The Beijing Winter Olympic Games begin on February 4, 2022. In less than two months, the world will again be treated to three weeks of the top athletes in the world competing on snow and ice.
While hockey might be the most popular sport at the Winter Olympics, the skiing events offer some of the most dramatic moments. They are also many viewers’ introduction to skiing as a competitive sport.
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There will be many races and athletes to watch out for in each of the skiing disciplines. We’ll take a quick glance at the biggest events in each of the major fields and which skiers seem to be on their way to Olympic gold.
Cross-country skiing
The cross-country skiing events will be held at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center in Zhangjiakou, a city in the northern province of Hebei. There will be 12 events in total – six men’s and six women’s.
Alongside the 15 kilometer classical (10km for women) will be a skiathlon, a freestyle, a relay, a freestyle sprint and a team sprint.
Maja Dahlqvist and Frida Karlsson, Sweden
Two of the best young skiers to watch out for in the cross-country events are Maja Dahlqvist and Frida Karlsson. Both women have made impressive showings at recent World Cup events, including the latest World Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
Dahlqvist became only the third woman ever to win the opening three sprint events of a World Cup season. Despite Karlsson primarily being a distance skier, she and Dahlqvist are hoping to team up and chase gold together in the sprint relay. This could be an exciting pairing to watch.
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is one of the most magical feats of the Winter Olympics. For most of us, the distance these skiers fly is absolutely mind-boggling. These events will also be held at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center.
There will be five events, divided into normal hill and large hill categories. There will be three men’s events – normal hill, large hill and large hill team. There will also be a women’s normal hill event and a mixed normal hill team event.
Andreas Wellinger and Karl Geiger, Germany
Andreas Wellinger, who won gold in the team event at Sochi and in the normal hill event at Pyeongchang, is likely to medal again this year. If he does, he will be the first normal hill ski jumper in Olympic history to successfully defend his title.
His biggest competition is likely to come from Karl Geiger, his fellow countryman. Geiger dominated the 2021 World Championships – he won two gold medals and one silver and appears to be in great form.
Alpine skiing
The alpine skiing events are what most people think of when they think of competitive skiing. These events will take place at the Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Field. This is located in the Yanqing District, just to the northwest of Beijing.
There will be 11 events: five men’s, five women’s and one mixed. These events will be downhill, combined, slalom, giant slalom and super-G. The mixed event is a single elimination-style team event consisting of head-to-head slalom races.
Mikaela Shiffrin, USA
Mikaela Shiffrin made history in 2014 when she became the youngest slalom skier to win gold at the Olympics when she was just 18 years old. Despite coming fourth in the slalom at the 2018 Olympics, she placed first in the giant slalom.
Now 26 and fresh off a World Cup giant slalom win, she is looking to add another gold to her medal collection. Whether she will compete in the slalom or the giant slalom remains to be seen.
Freestyle skiing
Some of the wildest sights are seen during the freestyle skiing events. These will be held at two different venues. The Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou and the Big Air Shougang in Beijing will share the hosting honors.
Three new events will join the competition – big air for men and women, along with a mixed team aerials event. These will take place alongside the other 10 events: men’s and women’s aerials, moguls, slopestyle, halfpipe and skicross.
Nico Porteous, New Zealand
At only 16 years old, Nico Porteous took home a bronze medal for the freeski halfpipe at Pyeongchang. He earned his place on the podium by completing a run that saw him linking five double corks.
Since then, he has only improved and he is truly a wonder to watch. Now 20, he continues to break records. As the current X Games champion and reigning World Champion, Porteous is certainly on track to win gold at Beijing.
