23歲的遼寧籍選手的世界排名已升至首位，且贏得了世界冠軍稱號(hào)。中國(guó)在這個(gè)項(xiàng)目上其他有爭(zhēng)冠實(shí)力的選手還有：程爽和張?chǎng)巍?/p>

劉忠慶，昵稱“大慶飛人”，是溫哥華冬奧會(huì)男子自由滑雪空中技巧項(xiàng)目的銅牌獲得者。現(xiàn)年28歲的劉忠慶是中國(guó)隊(duì)里的老大哥，其他年輕選手還有：賈宗洋，齊廣璞和吳超。他們都希望效仿韓曉鵬問(wèn)鼎冬奧會(huì)。韓曉鵬曾在2006年都靈冬奧會(huì)上為中國(guó)獲得男子自由滑雪空中技巧項(xiàng)目的首枚金牌。據(jù)索契冬奧會(huì)的官方網(wǎng)站，劉忠慶奉行實(shí)用主義體育哲學(xué)。他稱，冰雪世界已給了他所追求的一切。

范可新是中國(guó)短道速滑隊(duì)的希望，因中國(guó)多次獲得冬奧會(huì)冠軍的王蒙上個(gè)月在訓(xùn)練中腳腕骨折，不得不退賽。據(jù)她參加冬奧會(huì)的簡(jiǎn)介，范可新被戲稱為“王蒙的影子”。范可新在上賽季世界杯(World Cup) 500米短道速滑的比賽中獲得亞軍。索契是年僅20歲的范可新的首屆冬奧會(huì)。來(lái)自長(zhǎng)春另一名短道速滑選手周洋也是金牌的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者。周洋曾在溫哥華奧運(yùn)會(huì)上獲得1,500米和接力項(xiàng)目的冠軍。

龐清和佟健，他們既是冰上情侶也是現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中的情侶。他們?cè)@得溫哥華冬奧會(huì)的銀牌，2011年在一檔“冰舞上海”(Art on Ice)節(jié)目中，在佟健策劃下，他們已訂婚。佟健在上海的這檔節(jié)目中說(shuō)：“冬奧會(huì)獎(jiǎng)牌是我當(dāng)時(shí)的夢(mèng)想，今天我的夢(mèng)想是想和你永遠(yuǎn)在一起。”龐清和佟健在國(guó)際滑冰聯(lián)盟(International Skating Union)的世界排名為第四位。

王冰玉，柳蔭、岳清爽、周妍是中國(guó)不太知名的奧運(yùn)獎(jiǎng)牌獲得者，原因是冰壺運(yùn)動(dòng)在中國(guó)只有10年左右的歷史。中國(guó)女子冰壺隊(duì)在溫哥華奧運(yùn)會(huì)上獲得銅牌，曾得到加拿大冠軍教練羅克(Marcel Rocque)的指導(dǎo)，這只隊(duì)伍在本次冬奧會(huì)上將向冠軍再次發(fā)起沖擊。

韓國(guó)

在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上為韓國(guó)奪得首枚花樣滑冰金牌的金妍兒(Kim Yuna)將力爭(zhēng)在本屆冬奧會(huì)上再奪一金。但是，23歲的金妍兒為征戰(zhàn)索契冬奧進(jìn)行的準(zhǔn)備并不順利，去年9月她的腳受傷，一直到12月才重返賽場(chǎng)，贏得了在克羅地亞首都薩格勒布舉辦的一項(xiàng)花樣滑冰賽事。如果金妍兒在本屆冬奧會(huì)上成功衛(wèi)冕，她將成為繼上世紀(jì)八十年代前東德選手卡特琳娜•維特(Katarina Witt)之后，又一位連續(xù)在兩屆冬奧會(huì)上奪得花樣滑冰金牌的選手。福布斯(Forbes)的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，去年金妍兒的總收入達(dá)到1,400萬(wàn)美元，是全球收入排名第六的女運(yùn)動(dòng)員。金妍兒表示，她將在索契冬奧會(huì)后退役。

