For decades, the Winter Olympics were synonymous with experience, endurance, and technical proficiency. However, over the past few years, there has been a significant change- that being, young people are not only participating, but also winning their share of medals. Teenage and collegiate athletes from different countries are participating in the Winter Olympics, but are all working together to redefine winter sports at the highest level.
Snowboarding and Skiing
Young athletes have been at a disadvantage in the sports of snowboarding and skiing. However, the attributes associated with being young, such as explosive energy, creativity, or not as much fear, are rewarded in these competitions.
- Choi Gaon, the 17-year-old from South Korea, made quite a name for herself in this year’s games. She took home gold in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe, beating her “mentor and inspiration,” Chloe Kim. After beating Kim, she became the youngest Olympic snowboarding champion.
- Prior to Choi Gaon reining victorious, Chloe Kim (now 25 years old) won the halfpipe for the first time as a teenager as well, making her one of the most recognizable faces in all of snowboarding.
- Ollie Martin, a United States slopestyle competitor who is only 17, is the youngest person to ever land a 2160, and he also finished in 4th place in big air.
- Mia Brookes is a 19-year-old from the United Kingdom, and this year at the Winter Olympics was highlighted as a key “teenage takeover” who is working to redefine the sport.
Young athletes continue excelling in the slopestyle and big air disciplines as they advance rapidly and break the technical limitations of their younger counterparts. Unlike traditional forms of winter sports, snowboarding and freestyle skiing have accepted and been influenced by youth culture, as evidenced by how the athletes who are on the podium often reflect on that culture.
Figure skating
Historically, Olympic figure skating, especially in women’s singles events, is amongst the youngest Olympic sports.
- The American, Isabeau Levito, who is only 18, is being called a “key member” of the team. She is known for her extreme technical skills and for bringing a new perspective to the sport for young athletes. She ended up taking home the gold medal.
- Alyssa Liu (20), another young American skater, returned from her retirement to compete in this year’s 2026 Winter Olympic Games. When she was 16, she had planned to take time off to focus on her personal life, along with college. She returned to the games and was already being called a top contender. She also ultimately took gold, becoming the first American woman to win an individual figure skating gold medal.
As a result of technical and artistic peaks being reached quite early in a skater’s career, youthfulness is an ideal aspect for producing rising star athletes.
NCAA pipeline to Olympic success- ice hockey
In the United States, college sports have a massive impact on the development of the athletes who compete in the Winter Olympics. Both the men’s and womens Ice Hockey Teams for the USA boast a significant number of athletes who have played for NCAA member institutions during their college careers, including:
- Boston University
- Boston College
- University of Michigan
- The Ohio State University
- University of Minnesota
- University of North Dakota
All of these schools regularly provide hockey players, along with other athletes, to the Winter Olympics. When athletes compete at the Olympic Games, many do so while still participating in their academic programs, trying to manage school, training, and international competition throughout their Olympic journey.
Why the youth are thriving at the Olympics
- Specialization at Younger Ages: Today’s elite athletes begin thier high-prefromace training at a younger age than those of past generations, especially in technical sports (figure skating, skiing).
- Cultural Changes in Sports: Freestyle and Action Sports have provided a culture of innovation and risk that young athletes tend to excel in.
- Advancements in Sportong Science: The advancement of recovery, nutrition, and mental performance coaching has allowed young athletes to compete successfully under the pressure of the Olympic Games.
- College Systems Developed As Elite Training: Collegiate programs in the United States provide the world’s best training systems and facilities- essentially functioning as Olympic training grounds.
A general change- Not a replacement
Of course, we will continue to see long-time veteran champions, 30+ years old, at the Winter Olympics, but the trend of younger athletes achieving greatness has accelerated the development of Olympic achievers from the last generation to today’s achievement-based generations.
Once seen as “future stars,” today’s teenage and pre-teen athletes are now seen as “present stars” in the Winter Olympics.