Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu
© Svend S. Nielsen, Shutterstock

Eileen Gu became the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single Olympics at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Gu won gold medals in women’s ski big air and women’s halfpipe, as a member of the Chinese team. She also won the silver in women’s ski slopestyle at the 2022 Games. Gu is a popular Chinese-American freestyle skier, nicknamed “Frog Princess” for a green helmet she has worn in competition.

Gu competes in the halfpipe, slopestyle, and big air events. The halfpipe is an acrobatic event performed in a deep trough. In slopestyle, competitors perform on special courses that feature various obstacles. Big air involves a long, high jump during which the skier performs acrobatic moves.

Eileen Feng Gu, also called Gu Ailing, was born on Sept. 3, 2003, in San Francisco, California. Her mother, Yan Gu, immigrated to the United States from China. Gu grew up in San Francisco, raised by her mother and grandmother. She began skiing at 3 years old and freestyle skiing at 8 years old. She became a professional at age 16. Gu became the first student to graduate San Francisco University High School in three years in 2020.

Gu began her career representing the United States. She chose to represent China beginning in 2019, becoming a naturalized Chinese citizen. At the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, Gu won gold in big air and halfpipe, along with silver in slopestyle.

Gu became the first woman freestyle skier to land a double cork 1440—a trick that includes four horizontal rotations of 360 degrees and two vertical rotations—in November 2021. She became the first Chinese freestyle skier to earn multiple medals at the World Championships, with gold medals at the 2021 World Championships in Seiser Alm, Italy, and the 2022 World Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Gu became the first Chinese X Games champion at the 2021 games in Aspen, Colorado. She was the only woman to compete in three disciplines and the first rookie to win three medals, earning gold in slopestyle and superpipe, a variation of the halfpipe, and bronze in big air.

Besides skiing, Gu has also had a successful modeling career. She has modeled for high fashion brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany and Co.

Los Angeles, United States. 13th Feb, 2022. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) pulls in a one-yard game winning touchdown while covered by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The Rams defeated the Bengals 23-20.
Credit: © John Angelillo, UPI/Alamy Images

The Los Angeles Rams rallied late and unleashed a stifling second-half defense to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI in SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 2022. The victory gave the Rams their second Super Bowl title and their first since the team relocated back to Los Angeles from St. Louis in 2016. For Cincinnati, the team suffered its third Super Bowl loss, returning to the title game after a 33-year drought.  

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford, who joined Los Angeles as part of a blockbuster off-season trade with the Detroit Lions, struck first in the game with a 17-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the first quarter. Beckham Jr. later left the game with a non-contact knee injury and did not return. Cincinnati answered with a 29-yard field goal by their reliable rookie kicker Evan McPherson. The Rams again marched downfield early in the second quarter when Stafford hit Cooper Kupp with an 11-yard touchdown pass. However, a blown extra point attempt left the Rams leading 13-3. The Bengals then mounted a seven-minute drive capped by a trick play where running back Joe Mixon took the handoff and tossed it 6 yards to wide receiver Tee Higgin in the end zone. The Rams held a slim 13-10 lead going into halftime.  

The halftime show was the first all hip-hop show in Super Bowl history. The performers included legendary rap and hip-hop artists Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent. Dr. Dre helped launch the careers of Snoop Dogg and Eminem. The outstanding performance featured hit songs connecting with multiple generations.

After receiving the second-half kickoff, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow immediately connected on an explosive 75-yard touchdown pass to Higgins to take the lead 17-13. Replays of the touchdown showed that Higgins grabbed the facemask of Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, the referees did not throw a penalty flag on the play. On the following possession by the Rams, Stafford’s pass to rookie wide receiver Ben Skowronek deflected off his fingertips and was intercepted by Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. The Bengals converted that takeaway to a 38-yard McPherson field goal to take a 20-13 lead with momentum swinging their way.  

That momentum quickly stalled as the Rams defense sprang to life, with defensive tackle Aaron Donald and linebacker Von Miller each sacking Bengals quarterback Burrow twice to snuff out drives. The defensive stalemate continued late into the fourth quarter. It was finally broken when Stafford capped a long Los Angeles drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Cooper Kupp, giving the Rams a 23-20 lead with 1 minute 25 seconds remaining in the football game. The Bengals, who had been an explosive second-half team in the playoffs, had time enough to respond. But Aaron Donald bull-rushed the Bengals offensive line and pressured Burrow into an errant throw on fourth down, to secure victory for the Rams.  

Cincinnati quarterback Burrow finished the game with 22 completions in 33 pass attempts for 263 yards and one touchdown. The Los Angeles defense sacked him a total of seven times. Rams quarterback Stafford completed 26 of 40 passes for 283 yards, with two passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Rams wide receiver Kupp, who led the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns throughout the regular season, finished the Super Bowl with 8 catches for a team-high 92 yards and two touchdowns. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).  