李相花(Lee Sang-hwa)是溫哥華冬奧會(huì)女子速滑500米的冠軍，并在去年11月美國(guó)猶他州舉行的速滑世界杯(Speed Skating World Cup)上以36秒36的好成績(jī)打破了這一項(xiàng)目的世界紀(jì)錄，在那次比賽中她兩次刷新世界紀(jì)錄。2005年李相花以14歲的年紀(jì)在國(guó)際賽事中嶄露頭角，在本賽季的世界杯賽事中，她一直保持長(zhǎng)勝勢(shì)頭。

在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上，莫太范(Mo Tae-bum)在自己生日當(dāng)天奪得了男子500米短道速滑金牌，另外他還拿到了1,000米速滑的銀牌。他這次的目標(biāo)是要為韓國(guó)摘得首枚冬奧會(huì)男子1,000米速滑金牌。在去年12月速滑世界杯柏林站的比賽中，莫太范在500米和1,000米兩個(gè)項(xiàng)目上折桂。

韓國(guó)滑冰隊(duì)的另一位種子選手李承勛(Lee Seung-hoon)曾在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上摘得男子速滑10,000米金牌和5,000米銀牌。李承勛原本是短道速滑選手，但2009年未能入選國(guó)家隊(duì)，所以后來(lái)改練速滑長(zhǎng)距離項(xiàng)目。他的主要對(duì)手包括曾在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上奪得5,000米速滑冠軍的荷蘭名將克萊默(Sven Kramer)。

沈石溪(Shim Suk-hee)是此次韓國(guó)隊(duì)出戰(zhàn)索契冬奧會(huì)最年輕的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，但她也是短道速滑項(xiàng)目獎(jiǎng)牌的有力爭(zhēng)奪者。17歲的她曾在2012年速滑世界杯卡爾加里站的比賽中奪得三枚金牌，并且是女子1,000米速滑世界紀(jì)錄的保持者。索契冬奧會(huì)是沈石溪首次征戰(zhàn)奧運(yùn)，她將在女子500米、1,000米、1,500米以及3,000米速滑接力四個(gè)項(xiàng)目上對(duì)金牌發(fā)起沖擊。

崔恩玲(Sung Eun-ryung)最早是田徑選手，后來(lái)改練跆拳道。她在2011年才開(kāi)始接觸雪橇，但很快就入選國(guó)家隊(duì)。崔恩玲是韓國(guó)第一位參加冬奧會(huì)雪橇比賽的女選手，她在本屆索契冬奧會(huì)上的目標(biāo)是在單人賽中進(jìn)入前二十名，在團(tuán)體賽中進(jìn)入前十名。

申美順(Shin Mi-sung)是韓國(guó)女子冰壺隊(duì)隊(duì)長(zhǎng)，也是年齡最大的隊(duì)員。申美順在上大學(xué)期間參加了學(xué)校的冰壺俱樂(lè)部，開(kāi)始接觸這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)。2012年在加拿大舉辦的世界女子冰壺錦標(biāo)賽上，韓國(guó)女隊(duì)打入了半決賽。在2013年中國(guó)冰壺公開(kāi)賽和亞太冰壺錦標(biāo)賽上，韓國(guó)女隊(duì)兩次奪冠。去年底，韓國(guó)隊(duì)在世界冰壺聯(lián)合會(huì)(World Curling Federation)的排名是第十位。

日本

淺田真央(Mao Asada)是一位外界評(píng)價(jià)頗高的花樣滑冰選手，她奪金牌的主要對(duì)手是韓國(guó)的奧運(yùn)冠軍金妍兒。在2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上，淺田真央不敵金妍兒，最后獲得了一塊銀牌。與金妍兒一樣，淺田真央也表示她將在索契冬奧會(huì)之后退役。這位年僅23歲的選手以三周半跳著稱，盡管一些觀察人士認(rèn)為，由于難以實(shí)現(xiàn)干 的落地，她應(yīng)該放棄這種跳躍動(dòng)作。即便是淺田真央的狗在日本也很有名，這只狗曾在一個(gè)巧克力廣告中露面。日本有希望奪取女子花樣滑冰獎(jiǎng)牌的其他選手包括鈴木明子(Akiko Suzuki)和村上佳菜子(Kanako Murakami)。

