International Women's Day 2022 - If she believes it, she can be it

When we have faith in ourselves, and in each other, we can make impossible possible.

Athletes from across the world at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games showed time and time again the power of belief and what it can realise when put to the ultimate sporting test.

As the world unites to celebrate International Women’s Day, Olympics.com is shining a spotlight on the female Olympians who moved us with their talent, strength, and mental fortitude reminding us what can be achieved if we believe.

From etching their names into the annals of sporting history with record-breaking feats to inspiring young women and girls around the world with the candour and guile, female athletes from across the Winter disciplines served up moments that will be remembered for generations to come.

1- Ailing (Eileen) Gu – The teen history-maker motivated by others

Ailing (Eileen) Gu had an Olympic debut that will surely be deemed one of the greatest.

The 18-year-old freestyle skier born and raised between California and Beijing won over legions of fans across the world as she struck gold in big air and halfpipe in addition to picking up a silver in slopestyle.

Her three podium finishes mark her as a record breaker. She is currently the first and only freeskier to have ever picked up three Olympic medals in a single Games.

While it's a piece of history she will hold onto tightly, it's not what drives the freeskier to achieve.

During the women's big air competition, she knew she needed to pull out all the stops for the title:

“Should I improve on my previous (run) and go for the silver or should I whip out this random trick I’d never done before and go for gold?” Gu said revealing her internal monologue ahead of the final run.

“In my head, I wanted to represent myself and this competitive style that I really take pride in and desire to push myself and push the sport.

“Even if I didn’t land it, I felt it would send a message out to the world and hopefully encourage more girls to break their own boundaries. That was my biggest goal going into my last run.”

Sure enough, the Chinese star pulled out a left double cork 1620 to blow the competition - and the world away. She simultaneously won the gold and demonstrated to the watching world what a little bit of self-belief, directed in the right way, can do when you need it most.

2- Elana Meyers Taylor – Mother, advocate, and most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympic history

When Elana Meyers Taylor took bronze in the two-woman bobsleigh event at the Yanqing National Sliding Centre she rewrote history.

After clinching silver in the inaugural monobob event five days prior the 37-year-old mother-of-one became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Games history.

“This has been a dream of dreams” Meyers-Taylor told Olympics.com when reflecting on her Beijing 2022 experience.

“I had no idea that this would even be possible. So, to come on the other end and have two medals – they’re not gold medals – but they feel like gold medals. It might not sure like gold, but in my heart, it shines even brighter.”

Though now sitting proud with her happy Olympic ending in check, three weeks prior Meyers Taylor didn’t know if she would even be competing.

The American tested positive for COVID-19 upon landing in Beijing meaning she was put into quarantine, missing the chance to be her country’s co-flag-bearer for the Opening Ceremony.

“It definitely wasn’t easy.” Meyers Taylor explained detailing how she would cry in isolation leaning on her husband Nic Taylor for support while he stayed steadfast in his belief in her.

It would all turn out to be “worth it” once the bobsleigh star had an Olympic medal around her neck and her second-place finish in the women’s monobob event had a particular taste of sweetness to it.

Getting the monobob event into the Olympic programme had been the long-term vision of Meyers Taylor and teammate Kaillie Humphries.

“It matters for a couple of reasons to have that event,” the American shared. “First, because it gives women two opportunities to medal at the Games. Having that, and being on par with the men, having those two chances is just one more step closer to equity.

“The other thing is with monobob, because all the sleds are the same, it is very limiting on the equipment advantage, and it allows a lot more countries to get in.”

3- Lindsey Jacobellis - How forgiveness and self-love led to a golden ending

When Lindsey Jacobellis’ premature showboating in the women’s snowboard cross cost her gold at Turin 2006, the American found herself haunted by what could have been.

“I got a lot of backlash and I got hate mail. It was a lot to deal with as a young athlete,” she told Olympics.com.

