Whenever the Olympics come around, I tend to become too obsessed — and if you’re anything like me, you watched the vast majority of this year’s games. Since Closing Ceremonies on Feb. 25 marked the end of the PeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, I thought a reflection on our team’s highlights was overdue.
Red Gerard and Chloe Kim
These two 17-year-old snowboarders’ accomplishments won’t at all make you feel like your life is going nowhere. Red earned Team USA’s first gold medal at the Olympics in the Men’s Slopestyle, and Chloe followed up shortly after by winning gold in the Women’s Halfpipe. Red quickly became a popular internet meme, as he overslept on the morning of his competition and lost his jacket, yet still managed to bring home the gold. Chloe became popular for tweeting in between the runs during her competition, at one point saying, “Wish I finished my breakfast sandwich but my stubborn self-decided not to and now I’m getting hangry.” I would think winning a gold medal is a good way to forget about those hunger pains.
Shaun White
To put it simply, Shaun is the king of snowboarding. In 2006 and 2010, he won the gold medal in the Men’s Halfpipe. While he placed in fourth and completely missed the podium in 2014, he made a comeback this year. He pulled another gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and has now won three over the course of 12 years. After winning, Shaun embraced his mom in tears. It was, by far, one of the cutest moments of the entire Olympics.
Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy
Adam and Gus made history as the first two openly gay athletes to compete in the Olympics. This is huge for the LGBTQ+ community because they are drastically underrepresented in sports. During the Olympics, Adam (a figure skater), and Gus (a skier) became very good friends. They have both developed quite a following on Twitter during the Olympics, as they are not afraid to talk about what they believe in. This ranges from tweets about putting an end to dog farms to jokes about their new friendship.
Mirai Nagasu
Mirai has always been one of my favorite athletes (I am very into figure skating). She made history by landing the ever-impossible triple axel in the figure skating Team Event. She is the first American woman to do this at the Olympics, and the third woman overall to cleanly land one at the Olympics. Before her, Midori Ito and Mao Asada, both from Japan, landed triple axels in 1992 and 2010, respectively. She ended up with a bronze medal in the Team Event and finished in 10th for the individual ladies’ event.
Chris Mazdzer
Chris was our very own hometown hero of the Olympics. Born in Pittsfield, MA, Mazdzer earned a silver medal in the Men’s Single Luge, which makes him the first American to ever receive a medal in this event. Western Mass represent!
Mikaela Shiffrin
It’s safe to say that the Olympics made Mikaela Shiffrin a familiar name in households all around the country. Shiffrin is an alpine skier who competed in three events: Ladies’ Giant Slalom, Ladies’ Slalom, and the Ladies’ Alpine Combined. She earned a gold medal in the Giant Slalom and a silver in the Alpine Combined. At 22, if she continues at this pace, she is set to break many of Lindsay Vonn’s records, who is often considered the best female skier in the world. No pressure, Mikaela.
Women’s Ice Hockey
Team USA’s Women’s Ice Hockey won the gold medal in an OT shootout against Canada. The gold medal match in the women’s hockey tournament has been a rivalry between the U.S. and Canada for the last 20 years. Before this year, Team USA hasn’t won since the 1998 games.
Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall
Jessie and Kikkan are cross-country skiers from Team USA who pulled a completely unexpected win in the Women’s Team Sprint. They are the first two American women to medal in any cross-country skiing event at the Olympics. There is no doubt that these two women will remember the PyeongChang Olympics for the rest of their lives.
Men’s Curling Team
It seems as if the entire world forgets that curling exists until it is shown on TV every four years. While it may not be the most fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping sport, it is probably a fan favorite because many people find it so “different.” It turns out that the Men’s Curling Tournament at the Olympics this year got much more heated than anyone expected, as the American man ended up winning the gold medal. The internet went wild for these guys — especially for Matt Hamilton’s mustache.
Team USA has had many memorable days in the last two weeks, ranging from historic moments to gold medals. While there were still many great moments that I didn’t include here, I am extremely happy for all of the Olympic athletes who are finally getting the recognition they deserve for the work that they put into their sports.