THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Every four years, the world's elite athletes come together to compete and show the world their talents. From the rinks to the slopes, from high flying freestyle to fast paced hockey. The Winter Olympics offers something different to its bigger brother, the Summer Games, but it is no less spectacular.
This time around, the 25th edition of the games is being held in Milano Cortina, Italy, and Team USA is predicting a decent medal haul. They always feature well in the games, and with the recent introduction of some Winter X Games, there are new opportunities. Below are 10 faces tipped for great things over the next three weeks.
25-year-old Chloe Kim is expected to claim her third consecutive Olympic Gold in the women's snowboard halfpipe. After claiming top spot on the podium in Pyongyang in 2018 and following it up four years later in Beijing, she will be hoping to shrug off a shoulder injury. Should she complete the hat-trick, it will be the first time anyone has done so in the event.
Another likely to be featured high on the rostrum, Ilia Malinin is one of the leading lights in a powerful ice skating team. Still only 21, he has four US Championship titles and two World titles to his name. This is his Olympic debut. For some that could mean a freeze. Still, such is the natural talent, the Quad-God – titled after being the only male competitor to complete a quadruple Axel in competition – should have a gold medal around his neck very soon.
This will be Hall's second Olympiad. The first time he came away with a gold medal, so the target is on his back as he tries to retain the crown. At 27, A. Hall (as he's known) also has a gold medal from the Winter X Games, and just last year he scored a bronze at the World Championships. His mother is from Bologna, Italy, so this will be a trip 'home' of sorts, but his racing is done under the Stars and Stripes.
It is hard to know where to start with Mikaela Shiffrin, other than that she has won more races than any other, male or female, in her sport (108 World Cup victories at the time of writing). If she wins at Milano Cortina the technical skier (slalom and giant slalom) will also own the most Olympic Gold medals of any American in alpine skiing history. Now 30, she has been winning events since 2014. This is her fourth Olympics, and after failing to gain a medal four years ago, she will be all out to show she still has it at the top level.
The fast action on the rink means there is always drama, and last time in Beijing, there was a different kind of drama. Erin Jackson not only became the first Black American to compete in the event but won the Gold. Quite the entrance. Now she needs to back that up. The 33-year-old won in the 500 meter event, and the ex-figure skater will need to use all her varied experience to repeat the joyous scenes of four years ago.
A rare but not unique case for Kaillee Humphries is that she has also competed for Canada. The 40-year-old switched to the US team and competed as an American in the last Olympics after becoming a citizen a year before. She won gold in the monobob and is gunning for wins again after winning three gold medals twice before her nationality switch.
The tough world of cross-country skiing has not phased Jessie Diggins as she has become the most decorated in the event for the USA. Her second Olympics in 2018 saw her win gold, to which she added a silver and bronze last time in 2022. This time she is widely tipped to win her second gold in the 10km event, but could also place well in the skiathlon, a combination of cross-country and freestyle.
Just as Malinin leads the way on the men's side, Alysa Liu is the great hope in the women's category. In Beijing four years ago, aged just 16, she starred but lost her way and retired in a shock move. After finding her spark again she rallied and won the US Championships last year. Liu is a generational talent, and after becoming the first American to win the Worlds last year, she now has the ultimate test – to win the Olympics.
The comeback queen of the slopes is hoping for the ultimate return. After retiring in 2019, citing chronic arthritis in her right knee caused by injuries, she's back, and so far this season she has surpassed perhaps even her own expectations, finishing on the podium in 7 of the 8 World Cup races she has completed. Now the 41-year-old speed skier is on the threshold of greatness – again. In 2010, she claimed Gold in Vancouver, in 2018 she gained a Bronze medal, and no one would bet against her claiming a place on the podium. A gold would be a fairytale finale to a glittering career. Last weekend, she suffered a crash in her final race before the big one, but insisted that her dream is not over.
After winning the past five US Championships, Chock and Bates – husband and wife – will be hoping they can break their Olympic Games duck. It would be the icing on the cake for the duo that is arguably the best that America has seen. Will their fourth Games be the charm?