In Games that followed the now most decorated snowboard cross athlete of all time never quite got as close. She went off-course at Vancouver 2010, fell at Sochi 2014 and then finished outside of the medals at PyeongChang 2018.

Then along came Beijing 2022.

It was attempt number five for the 36-year-old but with age comes wisdom, and with time comes belief and understanding – and on this occasion Jacobellis was more than ready:

“It was just one thing. It doesn’t define you.” continued Jacobellis explaining how she was able to move past the nightmares of Italy. “It took me a while to believe that and to really just accept that and be OK with that. And it was part of, you know, forgiving myself and learning.

“I definitely took a different tactic coming into this last Games because I wanted it to be fun and not this circus. I wanted it to be my experience and not how the media wanted it to be. And I think I just chose to take care of myself, and I think it was definitely worth it.”

The 36-year-old came out on top of the women’s field to finally clinch her long-awaited gold. Then just days later, she won a second Olympic gold alongside fellow veteran snowboarder Nick Baumgartner, four years her senior.

“We’re embracing ‘oldies for goldies!’” Baumgartner said after Jacobellis brought home their medal for Team USA before turning to praise her, “You have so much pressure off you when you have someone like Lindsey in the gate after you.”

And to make sure the message was delivered that Jacobellis was truly over events in Turin, she even executed a board grab on the final jump of mixed relay final before taking the gold.

The ultimate flex.

4- Vicky Wright – The Covid nurse who became an Olympic gold medallist

Back in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic tightened its grip on the world, Great British curler Vicky Wright didn’t think twice about her next move.

The 28-year-old, who works as a nurse in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), left her rink in Canada to return to full-time nursing at the Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Scotland.

Her ward had been requisitioned for COVID-19, meaning she was on the front-line as the virus raged.

As the Olympics approached, Wright went part-time in order to be able to train. Her last shift finishing in early January, just one month before the Games were about to start.

Now, after her gold-medal winning exploits as part of Team Muirhead, Wright returned home twice a hero. First for her work during the pandemic and second, as one of Britain’s only medallists in Beijing.

While balancing both was challenging, the curler believed being able to do both made her a better person. Speaking to the Press Association about juggling her professional and sporting career Wright said:

“I feel lucky that I have the best of both worlds. If I am having a bad day on the ice, I will go to work and really get a perspective that my life is actually OK, there are lot of people worse off than me.

“If I am having a bad day at work, I have curling to focus on, which is rewarding for me.

“I find it keeps me really grounded and I am able to do both.”

5- Sofia Goggia – From the ashes of injury to one of the greatest Olympic comebacks of all time

Italian alpine skier Sofia Goggia was every bit the model of resilience when she took silver in the women’s downhill competition at Beijing 2022: it happened just 23 days after a horror crash left the 29-year-old defending champion with a damaged cruciate ligament and a fractured left leg.

The defending Olympic champion had already defied expectations when she was stood in the start gate at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre ready for launch.

But still she managed to go one step further.

Drawing on the power of belief, she overcame crippling pain to finish 0.16 seconds behind eventual winner and Swiss world champion Corinne Suter to clinch an Olympic silver.

“Si!” the Italian roared as she crossed the line, surviving what she later called “the biggest challenge” of her life.

There were days after her injury where she struggled even to get out of bed, let alone walk.

Not only did her podium finish have alpine skiing legend and mentor Lindsey Vonn in tears with pride, but for the Italian it was proof that anything is possible if you believe in yourself.

So empowered was Goggia by what she achieved, not a day after she began talking about her next mission: winning a crystal globe.

“The focus is already set on the world Cup because there is a globe in downhill to win,” continued Goggia. “I’m leading the rankings and for sure I will give everything I have to achieve this goal.”

6- Erin Jackson – The first Black female speed skating Olympic champion

Not even Hollywood scriptwriters could have conceived a better Olympic story than that belonging to Erin Jackson.

The 29-year-old from Team USA stormed to gold in the women’s 500m speed skating event and in doing so became the first Black female to win an Olympic speed skating title.

