The winter Olympics are here! If you are anything like me, you want to cheer on Team USA but have no idea what competitions to watch. And with a record 242 USA athletes competing, it’s hard to watch it all. To help, here are some women you should definitely look out for this week.
1. Mikaela Shiffrin, Skiing
After becoming the youngest gold medalist in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Shiffrin now holds the title of the Number 1 female slalom skier in the world. She is poised to win multiple gold medals, and plans to defend her title to become the first skier, male or female, to win gold twice in the slalom event.
(Kevin grace courtesy of Flickr)
2. Maame Biney, Short Track Speedskating
This 18-year-old has already made history as the first African-American woman to make the U.S. Olympic speedskating team. The Ghana-born athlete picked up skating when she moved to the states at age 5, and earned her spot on the USA team by winning both 500m races at the Olympic Trials. Although Biney will be facing some stiff competition in PyeongChang, her energy and 1000-watt smile make her a must-watch. Check out her reaction to making the team HERE.
(Toronto Speedskating club courtesy of Flickr)
3. Chloe Kim, Halfpipe Snowboarding
Considered by some to be a snowboarding prodigy, Kim had mathematically qualified for the 2014 Sochi Games four years ago but wasn’t old enough to compete. She was 13 at the time! She is the only halfpipe rider to earn a perfect score of 100 other than Shaun White, and became the youngest Winter X Games medalist ever in 2014. Kim also throws the most difficult tricks; she made history in 2016 after becoming the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s. Needless to say, Kim is favored for gold.
(Phil Pinto courtesy of Flickr)
4. Elana Meyers Taylor, Bobsled
Entering her third Olympics with some hardware, Taylor took home a bronze medal as brakeman (back of the sled) at the 2010 games, and in 2014 won silver as pilot (front of the sled). She is already cemented in history as the first black pilot to win an Olympic medal, the first woman to win medals as both pilot and brakeman, and the first U.S. woman to win two bobsled Olympic medals. Hopefully she’ll make it three.
(Mark Kirby courtesy of Flickr)
5. Lindsey Vonn, Alpine Skiing
As one of the most successful female ski racer in history, Vonn is entering her fourth, and likely last, Olympic games. She had to miss the 2014 games due to injury, but she is certainty vying for gold again this Olympics. With her 9 World and Olympic medals, I don’t doubt that she could do it.
(Diego Azubel courtesy of Flickr)
(Thumbnail: Courtesy of shiv5468 on flickr)