The road to Beijing: A year in quotes
As 2021 draws to a close, Olympics.com looks back at the most memorable stories from the road to the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, which begin 4 February next year.
USA luger Emily Sweeney: Sifting the Olympic dream from PyeongChang nightmare
Emily Sweeney saw her dream Olympic debut turn to the stuff of nightmares at PyeongChang 2018. Rebuilding from the crash that broke her neck and back and nearly ended her career, the ever-smiling Beijing 2022 hopeful spoke to Olympics.com about fear, Lake Placid roots and her enduring love of luge.
“Crashing is a part of luge; it’s how you learn and most crashes are simple and you ride them out. It broke me in a lot of ways. After that, I had fear.” - Emily Sweeney
Brendan Doyle's incredible journey from near-suicide to Olympic hopeful
A traumatic assault in 2009 led Brendan Doyle down a dark path that almost ended with him taking his own life. 12 years on from the incident, the Irish skeleton athlete is fighting to qualify for his first Olympic Games.
"I really want to be an example of someone who genuinely thought that he was hopeless; that he was a failure and that the only option he had was to take his life, to then become an Olympian in a sport where I'm not funded and I don't have any experience. You can be stronger for struggles. You can be stronger for getting through tough times." - Brendan Doyle
Mikaela Shiffrin: It’s hard to say that everything is better
The double Olympic champion told Olympics.com how she's still dealing with grief, almost two years after her father Jeff's tragic death.
"Over the last year and a half, I think the biggest thing that that's developed again is the appreciation I have for what is still here versus the oppression I feel about what's gone." - Mikaela Shiffrin
From international DJ to Alpine skier – Benjamin Alexander's unique Olympic journey
Benjamin Alexander spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about his unique journey, which he hopes will result in him being the first Alpine skier for Jamaica at an Olympic Winter Games come Beijing 2022.
“If I'd have realised the amount of work that it's taken me to get this far, and if I'd have realised that the majority of the fighting would be against the pandemic and closed borders and all of that stuff, I'm not sure I would have started this. But I'm a man of my word and I'm in it now, and so I'm fully committed, like it's do or die time… So now is the proving ground. I haven't had a competition in almost eight months, so, yeah, it's super exciting times.” - Benjamin Alexander
USA hope Colby Stevenson on crawling from the wreckage and skiing for all the right reasons
Doctors gave Colby Stevenson small odds of returning to competitive freestyle skiing after an auto wreck left him near dead in 2016. Now on the verge of an Olympic debut – and a medal contender to boot – the 24-year-old American and recent Dew Tour slopestyle champion spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about his newfound love of the planet, his sport and all the little things.
“I guess that’s why the crash is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I have a great perspective on life and, yeah sure, I got a huge scar on my forehead and a bashed-in skull, but it’s working. So I’m good.” - Colby Stevenson
How Charlotte Bankes overcame a devasting injury to become a world champion
After suffering a serious injury in a training session in 2011, snowboarder Charlotte Bankes spent the next seven years dealing with pain every time she took to the slopes; so much so that she contemplated retiring from competition altogether. Three years later, she was making history at the 2021 World Championships.
“I got down to the bottom of the track, took my board off, and found that I couldn’t walk.” - Charlotte Bankes
Eileen Gu is living her best 18-year-old life
Olympics.com spoke to the Chinese-American freestyle skier who already has three X Games and world championship medals to her name, as well as a Vogue cover and acceptance to her dream college. Can life get any better for the teenager in February when the Winter Games begin?
"Outside of skiing I had my first Vogue cover, I went to the Met Gala, I have just been learning so much about the fashion world and figuring out what I want my space in that to be. Right now I’m working on a really exciting project with Vogue China where I get to go behind the scenes like creative direct a little bit more so that’s really exciting. I got into my dream school, Stanford, so there’s a lot of things to be excited about." - Eileen Gu
Meet Vishwaraj Jadeja, the speed skater who trains in the Himalayas and dreams about Beijing
India's fastest speed skater is closer than ever to fulfilling his dreams of competing at Beijing 2022. Olympics.com caught up with him to talk about his lifelong sporting journey, speed skating at 4,500 metres in the Himalayas, and what it would mean to represent his country at the Olympic Winter Games.
