Top 10 US Olympic Athletes to Watch (2018 Winter Olympics)
Inspiring and extreme competitors, these athletes will have you singing the American national anthem. From Adam Rippon, to legendary Shaun White, and Ashley Wagner, these competitors need to be on your radar! WatchMojo counts down ten US athletes to watch in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Top 10 US Athletes to Watch in the 2018 Winter Olympics
Inspiring and extreme competitors, these athletes will have you singing the American national anthem. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for Top Ten US Athletes to Watch in the 2018 Winter Olympics. For this list, we’re looking at some of the best and brightest US Winter Olympics athletes.
#10: Shaun White
The 31-year-old snowboarding legend is entering his fourth Olympic games representing the United States, and this time around he qualified in spectacular fashion. The two-time Olympic gold medalist scored a perfect 100 at the 2018 U.S. Grand Prix, pulling off his patented Double McTwist 1260 – sure, it sounds like a McDonald’s snack but it looks incredible when you see it live. Age clearly isn’t slowing down this half-pipe god, and after failing to reach the podium in 2014 you know he’s hungrier than ever to prove he’s still the best. He might not be rocking his signature long, orange locks anymore but, right now, he looks determined to capture his third Olympic gold.
#9: Adam Rippon
Throughout much of his career, he’s hasn’t managed to officially crack the Men’s Figure Skating team roster, however, after years of persistence and armed with a fierce competitiveness, Adam Rippon will finally have the honor to compete alongside his fellow countrymen. Of course, qualifying for the Olympics is an amazing feat, but, for Rippon, he’s already won. He now carriesthe mantle of being the first openly gay American athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics. And it’s kind of a big deal. He’s no lock for reaching the podium, but one thing’s for sure, history will be made when he steps on the ice in South Korea.
#8: Lindsey Vonn
At 33 years of age, she’s the oldest athlete, so far, on our list, but she’s also one hell of an accomplished skier. In 2008, Vonn really made a name for herself when she became only the second American woman to win the overall World Cup title – a feat she would go on to accomplish three years in a row. Although her career speaks for itself – strewn with gold, silver and bronze – she’s faced numerous season ending injuries in recent years, so it’ll be worth following her performance.
#7: Ashley Wagner
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Arriving in PyeongChang as an alternate to the Female Figure Skating team wasn’t exactly how she had envisioned her 2018 Olympic experience. However, with several medals and Grand Prix events to her name, Wagner’s definitely no slouch. At 26, the veteran figure skater is already considered to be one of the oldest participants in the competition. In a sport that is much more forgiving to younger participants, her presence as an alternate resonates that much more. If she does get a shot at competing, you better grab some popcorn, because she can sure put on a show.
#6: Mikaela Shiffrin
If you thought Lindsey Vonn was impressive, you better hold onto your hats. Mikaela Shiffrin is what you might call a skiing prodigy. At just 22-years-old, she’s coming off an extremely impressive 2017 season, in which she captured her first overall World Cup title – that’s only the third American woman to do so! Sound familiar? She’s literally following the path Vonn carved for her, but doing it better and faster. She’s already captured 41 World Cup career wins, which is on pace to shatter whatever record Lindsey Vonn leaves behind. The young phenom grabbed one gold medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics; how many can she take home this time?
#5: Alex and Maia Shibutani
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This adorable brother-sister team jumped right into our hearts when they qualified to represent the US in Pair Skating. Often referred to as the “ShibSibs,” these siblings have been wreaking havoc on the figure skating scene for the last few years. Of course, there’s no denying their chemistry; they grew up together and they’ve been competing together for over 14 years! But these two are literally best friends, which is something you don’t often here about siblings. Seriously… they both own the same type of dog, they both run the ShibSibs YouTube channel, and they’ve both acted as mentors to South Korean students. If they haven’t already stolen your hearts then nothing will.
#4: Chloe Kim
We’ve already spoken about one athletic prodigy on this list, so why not tack on another – this time for snowboarding. At only 17-years-old – yes you heard us, 17 – Chloe Kim will be flying through the air in PyeongChang attempting to conquer her specialty, the SuperPipe. But, hey, does this even come as a surprise to anyone? Chloe previously qualified for the Olympic team inSochi, but couldn’t participate due to her age – I guess having a 13-year-old compete would have been a bit too shocking. And to think, she only started snowboarding because her dad wanted her mother to come out skiing. It’s funny how things work out.
#3: Nathan Chen
This 18-year-old is making some serious waves in the figure skating world. After taking home the Four Continents championship earlier in 2017, Chen then went on to win the Grand Prix final – becoming the youngest American male to win the title. He entered his first competition in 2003, which means he was only around 4-years-old. Let that sink in for a little. He’s a born competitor, and despite his age, he’s poised to have a successful first-go at the Winter Olympics. The young skater is burning his way through the competition and there’s seemingly no stopping him.
#2: Jamie Anderson
If you haven’t been acquainted with this athlete yet, you might want to get on that. She’s an accomplished snowboarder, owning 11 total medals in slopestyle at the Winter X Games, and a passionate environmental activist. For years Anderson dominated the X Games in the Slopestyle event, reaching the podium almost every year since her first competition in 2006. At 15-years-old she became one of the youngest Winter X Games athletes to medal – taking the position previously held by Shaun White. And in Sochi 2014, she realized her dream after she blew by the competition in the inaugural Women’s Slopestyle. She became the first woman in American history to win a gold medal in Olympic Slopestyle.
#1: Gus Kenworthy
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This time around, Gus Kenworthy will likely have a different Olympics experience than when we last saw him in Sochi 2014. A perennial threat to finish on the podium at any skiing event, Kenworthy did just that when he snagged a silver medal in the Slopestyle event in 2014. But his most important accomplishment came in 2015, one year after capturing silver, when he made thedecision to tell the world he was gay during an interview with ESPN. Since then, it’s as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Kenworthy has since added two more silver medals to his belt and looks ready for a run at gold in 2018.
