U.S. Athletes to Watch at the 2022 Winter Olympics: Part 1

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Shaun White, Snowboard Halfpipe

Now 35 years outdated and chasing his fifth Olympic look, Shaun White has turn into the elder statesman of snowboard halfpipe. His prolific profession, now into its third decade, reveals no signal of slowing down although. White emerged from a three-year hiatus final March to finish fourth at a U.S. Grand Prix event in his first contest for the reason that 2018 Winter Olympics. Recognized for enormous amplitude and among the greatest tips within the subject — he landed back-to-back double cork 1440s on the 2018 Video games — his return to competitors this season is bound to generate loads of pleasure main into the Winter Olympics. Although he’ll face robust competitors from the likes of Yuto Totsuka, Ayumu Hirano and Scotty James, White has an opportunity to turn into the primary snowboarder to win 4 Olympic gold medals.

Chloe Kim, Snowboard Halfpipe

Nonetheless on the forefront of girls’s snowboarding, Chloe Kim has been progressing the game since she was an adolescent. She was 15 years outdated when she grew to become the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s in a halfpipe contest, and on the age of 17, she cemented her famous person standing by winning a gold medal in her long-awaited Olympic debut. Kim briefly stepped away from snowboard contests throughout this Olympic cycle — she attended Princeton College as a freshman whereas rehabbing a damaged ankle and decompressing from the pressures of her sport — however returned to competition after a 22-month break and instantly resumed her successful methods. Now 21, Kim can be favored to win a second straight halfpipe gold.

SEE MORE: Now 21, American snowboarder Chloe Kim shifts her priorities

Jessie Diggins, Cross-Nation Snowboarding

Her epic finish in the women’s team sprint was amongst PyeongChang 2018’s high moments, along with since-retired Kikkan Randall delivering Group USA’s first-ever Olympic cross-country gold. Already a four-time world medalist, Diggins conceivably may’ve skied off into the sundown having reached a pinnacle. She’s achieved something however, furthering her success whereas on the World Cup circuit by successful 5 races and making 22 podiums since these Video games. The Saint Paul, Minnesota, native’s best particular person accomplishments thus far got here final season when she grew to become the primary American to win the multiple-stage Tour de Ski and simply the second since XC icon Invoice Koch to capture the overall World Cup crystal ball.

SEE MORE: USA’s Jessie Diggins gives 100% on the cross-country course

David Sensible, Freeski Halfpipe

Relating to the Olympics, the two-time defending champion has proven up when it is counted and executed. Most indicators point out one other repeat is feasible in 2022 as long as Sensible can outperform his youthful compatriots, together with 2018 silver medalist Alex Ferreira. Sensible, a father of two, broke his femur in April 2019 however has since recovered. Elsewhere, his document’s alright: 4 X Video games titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018, together with a silver in 2019; a single world title in six appearances; and 7 World Cup and 6 Grand Prix wins on these respective circuits. The Reno, Nevada, native started snowboarding at age 3, claimed his first nationwide title at 15 and turned professional three years later. Now 31, he is nonetheless looking for his restrict.

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Alex Ferreira, Freeski Halfpipe

The 2018 Olympic silver medalist may problem to dethrone compatriot David Sensible for this winter’s high spot in freeski halfpipe. Ferreira, 27, is a six-time X Video games medalist; since PyeongChang, he received 2019 and 2020 X gold forward of Sensible earlier than ending off the rostrum in 2021. A local of Aspen, the place he discovered to ski at age 3, the 2017-18 World Cup season’s total winner might also should battle one other teammate, 2019 world champion Aaron Blunck, in addition to 2021 X Video games champion Nico Porteous of New Zealand. Recognized for sky-high amplitude, Ferreira brings vitality and enthusiasm to his halfpipe runs, making him probably the most thrilling skiers to observe.

Jamie Anderson, Snowboard Slopestyle/Large Air

With 19 profession medals, Jamie Anderson is essentially the most embellished girl within the historical past of Winter X Video games. And with back-to-back slopestyle wins plus a big air silver medal from PyeongChang 2018, she’s shortly turn into essentially the most embellished girl in Olympic snowboarding historical past too. The free-spirited 31-year-old from South Lake Tahoe has all the time been identified for her consistency and technicality, and her progressive bag of tips now contains a number of variations of double corks. Anderson is coming off a 2020-21 season through which she swept the slopestyle and massive air occasions at X Video games, and he or she’ll have medal alternatives in each these disciplines on the 2022 Winter Olympics. If she will be able to return to the rostrum in each occasions, she’d turn into the primary snowboarder — male or feminine — to win 5 Olympic medals.