“I wish I could describe how I feel,” Jackson said after, at a loss for words for what had just happened. “This medal means so much. It has been a tough couple of years and a tough beginning for this year.”

Part of the adversity the world number one was alluding to occurred at the US Trials.

Jackson slipped during the deciding 500m raced and finished third with the top two skaters earning an Olympic berth in the event.

In an extraordinary act of kindness, compatriot Brittany Bowe – who had finished first – gave up her spot. Already qualified for her specialist events, the 1000m and 1500m, the three-time Olympian believed in Jackson and her abilities and so did what she could to ensure her team-mate could join her at the Games:

“I thought she earned it and she deserved it over her performance from the first four World Cups,” Bowe said to Olympics.com explaining her decision to rescind her place.

“For us, it’s obvious we’re out there competing alone, and we are competing in an individual sport. But I think this result makes it apparent that it’s so much bigger than just one person, and I feel grateful that I’m at the point in my career that I have the opportunity to give that to someone else.

“It would be a sin to not have Erin there in Beijing. And, you know, just it’s bigger than me. “

“It’s for Team USA, it’s for Erin.”

But the wow-factor of Jackson’s story does not stop there.

The Floridian only began ice skating six years ago.

Prior to that, Jackson was an inline skater until a fortuitous meeting between Jackson’s mother and Renee Hildebrand – a leading speed skating coach – soon changed the arc of the American’s career trajectory.

Now she is the Olympic champion.

“Hopefully it has an effect and we can see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying some of these winter sports,” Jackson said after claiming gold. “I just always hope to be a good example.”

7- Zoi Sadowski-Synnott – New Zealand’s glittering pioneer inspiring the next generation

Winning your country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal is certainly one way to get everyone’s attention.

And snowboard star Zoi Sadowski-Synnott did just that for New Zealand when she stomped her final run to snatch the title in the women’s slopestyle competition.

The 20-year-old threw down a pair of double corks before landing a huge 1080 spin to clinch the top spot over America’s Julia Marino.

Sadowski-Synnott later admitted that her last jump took “everything” she had in her to land and it was a feat recognised by her rivals.

As soon as she pulled up Marino and eventual bronze medallist Tess Coady jumped on the Kiwi, celebrating her historic win in a wonderful moment of female empowerment that reflected the unique community feel of the freestyle events.

When Sadowski-Synnott later added a silver to her medal haul in Beijing in big air the New Zealander all but confirmed her status as the new face of women’s snowboard, and it’s a responsibility she is proudly taking on:

“I hope that I have inspired lots of little girls to try and push their limits and have fun with it because there’s no limit to what you can do.”

8- Arianna Fontana – How l’Angelo Blondo became short track’s most decorated skater in history

Arianna Fontana cemented her status as the greatest short track speed skater of all time after she scooped up three medals in Beijing – one gold, two silvers – to extend her total tally to an eye-watering 11.

Her current haul means she surpasses other greats of the sport including Victor An and Apolo Ohno who have eight each.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Fontana confirmed with Olympics.com in Beijing.

So, how does such a successful athlete continue to stay motivated?

The Italian admits it’s a challenge but it’s one that is between her and no one else:

“I have my motivations. But it’s a challenge. Being here [Beijing] was a challenge with myself. I don’t like to lose, even if it’s a challenge against myself. I’ll do everything I can to beat it, to beat myself.

“So even if sometimes I was like, ‘I don’t want to train’ or ‘I want to quit,’ I was like ‘no Ari, shut up. Get out of bed and go do your training.’”

Speaking about her younger self and what she would say now if she saw what Fontana had achieved in her career, the short track icon was sure she would be impressed:

“When I was a little kid, I never thought that I was going to be here today with 11 medals.

“I hope that girl if there’s a way for her to see me now… I hope she would be proud of what we accomplished.”

9- Mialitiana Clerc – The Malagasy trailblazer still burning bright

Mialitiana Clerc first made history at PyeongChang 2018 when, aged just 16, she became the first female Olympic skier from the African nation to compete at a Winter Games.

