This article was originally published on Mako
The Summer Olympics have, for a long time, been the Games that most people around the world tune in to watch. However, for those who live in Canada, Russia, Norway, and any of the other colder countries of the world, the Winter Olympic Games are much more anticipated than the warm-weather alternative. Let's have a look at some of the athletes who are considered to be medal favorites at the Beijing Winter Games this year. To make things easier for everyone, I've even listed the days, and some of the estimated times (all in EST GMT -5), that each of the Olympians could be seen chasing their dreams. Enjoy the Games, they're bound to be great!
Markéta Davidová (Czech Republic) - Biathlon
At the 2018 Games, when she was still only 21-years-old, Markéta Davidová took part in 6 of the Biathlon disciplines but didn't manage to finish better than 8th place in any of them - and her worst placing was 57th in the 15 km Individual event. 3 years later, Davidová won the gold medal at the World Championships in the 15 km race and proved to herself and the world that she's ready for the Olympic stage.
On the 7th of February, when the women are taking part in the 15 km Biathlon, you can bet that there are going to be a few of the athletes who will to be trying to keep the Czech in check.
Mikaela Shiffrin (U. S. A. ) - Alpine Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin is a 2-time Olympic gold medalist - winning the top spot in the women's Slalom event in Sochi (2014) and the Giant Slalom 4 years later in PyeongChang. Shiffrin also took home a silver medal 4 years ago in the women's Alpine Combined event. This year, at the Beijing Games, watch as Mikaela Shiffrin attempts to stand atop the podium in all three events.
Whoever's hoping to watch Shiffrin make American Downhill Skiing history, the women's Giant Slalom begins the afternoon of February 6th, the Slalom - on the 8th, and the Alpine Combined - on the 16th.
Elana Meyers (U. S. A. ) - Bobsleigh
In her first Olympic Games (Vancouver 2010), Elana Meyers and her teammate, Erin Pac, went home with a bronze medal in the Two-Woman Bobsled event. At the following Olympics (Sochi 2014), Meyers had a new partner, Lauryn Williams, and the two managed to move up a spot on the podium, finishing with a silver medal in the event. After another silver medal performance in 2018, Meyers has taken aim at the top spot in what should be her last Games.
By the time Valentine's Day begins, we'll know if Meyers has medaled in the inaugural women's Monobob event, but it won't be until breakfast on the 19th that we'll find out if she's won gold in the sport's two-woman discipline.
Katie Ormerod (Great Britain) - Snowboarding
In 2018, after just missing out on qualifying for the Olympics 4 years earlier, Katie Ormerod made it onto Great Britain's Winter Olympic team for the 2018 Games. Sadly, Ormerod broke her heel in the lead-up to the Olympics and missed out once again on competing on the biggest stage in the world. Healthy and ready to go, Katie will be competing in the Snowboard Slopestyle and Big Air events in Beijing.
The Slopestyle finals will be taking place the evening of the 5th but the real show will take place on the evening of the 14th, when the best of the best compete in the women's Snowbaord Big Air finals.
Akito Watabe (Japan) - Nordic Combined Skiing
The first time that Akito Watabe took part in the Winter Games was at the 2006 Torino Games, and he has qualified for each of the subsequent 4 Games - with the latest being this year in Beijing. Watabe competes in the Nordic Combined event, in which athletes must be well-versed in Cross-Country as well as Ski Jumping, and he's pretty good. He's won the silver medal at each of the last two Winter Games.
I know it's early, but if you're a fan of the Normal Hill Nordic Combined event, you can catch Watabe, once again, going for gold at 6 am on February 9th.
Charlotte Kalla (Sweden) - Cross-Country Skiing
Charlotte Kalla is a Swedish Cross-Country Skier who has competed in 5 events, at each of the past 3 Winter Olympic Games, and has won 9 medals (3 gold, 6 silver) - with 4 (1 gold, 3 silver) coming in 2018. This year, at the Beijing Games, Kalla will join an exclusive group of athletes who have represented their countries at 4 Olympics, while also attempting to improve upon those 3 second-place finishes.
The 30 km Mass Start Cross-Country event is the only one of her events in which Charlotte Kalla is yet to hit the podium. On Feb. 20th, at 01:30 am EST, keep an eye on Kalla as she attempts to change that.
