4 Olympic Storylines to Watch

Injured star-skier Lindsey Vonn, the Canadian medal count, and more

To help you decide whether to tune in, the Atlantic Wire has already given you seven reasons to watch the Winter Olympics and four arguments against the games. Now that the action in Vancouver has kicked off, here are four of the biggest storylines going into the events.

• Will Lindsey Vonn Race? The elite skier and American golden girl injured her shin last week, putting into question her performance in all five of her events. Vonn's first race is scheduled for Sunday, but inclement weather may push the racing schedule back. Sports Illustrated's Tim Layden explains why the delay might save Vonn, while ESPN's Jim Caple argues the injury gives her a better chance for super-stardom. "The good news for Vonn and NBC is that if she does overcome this injury to win the downhill [...], her story will be compelling enough for fans to consider her an American idol rather than switch channels to 'American Idol.'," he muses.

• Can Shaun White Survive His Double McTwist 1260? White won the gold medal in men's halfpipe in 2006, and the world's greatest snowboarder will try his high-risk new trick to bolster his title defense. The New York Daily News' Filip Bondy hopes for the best, while Los Angeles Times' blogger Lisa Dillman chronicles White's musical proclivities off the board.

• Who Will Take Home the Gold in Men's Hockey? Media scrutiny has focused less on the two favorites, Canada and Russia, than on their respective stars, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. The Globe and Mail's Shawna Richter salivates at the prospect of the game's best players meeting on hockey's biggest stage. The forecast isn't so balmy for the U.S. team, says the Washington Post's Marc Thiessen, who warns Americans not to expect a repeat of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice'. 

• Which Country Will Win the Most Medals? Some have made the case that host country Canada is 'too modest' to win the medal race (covered by the Wire here). But when the Wall Street Journal crunched the numbers 1,000 times for its medals forecast, Canada had enough of a competitive streak to come out on top. "Canada tied for or won the most medals 772 times," reports the Journal's Matthew Futterman. "The U.S. tied for or won the most medals 240 times."