American Shani Davis and Canadian five-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes are due to steal the limelight of the speed skating rink at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games slated for Feb. 12-28. Davis, the first Winter Olympic individual black champion, will be a hot contender in the 1,000 meters and 1,500m in Vancouver as he schedules to line up for four individual events. As a three-time 1,500m and two-time 1,000m world champion, Davis holds the world records of each distance and has snatched the gold medal in the 1,000m at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, apart from a silver in the 1,500m. The 27-year-old has secured his spots to Vancouver in the 500m, 1,000m, 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m from the recent US speed skating championships. However, he decided to quit the 10,000m in order to concentrate on his strongest events. In the 1,000m, Davis will face the challenges from world champion teammate Trevor Marsicano, South Korean Lee Kyou-Hyuk and Lee Kang-Seok as well as Japanese Olikawa Yuya. He has scored four wins against one loss this season in 1,500m, beaten only by compatriot Chad Hedrick in the World Cup. Dutch triple world champion Sven Kramer eyes the title in the 5,000m or 10,000m after he finished second in the 5,000m in Turin. He will also compete in the team pursuit in Vancouver. Five-time Olympic medalist Hughes will try to defend her title in the 5,000m after she was named the flag bearer for the hosts at the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Games. Hughes collected two bronze medals in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Summer Games, and stormed to her first Winter Olympic bronze medal in the 5,000m at Salt Lake City six years later, becoming the fourth Olympian to reach both the Summer and Winter Olympic podiums. Hughes celebrated her first Olympic title in the event in Turin, adding to a team pursuit silver. The Canadian women skaters swept two golds, four silvers and two bronzes in Turin, and renewed a team pursuit world record last December. Their winning chance is further boosted as Cindy Klassen, reigning 1,500m Olympic champion and world record holder in the 1,000m, 1,500m, and 3,000m has recovered from surgery on both knees. World record holder and triple world champion Jenny Wolf of Germany is tipped as the biggest gold contender by dominating the women's 500m with six World Cup victories this season. China's Wang Beixing, four-time 500m world silver medalist, will try to make a breakthrough by taking the first ever speed skating crown for China. She is only 0.02 seconds shy of Wolf's world record. South Korea's Lee Sang-Hwa and Japan's Nao Kodaira are also strong in the sprint. 