Pink Gerard, Snowboard Slopestyle/Large Air

One of many shock stars of the final Winter Olympics, Pink Gerard’s upset victory in snowboard slopestyle gave the U.S. its first gold medal of PyeongChang 2018 and turned the then-17-year-old into an in a single day movie star. Since then, he is been a constant podium contender at contests — he received slopestyle titles on the Burton U.S. Open (2019) and Dew Tour (2020) and earned an X Video games bronze medal (2020) — however has additionally frolicked filming within the backcountry for initiatives like “Pleasure” and “One World” in an effort to strike a steadiness along with his snowboarding profession. (2014 Olympic slopestyle gold medalist Sage Kotsenburg, who left the competition scene to deal with filming, was considered one of Gerard’s co-stars in “Pleasure.”) Gerard, now 21, stays considered one of Group USA’s strongest medal hopes in males’s slopestyle.

Nick Goepper, Freeski Slopestyle/Large Air

He is lacking one Olympic medal coloration and if correct development serves him proper is in line to gather slopestyle gold in 2022. Goepper received Sochi bronze in a U.S. sweep of the 2014 podium, then was the occasion’s lone American medalist on the 2018 PyeongChang Video games, taking silver. Regardless of successful his first X Video games medal almost a decade in the past and having to beat a number of obstacles, the 27-year-old Hoosier has continued to attain and place himself as a contender within the lead-up, incomes bronze on the 2019 World Championships and gold on the 2021 X Video games.

Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Alpine Snowboarding

Vermont’s maple syrup-chugging velocity specialist is arguably Group USA’s greatest likelihood at a medal in males’s Alpine snowboarding. In December 2021, he grew to become the primary American man to win a World Cup occasion in super-G in 14 years. The 29-year-old veteran has Olympic Alpine success in his blood; his mom, Barbara Ann Cochran, received slalom gold on the 1972 Winter Olympics and taught Ryan the best way to ski at their family-owned ski space in Richmond, Vermont.

Lindsey Jacobellis, Snowboard Cross

The five-time world and 10-time X Video games particular person champion is essentially the most dominant ladies’s boardercross racer in historical past, but nonetheless looking for Olympic gold some 16 years after making her Video games debut in Torino, the place an infamous method grab close to the end shockingly value her the crown. Since then Jacobellis’s 2006 silver marks her solely podium end in 4 Olympic appearances – she positioned fifth in Vancouver, seventh in Sochi and fourth in PyeongChang. Can the 36-year-old discover one other gear to assert the elusive achievement, towards what may very well be essentially the most aggressive subject she’s ever confronted? She could get two possibilities; if not individually, the brand new blended workforce occasion presents an extra alternative.

Winter Vinecki, Aerials

Even when she was second greatest on this planet final season with three World Cup podiums, Winter Vinecki is way from simply an aerials skier. She’s probably the most attention-grabbing hopefuls vying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic workforce. The soon-to-be 23-year-old ran her first 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer and 10-mile races on the respective ages of 5, 8 and 10; fashioned nonprofit Group Winter at age 9 to boost cash for prostate most cancers analysis and honor her late father, competing in an Olympic distance triathlon the identical yr; and earlier than turning 15 grew to become the youngest individual to complete a marathon on seven continents, working with mom Daybreak in Eugene, Oregon, then Kenya, Antarctica, Peru, Mongolia, New Zealand and Greece.

Jaelin Kauf, Moguls

A two-time world medalist in twin moguls, her skillset and outcomes since PyeongChang possible give Group USA its greatest likelihood of taking dwelling Olympic moguls {hardware} for the reason that peak period of Hannah Kearney, winner of 2010 gold and 2014 bronze. Kauf entered her debut Video games in 2018 because the No. 1-ranked ladies’s moguls skier however took seventh. Along with her 2017 and 2019 world medals, the 25-year-old Wyomingite has seven wins and 18 podiums on the World Cup circuit, ending the final 4 seasons within the high 5 total.

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