Chloe Kim (U. S. A. ) - Snowboard Halfpipe
Chloe Kim has been making waves in the world of women's Snowboard Halfpipe since before she was old enough to drive. In 2016, when Kim was still only 15-years-old, she became the first multi-gold medal winner at the Youth Olympics. 2 years later, as a 17-year-old, Chloe not only competed in the Pyeongchang Winter Games, she won the gold medal in her specialty event and followed it up with golds at the 2019 and 2021 World Championships.
Now, older, wiser, and with a trophy case full of gold, on February 9th, the 21-year-old Chloe Kim will be taking on the challenge of attempting to repeat her gold medal performance.
Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada) - Freestyle Skiing
In the 8 Winter Olympic Games that have taken place since the Freestyle Skiing (moguls) event made its debut at the Albertville Games in '92, the Canadians have dominated the podium in the men's event, winning 50% of the gold medals that have been awarded - including the past 3. After finishing second to his fellow countryman at the Sochi Games, in 2014, Mikaël Kingsbury took the top spot when he returned to the big stage 4 years later.
Going for his 2nd straight gold medal in the event, should Kingsbury make it to the final runs, you can catch him taking to the slopes in the early hours of February 5th.
Francesco Friedrich (Germany) - Bobsleigh
Francesco Friedrich will be competing in his 3rd Olympic Games this year, and, when doing so, will be hoping to replicate his performances in the 2 and 4-man Bobsleigh events from the PyeongChang Games, when he and his teammates took home the gold medal in both. At 31-years-old, Friedrich might not get another chance to represent Germany at the Olympic Games, so, he better make this one count.
By the morning of the 15th, we'll know if Friedrich has repeated as the gold medalist in the 2-man Bobsleigh event, but we'll have to wait until the evening of the 19th to find out the results of the 4-man.
John Morris (Canada) - Curling
John Morris made his Olympic debut, on home turf, at the Vancouver Games in 2010 - where he helped Team Canada capture the gold medal in the men's Curling tournament. Morris missed out on competing 4 years later, in Sochi, but returned in 2018 to represent Canada once again, only, this time, in the Curling Mixed Doubles tournament. The change of discipline didn't affect John Morris as he and his new teammates swept away the competition, taking gold yet again.
When John Morris and Team Canada take on Great Britain at 8:05 pm, on February 2nd, their quest to repeat as Olympic Curling Mixed Doubles gold medalists will have officially begun.
Shaun White (U. S. A. ) - Snowboard Halfpipe
When the Snowboard Halfpipe event made it into the 2006 Torino Games, there was little doubt in anyone's mind that Shaun White would come away with the gold, and his legions of fans were not disappointed. After repeating as the Halfpipe gold medalist, in Vancouver, 4 years later, White missed the podium in Sochi (2014), however, by the time the 2018 Games came to an end, White was the champion once again.
From February 8-10, watch Shaun White compete as he tries to win his 4th gold medal, in what may very well be his final Olympic appearance.
Ireen Wüst (Netherlands) - Long Track Speed Skating
Ireen Wüst is one of the most decorated Winter Olympians in the history of the Games. Before she even steps on the ice to compete in Beijing, she has already raced in 4 other Winter Games, with her first being way back in 2006, and has won 11 Olympic medals (5 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze). In Beijing, Wüst will, once again, be taking part in the 1000 m, 1,500 m, and 3,000 m Long Track Speed Skating events.
In the early hours of February 7th, the 35-year-old Wüst will race for the gold in her signature event (the 1,500 m) for what will probably be her last time on the Olympic stage.
Alex Ferreira (U. S. A. ) - Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe
Only its third year as an Olympic event, American skiers have come away with the gold medals in the Freestyle Skiing (Freeski) Halfpipe event in each of the previous 2 Games, but neither time was the person standing on top of the podium named Alex Ferreira. In 2018, Ferreira did walk away with second place, but, this year, he has his eyes on the prize - the gold medal.
In Beijing, Alex Ferreira will be looking to prevent fellow American David Wise from 3-peating as the Freeski Halfpipe Olympic gold medalist - and the fun starts on the evening of Feb. 18th - don't miss it.
