ATHLETES TO WATCH
CHLOE KIM Age: 21 Hometown: Torrance, Calif. Sport: Snowboard Halfpipe Best shot at gold: The defending Olympic champion took a break from her studies at Princeton University to return her focus to the halfpipe. She’s a big favorite and one of the faces of the Beijing Game The charismatic Kim has appeared on a cereal bo and her likeness made into a doll.
SHAUN WHITE Age: 35 Hometown: Carlsbad, Calif. Sport: Snowboard Halfpipe Best shot at gold: A threetime winner in the halfpipe, White thinks this will be his last Olympics but hinted he may hang around for the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. It would be a bookend of sorts for White, who won his first gold medal at the 2006 Turin Games as a 19-year-old kid.
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN Age: 26 Hometown: Edwards, Colo. Sport: Alpine Skiing Best shot at gold: The two-time Olympic gold medalist is hoping to enter all five individual Alpine skiing races. She’s the defending Olympic champion in the giant slalom. Shiffrin will be competing in memory of her father, Jeff, who died in February 2020 after an accident at t family’s home in Colorado.
EILEEN GU Age: 18 Hometown: California native. Will represents hostnation China Sport: Freestyle Skiing Best shot at gold: Gu has a chance at winning gold medals in ski halfpipe, slopestyle and Big Air. Her father is American and mother is Chinese. She also is known by her Chinese name, Ailing Gu.
NATHAN CHEN Age: 22 Hometown: Salt Lake City Sport: Figure Skating Best shot at gold: Won his sixth national title in a row. He’s also captured 3 world titles since finishing fifth at the 2018 Winter Games. A strong contender to unseat two-time defending Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.
ERIN JACKSON Age: 29 Hometown: Ocala, Fla. Sport: Speed Skating Best shot at gold: One of the top skaters at 500 meters, Jackson was on the outside looking into the Olympics after slipping at the U.S. Olympic trials and finishing third. But teammate Brittany Bowe, who won the event, gave up her spot to Jackson in the 500. Bowe qualified in the 1,000 and 1,500.
JESSIE DIGGINS Age: 30 Hometown: Afton, Minn. Sport: Cross-country skiing Best shot at gold: Diggins paired with Kikkan Randall in the team sprint event to capture the first Olympic gold medal for the U.S. in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Games.
FRANCESCO FRIEDRICH Age: 31 Hometown: Germany Sport: Bobsled Best shot at gold: Double-gold winner at the Pyeongchang Games as part of the two-man crew (tied with Canada) and the four-man team.