The Olympics can, at times, be more about the athletes themselves than the sports they play, and this year’s games in Pyeongchang are no exception. Meet some of the athletes that have inspired us in 2018.
1. Adam Rippon
Figure skater Adam Rippon was the first openly gay athlete on the U.S. Olympic team and became the first openly gay Olympic athlete to medal after winning bronze in the team event. Rippon has been a star of the 2018 U.S. Olympic team, from his bright personality to his witty social media presence. Rippon told People magazine, “I think one thing that I want people to come away with from this competition is that I’m not a gay icon or America’s gay sweetheart — I’m just America’s sweetheart and I’m just an icon. And if you have a personality like mine, it’s for everybody.”
2. Hilary Knight
Hilary Knight is on the U.S. Women’s hockey team and is a three-time Olympian. Not only is she an incredible athlete, but Knight has also been a fierce activist for equal pay for years, leveraging her social media clout to gain support in a struggle with USA Hockey last year. Knight and the rest of the women on Team U.S.A will take on Canada Wednesday night to fight for the gold.
3. Yuzuru Hanyu
Another inspiring figure skater is Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. Hanyu is now a two-time gold medalist and is an absolute sensation in his home country. He is often associated with Winnie the Pooh because he uses a tissue box with the toy on it and claims it as his good luck charm. Each time he goes out on the rink, he is showered with stuffed animals of the children’s beloved bear at the end of his performance. Hanyu has committed to donating all the toys he receives to children in Pyeonghang and Gangneung, South Korea, he told the Washington Post, and does this regularly in the different communities he skates in.
4. Simidele Adeagbo
Simidele Adeagbo of Nigeria is the first Nigerian, African and black female athlete to compete in the sport of skeleton, an event in which athletes descend an ice track face down at high speeds. She placed 20th in the four-second heat. “This is about breaking barriers in winter sports. It’s about making history. And leaving a legacy. It’s about moving sport forward. That’s so much bigger than just me being an Olympian,” she told Nike.
5. Elana Meyers Taylor
U.S. Olympian Elana Meyers Taylor was the first women to drive a four-man bobsled and returned to the Olympics for the third time in 2018 to win the silver medal. Meyers has also pushed for social change within the sports arena and has long advocated for gender and racial equality. “I think the hardest thing is that all of us would love to just stick to sports — but if you want us to be role models to kids, then you need to stand for more than just sports,” she told the New York Times in 2017.
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