American figure skating champion Nathan Chen
Credit: © Mladen Antonov, Getty Images

American figure skater Nathan Chen clinched his highly anticipated and long-awaited first gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The men’s figure skating event is decided by combining scores from the short and long programs. At the 2022 Games, Chen set a world record in the men’s short program with a score of 113.97. The previous record was set by Japan’s Olympian Yuzuru Hanyu, with 111.82 in 2020. Chen has been gunning for gold since his last Olympic performance, in which Hanyu took gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Chen was a member of the United States team that won a bronze medal in team figure skating at the 2018 Games. Chen finished fifth in the men’s figure skating event at the 2018 Games, while cementing his nickname, the “Quad King.” He made Olympic history by becoming the first skater to land six quadruple jumps in one program. In a quadruple jump, the skater jumps and makes four full revolutions in the air.

Chen won the men’s World Figure Skating Championship sponsored by the International Skating Union (ISU) in 2018, 2019, and 2021. The ISU is the governing body of international figure skating. Chen also won the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The Grand Prix, organized by the ISU, includes six international figure skating events leading to a Final competition for the top skaters.

Chen won six U.S. Figure Skating Championships (also called the nationals, or U.S. Championships), consecutively from 2017 to 2022. U.S. Skating is the national governing body of figure skating in the United States. The organization sponsors competition at many levels, including novice, junior, and senior competitions that lead to national titles. During the U.S. nationals in 2017, Chen became the first skater to land five quadruple jumps in one program.

Chen was born on May 5, 1999, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents emigrated from China to the United States in 1988. Chen began skating at the age of three. He entered his first figure skating competition in 2003, at the age of four. Chen won the national novice title at the U.S. Championships in 2010, the youngest novice champion in the history of U.S. Figure Skating. For the 2011-2012 season, Chen moved up to the junior level and won the junior men’s title in 2012. He won the bronze medal at the 2014 World Junior Championships. He won the gold medal in the Final of the 2015 Junior Grand Prix.

Erin Jackson of USA competing on the 500m during the 2021 ISU World Cup on November 12, 2021 in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland.
Credit: © Orange Pics BV/Alamy Images

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games commence this Friday, February 24, with the arrival of the legendary Olympic torch in Beijing, China. The torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, in October 2021 and began making its way to the Chinese capital. From February 2 to 4, it was carried by more than 1,000 people across the cities of Yanqing and Zhangjiakou and into Beijing. The procession included the first Olympic torch handover from robot to robot—underwater! Audiences were limited in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so many watched the torch’s progress online.

The Games officially begin after the opening ceremony on Friday evening. The ceremony takes place at the National Stadium, nicknamed the “Bird’s Nest,” which was originally built for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The themes of the ceremony showcase China’s “willingness to pursue world peace” and celebrate the Beijing Games’ slogan, “together for a shared future.” However, multiple countries’ officials will not be attending the Games in protest of human rights violations.

Beijing National Stadium, known as the “Bird’s Nest”

To keep athletes and Beijing residents safe from illness, international spectators will not be allowed to attend the events, and additional safety measures have been put in place. There will be 3,000 performers at the ceremony. The vast majority will be teenagers, who are at low risk of long-term health effects from the disease. Small groups of spectators will be invited to watch events at the Games as long as they abide by COVID-19 safety protocols.

Beijing is holding a record number of sporting events, with 109. There are seven new events at the Beijing 2022 Olympics in skiing, snowboarding, and monobob—that is bobsledding with a single athlete. Many events focused on mixed-gender teams, giving Beijing the greatest balance of women’s and men’s events in the Olympics yet.

The mascot of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games is a panda named Bing Dwen Dwen, from the Chinese words meaning ice and children. The design features a spacesuit to embody the future and a heart on Bing Dwen Dwen’s left paw to symbolize Chinese hospitality.

Vancouver Canucks left wing Nils Hoglander (21) passes the puck to center Bo Horvat (53) as Seattle Kraken center Colin Blackwell (43) defends in front of goaltender Philipp Grubauer during the first period of an NHL hockey game, in Seattle
Canucks Kraken Hockey, Seattle, United States – 01 Jan 2022.
Credit: © Ted S Warren, AP Images/Shutterstock

The Seattle Kraken‘s debut season has been impacted by COVID-19 and made somewhat of a belly flop. The Kraken are a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Kraken compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays its home games at Climate Pledge Arena, located near the Space Needle.

The Kraken began regular-season play in October 2021. The highly anticipated team has met health roadblocks that have hampered their play. With canceled practices and Covid outbreaks, defensive and offensive lines have been unable to make an effective practice.

In 2017, the city of Seattle, Washington, selected the entertainment development company Oak View Group (OVG) to renovate the city’s KeyArena. At that same time, a group of OVG executives and other investors launched a campaign to purchase an NHL expansion team. In December 2018, the NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the bid, awarding the group the 32nd NHL franchise. In June 2020, the online shopping company Amazon.com, Inc., purchased the naming rights to KeyArena and renamed it Climate Pledge Arena, after the company’s initiative to reduce its environmental impact.

