The 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang have begun, and there are plenty of fantastic athletes representing their country proudly, from figure skaters to bobsled competitors to curlers. Although there are plenty of incredible male athletes, there are also a huge number of incredible female athletes dominating the Olympics. Their drive, their passion, and their dedication to their sport makes them irresistible to watch and inspiring to see achieve their dreams. Here are 7 badass ladies you need to familiarize yourselves with ASAP:
1. Mirai Nagasu
Sport: Figure Skating
Mirai Nagasu has been one of my favorite figure skaters to watch, with her incredible performances and beautiful dresses, but she is more than just pretty spins on the ice. Mirai didn’t qualify for the Olympic games in 2014 but made an incredible comeback this year to land a spot on the Olympic Team. She is the first U.S woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics and helped U.S Figure Skating win Bronze in the team event.
2. Erin Jackson
Sport: Speed Skating
Erin, at just 25 years old, is the first Black woman to compete on the U.S Olympic long track skating team, after being involved in the sport for only four months prior to the Olympic Trials. She graduated from Florida State with a B.S in Materials Science, and is most likely skating her way to a gold medal! Talk about a badass woman.
3. Chloe Kim
Sport: Snowboarding
At just 17, she won a gold medal in women’s snowboarding halfpipe. She is also the first woman, at age 16, to have won consecutive gold medals at the X-Games. She is sure to win even more gold at the Olympics this year!
4. Mikaela Shiffrin
Sport: Alpine Skiing
At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Shiffrin was the youngest woman, at 18 years old, to win a gold medal in alpine skiing. She is ranked number one in the world for her event and is sure to come back strong for the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
5. Evgenia Medvedeva
Sport: Figure Skating
Evgenia is a Russian Figure skater and has set a world record for the highest scoring ever in a ladies’ short program at the Olympics. She’s just 18 years old; her routines are incredible to watch, and her performances often have incredibly meaningful themes behind them. Her short program had the theme “clinical death” leading her to first place.
6. Bradie Tennel
Sport: Figure Skating
This will be Tennel's first Olympic games, after placing first at the National Championship and dominating the competition. She is known for her incredibly effortless, clean skates, and will surely do well at the Olympics in Pyeongchang.
7. Maame Biney
Sport: Speed Skating
Biney was the first Black woman for the U.S short-track speed skating team at just 17 years old! She is also the second African-born athlete (born in Ghana) to represent America at the Olympic Games. Can’t wait to see her bring it in the short track skating event!