高梨沙羅(Sara Takanashi)被外界稱為奪取女子跳臺(tái)滑雪金牌的熱門人選。這也是女子跳臺(tái)滑雪首次成為冬奧會(huì)比賽項(xiàng)目。高梨沙羅年僅17歲，但她在女子跳臺(tái)滑雪項(xiàng)目上卻擁有統(tǒng)治地位。去年她獲得了世界杯系列賽的冠軍，在本賽季13個(gè)分站賽中又獲得了10個(gè)冠軍。這位身高只有5英尺的學(xué)生由她的父親提供教練指導(dǎo)，被日本媒體稱為“有大本領(lǐng)的跳臺(tái)滑雪小選手”。高梨沙羅稱，她心目中的英雄是美國(guó)跳臺(tái)滑雪選手莎拉•亨德里克森(Sarah Hendrickson)。后者將在索契冬奧會(huì)上與她一爭(zhēng)高下。

葛西紀(jì)明(Noriaki Kasai)是一位跳臺(tái)滑雪老將，他第一次出征奧運(yùn)是在1992年法國(guó)阿爾貝維爾冬奧會(huì)上。索契冬奧會(huì)將是他第七次征戰(zhàn)奧運(yùn)，這比歷史上的任何一位跳臺(tái)滑雪選手都要多。1月份，這位41歲的老將成為了獲跳臺(tái)滑雪世界杯冠軍的年齡最大選手。本賽季，他的系列賽排名暫列第三。葛西紀(jì)明在冬奧會(huì)上的最佳成績(jī)是在1994年利勒哈默爾上獲得銀牌。

羽生結(jié)弦(Yuzuru Hanyu)是一位來(lái)自仙臺(tái)的花樣滑冰選手。2011年地震后的海嘯導(dǎo)致仙臺(tái)遭受重創(chuàng)。據(jù)稱在地震發(fā)生時(shí)，羽生結(jié)弦正在訓(xùn)練，他沒(méi)脫溜冰鞋就從日本宮城縣的溜冰場(chǎng)跑了出來(lái)。2012年4月，羽生結(jié)弦前往多倫多接受教練布萊恩•奧澤(Brian Orser)的指導(dǎo)。羽生結(jié)弦現(xiàn)年19歲，他將帶著上佳的比賽狀態(tài)參加索契冬奧會(huì)。上個(gè)月，羽生結(jié)弦在日本福岡獲得了世界花樣滑冰大獎(jiǎng)賽決賽的冠軍，并在日本國(guó)內(nèi)比賽中獲得了超過(guò)100分的高分。日本在男子花樣滑冰項(xiàng)目的另一個(gè)奪牌希望是高橋大輔(Daisuke Takahashi)，他曾在2010年溫哥華奧運(yùn)會(huì)上摘得銅牌。

長(zhǎng)島圭一郎(Keiichiro Nagashima)是2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)男子500米速滑銀牌得主，那是他第二次參加冬奧會(huì)。他的同胞加藤條治(Joji Kato)是那次比賽的銅牌得主。如果再次獲得獎(jiǎng)牌，這兩位速滑選手將可以獲得三協(xié)精機(jī)(Nidec Sankyo Corp.)提供的獎(jiǎng)金，其中金牌獎(jiǎng)金為2,000萬(wàn)日?qǐng)A(合20萬(wàn)美元)，銀牌獎(jiǎng)金為1,000萬(wàn)日?qǐng)A，銅牌獎(jiǎng)金為600萬(wàn)日?qǐng)A。

上村愛(ài)子(Aiko Uemura)是一位自由式滑雪選手，她將參加自由式滑雪的雪上技巧項(xiàng)目。這是她第五次參加冬奧會(huì)。上村愛(ài)子在過(guò)去幾次冬奧會(huì)上都已經(jīng)和獎(jiǎng)牌非常接近了，她在2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)上獲得第四，在2006年都靈冬奧會(huì)上獲得第五，在2002年鹽湖城冬奧會(huì)上獲得第六，在1998年長(zhǎng)野冬奧會(huì)上獲得第七。