The Madagascar-born was adopted by a French couple and moved to France at the age of one; it was there she discovered alpine skiing.

After rising through the competition ranks at 15, Clerc made the decision to represent the nation of her birth in competition with the intent of inspiring those from her native country.

Ahead of Beijing 2022 Clerc told Olympics.com that her aim for the Games was to finish inside the top 40. Though she finished just shy of her target – 41st in the giant slalom, 43rd in the slalom - Africa’s sole female representative in China was nonetheless pleased with her efforts.

She had only returned to competitive action two months before the Olympics after an injury side-lined her for the majority of 2021. She told BBC Sport Africa:

“I should be proud. They are good places for me, because I am coming back from injury, so I didn’t have a lot of time to train and some races and to get ready for the Olympics.”

Now back on skis and with a second Olympic appearance under her belt Clerc is homing in on her next, big goal – to make a World Cup podium.

If she achieves her dream Clerc would become the first Malagasy to complete the feat - showing the world what's possible if you will it so:

“I want to inspire a lot of Africans; I want to inspire all black women as well,” she continued to the BBC. “I want them to follow their dreams and if they have any chance to do a sport or something, they take it and enjoy it.”

10- Marie-Philip Poulin – Canada’s captain clutch leading from the front

Ice hockey icon Marie-Philip Poulin was every bit her moniker “Captain Clutch” at Beijing 2022.

The Canadian, who now boasts three Olympic gold medals from four consecutive Olympic finals, scored twice in the gold medal match to defeat perennial rivals Team USA 3-2 and regain the Olympic title after dropping it four years ago.

“It’s just so good,” said the 30-year-old in the aftermath of the game. “This is redemption.”

With a fourth Olympic gold medal around her neck, Poulin’s mark on the women’s game is tangible. Praise for the player haven’t stopped pouring in since her team’s victory and nearly all the comments pivot around Poulin’s ability to step up and guide others to believe in themselves.

Her team-mate Brianne Jenner told Olympics.com:

“What makes her so special is she is not just a superstar with the puck but without the puck, and a great leader for us. We are happy to follow her wherever she will take us.”

Head coach Troy Ryan echoed his player’s sentiments when it came to his captain: “She is such a special player. Although she is not vocal, I always make sure I am paying attention because it is probably something I can learn from as a coach.”

Demonstrating her commitment to her team and the women’s game more generally, Poulin recently turned down an offer to play for the ECHL Trois Rivières Lions – a men’s team.

Representatives for Poulin, however, declined the opportunity insisting that the Team Canada hero wanted to continue working on developing women’s hockey and creating a women’s league.

Poulin was involved in the launch of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in 2019 following the collapse of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, and has participated in their matches ever since.

Honourable mentions

Of course, there were more than just 10 examples of sporting magic at Beijing 2022.

Gloria Kotnik reminded the watching world what it means to never give up when she finally got on her first podium in snowboard parallel slalom after 137 World Cup races, 14 World Championships and three Olympic Games appearances.

Returning from maternity leave, she fought tooth and nail to qualify for Beijing 2022 and was duly rewarded when she got her hands on the bronze.

Ashley Caldwell showed the power of Olympic spirit after she congratulated rival and women’s aerials gold-winner Xu Mengtao in an emotional display of sportsmanship.

Spain was handed an Olympic moment never to forget courtesy of snowboarder Queralt Castellet who won the country’s only medal in the women’s halfpipe in Beijing.

The 32-year-old finished in second behind America’s Chloe Kim and could barely contain her excitement: “All the emotions just exploded at the end,” she told Olympics.com afterwards.

“Even though I didn’t start on the right foot, on the second run everything came out – the nerves, the pressure, my thoughts of how important this is and somehow the strength came as well.”

There was no shortage of inspiring women in action at the Beijing Winter Games and we applaud each and every one for their talent, energy and belief - showing us all the power of solidarity and how it starts from within.