"Long track ice skating in the Netherlands is like cricket in India. And that's one of the reasons I moved to the Netherlands, because if you want to play cricket you go to India, if you want to play football you go to Brazil, if you want to do long track you come to the Netherlands." - Vishwaraj Jadeja
Sister act: Charlie Guest and sibling Katie on their dual Beijing 2022 dream
Alpine skier Charlie Guest and para-alpine guide Katie are both intent on making it to the Beijing 2022 Olympics and Paralympics, respectively. Olympics.com spoke to them exclusively about the impact their journeys have had on each other.
“I just wanted to get into the finish with the blooming green light because I'd been coming down always into second or third, and I came down and I was like, 1.8 seconds (ahead of the fastest skier so far), I think, and I was just like, finally!” - Charlie Guest
Vincent De Haître: "The hardest thing I've ever done is getting back to speed skating after three years of cycling"
After breaking the Canadian track cycling men's team pursuit record at Tokyo 2020, Vincent De Haître will attempt what for many would seem impossible - qualifying in speed skating for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Olympics.com spoke to the multi-sport maestro about his past accomplishments and constant drive to improve.
"I saw one of my coaches do an interview and he said, 'Oh yeah, he (De Haître) is very ego driven'. And at first I thought, 'Oh, that's kind of mean'. But essentially he was saying that I'm driven by things to be able to say I accomplished them. Problem solving the challenges is where I find a lot of my motivation." - Vincent de Haitre
The trio of British siblings looking to put mogul skiing on the map
Sisters Leonie and Makayla Gerken-Schofield spoke to Olympics.com about their family’s aim to qualify a triumvirate of British mogul skiers to Beijing 2022, which includes brother Tom, Leonie’s twin.
“I have been learning how to tattoo thanks to my girlfriend who sort of got me into it. I've always loved art and anything to do with art, and I have given Leonie a couple of tattoos. I gave her a first-ever tattoo, which was quite nerve-wracking for me.” - Makayla Gerken-Schofield
Erin Jackson: the Sunshine State speed skater taking the winter sports world by storm
She made the USA's 2018 Olympic speed skating team just months after stepping onto the ice. Now former inline skating champion Erin Jackson is putting a tough 2020/21 season behind her as she takes aim at Beijing 2022.
"It's funny because when they knew about my inline career, people would say 'Oh, we'll see you in the Olympics one day', and I'd be like, 'No, my sport's not in the Olympics and I'll never be an ice skater'. I never really imagined switching over to ice just because I loved inline so much and I hated being cold." - Erin Jackson
Devon Harris and Chris Stokes of the famous Jamaica bobsleigh team on following your dreams
At every edition of the Olympic Games, some athletes beat overwhelming odds to realise their dreams of competing at the global showpiece. These athletes were a long way from winning medals, but their stories inspired many. Olympics.com spoke to the legendary Jamaica bobsleigh team members who won the hearts of fans at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.
"Much later I came to understand what Jamaican bobsleigh meant to the people at this time and continues to mean, it's the finest part of the Olympic Movement." - Chris Stokes
USA snowboarder Cody Winters: Washing windows to finance an Olympic dream
Raising money to fund your Olympic dream sometimes requires novel thinking. Find out how this 20-year-old snowboarder is paying for his training, equipment and travel.
"We took this internship class in high school to study business. I was working for the biggest window washing company in town. Then I realised that I could create my own company with a very small budget." - Cody Winters
Arianna Fontana: The short track legend with her mind on Beijing and heart set on Milano Cortina 2026
L’Angelo Biondo (the Blonde Angel) has lost count of the times she has won or raced but her Olympic memories remain clear. Olympics.com spoke to the timeless Italian skater, based in Bormio, about her passion for short track, the Olympic season and what the Olympic Winter Games mean to her.