澳大利亞

貝格-史密斯(Dale Begg-Smith)是冬奧會(huì)上最耀眼的澳大利亞選手。2006年意大利都靈冬奧會(huì)，21歲的他為澳大利亞摘得了首枚奧運(yùn)滑雪金牌，成為男子滑雪項(xiàng)目最年輕的冠軍。2009年的大部分時(shí)間，他因交叉韌帶損傷不得不遠(yuǎn)離賽場(chǎng)。2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)，他奪得一枚銀牌。貝格-史密斯1985年出生于溫哥華，16歲時(shí)移居澳大利亞。在他等待獲得澳大利亞公民身份期間，曾有三年時(shí)間不得參賽。

普林(Alex Pullin)是一名來(lái)自悉尼的單板滑雪選手，將參加單板滑雪越野賽的競(jìng)逐。該比賽每組有四名選手參賽。外號(hào)“大塊頭”(Chumpy)的普林曾在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)雪板項(xiàng)目上獲得第17名，去年在加拿大斯托納姆世界錦標(biāo)賽上奪得冠軍。此外，2011年他還曾在西班牙拉莫利納世錦賽上稱冠，那也是澳大利亞首次在世界上獲得雪板項(xiàng)目冠軍。

布萊特(Torah Bright)曾在溫哥華冬奧會(huì)的單板滑雪半管賽上奪冠。今年27歲的她將在索契參加單板半管式滑雪、花式滑雪和單板滑雪等項(xiàng)目的比賽，同時(shí)她也是參加冬奧會(huì)三種不同單板滑雪項(xiàng)目的第一人。

拉斯拉(Lydia Lassila)是一位自由式滑雪運(yùn)動(dòng)員，也是冬奧會(huì)自由式滑雪空中技巧的衛(wèi)冕冠軍。她在本屆冬奧會(huì)上的主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手是中國(guó)選手李妮娜和徐夢(mèng)桃。與這兩名中國(guó)選手一樣，拉斯拉以前也是一名體操運(yùn)動(dòng)員。今年32歲的她已經(jīng)參加了三屆冬奧會(huì)，在2002年的鹽湖城和2006年的都靈冬奧會(huì)上分別取得了第八和第14名的成績(jī)。這次索契冬奧會(huì)，她力爭(zhēng)要成為自由式滑雪的雙料冠軍。

貝勒·布羅克霍夫(Belle Brockhoff)被選入澳大利亞單板滑雪越野賽團(tuán)隊(duì)。這是她首次參加冬奧會(huì)，不過(guò)其家人與這一賽事卻有著不解之緣。她的叔叔彼得·布羅克霍夫(Peter Brockhoff)曾以滑雪運(yùn)動(dòng)員的身份參加過(guò)1960年和1964年的冬奧會(huì)。21歲的貝勒是一名同性戀。她說(shuō)，自己一直在為運(yùn)動(dòng)員聯(lián)盟(Athlete Ally)工作。該組織的目標(biāo)是讓體育成為全民運(yùn)動(dòng)。運(yùn)動(dòng)員聯(lián)盟表示，參加索契冬奧會(huì)的選手擁有獨(dú)一無(wú)二的讓外界關(guān)注俄羅斯反同性戀法的機(jī)會(huì)。

冬奧會(huì)獨(dú)立參賽者

如果在索契冬奧會(huì)官方網(wǎng)站的參與國(guó)下拉菜單中尋找印度，你會(huì)看到一個(gè)以I-n-d開(kāi)頭的單詞，但這個(gè)詞指的不是印度，而是獨(dú)立參賽者。印度奧委會(huì)(Indian Olympic Committee)因沒(méi)有遵守國(guó)際奧委會(huì)(Indian Olympic Committee)的奧林匹克憲章而被暫停會(huì)籍。曾參加過(guò)四屆冬奧會(huì)的資深運(yùn)動(dòng)員Shiva Keshavan因此不能代表印度競(jìng)逐雪橇項(xiàng)目的比賽。對(duì)印度奧委會(huì)深感失望的他參加比賽時(shí)將身穿印有“祝福者”字樣的服裝，而非印度三色旗服裝。他取得的冬奧會(huì)最好成績(jī)是在2006年都靈冬奧會(huì)上，獲得了第25名。

