2 years ago
1622
Simon Ammann's glow-up, though...
The 2022 Winter Olympics are about to come to an end, and we'll have to say goodbye to some of our favorite Olympians for another four years.
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But before we let them go, let's take a look back. Here are all our fave Olympians* at their first Olympics vs. the 2022 Olympics!
*Yes, I definitely favored American athletes a bit here. Team USA!!!!!!
1. Team USA: Snowboarder Shaun White in 2006
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Shaun was only 19 when he first competed.
White in 2022
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The 35-year-old snowboarding legend recently announced his retirement after attending five Olympic Games and winning three gold medals.
2. Team USA: Snowboarder Chloe Kim at her first Olympics in 2018
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In 2018, Chloe became the youngest halfpipe gold medalist at age 18.
Kim in 2022
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This year, Chloe became the first woman to win two gold medals in halfpipe!
3. Team Netherlands: Speed skater Irene Wüst in 2006
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Wüst won a bronze medal at age 19.
Irene Wüst in 2022
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Wüst, 35, is the first athlete to win an individual gold medal in five different Olympics.
4. Team Japan: Figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu in 2014
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Nineteen-year-old Hanyu became the first Asian men's singles skater to win the Olympic gold.
Hanyu in 2022
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Twenty-seven-year-old Hanyu has broken 19 world scoring records in skating.
5. Team USA: Snowboarder Jamie Anderson in 2014
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Anderson was 23 when she won her first Olympic medal!
Anderson in 2022
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Thirty-one-year-old Anderson has attended three Olympics and won a gold medal at two and a silver medal at one.
Here's a better recent shot of her just prior to competing in the Olympics.
6. Team USA: Figure skater Nathan Chen in 2018
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At a 2017 competition, the teenager became the first man in figure skating history to land five quadruple jumps in a single performance. He placed fifth in the 2018 Olympics at age 18.
Chen in 2022
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Chen won his first Olympic gold medal this year at age 22.
7. Team USA: Skiier Jessie Diggins in 2014
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Diggins was 22 when she first competed in the Olympics.
Diggins in 2022
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This year, 30-year-old Diggins became the most decorated American cross-country skier in world championship history.
8. Team USA: Bobsledder Elana Meyers in 2010
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Twenty-five-year-old Meyers and her partner Erin Pac won bronze in 2010.
Meyers in 2022
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Thirty-seven-year-old Meyers has placed silver in the last three Olympics.
9. Team USA: Skiier Mikaela Shiffrin in 2014
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In 2014, 18-year-old Shiffrin became the youngest woman in US history to win a World Championship and the youngest athlete in history to win an Olympic slalom gold medal.
Shiffrin in 2022
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Shiffrin is now 26.
Here's a better shot of her face (she's on the right):
10. USA: Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis in 2006
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Twenty-year-old Jacobellis won silver in snowboard cross in 2006.
Jacobellis in 2022
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In 2022, the 36-year-old Jacobellis became the oldest American woman to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games.
11. Team USA: Snowboarder Red Gerard in 2018
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Seventeen-year-old Gerard won gold in 2018 after oversleeping after bingeing Brooklyn Nine-Nine the night before.
Gerard in 2022
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Gerard finished fifth in big air snowboarding.
Here's the most recent shot I could find of him without his goggles, from December 2021:
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12. Team USA: Skiier David Wise in 2014
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Wise won gold at his first-ever Olympics at age 23.
Wise in 2022
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Thirty-one-year-old Wise is set to compete in the final tonight.
Here's a video of him where you can see his face:
13. Team USA: Ice hockey player Hilary Knight in 2010
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Twenty-year-old Knight helped her team win silver in 2010.
Knight in 2022
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This is 32-year-old Knight's third Olympics.
Here's a video where you can see her a little better:
14. Team Canada: Bobsledder Kaillie Humphries in 2010
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Humphries won gold in 2010 at age 24.
Kaillie Humphries in 2022 (now with Team USA)
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Humphries, the most decorated woman in bobsled history, won gold again in 2022 at age 36.
15. Team USA: Speed skater Erin Jackson in 2018
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Jackson was 25 at her first Olympics.
Jackson in 2022
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Twenty-nine-year-old Jackson won gold at this year's Olympics. Last year, she became the first Black American woman to win the World Cup.
16. Team USA: Speed skater Brittany Bowe in 2014
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Bowe was also 25 at her first Olympics.
Here's a better photo of her at a press conference prior to the 2014 Olympics:
Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
Bowe in 2022
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Bowe is a three-time Olympian at age 33.
17. Team USA: Curler John Shuster in 2006
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Shuster was 23 at the time.
John Shuster in 2022
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The now-39-year-old Shuster has competed in five straight Winter Olympics.
