Checking In On The Top Women Of Winter Sports

By Charlotte Price and Paige Miller

December brings snow, as well as skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating. Let’s check in with the star female athletes from around the world and see what they’ve been up to since the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics!

Chloe Kim

Ever since Chloe Kim dominated in the 2018 Olympics, winning gold in the women’s snowboarding halfpipe at just 17 years old, she has been been called “one of the most famous Asian American athletes ever.” She has been on non-stop tour since the Olympics doing media interviews and other sponsorship obligations, and it is only the beginning. Many young girls look up to her now and she is a huge role model in modern day society. Not only has she been in the celebrity spotlight, but she also was accepted into Princeton and admitted she will be attending the college at some time. As far as her snowboarding career goes, she just recently competed and came in first in the US Grand Prix on Copper Mountain in Colorado. This event was the season-opener for the World Cup and Kim did not disappoint once again.

Ester Ledecka

Ester Ledecka, from the Czech Republic, became the first woman to take home two Olympic gold medals in different sports. In snowboarding she won the parallel giant slalom and in skiing, the super-G, which Ledecka says she thought she had no chance to win and didn’t even bother to put makeup on! Even though Ledecka’s win in the super-G skiing event was considered one of the biggest upsets ever, she has gained much more respect ever since she won gold. If you recall, when Ledecka was just starting her run, Austrian Anna Veith was at the bottom of the slope already being congratulated by many for becoming the first woman to win back-to-back titles in the super-G. This was soon interrupted when Ledecka came in and stole the gold. Ledecka has also been around the world doing interviews and letting it all soak in.

Alina Zagitove

Alina Zagitove is a Russian figure skater, who was the 2018 Olympic champion. At only 16 years old Alina has won 5 gold medals and 2 silver medals for her country. In her early years, Zagitove broke the world record for the highest free program score and combined total under the new system, and still holds it to this day. Every since the 2018 Olympics, Alina has been non stop. She came in first place for both the short program and free skate events at the 2018 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Recently after winning two gold medals, Zagitove qualified for the 2018-19 Grand Prix Final, but then had to withdraw due to citizen issues. Zagitove has been non-stop on the ice since the 2018 Olympics and was even named Athlete of the year in the nomination “Pride of Russia.”

Mirai Nagasu

Mirai Nagasu is an American figure skater who is 25 years old. Prior to the 2018 Olympics, Mirari competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics at the age of 16 and placed 4th in the women’s event. At this time she was the youngest women to participate since 1997. During the 2018 Olympics, Mirari became the first American female figure skater to land a triple axel at the Olympics and the third woman to do so from any country.  She won a bronze medal for the United States team and placed 10th in the Women’s event. However Nagasu has decided to hold off on another Olympics but not take a break from skating. She will still be participating in competitions but slowly stopping.

Simone Biles Is Officially the Best Gymnast Ever – She Set The

Record for Most Career World Titles By A Male or Female Gymnast

By Charlotte Madden

Simone Biles, the 21-year-old Olympic medalist, has made athletic history by earning the highest number of world titles in gymnastics. Not only did she set the record for most world titles by both male and female gymnasts, but she is also the only American to have earned world medals in every event. Biles secured her first world total for vault and on the uneven bars in early November. Before winning her first medal on the uneven bars, her weakest event, Biles began to work with Laurent Landi, a coach notorious for his bar work. Little did she know that a year later, she would win a world title for uneven bars!