湯加

你沒(méi)看錯(cuò)，南太平洋熱帶島國(guó)湯加將參加索契冬奧會(huì)。布魯諾•巴納尼(Bruno Banani)(原名富赫•塞米(Fuahea Semi))將參加無(wú)舵雪橇項(xiàng)目的比賽，從而實(shí)現(xiàn)湯加公主皮洛萊烏•圖伊塔(Pilolevu Tuita)看到該國(guó)選手參加冬奧會(huì)的愿望。這位現(xiàn)年26歲的選手已經(jīng)移居德國(guó)，改了名字，偶爾參加一家內(nèi)衣品牌的營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)。去年12月，他在猶他舉行的世界杯上取得了第28名的成績(jī)，這足以確保他擁有參加2014年索契冬奧會(huì)的資格。

菲律賓

馬丁內(nèi)斯(Michael Christian Martinez)現(xiàn)年17歲，是一位來(lái)自馬尼拉郊區(qū)的花樣滑冰選手。2012年他在因斯布魯克舉行的青年冬奧會(huì)上獲得了第七名，并在去年米蘭舉行的世界青少年花樣滑冰錦標(biāo)賽上獲得第五名。雖然職業(yè)生涯不長(zhǎng)，但他卻受到多處傷病困擾，他稱這是菲律賓溜冰場(chǎng)質(zhì)量不佳造成的。馬丁內(nèi)斯將是首位代表菲律賓參加冬奧會(huì)的滑冰選手，也是22年來(lái)首位參加冬奧會(huì)的菲律賓選手。他是在經(jīng)過(guò)一家大型商場(chǎng)里的溜冰場(chǎng)時(shí)和花樣滑冰結(jié)下姻緣的。

新西蘭

有望在索契冬奧會(huì)上替新西蘭爭(zhēng)奪獎(jiǎng)牌的選手包括一個(gè)三兄弟組合。喬賽亞•韋爾斯(Josiah Wells)、拜倫•韋爾斯(Byron Wells)和波-詹姆斯•韋爾斯(Beau-James Wells)都是自由式滑雪選手，三人均是首次參加冬奧會(huì)。最小的弟弟杰克遜(Jackson)也是一名滑雪運(yùn)動(dòng)員，但他只有15歲，不到參加奧運(yùn)會(huì)的資格標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。四兄弟的父親布魯斯(Bruce)擔(dān)任他們的教練。

克里斯蒂•普賴爾(Christy Prior) 1月份在加拿大Stoneham的世界杯賽事上獲得了單板滑雪坡面障礙技巧冠軍，目前他在該項(xiàng)目的世界排名第七。在索契冬奧會(huì)之前，Stoneham世界杯是最后一場(chǎng)決定奧運(yùn)資格的賽事。在這次比賽中，普賴爾站上了最高領(lǐng)獎(jiǎng)臺(tái)，荷蘭的謝里爾•馬斯(Cheryl Maas)和奧地利的安娜•加瑟(Anna Gasser)分列第二、第三位。

哈薩克斯坦

克魯斯塔萊娃(Elena Khrustaleva)為哈薩克斯坦?fàn)幍搅藴馗缛A冬奧會(huì)上的唯一獎(jiǎng)牌：冬季兩項(xiàng)的一塊銀牌。有報(bào)道稱，她將是代表哈薩克斯坦參加索契冬奧會(huì)冬季兩項(xiàng)的10名選手之一?？唆斔顾R娃在2010年摘得的這塊銀牌也是哈薩克斯坦唯一一次在冬季兩項(xiàng)比賽中獲得獎(jiǎng)牌。哈薩克斯坦是克魯斯塔萊娃代表出征奧運(yùn)會(huì)的第三個(gè)國(guó)家。她也曾經(jīng)代表俄羅斯和白俄羅斯出戰(zhàn)。

臺(tái)灣

臺(tái)灣將派出三名年輕運(yùn)動(dòng)員參加冬奧會(huì)。現(xiàn)年19歲的連德安(Lien Te-An)將參加無(wú)舵雪橇項(xiàng)目的角逐，現(xiàn)年21歲的宋青陽(yáng)(Sung Ching-Yang)和呂明龍(Mackenzie Blackburn)將分別參加速滑和短道速滑項(xiàng)目。

