Over the years, intense rivalries have provided some of the Olympics' most memorable moments. Below we outline ten encounters that have heated up the Winter Games, from the earliest to the most recent.

1. Jewtraw v. Scandinavia
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France, 1924
In the first Winter Olympic Games, American Charles Jewtraw was the only speed-skating medalist not from Norway or Finland. Jewtraw edged out a rival skater, Norwegian Oskar Olsen, to win the gold medal in the 500-meter speed-skating competition. His was the first gold medal ever awarded in a Winter Olympic Games.

2. Great Britain v. Canada
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, 1936
The British ice hockey team defeated the heavily favored Canadian squad for the gold medal in 1936--the only time in the first seven Winter Olympics that Canada did not emerge as champion. The British team benefited greatly from Canada's Commonwealth status, however, as several of the British team's key members were Canadian-born.

3. United States v. United States
Saint Moritz, Switzerland, 1948
In 1948 two separate ice hockey teams traveled to Saint Moritz, Switzerland, to represent the United States. The Swiss Olympic Committee selected the Amateur Hockey Association over the Amateur Athletic Union as the official U.S. team. The United States went on to finish fourth in the competition.

4. Japan v. The World
Sapporo, Japan, 1972
Japan faced deep disappointment after failing to collect a medal in the early stages of the games. With Japan's emperor Hirohito in attendance, the ski jumping team, led by Sapporo's hometown hero Yukio Kasaya, swept the medals in the 70-meter event.

5. Klammer v. Russi
Innsbruck, Austria, 1976
Trailing the heavily favored Swiss alpine skier Berhard Russi in the first half of his final downhill run, Franz Klammer of Austria charged to the bottom of the treacherous course at speeds up to 130 km/h (80 mph). As delirious Austrian fans cheered and clanged cowbells, Klammer raced recklessly to victory by four-tenths of a second.

6. United States v. USSR
Lake Placid, New York, 1980
After winning four consecutive gold medals in the Winter Olympics, the Soviet ice hockey team looked invincible coming into the 1980 games. With Cold War tensions heating up over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the unheralded U.S. hockey team upset the heavily favored Soviet squad in the semifinals, in a game that came to be known as the Miracle on Ice. The U.S. team went on to defeat the Finnish team for the gold medal.

7. Carmen v. Carmen
Calgary, Canada, 1988
In 1988, American skater Debi Thomas and the reigning Olympic champion, East Germany's Katarina Witt, both skated to Georges Bizet's Carmen, giving fans a rare opportunity to compare two top skaters' interpretation of the same piece. Witt took home her second gold medal in figure skating, and Thomas received the bronze, becoming the first black athlete to medal in the Winter Games.

8. Harding v. Kerrigan
Lillehammer, Norway, 1994
The women's figure skating competition featured an emotional showdown between two American skaters, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Earlier that year, Harding's ex-husband and other acquaintances confessed to planning an attack on Kerrigan that caused an injury to her knee. Ukranian competitor Oksana Baiul skated from the periphery of this soap opera to win gold.

9. Jansen v. Himself
Lillehammer, Norway, 1994
The figure skating drama nearly upstaged the triumph of American speed skater Dan Jansen. Jansen had failed to win a medal in three previous Olympics despite having entered as a favorite in the last two. In 1994, the jinx appeared to continue as Jansen slipped in his best event, the 500-meter sprint, and finished a disappointing eighth. However, Jansen went on to take gold and set a world record in the 1,000-meter competition, his final Olympic race.

10. Slutskaya v. Kwan
Salt Lake City, Utah, 2002
The most compelling matchup at the 2002 Games may be the showdown between Russia's Irina Slutskaya and American skater Michelle Kwan. Kwan, who has dominated American figure skating for six years, is renowned for her artistry. Slutskaya is a powerful jumper known for her technical merit. Their rivalry intensified in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, when Slutskaya defeated Kwan at four major competitions, but Kwan won gold at both World Championships.