"I was convinced Sochi would be my last Games, and yet here I am. Years ago, I would never have imagined I’d go as far as I have and still be in the condition I am in today. It’s an incentive, as even though the years are passing I feel better and better. We’ll see what happens in Beijing, but the goal remains the same: reach the final… reach all the finals. Once we’re there, everything is on the table." - Arianna Fontana
KAGIYAMA Yuma exclusive: Why mental health is hugely important
The Lausanne 2020 YOG champion spoke to Olympics.com about the challenges of managing your mental health as an elite athlete.
"I feel that the expectations people have of me are bigger than those I put on myself. I try to maintain my rhythm while not feeling too much pressure. I also think it’s important that I find solutions to the challenges I face one by one." - Kagiyama Yuma
The pain and the glory: USA speed queen Brittany Bowe’s road to Beijing favourite
The Team USA 1000m world record holder and world champion spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about her first love of basketball, her current passion for racing and the hardships of her sport, both physical and mental.
“At the end of a race, your legs hurt so bad you can’t bend your knees. You taste blood in your mouth. You can’t stand up; you can’t sit down. You can’t bend over to untie your skate because you’ll cramp if you do.” - Brittany Bowe
Kaillie Humphries: "Don’t put limitations on athletes"
The two-time Olympic bobsleigh champion is aiming to win the first-ever Olympic monobob title at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. It’s one more chance at change for an athlete who has fought for equality in the sport of bobsleigh.
"In 2010, I’ve been told ‘You’re not good enough to win.’ I won. In 2014, I’ve been told ‘You know, no one has defended. You're probably not going to defend.' I did. Then I’ve been told ‘Women are not strong enough and not skilled enough for 4-man’. We did it. Don’t put limitations on athletes." - Kaillie Humphries
Samuel Ikpefan: From the French Alps to representing Nigeria at Beijing 2022
Thanks to Samuel Ikpefan, Nigeria will be represented at the Olympic Winter Games for the second time in a row. The cross-country skier spoke to Olympics.com about making history for his home country and his goal of helping young Nigerians to discover skiing.
"When I walked on Nigerian soil, I started to get emotional. Some tears came to my eyes." - Samuel Ikpefan
Meet Jo Brown, the New Zealand sports physio playing her part in Cool Runnings 2
Doctor Jo Brown has had an unconventional journey from her home in New Zealand to the island of Jamaica, where she's helping their national bobsleigh teams in their quests to reach Beijing 2022. Olympics.com caught up with her to talk about everything from treating athletes remotely to working with stars like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and building on the legacy of Cool Runnings.
"There's talk of Cool Runnings 2 being made if they qualify, we've got a film crew following us around. Everywhere we go there are people wanting photos of the Jamaican bobsleigh team. The team's more famous than the American team and even the Canadian guys were telling us the other day, 'You guys put bobsleigh on the map, nobody knew what it was and then the movie came out and now everyone knows what bobsleigh is.' So they owe something to the team as a community." - Jo Brown
From avalanche-buried to Olympic precipice: USA snowboarder Brock Crouch ponders the meaning of life
Brock Crouch spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about being buried for more than five minutes (and nearly killed) by an avalanche in the Canadian backcountry, why the slopestyle discipline suits his snowboarding best and just what would make a potential Olympic debut in Beijing so gnarly.
“It was like a movie. The whole thing, getting strapped onto a back-board and thrown into a helicopter. I’d been swept down like fifteen to eighteen hundred vertical feet.” - Brock Crouch
Johanna Matintalo trains in Santa's hometown
Finnish cross-country skier Johanna Matintalo lives and trains in Rovaniemi on the Arctic Circle, so Olympics.com wanted to know, what’s it like to be an elite athlete in Santa’s official hometown over Christmas?
“I was in the gym yesterday morning doing a strength session and Santa Claus was [visiting the employees] and training with the machines and weights. It was quite fun to watch while I was training.” - Johanna Matintalo