Anna Hasselborg (Sweden) - Curling
Curling is a misunderstood sport at the Winter Olympic Games, as most people look at it as an event where the best sweepers in the world are pitted against each other. In actuality, Curling is a very strategic sport - a game of chess if you will, and in Beijing, the Swedish women's team, led by skipper Anna Hasselborg, will be looking to out strategize their opponents and repeat as Olympic champions.
20:05 EST (GMT -5), on February 19th, is the scheduled start time for the women's gold medal Curling match, and Anna Hasselborg will be looking to skipper the Swedish team to back-to-back 1st place finishes.
Charles Hamelin (Canada) - Short Track Speed Skating
When it comes to Short Track Speed Skating at the Olympics, one thing has remained consistent over the past 4 Games, Charles Hamelin has competed in all of them and he's won, at least, one medal at each one. Hamelin has also won 14 gold medals at the World Championships over the years - with the last one coming in the 1,500 m discipline last year, at the age of 36.
We'll find out on February 9th if Charles Hamelin will be able to back up his gold medal World Championships performance, or if he'll skate off into the Olympic sunset without adding any more hardware to his collection.
Nathan Chen (U. S. A. ) - Figure Skating
At the PyeongChang Games, in 2018, Nathan Chen was a member of the United States squad that won the bronze medal in the Team Figure Skating event, but, sadly, Chen wasn't able to make the podium in the men's event, finishing 5th. In 3 of the 4 years since that Olympic performance, however, Nathan Chen has won the Figure Skating World Championships.
On February 7th and 9th, all eyes will be on Chen as he aims to keep up his winning ways and dethrone the 2-time defending gold medalist, Yuzuru Hanyu.
Kallie Humphries (U. S. A. ) - Bobsleigh
Kallie Humphries is one of the greatest Olympic athletes to have represented Canada at the Winter Olympic Games. She competed in 4 Games for her home country (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) and has gone home with 1 bronze and 2 gold medals in the Two-Woman Bobsled event. In 2022, Humphries will be back, competing for gold yet again only, this time, she'll be doing so as a member of the American Olympic squad.
Watch the dual-citizen against fellow American Elana Meyers, and her former teammates from north of the border. The final heats are in the morning on February 19th, and it should be one heck of a race.
Johannes Thingnes Bø (Norway) - Biathlon
For anyone who doesn't know what it is, the Biathlon is an event in which athletes compete in a Cross-Country Ski race with a rifle strapped to their backs. At pre-determined spots, the biathletes need to stop skiing and take aim at targets. Each target missed equates to a lap around a penalty loop. At the previous 2 Games, Norway's Johannes Thingnes Bø competed in a combined 11 events and brought home 1 gold and 2 silver medals in 2018.
In Beijing, Bø is meant to compete in 6 events, yet again, headlined by his attempt to repeat as the gold medalist in the men's 20 km Individual event at 03:30 on February 7th.
Marie-Philip Poulin (Canada) - Ice Hockey
Marie-Philip Poulin, of Team Canada, was part of 2 gold medal-winning teams (2010, 2014), but was also part of the group of women who lost to the American squad, ending up with a silver medal in 2018. In 2022, Poulin has been chosen as the captain of Team Canada - a role that two of the sport's Hall-of-Famers have held in the past two Games. Will Poulin lead her team (and nation) back to glory?
Poulin's quest to help team Canada recapture the gold medal begins on the evening of February 2nd - a quest that she hopes will conclude with a gold medal around her neck on the 17th.
Suzanne Schulting (Netherlands) - Short Track Speed Skating
Suzanne Schulting made her first appearance at the Winter Olympics at the 2018 Games, in Pyeongchang, and she did one heck of a job, winning gold in the 1,000 m event and a bronze medal as part of the Dutch 3,000 m relay team. At the 2021 World Championships, she skated away with 5 gold medals, including ones in the 500 m, 1,000, and 1,500 m events, and is, now, after more Olympic gold for her collection.
Suzanne Schulting will be back as part of the Dutch Speed Skating team, in 2022, and will be skating her heart out in multiple events, namely, the 1,000 m - which she hopes to win gold in again, on February 11th.
Laurent Dubreuil (Canada) - Long Track Speed Skating
29-years-old is a bit late for someone to be appearing in their first Olympic Games, however, having won the gold medal in the 500 m sprint at the World Single Distance Championships in 2021 and finishing with the bronze in the 1,000 m event, all signs point to Dubreuil defying the odds and leaving Beijing with a new necklace (or two).
