The world unites once again. Seven billion pairs of eyes watch the 2,871 athletes with bated breath as the quadrennial Winter Olympic games commences. Of the 2,871 athletes, only 109 can emerge with glittering gold medals shimmering around their necks.
Rather than the spotlight being fully focused on these wonderful athletes, however, this year’s Winter Olympics turned out to be clouded with drama and scrutiny, scandals and tragedy. Welcome, as we dive into the top stories of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
If there is one athlete to remember from the Beijing Winter Olympics, it would be the one and only Eileen Gu. At just eighteen years-old, Eileen has achieved phenomenal feats within the world of skiing, garnering an astounding two gold medals and one silver in the big air, halfpipe, and slopestyle events in her Olympic debut. With these three historic medals, Eileen has become the youngest freeski Olympic gold medalist in history, the first action-sport athlete to win three medals at the same Olympics, the only female freeskier to have won each major pro-level event (world cup, X-games, world championships, and the Olympics), and the first Olympic freeski medalist in Chinese history.
Unfortunately, these record-breaking results have been completely overshadowed by her decision to ski for China instead of her native country, the United States. Unsurprisingly, many people harshly criticized this decision, stating that Eileen’s actions were a “betrayal” to the coaches and facilities with which the U.S has provided her. However, Eileen defends her actions, commenting that, in the end, her goal was always to “be an ambassador for the sport and create bridges by breaking boundaries and records.” She only wished to connect her beloved sport with a part of her cultural identity with which she wants to connect more deeply- a wish that was twisted into something darkly political.
Skiing was not the only sport raveled with threads of controversy and scandals. Figure skating was not spared, either, with many gold medal moments turning instead into horrific moments of emotional breakdown at the scores. Unprecedented results graced the record-books, with many fan-favorites mere points away from medaling as new names sprawled across headline articles.
Starting off with women’s individual figure-skating, only one word can be used to sum up the event this year: disastrous. The current biggest name in figure-skating and the 2020 Grand Prix gold-medalist, 2020 World Champion, 2022 European Champion and 2022 figure-skating team event gold medalist Kamila Valieva became entangled in a doping scandal. At 15 years-old, the enormous pressure on this young skater became too much to bear as her perfect skating crumpled under the slander and stress placed on her shoulders. Valieva, who most favored to win as the Olympics began, fell during her free skate and ended in fourth place.
Her teammate Alexandra Trusova faced no better ends. After waiting four years for this Olympic games and training hard on her otherworldly jumps, Trusova landed a historic five quadruples during her free skate, the most ambitious technical program in the history of women’s Olympic figure-skating. However, this incredible effort only landed her in second place, a mere four points away from being first on the podium. After three years of no gold, Trusova broke down as she saw her score, tears running down her face as she repeatedly said, “Everyone has a gold medal. Everyone, but not me.” As the cameras pointed away, she cried, “I will never go out on the ice again, never! It is impossible.”
But perhaps the most haunting scene from the women’s free skate was the first place champion Anna Scherbakova sitting alone after seeing her score with two grieving teammates crying next to her. She was quiet without celebrating, telling a reporter afterwards that she “felt empty inside.”
Team Tutberidze now faces immense scrutiny as the head Coach Eteri Tutberidze’s coaching methods have been unveiled: starvation, dehydration, and grueling long hours. Furthermore, the hard work that many of the girls put in have not been rewarded with words of encouragement. Rather, it has been met with cold shoulders as they fail to secure the victories their coaches want.
Yet, despite these terrible moments, the 2022 Winter Olympics was also filled with incredible stories of sportsmanship and celebration. Many legendary athletes finished down their last runs and bid farewell to this part of athletics they’ve come to love: the crowds, cheering, and teammates and competitors at their sides.
Shaun White, a 35 year-old American snowboarder, finished his fifth and final Olympics as a five-time Olympian and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Arguably the greatest snowboarder of all time, White boasts a record-breaking 13 medals from the X-games, of which 11 are gold and two are silver. He is the only snowboarder in Olympic history to have won three Olympic gold medals.
Lindsey Jacobellis, aged thirty-six, crushed her much younger competition by winning her first career gold in the women’s snowboard cross and another gold in the mixed team snowboard cross event, an impressive rebound from her 16-year medal drought. She told a reporter, “Don’t count the old girl out.” Her words serve as a powerful testament against the conception of athletic deterioration in relation to age.
In speed-skating, Erin Jackson won gold in the women’s 500-meter — becoming the first Black woman to medal in speedskating and the first American women in twenty-eight years to clinch gold in this event. However, Jackson had nearly missed going to the Olympics with a slight stumble during her qualifying race, pushing her down to third place. In a powerful act of sportsmanship, Jackson’s friend Brittany Bowe gave up her spot in the 500-meter so Jackson could compete. Upon finishing her record-breaking night, Jackson commented, “For this to come around like this, I am so happy.”
On February 20th, 2022, the 24th Beijing Olympics concluded. The sixteen days passed like no other, with an abundance of young athletes gaining fame as their achievements surpassed previous expectations. However, this year’s Olympics was also one shrouded in controversy and scandal, as athletic achievements were mixed with political opinions and individual preferences. Unexpected outcomes, heartbreaking reactions from athletes, and a horrified world seemed to be the dominating headlines during those two weeks. However, one must remember that, despite these sorrowful moments, immense sportsmanship, willpower, gut and grace spilled out from each and every athlete to conclude the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.