Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, figure skating
With two gold and three silver world championship medals, this pairs team from China is also the current world record holder. Sui and Han, aged 26 and 29 respectively, have been skating together since 2007. They have developed a banter that charms fans, arguing and joking like an old married couple. Not many athletes would consider a silver medal at the Olympics a disappointment but losing by only 0.43 points in Pyeongchang was not what the team had hoped for. In Beijing, they will no doubt be vying for gold in front of the home crowd.
Yuzuru Hanyu, figure skating
There is not much this two-time Olympic champion has not accomplished. The beloved skater, a household name in Japan and one of the country’s most popular sportspeople, has broken the world record 19 times, which is a record in itself. He also boasts seven world championship medals and four Grand Prix Final titles. After each skate, fans will throw dozens of Winnie the Pooh toys onto the ice, a tradition that developed after Hanyu started carrying a tissue box in the shape of the bear. Competing in his third Olympics, the 26-year-old will be rivaling with Nathan Chen for gold.
Eileen Gu, freestyle skiing
In the past year, the American-born freestyle skier and soon-to-be Stanford student has quickly established herself as a podium contender for Beijing 2022, winning two golds at both the Winter X Games 2021 and the world championships. When she’s not on the slopes, Gu, who is also signed to IMG models, is sitting front row at Paris fashion week or appearing on the cover of Elle. The 18-year-old competes for China but grew up in the United States. Identifying as both American and Chinese, she hopes to help build a bridge the two nations and inspire future Chinese skiers.
Katie Ormerod, snowboarding
At only 16, the British gymnast turned snowboarder became the first female to land a double cork 1080, an incredibly difficult move. Four years later, she flew to Pyeongchang as one of Britain’s best winter athletes. Unfortunately, she broke her heel during training and did not compete. Seven operations and a year of recovery later, Ormerod made a successful comeback by becoming the first British snowboarder to win a World Cup event. Set to compete in Beijing, the 24-year-old is focused on performing the best she can, regardless of results.
Suzanne Schulting, short track
The already accomplished Dutch athlete won gold in every event at world championships last March, proving herself unbeatable. She is only the second female speedskater to accomplish the sweep, with one of the victories being the Netherlands’ first ever women’s relay gold. Schulting, who has also competed in long track speedskating, will be eyeing multiple short track medals in Beijing, entering as the reigning 1000m Olympic champion.
Liu Shaoang, short track
The 23-year-old, who was born to a Chinese father and a Hungarian mother, grew up in Budapest and represents Hungary in short track. In 2018, Liu became an Olympic champion. Just a few months ago, he claimed his first world championship title in Netherlands, where his older brother also took home a gold for Hungary. Having trained in China, the Liu brothers have amassed lots of fans in Beijing and are looking forward to competing in the country they call a second home.
Sarah Nurse, ice hockey
Playing for Canada’s hockey team, Nurse has one bronze and one gold medal from world championships in 2019 and 2021 respectively. In the 2018 Olympics, she scored a goal against the final against the US, where Canada lost in a shootout. With one silver medal under her belt, Nurse and the rest of the team are aiming for a victory in Beijing. The forward from Ontario, who is biracial, has also been very vocal about systemic racism in sports, universities and societies in general.
Natalie Geisenberger, luge
The 33-year-old from Germany is the most decorated female luger. Her Olympic debut came at Vancouver 2010, where she won a bronze medal. In the next two Olympics, she won two gold medals each. With this hardware collection, Geisenberger is tied with Tobias Arlt and Tobias Wendl for the most successful luge athlete of all time. Earlier this year, she took home silver in the women’s singles at her first world championships since giving birth to her son, Leo. Beijing will most likely be the new mother’s last Olympics, but she has no plans on retiring anytime soon.
Ireen Wüst, speed skating
At 35, the Dutch speed skater has long solidified her legend status. Since becoming the youngest Dutch Olympic champion at 19, Wüst has been the most successful Olympian from the Netherlands and the most decorated speed skater of all time with 11 medals, five of them gold. Her other accomplishments include but are not limited to: being named Dutch Sportswoman of the Year twice, having an ice rink named after her, competing in the Dutch road cycling championships, and being the first Winter athlete to win gold medals at four consecutive Olympics.
Markus Kleveland, snowboarding
At 17, the Norwegian snowboarder landed a quad cork at his debut Winter X Games, becoming the first person to successfully compete the skill and winning his first of four X Games golds. Later that year, he was awarded Rookie of the Year by Snowboard Magazine. This year, the now-22-year-old secured his first world title in slopestyle while winning a bronze in big air. Like many snowboarders, Kleveland chases adrenaline outside of the snow by skateboarding, trampolining, biking and surfing. Beijing 2022 will most likely be his first Olympic games.
Markéta Davidová, biathlon
At her first world championships, Davidová finished in 43rd place. At her second, she placed eighth. This year, she won gold. The Czech biathlete shot a perfect 20 out of 20, beating the reigning Olympic champion to the world title just a year before Beijing. The 24-year-old, who also loves horseback riding, completed a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences while competing at the elite level. She finished 57th at the 2018 Olympics but that was four years ago. Now, she is entering Beijing with a high chance of a podium finish.
Francesco Friedrich, bobsleigh
Considered one of the best bobsledders of all time, Friedrich has 13 world championship gold medals and 46 World Cup titles, a record that he broke at the beginning of this year. The 31-year-old first started bobsledding with his older brother, David. After two severe injuries, David retired but still supports his brother in all his success. At Pyeongchang, Friedrich took home two Olympic golds for Germany. Now, he is looking to defend his title in Beijing.
Anna Hasselborg, curling
Born into a family of curlers, the 32-year-old Swede was first introduced to the sport by her dad and her brother at age 7. She went on to achieve more success than not only her family members, but most curlers in the world. Now 32, Hasselborg is the reigning Olympic champion, two-time European champion, and two-time world silver medalist. In summer of 2020, she gave birth to a baby named Mira, who often sits by the rink and watches her train. Having already qualified for Beijing 2022, Hasselborg will be leading her team to defend their title.
Pita Taufatofua, cross-country skiing
You may know him as the oiled-up shirtless flagbearer for Tonga, but this taekwondo and cross-country skiing athlete has a life that is nothing short of inspiring. Taufatofua is not a medal contender, but simply competing in his second Winter Olympics as skier from a tropical country with a humble background is a major accomplishment. The many hardships he has encountered include numerous injuries, personal loss, financial instability and losing his childhood home to a tropical storm. Now a three-time Olympian, two Summer and one Winter, the 37-year-old also has an engineering degree and is an Unicef ambassador who works with homeless youth.
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