Wonderful Winter Olympic Women

Powerful, strong, female athletes are found all around the World. If you want proof, just turn on your TV and sit down to watch the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics this February. The Olympic games are running from the eighth to the twenty-fifth, so you have plenty of time to catch up on all things Olympics. Three female athletes in particular, stand out this Olympic Games for their drive and determination, make sure to check them out in action if you get the chance.

Chloe Kim- Team USA (Snowboarding)

Chloe is the reigning female half-pipe champion in the World, has her sights set on the Gold in Pyeonchang, and she’s only 17 years old! She could have also competed at the Sochi Olympics in 2014,

if she hadn’t been barred from the games for being only 13! She got into the sport when her dad would go skiing and bring her along for the ride, and has been hooked ever since. He was also her first coach, and helped her gain all her expert skills (my dad definitely didn’t help me train my Olympic dreams, gee thanks, Dad.) Kim is referred to as the “Future of Snowboarding” and the “The new Shaun White”. That’s a pretty hefty compliment. Kim is proving that it doesn’t matter how old you are, if you set your mind to something, you can achieve it. Let’s just say, we’re hoping you snatch that gold, Chloe! Go team USA!

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz- Team Austria (Ski Jumping)

Iraschko-Stolz has been competing as a female olympian in ski jumping for over twenty years! She holds the world record for women’s sky flying,

an honor she received in 2003, and also received a silver medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games. Iraschko-Stolz is also one of the openly lesbian Austrian athletes, and she challenges the stigma in her country, and despite the hate she sometimes receives on social media, she persists and flies higher. After marrying her partner in 2013, Iraschko-Stolz stated,

“I don’t want to hide myself… I never cared at all what other people think about me.”

During her three training runs early this week in Pyeongchang, Iraschko-Stolz has already placed in the top sixth each time.

Best of luck to you in the games Daniela, let’s see you soar!

Jazmine Fenlator- Team Jamaica (Bobsledding)

I’ve got to admit, I’ve seen Cool Runnings, so when I found out that the first women’s Jamaican bobsledding team would be flying to Pyeongchang, I was super excited, and so was a member of the team, Jazmine Fenlator. Jazmine is Jamaican-American and originally was on the American Olympic team and competed as one of the three pilots for the U.S. team in the Sochi Olympics. However, in 2016, she changed to representing Jamaica, as she has dual citizenship. She has become a member of their first women’s bobsledding team!

When asked in an interview about the first Jamaican men’s team at the Calgary games, Fenlator responded,

“In 1988, if you looked at the starting line, you wouldn't find many minorities whatsoever. It was a very European, white-dominated sport. It also was dominated by people with money. If you can get the funding or if you knew people with money, you had the best equipment and could travel and afford to tour…And I think a lot of those cultural differences is what held back quite a few nations from kind of exploring the option.”

Jazmine is taking huge strides in getting more countries to compete in the Winter games and to help to diversify the Olympics as a whole. Make sure to check out the whole Jamaican team with Jazmine for some epic bobsledding! Best of luck, Jazmine!