10 spectacular Olympic athletes who shined the brightest
Packed with tears and joy, the 2022 Winter Olympics has wrapped up. The Beijing Games saw budding talent take center stage with dazzling performances, while a skating prodigy was dragged down by a doping scandal. Reigning champions strived for the impossible with one last try; legends bid farewell to award-laden careers. The sporting feast on ice and snow is imprinted with dramas, smashing records and unswerving dream-chasers. Here are Shanghai Daily's picks for the 10 most sensational athletes at the games.
China's Gu Ailing Eileen reacts as she competes in the freestyle skiing women's freeski big air final run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Big Air Shougang in Beijing on February 8, 2022.
Cover girl for China's winter sports
The latest cover girl for China's winter sports, Gu Ailing, sparked an all-time frenzy in the host country during the Beijing Winter Olympics. Everything about Gu made headlines – from her family to her sleeping habits to the pan-fried chive dumpling she ate during competitions.
The 18-year-old prodigy took home two golds in the Big Air and halfpipe, and a silver for freeski slopestyle in Beijing. Representing China, the American-born skier helped the host country make history in women's freeski events.
Rocketing to fame as a female role model in Chinese sports, Gu is now the face of 28 brands.
Gold medallist Italy's Arianna Fontana celebrates on the podium during the women's 500m short track speed skating victory ceremony at the Beijing Medals Plaza in Beijing on February 8, 2022.
The most decorated short-track speed skater
Italy's short-track legend Arianna Fontana became the most decorated speed skater in Olympic history, winning 11 medals over the past 16 years. She finished second in the women's 1,500 meters on February 16, giving her two silvers (the other was in the mixed team relay) and one gold (women's 500 meters).
Beijing is her fifth Winter Games. Her first was in Turin, Italy, in 2006, where the then 15-year-old won bronze with her teammates in the women's 3,000 meter relay, making her the youngest Italian Olympic medalist.
France's Quentin Fillon Maillet celebrates on the podium after winning the gold medal in the Biathlon Men's 12.5km Pursuit event, on February 13, 2022 at the Zhangjiakou National Biathlon Center, during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
A remarkable difference from four years ago
Quentin Fillon Maillet is just one medal away from making history. If he returns to the podium in the men's 15km mass start on February 18, he will become the first French athlete to win six medals at a single Olympics. The Frenchman has won two golds (individual and pursuit) and three silvers (sprint, relay and mixed relay). Six medals or not, it has been a remarkable rise for Fillon Maillet. Four years ago, he left the Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, empty handed.
American Samoa's flag bearer Nathan Crumpton takes part in the parade of athletes during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, at the National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, on February 4, 2022.
The coolest flagbearer in the opening ceremony
Shirtless and oiled up, Nathan Crumpton of American Samoa stood out among throngs of athletes sporting heavy winter jackets in the opening ceremony. The flagbearer and only athlete representing the South Pacific island-country, Crumpton competed in the skeleton event for the first time, finishing 19th.
It's Crumpton's second Olympics in the past seven months. Also a Summer Games athlete, the 36-year-old was the second fastest American Samoan at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Russia's Kamila Valieva reacts after competing in the women's single skating short program of the figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on February 15, 2022.
Prodigy crumbled amid doping scandal
Russia's figure skating favorite Kamila Valieva crumbled under pressure when she fell twice and failed to land any of her three free-skate quad attempts on February 17. She missed the podium by finishing fourth, saving the International Olympic Committee from another medal-awarding dilemma.
The 15-year-old prodigy was allowed to compete in the women's singles event despite failing a drug test taken prior to the Games. She has not been cleared of doping charges and could still face punishment.
The day before the test results were released, Valieva helped Russia win the figure skating team title, dazzling the ice rink as the first woman to land a quadruple jump in an Olympic competition.
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu wipes his face after competing in the men's single skating free skating of the figure skating event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on February 10, 2022.
Hanyu took a 'leap of faith'
Yuzuru Hanyu wooed the world with his fearless attempt at the fabled quadruple axel jump, which he was unable to pull off. The Japanese finished fourth in men's singles. Before being dethroned by Nathan Chen of the United States, Hanyu dominated the world men's singles with two consecutive Olympics golds.
The 27-year-old heartthrob attracted attention from day one, as media and fans looked forward to his third consecutive gold by landing the impossible jump. "It feels the entire world is looking for Hanyu" was trending on Weibo, China's Twitter-like social media platform, when he remained absent a day before the Games opened.
Plagued by injuries, Hanyu is uncertain about his future. "There is a part of me that does want to skate here again." he said on February 14.
A screenshot of Tessa Maud in one of her TikTok video
Vlogs brought athlete overnight fame
American snowboarder Tessa Maud, a first-time Olympian, became an Internet sensation by documenting everything about her first Olympic journey on TikTok.
A video of her sharing her excitement at the opening ceremony went rival on Chinese social media. She said in the video that she was moved to tears when Sun Zeyu, a Chinese volunteer, said "Welcome to China" to her.
Since then, Chinese netizens have been closely following her numerous TikTok postings.
A screenshot of Jenise Spiteri eating a red bean bun during the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications.
'Red bean bun girl' chasing her dream
Dubbed the "red bean bun girl," snowboarder Jenise Spiteri captured fans' hearts when she was spotted eating a bun of red bean paste while waiting for scores after her first run in the women's snowboarding halfpipe qualifications. She ended ranked 21st and failed to qualify for the finals.
The only Olympic athlete from Malta, Spiteri carried the flag for the Mediterranean island-country during the opening ceremony. It took more than a decade for the 30-year-old to pursue her dream of snowboarding in the Winter Games. Mostly self-funded, she lived in a converted van to save money for training.
USA's Shaun White gestures after his run in the snowboard men's halfpipe final run during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the Genting Snow Park H & S Stadium in Zhangjiakou on February 11, 2022.
Finale to a legendary snowboarding career
Shaun White of the United States missed the podium in his fifth and final Olympics. He missed his landing in the third run, ranking fourth in the men's snowboard halfpipe final on February 11. White got emotional when sliding down the halfpipe with tears in his eyes. Rivals and the crowd cheered him all the way down.
With three gold medals in five Olympic Games, White is hailed as the Olympic snowboarding GOAT – greatest of all time. Earlier, he announced he would retire after the Beijing Games.
Olympic record holder Germany's Claudia Pechstein gestures after competing in the women's speed skating 3000m event during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on February 5, 2022.
Oldest female Winter Olympian
Claudia Pechstein became the oldest female Winter Olympian the moment she stepped onto the track for the women's 3,000-meter speed skating at the Beijing Games. She ended up finishing last in the event. The German skater, who turns 50 two days after the Games end, has won five golds, two silvers and two bronzes in eight Winter Games. She also held the Olympic record in her event before Dutch gold medalist Irene Schouten broke it in Beijing.
