Olympics Preview: Team USA athletes

🏂 Chloe Kim, snowboarding: Arguably the face of snowboarding, the reigning women’s halfpipe gold medalist will look to defend her throne in Beijing. After taking a 22-month break (and attending Princeton, casual), Kim returned to competition in January 2021…and hasn’t lost since.

⛸️ Nathan Chen, figure skating: Call it his redemption era, call it his Reputation era — Nathan Chen is on the hunt for gold in Beijing. After finishing a surprising fifth at the 2018 Games, Chen won the 2021 World Championships and is on a mission to remind us why he’s one of the most successful figure skaters ever.

⛷️ Mikaela Shiffrin, alpine skiing: Shiffrin is one of the most well-known athletes at the Games, and for good reason — just this month, she took home her record 47th World Cup slalom victory. Off the slopes, the Coloradan has been bravely vulnerable about her grieving process after losing her father in 2020.

• At her third Olympics, the three-time medalist has a chance to add to her collection as she plans to compete in slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, combined and maybe even the mixed team parallel. Exhausted just thinking about it.

🥌 John Shuster, curling: “I think I feel less pressure, but I think I have supreme confidence.” We’re channeling Shuster energy as the curler competes in his fifth (!!!) Olympic Games. ICYMI — Shuster & Co. won men’s gold in dramatic fashion in 2018, beating powerhouses Canada and Sweden.

💨 Brittany Bowe, speedskating: Beijing will be the third and likely final Olympics for Bowe, one of the country’s most successful speed skaters. Bowe broke her own 1,000m record during January’s Olympic Trials, and after placing fourth in the event at the 2018 Games, she’ll be hungry for a podium finish.

• Oh, and she’s the best teammate off-ice, too. Bowe gave up her spot in the 500m to teammate Erin Jackson after Jackson slipped in the Olympic qualifying race. Best of all? Bowe is back in the race, too. Good karma.

🏂 Dusty Henricksen, snowboarding: The eighth-generation Californian has been hailed as a snowboarding “prodigy,” winning two gold medals in his first-ever X Games last year. Henricksen, who once made duct tape wallets to help cover competition costs, will compete in slopestyle and big air.