As the Winter Olympics drawn to a close, let’s take a moment to recap the great female athletes who competed for the stars and stripes. The ladies of the US took Sochi during this year’s Winter Olympics. Though there are tons more, Her Campus gives you the scoop on a few ladies who are nothing short of inspiring.
Lolo Jones – Bobsleigh
Name look familiar? That’s because Lolo also competed in the summer games just two years ago as a track and field star, where she finished fourth. Now she has picked up bobsleigh where she serves as the brakewoman.
Polina Edmunds – Figure Skating
Imagine being taking time off from your freshman year of high school to go to the Olympics. For 15-year-old Polina Edmunds that is reality. Polina competed in not only her first Olympics but also her first senior-level international competition and she came out with a silver medal!
Katie Uhlaender – Skeleton
As the daughter of the late MLB player Ted Uhlaender, athletics run in her genes, and she is proud to say so. Every time she races Katie wears a necklace that contains some of his ashes as well as the NLCS championship ring her father won in 1972. Katie has spoken openly about her struggle with depression and how it nearly cost her her career. She is proof that even when things look bleak there are better times ahead.
Hannah Teter – Snowboarding
After being unsure of herself due to an injury in 2006, Hannah came out of that year’s Olympics with the gold medal. In 2010 she emerged with the silver and only time will tell what this year has to bring for her. Not only is she an amazing athlete, Hannah is also an active philanthropist. She founded a charity that raises money by selling maple syrup from her home state of Vermont and gives the proceeds to an impoverished Kenyan village. She is also known for donating her prize money to charity.
Hilary Knight (Hockey)
This Connecticut native and Olympic alumn had the honor of scoring the first US goal of the tournament in just 53 seconds. Unfortunately as you all probably know by now the US lost again to Canada in the final round and will leave Sochi with the silver medal. But hey, how many of us have even that hanging on our dorm room wall?