Mikaela Shiffrin
Alpine skiing
The US great is in good form for her fourth Winter Olympics, having locked away her ninth world cup slalom season title last month. The 30-year-old won Olympic gold in 2014 and 2018, alongside silver in the latter. She has a haul of 17 medals from the world championships, including eight gold.
Eileen Gu
Freestyle skiing
The Chinese star put the world on watch when she became the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing, winning gold in big air and halfpipe and silver in the slopestyle at the Beijing Games. The 22-year-old, who switched from the United States to China ahead of the 2022 Games, became the first freestyle skier to win three medals at a single Olympics.
Steffania Constantini/Amos Mosaner
Mixed doubles curling
The Italian duo are golden. Constantini and Mosaner are the ones everyone is chasing after winning gold in Beijing undefeated. They are favourites after winning the 2025 world championships, marking Italy’s first triumph in both events.
Matt Weston
Skeleton
He might have finished 15th in Beijing, but Weston will be the one to watch when the skeleton gets under way. The British athlete won world titles in 2023 and 2025 and secured his third consecutive overall crown of the recent world cup season, winning five of seven races. He finished second in the other two.
