Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024: Stars on the rise

For a glimpse into the future of sporting talent, look no further than the starting lists at the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games.

From alpine skiing to ski jumping, these ambitious and audacious teenagers are ready to break into the spotlight.

Some have already tasted success on the senior circuits and could follow in the footsteps of freestyle superstars Eileen Gu and Chloe Kim, who made a smooth transition from Youth Olympic champions to Olympic gold medallists. With Milano Cortina 2026 on the horizon, it might not be long until we see these athletes shine again.

As the entry lists were confirmed ahead of the Games' Opening Ceremony on Friday 19 January, Olympics.com took a closer look at the fresh faces expected to set Gangwon 2024 alight.

Annika Hunt, alpine skiing (USA)

At 17, Annika Hunt is already well on the path to success as a student of Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, the same institution where Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin trained between 2009 and 2013.

A versatile athlete, Hunt won the super-G national title in March 2023 in addition to her silver medals in the slalom and giant slalom.

Miha Oserban, alpine skiing (Slovenia)

Hailing from the same town as Olympic champion Tina Maze, Miha Oserban is hoping to continue Slovenia’s fine winter sporting legacy that includes Beijing 2022 silver medallist Zan Kranjec.

Oserban won giant slalom gold at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2023, and is hoping to be selected for Milano Cortina 2026.

Shimada Mao, figure skating (Japan)

Being an athlete named after an Olympic medallist can be daunting, but Shimada Mao has carried that weight with a champion's poise.

Like her namesake, Vancouver 2010 Olympic silver medallist Asada Mao, 15-year-old Shimada has lit up the world of figure skating. She recently defended her junior women's title at the Grand Prix Final 2023 in Beijing, where she finished ahead of Shin Jia, another Gangwon 2024 talent.

The Kyoto native is also a two-time national champion.

Shin Jia, figure skating (Republic of Korea)

Shin Jia is a two-time and reigning world junior silver medallist. Her silver at the worlds in 2022 made her the second Korean to win a junior world medal – the first being none other than Kim Yuna in 2005.

This season also saw Shin win both Junior Grand Prix events she’s competed at, in Austria and Hungary, to complement her 2023 national title.

Flora Tabanelli, freestyle skiing (Italy)

With the home Games at Milano Cortina 2026 around the corner, Flora Tabanelli has already put her best foot forward for selection.

In September 2023, the freestyle skier became the first female Italian junior world champion by winning gold in Big Air. She also picked up a silver in slopestyle, and reached her first senior World Cup podium, in Big Air, three months later.

The history-maker’s brother Miro Tabanelli won freeski Big Air bronze at the junior championships in 2021, and both siblings are now being hailed as future stars of Italian winter sports with Flora Tabanelli also getting the honour of carrying her country's flag at the Opening Ceremony of Gangwon 2024.

Daxon Rudolph, ice hockey (Canada)

Ice hockey players from Canada tend to have a big weight on their shoulders. Daxon Rudolph is just the person to carry it.

The 15-year-old was named the Top Defender in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) last season and was the first overall pick in the 2023 Western Hockey League Prospect Draft.

Rudolph is continuing to impress in the league this season, and could be the secret weapon Canada needs to win their first gold at the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Jacob and Katrine Schmidt, curling (Denmark)

For Jacob and Katrine Schmidt there is more than national pride to fight for at Gangwon 2024. When the two siblings head out to the Gangneung Curling Centre for the mixed doubles competition, family pride will be on the line as well. 

The Gangwon 2024 athletes are the son and daughter of two-time Olympian Ulrik Schmidt, a former skip of the Danish national team who claimed four medals at the European Championships during his career, and fellow Olympic curler Lisa Richardson, who won the European title in 1992.

Now the brother and sister are looking to continue that family legacy into the next Olympic cycles.

Lee Chaeun, snowboard (Republic of Korea)

The hosts have a formidable medal contender in halfpipe specialist Lee Chaeun. While he is only 16, Lee has already turned heads at senior snowboard competitions when he was selected for the Beijing 2022 team and later won the halfpipe world title in 2023.

Lee is continuing to prove his champion status this season with two podium results at the senior World Cup, in Secret Garden and Copper Mountain.

A medal at the home Youth Olympic Games could prove the perfect stepping stone to an Olympic title at Milano Cortina 2026.

Choi Gaon, snowboard (Republic of Korea)

Lee Chaeun is not the only Korean athlete expected to light up the halfpipe competition at the Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort.

On the girls' side, there is Choi Gaon who is a star in her own right. Now 15 years old, Choi became the youngest female snowboarder to win a gold medal in halfpipe at the X Games, a record double Olympic champion and Choi's mentor Chloe Kim used to hold.

The Korean youngster also won the senior World Cup in December to further solidify her status as the one to watch at Gangwon 2024 and beyond.

Anezka Indrackova, ski jumping (Czech Republic)

Czech teen Anezka Indrackova is used to rewriting history, having made her Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 as the youngest of all participants. She was 15 years and six months old at the time and will now make her Youth Olympic debut as a 17-year-old.

She finished 30th in the women's normal hill event and will now try to channel that experience into winning at another Olympic venue, the Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre in PyeongChang.

An earlier version of this article was published in October 2023. It has been updated in January 2024 to reflect the final athlete entry lists.