All eyes will be on Shani Davis as the top American speedskater vies for history in the 1000-meter speedskating event of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics on Wednesday at the Adler Arena Skating Center.

Davis, who is the overwhelming favorite heading into Wednesday's 1000-meter race, will look to become the first American speedskater to win gold medal in the same event at three consecutive Olympic Games.

The 31-year-old American has been a dominating presence over the past decade, comfortably winning the gold during the 2006 and 2010 edition of the Winter Games in Turin and Vancouver, respectively. Davis knows that he will have a big target on his back as his opponents are expected to go all out to dethrone him.

"People are shooting for me," Davis told The Boston Globe. "I have the biggest target on my back and people really strive to beat me. That's all they train and aim for. In the 1,000, I'm the man. My job is to try to defend it."

While Davis is the overwhelming favorite in the long distance race, the Chicago native, who also has two Olympic silver medals under his belt, will face strong competition.

South Korean skater Mo Tae-Bum looms as Davis' biggest threat.

The 24-year-old speedskating star has been on a roll in the current world cup season as he won both the 500-meter and 1000-meter races in Berlin, Germany. The South Korean finished second to Davis during the 2010 Vancouver Games, clocking 1:09:12 compared to Davis' 1:08:94 time.

Denis Kuzin of Kazakhstan is also expected to give Davis a run for his money. The 25-year-old Kuzin is the reigning 1000-meter speedskating world champion, winning the event in Sochi last year. Kuzin's familiarity with the Sochi course could work in his favor on Wednesday.

The men's 1000-meter speedskating event will kick at 9 a.m. EST. Complete TV listings are available here.

Speedskating fans can also catch the highly-anticipated race through a live stream available at the NBC Sports website.

The 1000-meter speedskating finals pairing and start list can be viewed at the official website of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The running scores will be available here as the competition continues.