Ten Beijing 2022 Olympic breakout stars: From Ailing (Eileen) Gu to Su Yiming, Kagiyama to Slafkovsky, Shcherbakova to Hall

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games wrapped things up in a carnival of colour on Sunday (20 February) with the Closing Ceremony, but there were plenty of fireworks during the Games too.

Every Olympics gives us young risers and shooting stars who shake up the world order, and Beijing 2022 was no different.

Here are 10 athletes who lit up Beijing including 18-year-old freeski phenom Ailing (Eileen) Gu, snowboard hero Su Yiming, and Juraj Slafkovsky whose goals led Slovakia to their first men's ice hockey medal.

And not forgetting figure skaters Anna Shcherbakova and Kagiyama Yuma who captured the imagination with sparkling Olympic debuts.

Read on for 10 breakout stars from the Beijing 2022 Games.

1. Ailing (Eileen) Gu: Global Phenomenon - Gumania? Gupernova?

The Olympics provides a platform like no other to launch a sporting career, but few ignite and go galactic fast as Ailing (Eileen) Gu's has.

At 18, Gu came into the Games under a world of pressure as one of its projected stars but handled it all like a seasoned veteran.

A maturity beyond her years and a talent beyond the reach of her competitors made her the first freestyle skier to win two gold medals at a single Games, and she pocketed a silver as well.

Born in San Francisco but competing for China, Gu transcended her sport of freestyle skiing with Gumania spreading across China and the world.

The woman who went viral just having her lunch in Beijing went on a Douyin (China's original TikTok) live show with megastar Lay Zhang, and when they talked about recording a song together, you could hear the internet creaking.

Eighteen million people watched live at its peak with the video attracting 120 million likes that day.

For Ailing (Eileen) Gu, the journey has only just begun.

2. Su Yiming: National icon, global snowboard superstar

"I'm dreaming, I'm crying like a little kid. I feel so much love," Chinese snowboard sensation Su Yiming told Olympics.com after his sensational Beijing performances.

China's other teen breakout star found his launchpad with an Olympic gold medal and an Olympic silver medal, all before his 18th birthday.

Su is no stranger to performing on stage, but the child actor now has a brand new following and it's growing:

"It's all about love," he says.

"That's the most important thing for me. No matter where you're from, no matter who you are, you know, we just come to the same place to have a competition, it's just all about what we love.

"Snowboarding is like a big family and we are proud of the family, no matter where you're from."

Expect a lot more love for Su on and off the snow over the coming years.

3. Juraj Slafkovsky: Slovakia's Olympic ice hockey hero and future NHL star

From the snow to the ice.

Imagine being 17 years old, playing in the same tournament as Olympic and Stanley Cup champions like Eric Staal, and finishing it as top scorer to help your country - Slovakia - to its first ever Olympic ice hockey medal.

Juraj Slafkovsky's Olympic dreams came true at Beijing 2022, and he has shot from a top-10 prospect in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.to an almost certain top three or four pick.

Slafkovsky scored seven goals in Beijing and was top in the points table (also on seven) alongside three other players.

At 1.93m tall, the 17-year-old shone brightly in a Games packed with pros with NHL potential including last year's top two draft picks - Owen Power and Matty Beniers - and ROC goalie Ivan Fedotov (more on him later).

And after his two goals in the bronze medal match helped Slovakia to its first ever Olympic ice hockey medal, he's already a national icon back home.

"All we thought going into this tournament actually was, 'Could he just score a goal?'", Slovakia's Canadian coach Craig Ramsay said after their amazing 4-0 win over Sweden in the bronze medal decider.

"He'd had trouble scoring, he was stuck. He did it, and he did it in spades!"

The scoring has only just started for Juraj Slafkovsky.

4. Anna Shcherbakova: Figure skating gold medallist on Olympic debut

From one dramatic win on ice to another, and it feels like Anna Shcherbakova has been on the figure skating scene far too long to be just 17 years old.

The 2021 world champion beat ROC teammate Alexandra Trusova at Beijing 2022 to claim gold medal at her first Olympic Winter Games in an emotional final.

Shcherbakova talked about the "pure happiness" she felt after the final element of her free skate to Olympics.com, and her clean skate with wonderful feeling and interpretation helped her to the top of the podium.

So what's next for this ROC prodigy?

Like a true champion, she's already thinking ahead to March's World Figure Skating Championships.

5. Kagiyama Yuma: "I could have done better"

Winning Olympic silver behind Nathan Chen and ahead of the two-time defending champ Hanyu Yuzuru is the stuff that most figure skaters dream of, but Kagiyama Yuma wasn't satisfied.

