Yang has come out of retirement -- which included studying English for a year in the United States before returning to a Chinese university to finish her degree -- to give the Olympics one more shot. Yang, 29, won a silver medal in the 3,000-meter relay at the 1998 Nagano Games before claiming golds in the 500 and 1,000 meters in Salt Lake. Yang uses the "A" after her name to distinguish her from teammate Yang Yang (S), who won two individual silvers in Nagano. Though the Chinese characters that depict their names are different, the English translation forced a means to differentiate the two. The "S" was chosen to represent "small" and the more noted Yang was assigned an "L" for "large," but the slender champion was offended and demanded the "A" instead.

Having claimed a World Cup victory this season at Val d'Isere, France, considered one of the toughest courses on the international circuit, Kildow will be favored to win today. Kildow, 21, has been the fastest-rising star on an improving U.S. women's team. But personal problems have come with the rise. She is estranged from her father, whom she has publicly accused of expecting a financial return for sacrifices he made for her in the past. Kildow finished sixth overall last season in skiing's World Cup standings.

Jeremy Bloom, pictured, made a minor mistake and wound up ninth as Finland's Janne Lahtela won gold, American Travis Mayer claimed silver and France's Richard Gay, bronze. Bloom, at that time losing a battle with the NCAA over his collegiate football eligibility at the University of Colorado, intends to avenge what was a dual defeat: the loss of a medal and the end of his amateur football career. He hopes to claim a medal in today's moguls final before jetting off to Indianapolis for the Feb. 22-28 NFL combine. There, the part-time model and full-time skier hopes to find a new job: NFL defensive back.