Shinobu Ohno

Sport: Soccer

Nation: Japan

DOB: January 23, 1984

Hometown: Zama

Career Highlights: A major part of Japan's meteoric rise in women's soccer, Ohno's playmaking ability is one reason the reigning World Cup champion is favored to get its first Olympic medal in London. She'll likely find herself used in a withdrawn forward role, giving her the room needed to set up teammates for scoring chances. Ohno was instrumental in helping Japan win last summer's World Cup, where she was named to the tournament’s All-Star team as a midfielder despite scoring just one goal. She has 37 goals in 103 games for the national team, netting two at the Beijing Games, where Japan eventually fell to the United States in the semifinals and to Germany for the bronze. Still, it was Japan's best Olympic finish, and helped set the stage for its stunning run to a world title three years later, upsetting Germany, Sweden and the U.S. in the knockout stage. Ohno was critical again in this year's Algarve Cup, scoring once as Japan advanced to the final, where it fell to 4-3 to Germany on a last-minute goal. Her contributions don't always end up on the score sheet, but she may be the key to Japan earning a medal and proving her country's World Cup title was no fluke.

Olympic History: 2008