The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea is officially underway! This historical event is always filled with inspiring athletes who make us regret not going to the rec center as much as we should. Here are five female athletes on the American Olympic Team who are already making history:
1. Mirai Nagasu
Mirai Nagasu is a 24-year-old figure skating competitor. She went to her first Olympics in 2010 at the age of 16 but was snubbed during the 2014 Olympics, not getting a spot on the team. But here she is in 2018 making history. On Feb. 11, 2018, Nagasu became the first American woman to land a triple axel during the Olympics. Only eight women have ever landed this spin during a competition, and Nagasu was the third woman to successfully land one during the Olympics.
Favorite Nagasu quote: “This is definitely history, or herstory, whatever way you want to put it.”
2. Chloe Kim
Seventeen-year-old Chloe Kim earned herself the gold medal for the women’s snowboard halfpipe on Feb. 12, making her Olympic debut spectacular. She is a fan-favorite because of her tendency to tweet while competing — right before she won gold, she tweeted, “Wish I finished my breakfast sandwich but my stubborn self decided not to and now I’m getting hangry.”
Favorite Kim quote: “That’s the thing I love most about snowboarding, honestly — getting to travel and explore different places and meet people. The plane rides suck but the destinations are sick.”
3. Mikaela Shiffrin
Mikaela Shiffrin is a 22-year-old alpine skier. In 2014, she became the youngest person to win the gold medal in slalom at only 18 years old. This year, she has already won a gold medal in the women’s giant slalom. She also finished at a close fourth in slalom, the event she won gold in four years ago, which is still incredibly impressive for the Olympics.
Favorite Shiffrin quote: “You can create your own miracle, but you do it by never looking past all the little steps along the way.”
4. Elana Meyers Taylor
At 33 years old, Olympics veteran Elana Meyers Taylor competes for the women’s bobsled team — but bobsledding isn’t the only sport that has earned her a spot in prestigious athletic competitions. Taylor has been competing since 2007, but she played in the 2014 China Women’s Sevens on the United States women’s national rugby union team. She also played softball at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Taylor says she plans on winning a gold this Olympics.
Favorite Taylor quote: “Within this sport, I’m called to love everybody.”
5. Erin Jackson
At 25 years old, Erin Jackson is the first black woman to compete on the United States Olympic speed skating team, and that’s not all. Jackson started to learn how to skate FOUR MONTHS ago. She used to be an in-line skater and decided she wanted to switch to the ice. She earned a spot on the Olympic team over veteran skaters.