香港

呂品韜(Pan-To Barton Liu)將成為首位代表香港參加冬奧會(huì)的男子運(yùn)動(dòng)員。由于香港缺乏奧運(yùn)規(guī)模的滑冰設(shè)施，這位20歲的短道速滑選手多半在中國(guó)東北和韓國(guó)進(jìn)行訓(xùn)練。他本賽季參加世界杯賽的最佳成績(jī)是在都靈取得。他在男子1,500米比賽中獲得第26名。

泰國(guó)

陳美(Vanessa Mae)是一位小提琴家，也是一位英國(guó)居民，她將代表泰國(guó)參加索契冬奧會(huì)。她之所以有資格代表泰國(guó)參賽，是因?yàn)樗纳甘翘﹪?guó)人。她將使用Vanessa Vanakorn的名字參加女子回轉(zhuǎn)項(xiàng)目的角逐。作為曾經(jīng)的童星，陳美一舉成名，在從事古典跨界的職業(yè)生涯中她屢破紀(jì)錄，賣出了大約1,000萬(wàn)張專輯。陳美現(xiàn)年35歲。她不是代表泰國(guó)參加索契冬奧會(huì)的唯一選手。蘇乍立打軍(Kanes Sucharitakul)將參加男子回轉(zhuǎn)和大回轉(zhuǎn)項(xiàng)目的角逐，他曾在英國(guó)劍橋大學(xué)(Cambridge University)接受教育。

東帝汶

古特•干卡維斯(Yohan Goutt Goncalves)將代表東帝汶?yún)⒓铀髌醵瑠W會(huì)?，F(xiàn)年19歲的他將參加男子回轉(zhuǎn)項(xiàng)目的爭(zhēng)奪。據(jù)法國(guó)媒體報(bào)道，干卡維斯在法國(guó)長(zhǎng)大(父親是法國(guó)人，母親來(lái)自東帝汶)，他兩歲時(shí)在瓦勒迪澤爾首次嘗試滑雪。干卡維斯周三在自己的Facebook上寫道：對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，明天將是重要的一天，將是我朝著自身夢(mèng)想邁出最大步伐的一天，我將踏上出征索契冬奧會(huì)的旅途，我將成為我的祖國(guó)和民族的旗手。

巴基斯坦

穆罕默德•卡里姆(Mohammad Karim)將代表巴基斯坦參加索契冬奧會(huì)滑雪比賽。巴基斯坦聯(lián)合通訊社(Associated Press of Pakistan)援引巴基斯坦滑雪聯(lián)合會(huì)(Ski Federation of Pakistan)發(fā)言人阿巴西(Obaid-ur-Rehman Abbasi)的話說(shuō)，卡里姆是一位優(yōu)秀的運(yùn)動(dòng)員，我們認(rèn)為他在奧運(yùn)會(huì)上爭(zhēng)奪獎(jiǎng)牌的概率很大。2010年溫哥華冬奧會(huì)是巴基斯坦首次派選手出征，當(dāng)時(shí)穆罕默德•阿巴斯(Muhammad Abbas)在大回轉(zhuǎn)項(xiàng)目中取得了第79名的成績(jī)。據(jù)Express Tribune報(bào)道，阿巴斯正前往索契，以便在卡里姆受傷時(shí)擔(dān)任替補(bǔ)。

尼泊爾

從尼泊爾的地貌來(lái)看，該國(guó)沒(méi)有任何世界級(jí)的速降滑雪選手令人頗感驚訝。不過(guò)，該國(guó)將派出44歲的越野滑雪選手夏爾巴(Dachhiri Sherpa)參加索契冬奧會(huì)。夏爾巴也是一名瓦匠。據(jù)法新社(Agence France-Presse)報(bào)道，他在喜馬拉雅山腳下的Chulemo村出生，被寺廟養(yǎng)大。法新社還報(bào)道稱，夏爾巴預(yù)計(jì)自己將墊底。

蒙古

包勒德(Byambadorj Bold)將在索契冬奧會(huì)上參加男子15公里越野滑雪比賽，欽巴特(Otgontsetseg Chinbat)將參加女子10公里比賽。據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)孛襟w報(bào)道，這兩位滑雪選手在蒙古首都烏蘭巴托附近的天空滑雪場(chǎng)(Sky Resort)進(jìn)行訓(xùn)練，他們是首批抵達(dá)索契奧運(yùn)村的運(yùn)動(dòng)員之一。