"As happy as I am about winning a medal, I feel like I could have done more", said 18-year-old Kagiyama, as humble and self-critical as ever.

He followed in his father Masakazu's footsteps by appearing on Olympic ice but bettered Dad's achievements by claiming a medal. And now the sky's the limit for Japan's next figure skating star.

"I think this silver medal will go a long way and it’s something I can build on. I hope I can keep getting better from here on."

6. Jutta Leerdam - Netherlands' rising speed skating hope

The Dutch dominated speed skating in Beijing with the likes of Irene Schouten and Ireen Wust winning gold.

But in her first Games, Jutta Leerdam showed she is one to watch in the near future with a silver the 1000m behind Japan's Takagi Miho after her fifth place in the 500m.

Leerdam, 23, started out as a field hockey player but her switch to the ice has paid dividends in a country where merely making the national speed skating team is a huge achievement.

A part-time model with a massive social media following, her silver medal photo post attracted over 300k likes.

Already a world champion, Leerdam looks set to help maintain Dutch dominance in speed skating for years to come.

7. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, New Zealand's history-maker: "Still tripping"

When Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won New Zealand's first ever Olympic Winter Games gold, things got a bit crazy.

First there was that unforgettable pile-on where all her friends and rivals jumped on her to celebrate her snowboard slopestyle gold.

Then came the messages from New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and a silver medal in Big Air too.

"The progression from four years ago is pretty sick." said Sadowski-Synnott who won a bronze medal at PyeongChang 2018.

"I'm pretty stoked..." she continued, "to win New Zealand's first Winter Olympic gold means so much to me and I can't believe that I managed to do it. I'm just super proud to be Kiwi and I hope I made everyone at home proud. It was the best run of my life."

So what's next?

"With snowboarding there's so many more tricks that we can do," she says.

Onwards, upwards, there's no stopping Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.

8. Nico Porteous: New Zealand's other stunner

Sadowski-Synnott wasn't the only Kiwi freeskier to leave a lasting impression on Beijing as Nico Porteous soared to halfpipe gold.

The 20-year-old stole the show to deny USA's David Wise a hat-trick of Olympic titles, coping best with difficult blustery conditions in the final to claim gold.

"I'm so, so happy and I'm currently over the moon. I still can't really believe it," said Porteous after the event.

Wise showed what a great Olympian he is too, telling Olympics.com, "I'm stoked to see Nico come out and absolutely lay his run down. I'm proud to pass the torch off to him."

For Nico, riding with his 'role model', 'inspiration', 'best mate' and big brother Miguel Porteous - who finished 11th in the halfpipe final - made it all the more special.

9. Alex Hall - The USA freeski phenom who grabbed gold at Beijing 2022

At 23 years of age, Alex Hall can proudly call himself an Olympic gold medallist.

The style, flair, and creativity that Hall brought to Beijing 2022 will live long in the memory.

His slopestyle gold-medal winning run included a huge double-cork on his first jump, then a memorable bounce off the knuckle in the wave section and a jaw-dropping double-1080 to land switch and finish it off.

Four years after failing to make the final at PyeongChang, Hall was able to show the world what he was capable of as he took gold from teammate Nick Goepper.

“It definitely was the best slopestyle run I’ve ever done, mainly because it embodied everything I love about skiing and how I approach it and I didn’t fade away from that to try and maybe get bigger scores," Hall told Olympics.com after the event.

“It can’t all just be about more spinning,” added Hall, who's leading the way for innovation in his discipline.

Expect him to keep creating and pushing the boundaries for the future.

10. Ivan Fedotov: ROC's Great Wall

Standing 2.01m and weighing 93 kg, ROC goalie Ivan Fedotov is something of an imposing presence between the pipes.

He began with two shutouts against Switzerland and Denmark with 49 saves in 120 minutes before leading the defending champs all the way to the final.

The 25-year-old was key to ROC's defence in Beijing. Apart from the wild 6-5 shootout loss to Czech Republic when his side had already qualified for the quarter-finals, he gave up just three goals in four starts in Beijing.

And Fedotov's semi-final performance against Sweden was one for the ages as he stopped 34 of 35 shots and let in just two out of eight pucks in the shootout to send ROC through to a second consecutive Olympic final.

Despite that aberration against the Czechs, he still finished with a 94.25 save percentage and conceded an average of 1.61 goals per game against at his maiden Olympic Games.

And while it wasn't to be against Finland, who took home the gold medal, Fedotov can stand tall after Beijing 2022.

He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015, but currently plays his hockey in the KHL with CSKA Moscow.

And talks have already reportedly taken place between his agents and the Flyers about a move to the NHL.