On the 12th, Dubreuil will be racing for his first Olympic podium, and it will be in the event in which he holds the world record - the 500 m.
Pita Taufatofua (Tonga) - Cross-Country Skiing
Most people recognize Pita Taufatofua as the greased-up Tongan flag-bearer who competes in the Summer and Winter Games. Taufatofua has not placed well in the events in which he's competed, however, he's become somewhat of a staple at the Games, which fans have gotten used to seeing. The Tongan Olympian was all set to compete in his 4th Olympics in 6 years, when, sadly, tragedy struck his island nation.
Pita Taufatofua will not be attending the Olympic Games this year, and will, instead, be focusing on helping to rebuild his community in the wake of the tsunami that ravaged Tonga. Check out his GoFundMe page if you'd like to help.
Sarah Nurse (Canada) - Ice Hockey
Four years ago, in PyeongChang, in Team Canada's round-robin meeting with the United States, Sarah Nurse scored the game-winning goal. However, later on in the tournament, in the game that matters most, the American squad came out on top to snap the Canadian's gold medal streak at 4. In Beijing, Sarah Nurse will look to help her captain, Marie-Philip Poulin, improve upon their second-place finish.
The puck drops for the gold medal game at 11:10 pm on February 16th, and most people expect to see Nurse's Team Canada facing off against Team USA yet again.
Scotty James (Australia) - Snowboard Halfpipe
As a 16-year-old, Australian Snowboarder Scotty James qualified for the Halfpipe event at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. Sadly, however, James was unable to medal, or even crack the top 20 (he finished 21st). 4 years later, in Sochi, Scotty matched his 21st place finish in the Halfpipe and added a 16th place finish to his resume in the Slopestyle event. After dropping his second discipline, he, finally, made it to the podium, in 2018, finishing 3rd in the men's Halfpipe.
Now, 27-years-old, and no longer a child, Scotty James is looking to better his own mark, when he challenges the returning Halfpipe Champion, Shaun White, for the gold medal in Beijing. Catch the competition from Feb. 8-10.
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirer (Canada) - Ice Dancing
The Canadian Ice Dancing duo, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer, who have become known for their fun and energetic routines, look to follow in the footsteps of Tessa Vitrue and Scott Moir, who won gold for Team Canada at the 2010 and 2018 Winter Games. Gilles and Poirer placed 8th in PyeingChang but, in the lead-up year to the Beijing Games, they skated to a third place finish at the 2021 World Championships.
The Ice Dancing competition will take part over two days. On the 12th will be the Rhythm Dance and, the following day, will be the Free Dance and medal ceremony.
Natalie Geisenberger (Germany) - Luge
Natalie Geisenberger made her Olympic Luging debut in 2010, at the Vancouver Winter Games, where, at the age of 22, she finished 3rd - taking home the bronze medal - in the women's Singles discipline. 4 years later, the German captured top prizes in both, the Singles and Team Relay events, and then repeated the accomplishment in PyeongChang at the 2018 Games.
At the Beijing Games, Greisenberger will be looking for the elusive golden three-peat in the Singles Luge event - which begins in the early hours of February 2nd.
Erin Jackson (U. S. A. ) - Long Track Speed Skating
Erin Jackson's first Olympics wasn't quite the dream experience that she had hoped for, finishing 24th (of 31) in the 500m Long Track Speed Skating event in 2018. 2 years later, at the 4 Continents Championships, Jackson improved 20 positions, placing just outside of winning a medal. This year, at the Beijing Winter Games, Erin Jackson hopes to take home a medal for the United States in both, the 500m and 1000m disciplines.
Catch Jackson's attempt to reach the podium in the 500m and 1000m Long Track Speed Skating events on the morning of February 13th and 17th, respectively.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (Norway) - Cross-Country Skiing
Historically, Norway has been one of the top countries when it comes to winning medals at the Olympics in the Cross-Country Ski events. At the PyeongChang Games, in 2018, 21-year-old Johannes Høsflot Klæbo showed the world that, although the legends of Norwegian skiing had retired, the sport was in good hands when he competed in four races, topping the podium in all but one - the 30 km Skiathlon.
