The 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea might be over, but that doesn't mean the careers for those who starred on the world's largest stage are over.
It's almost impossible to explain just how dominant young athletes such as Chloe Kim and Nathan Chen were in their respective sports. Still teenagers, both will be back on the best of stages when the 2022 Winter Olympics in China get going.
Here's a look at eight Olympians who we'll still be talking about by the time the next winter games come calling.
Jessie Diggins, American skier
After winning America's first gold in that sport in more than four decades in the cross-country women’s sprint in the 2018 Winter Olympics, Diggins has been the talk of the skiing community.
The Minnesota native is still just 26 years old and will surely train to take part in the 2022 games in Beijing. That much is known.
The self-proclaimed glitter-fairy told People that being the flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony was a tremendous honor.
"It was such an honor,” she says. “Every single athlete got a vote, and to have that many people that passionate about cross-country skiing, and that supportive, it was very humbling and really inspiring … It was such an honor to get to wave that flag and lead our team out of the games.”Ranked No. 16 in the SNIPdaily Olympics Top 100 during the games, Diggins isn't going away any time soon. She's brought an excitement to a sport that America just has not been enthralled with in the past. That's no small feat.
Nathan Chen, American figure skater
Still only 18 years old, Chen earned a bronze medal in the team figure skating event during the South Korea games. He's also the 2017 and 2018 U.S. national champion. Did we mention that he's still three years away from being able to purchase alcohol legally in the states?
He's also the first skater to even attempt to land six quadruple jumps in one program, landing them flawlessly. He also became the first skater to land five clean quads in one program. With more experience and training over the next four years, Chen is going to be a major force in China for the 2022 games.
Mikaela Shiffrin, American skier
Much like Diggins, Shiffrin became the toast of the Olympics in Pyeongchang. It doesn't hurt that the 22-year-old Colorado native is what we'd call a looker, either. She earned the gold in the Giant slalom in 2018. And back in 2014, Shiffrin also won gold in the slalom during the Winter Olympics in Sochi.
That feat enabled her to become the youngest person to ever win the Olympic slalom gold medal. All of this had Shiffrin as the fourth-most popular figure in the SNIPdaily Olympics Top 100 during the games. It's readily apparent that Shiffrin will soon take over for Lindsey Vonn as the face of this sport in the United States. That should only continue in 2022.
Chloe Kim, American snowboarder
This pint-sized star was the sweetheart of the 2018 Winter Olympics after taking gold in the women’s snowboard halfpipe to become the youngest woman to ever take gold in the winter games at just the age of 17. From being "hangry" during the event to Twitter fawning over her, Kim became an overnight sensation.
Now, Kim sets her sights on the 2022 Winter Olympics in China. She'll be just 21 years old when those games come around, and we're pretty darn sure America will be here ready to crown her the next princess when that does take place.
Alex and Maia Shibutani, American ice dancers
Sibling partners? Some might find this a bit weird given the nature of figure skating. But that couldn't be further from the truth. They made some real noise by performing a program to Coldplay's Fix You. It had been in the plans for some time, as the two had danced to the group many times in the past.
"We matured a lot and made some decisions about how we wanted to continue our career from a creative standpoint," Alex told Entertainment Weekly about the song choice. "We made a decision that we wanted to be more personal."And it was a hit. The duo medaled in both ice dancing and figure skating during the games in South Korea. Still only 26, the pair will surely be back in 2022 in China.
Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
As photogenic as they come, Virtue might actually have a future in the modeling business. In fact, she's the new face of the skincare line Nivea in Canada.
But more than that, Virtue's on-ice performance in the 2018 Winter Olympics made her a sensation in Canada. She won two golds during the tournament with what has to be described as awe-inspiring performances. This had Virtue as the 14th-most talked about figure during the games, per our SNIPdaily Olympics Top 100.
Maame Biney, American speed skater
Just 18 years old from Ghana, Biney boasts an electric personality on the ice. She also has to be considered somewhat of a savant at this whole thing.
Biney might not have made it past the qualifying round in the 1500-meters and was ousted in the quarterfinals of the 500-meter competition, but she boasts an extremely bright future. At just 18, we're looking at a minimum of two more Olympics for Biney. That will start in China in 2022. That's heightened by the fact that she just took gold at the world championships this weekend.
Matt Hamilton, American curler
Hamilton and his American Curling Team took gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics. It's the first time that an American team has even medaled in this sport. And it made him as well as his entire team an overnight sensation. Just look at the amazing reactions from the Twittervese.
How popular was this group during the Olympics? The legendary Mr. T was seen live-tweeting curling matches and two sitting United States Senators got into a war of words regarding curling as a legit Olympic event. Hamilton and Co. only promise to be more popular when they look to repeat in 2022. That much is certain.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://snipdaily.com/2018/03/eight-olympians-who-well-still-be-talking-about-in-2022/