Sarah Hendrickson has admitted that she will face "tough" competition from Japan's Sara Takanashi to win the inaugural Olympic women's ski jump title at the Sochi Games.
The 19-year-old American has just returned to action after tearing knee ligaments in a fall last August.
"I really look up to Sara," the Japan Times quotes Hendrickson as saying. "She's a tough competitor and an amazing athlete.
"Her results say it all. She gets tons of media pressure, but everyday she just brushes it off and goes out and jumps.
"I have watched from the outside. She is jumping incredibly well. But I have to focus on my technique and only concern myself with things I can control."
Hendrickson won the world championship in 2013.