18. Team Germany: Luger Natalie Geisenberger in 2010
Alexander Hassenstein / Bongarts/Getty Images
The 22-year-old won bronze at her first Olympics.
Geisenberger in 2022
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This was 34-year-old Geisenberger's fourth Olympic Games — she holds the title for most gold medals in Olympic luge history.
19. Team Canada: Skiier Mikaël Kingsbury in 2014
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Twenty-one-year-old Kingsbury won silver in 2014.
Kingsbury in 2022
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Twenty-nine-year-old Kingsbury won silver again this year after winning gold in 2018.
20. Team Germany: Speed skater Claudia Pechstein in 1992
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Pechstein won bronze in 1992 at age 19.
Here's another look at Pechstein in 1992:
Rolf Haid/picture alliance via Getty Images
Pechstein in 2022
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Pechstein just became the oldest female Winter Olympian of all time at age 49, and is Germany's most successful Winter Olympian.
21. Team Brazil: Skiier Jaqueline Mourão in 2006
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Thirty-year-old Mourão had actually previously competed in the Olympics, but not the Winter Olympics — she had competed in the Athens Summer Olympics in 2004 in women's cross-country.
Mourão in 2022
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This is her fifth Winter Olympics.
22. Team Switzerland: Ski Jumper Simon Ammann in 2002 (he actually first competed in 1998, but he didn't place, and I couldn't find any photos)
Danny Gohlke / Bongarts / Getty Images
Ammann was just 16 when he first competed, and 20 when he won two gold medals.
Ammann in 2022
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This is 40-year-old Ammann's seventh Olympics.
23. Team USA: Snowboarder Nick Baumgartner in 2010
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Baumgartner was 28.
Baumgartner in 2022
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At age 40, Baumgartner just became the oldest snowboarder to win a medal of any color at an Olympic Winter Games.
24. Team France: Skiier Johan Clarey in 2010
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Clarey was 29.
Clarey in 2022
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Forty-one-year-old Clarey just became the oldest man to win an Olympic medal in alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics.
25. Team Norway: Curler Torger Nergaard in 2002
Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images
Nergaard was 27.
Nergaard in 2022
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This is 47-year-old Nergaard's sixth consecutive Winter Olympics.
26. Team China: Figure skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong in 2018
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Wenjing was 22, and Cong was 25.
Wenjing and Cong in 2022
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The pair set a new world record score of 84.41 and placed first in their 2022 routine.
27. Team Netherlands: Speed Skater Irene Schouten in 2018
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Schouten was 25.
Schouten in 2022
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Schouten won both the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter events in 2022, and holds the record in both distances.
28. Team Italy: Speed skater Arianna Fontana in 2006
Franck Fife / AFP via Getty Images
Fontana was just 15.
Here's another photo without her goggles and helmet:
Stephen Munday / Getty Images
Fontana in 2022
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Thirty-one-year-old Fontana just became Italy's most decorated Winter Olympian after winning silver in the 1,500-meter race.
29. Team Sweden: Skiier Charlotte Kalla in 2010
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Kalla was 22.
Kalla in 2022
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This is 34-year-old Kalla's fourth consecutive Winter Olympics.
Here's a photo from three weeks ago where you can see her face better:
30. Team USA: Speed skater Maame Biney in 2018
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Biney was the first Black woman to make the US Olympic short track speedskating team. She was only 18 when she competed.
Biney in 2022
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Here's a photo of Biney just before the Olympics without her goggles:
31. Team Norway: Skiier Johannes Thingnes Bø in 2014
Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP via Getty Images
He was 20 at the time.
Thingnes Bø in 2022
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Twenty-eight-year-old Thingnes Bø just won his eighth Olympic medal.
32. Team Germany: Bobsledder Francesco Friedrich in 2014
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He was 23.
Friedrich in 2022
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Thirty-one-year-old Friedrich just won gold again, defending his title in two-man bobsledding from the 2018 Olympics.
33. Team Japan: Ski jumper Sara Takanashi in 2014
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Takanashi was only 17.
Takanashi in 2022
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Famous and celebrated 25-year-old ski jumper Takanashi was disqualified along with four other ski jumpers for their too-large jumpsuits.
34. Team USA: Skiier Alex Ferreira in 2018
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Twenty-three-year-old Ferreira won silver in halfpipe skiing in 2018.
Ferreira in 2022
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Ferreira is set to compete in tonight's final.
Here's a recent photo of him without his goggles:
35. Team USA: Skiier Aaron Blunck in 2014
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Blunck was just 17.
And finally...Blunck in 2022
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This is 25-year-old Blunck's third consecutive Winter Olympics. He is also set to compete tonight.
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