In July 2020, the team was named the Seattle Kraken. In 2021, the Kraken selected players from 30 other NHL teams in an expansion draft. The NHL exempted the Vegas Golden Knights because it was a recent expansion team.

Seattle was home to many professional and amateur hockey teams before the Kraken. The Seattle Metropolitans played from 1914 to 1924 in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. In 1917, they became the first team based in the United States to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey Association (NHA). The Canadiens and three other NHA teams formed the NHL later that year. The Metropolitans faced the Canadiens again for the Stanley Cup in 1919, but an outbreak of the Spanish flu canceled the series.

Seattle continued to host other professional hockey teams not affiliated with the NHL into the 1970’s. Two separate attempts to secure an NHL franchise for the city failed, one in the 1970’s and another in the late 1980’s and early 1990′s.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) runs with the ball during College Football Playoff National Championship game action between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18.
Credit: © John Mersits, Cal Sport Media/Alamy Images

The Georgia Bulldogs unleashed a smothering defense to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide 33-18 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The victory gave Georgia their first Division I football championship since 1980 and ended a string of seven straight losses to Southeastern Conference (SEC) archrival Alabama. The game was a rematch of the SEC Championship Game where Alabama handed Georgia their only loss of the season 41-24 on Dec. 4, 2021. 

Alabama entered the College Football Championship playoff as the top seed, looking to win their seventh national championship under head coach Nick Saban. Led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama made it to the title game after crushing the No. 4 Cincinnati Bearcats 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31. Later that day, No. 3 seed Georgia rode their top-ranked defense to flatten No. 2 Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl to set the national championship matchup.  

Defense ruled early in the title game, as the teams traded field goals that gave Alabama a 9-6 lead going into the half-time break. The defensive stalemate finally broke when Georgia drove late in the third quarter, finishing with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Zamir White to take a 13-9 lead. Alabama responded with an early fourth-quarter field goal. In the next possession, Alabama regained the lead 18-13 after Young connected on a 3-yard touchdown pass followed by a failed two-point conversion attempt. But Alabama didn’t score again.  

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett then connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to take the lead. A failed two-point try left the score 19-18. Bennett later hit tight end Brock Bowers on a 15-yard pass for a score, padding Georgia’s lead to 26-18 following the extra point. Alabama had about 3 minutes to mount a game-tie drive, but Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo delivered a knockout blow by intercepting a deep throw by Young and returning it 79 yards for a game-icing touchdown.  

With the championship, Georgia finished the 2021 season with a 14-1 record, the most wins in school history. Bennet finished the game 17-for-26 with 224 yards passing and two touchdown passes. He was named the game’s offensive Most Valuable Player. For Alabama, Young completed 35 passes in 57 attempts for 369 yards and one touchdown.  

Vonetta Flowers
Credit: © Everett Collection, Shutterstock

Winter is a time for hockey, ice skating, skiing, sledding, and snowboarding. Have you ever heard of bobsledding? Bobsledding is a fast, dangerous winter sport in which teams of two or four persons ride down a steep, icy course in steel and fiberglass sleds. The sleds may reach speeds up to 90 miles (145 kilometers) per hour. The team with the fastest total time after either two or four runs wins the competition.

One famous bobsledder is Vonetta Flowers. Flowers is a former American Olympic bobsledder. In 2002, she became the first Black American to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympic Games. She tried bobsledding on a whim and took the sport quickly.

Vonetta Jeffrey was born on Oct. 29, 1973, in Birmingham, Alabama. She began running as a child. In high school, she was an all-star track and basketball athlete. Flowers was a seven-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in track at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She competed in several events, including the long jump, triple jump, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and relays. She married John Flowers, an American track coach and former track athlete, in 1999.

Vonetta Flowers won a gold medal in the long jump at the 1994 Olympic Festival. The festival was a U.S. national competition held between Olympic Games years. Flowers competed in the long jump at the 2000 Olympic trials but failed to qualify. While at the trials, Flowers’s husband saw a flyer for tryouts as a brakeman for bobsledding. In two-person bobsledding, the team includes a driver and a brakeman. The brakeman helps to push off at the beginning of the run and brakes the sled to a stop at the end of the run. As a trained track athlete, Flowers outperformed many competitors at the bobsled trials.

At the bobsled trials, Flowers met the American bobsledder Bonny Warner. In 2001, Flowers and Warner finished in the top 10 in all 7 World Cup races. However, Warner replaced Flowers with another brakeman. Flowers almost quit the sport before the American bobsledder Jill Bakken recruited her as brakeman.

In 2002, at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, Flowers and Bakken competed against Warner’s team, which was favored to win. Flowers and Bakken broke the course record on their first run and won the first-ever gold medal in women’s bobsled. Flowers retired from competition after the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. She began working as a track coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Flowers’ story inspires many to try a new sport or hobby. What would you like to try this year?