Tune in to see if Klæbo will be able to improve upon the event that soiled his, otherwise, perfect Olympic debut 4 years ago - the 30 km Skiathlon begins at 2 am on February 6th.
Michela Moioli (Italy) - Snowboard Cross
Michela Moioli began to make a name for herself on the international stage before she was old enough to vote - topping the podium in a number of Snowboard Cross events around the world. At the Sochi Olympic games, in 2014, Michela made it all the way to the finals before falling just short. 4 years later, in PyeongChang, however, she came away with the gold. Will Michela achieve the rare feat of repeating as champion? - tune in to find out.
If she qualifies for the finals, you can catch Moioli's attempt at repeating as the women's Snowboard Cross Olympic gold medalist at 01:30 EST (GMT -5) on Wednesday, February 9th.
Robert Johansson (Norway) - Ski Jumping
The "Wing Commander", Robert Johansson, is a former Ski Jumping world record holder, a 3-time Olympic medalist, and one of the most recognizable faces in the WInter Olympic Games - but not because of his tremendous ability to fly long distances through the air on skis. Johansson's ginger mustache is, incredibly, more impressive than his ski jumping skills - and that says a lot.
The mornings of the 6th and 12th are when Johansson and his marvelous mustache will be soaring through the air, as they team up in hopes of reaching the podium in the normal and large hill Ski Jumping events.
Yun Sung-Bin (South Korea) - Skeleton
Hurling oneself headfirst down an ice track doesn't seem like the best idea in the world, but it does make for a fantastic Winter Olympic event to follow. 4 years ago, at the 2018 PyeongChang Games, on his home soil, South Korea's Yun Sung-Bin won the gold medal in the men's event. This year, he's made the short journey to Beijing, where he'll be aiming to back up his gold medal performance with another first-place finish.
If Yun Sung-bin does manage to make it down the track faster than the rest of the Skeleton field, between the 9th-11th of February, he'll become the first man to repeat as champion in the event.
Mark McMorris (Canada) - Snowboarding
In the Slopestyle Snowboard event, Canada's Mark McMorris has made it to the podium in each of the last two Winter Games - going home with bronze medals at both. In the Big air event, however, McMorris didn't have as strong of a showing, and, after his 10th place finish in 2018, he's hoping for a better result this year.
Watch as Mark McMorris tries to reach the Big air podium at midnight on the 15th, or if he can improve upon his back-to-back bronzes in the Slopestyle event at 11 pm on the 6th.
Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan) - Figure Skating
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu has skated in 8 of the last 10 World Championships and went home with the top prize in 2 of them (2014, 2017). When skating in the Olympics, however, it's safe to say that Hanyu's luck has been a little better. After all, he is the reigning back-to-back Olympic gold medalist in the men's Figure Skating event - a feat that no man has accomplished since Dick Button did so in 1948 & 1952.
Tune in to watch Yuzuru Hanyu on February 7th and 9th, when he attempts to join Gillis Grafström as the only men, in the history of the Winter Olympics, to win back-to-back-to-back gold medals in the event.
Tina Hermann (Germany) - Skeleton
Tina Hermann won the world championship in women's Skeleton in 4 of the past 6 years (2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021) and added a second-place finish in 2017. But no matter how much success Hermann has had on the track in the Worlds, she has, as of yet, been unable to translate that success into Olympic glory, finishing 5th in the only Games that she's competed in thus far (PyeongChang, 2018).
The first heats of the women's Skeleton will be taking place on the evening of February 10th, and, about 13 hours later, we'll know if Hermann was able to accomplish her ultimate goal.
Alexander Bolshunov (Russian Olympic Committee) - Cross-Country Skiing
The Beijing Winter Games will be the second Olympics in which Cross-Country Skiier Alexander Bolshunov will compete. However, seeing as how Russia is still banned from competing in the Olympics, he will be racing under the (ROC) flag yet again. 4 years ago, as a member of the Russian Olympic Committee, in his inaugural Olympic appearance, Bolshunov raced in 4 events - winning 1 bronze and 3 silver medals. This year, he'll try to improve upon all 4 results.
Of all the events in which he's competing, the one to watch is the men's 50 km Cross-Country Mass Start - the starting gun will sound at 1 am on the 19th of February.
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