Here's How Much These 35 Olympians Have Changed From Their First Olympics To The Current Olympics
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.
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
Shaun was only 19 when he first competed.
White in 2022
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
In 2018, Chloe became the youngest halfpipe gold medalist at age 18.
Kim in 2022
This year, Chloe became the first woman to win two gold medals in halfpipe!
3.Team Netherlands: Speed skater Irene Wüst in 2006
Wüst won a bronze medal at age 19.
Irene Wüst in 2022
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
Nineteen-year-old Hanyu became the first Asian men's singles skater to win the Olympic gold.
Hanyu in 2022
Twenty-seven-year-old Hanyu has broken 19 world scoring records in skating.
5.Team USA: Snowboarder Jamie Anderson in 2014
Anderson was 23 when she won her first Olympic medal!
Anderson in 2022
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
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
Chen won his first Olympic gold medal this year at age 22.
7.Team USA: Skiier Jessie Diggins in 2014
Diggins was 22 when she first competed in the Olympics.
Diggins in 2022
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
Twenty-five-year-old Meyers and her partner Erin Pac won bronze in 2010.
Meyers in 2022
Thirty-seven-year-old Meyers has placed silver in the last three Olympics.
9.Team USA: Skiier Mikaela Shiffrin in 2014
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
Shiffrin is now 26.
Here's a better shot of her face (she's on the right):
10.USA: Snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis in 2006
Twenty-year-old Jacobellis won silver in snowboard cross in 2006.
Jacobellis in 2022
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
Seventeen-year-old Gerard won gold in 2018 after oversleeping after bingeing Brooklyn Nine-Nine the night before.
Gerard in 2022
Gerard finished fifth in big air snowboarding.
Here's the most recent shot I could find of him without his goggles, from December 2021:
12.Team USA: Skiier David Wise in 2014
Wise won gold at his first-ever Olympics at age 23.
Wise in 2022
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
Twenty-year-old Knight helped her team win silver in 2010.
Knight in 2022
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
Humphries won gold in 2010 at age 24.
Kaillie Humphries in 2022 (now with Team USA)
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
Jackson was 25 at her first Olympics.
Jackson in 2022
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
Bowe was also 25 at her first Olympics.
Here's a better photo of her at a press conference prior to the 2014 Olympics:
Bowe in 2022
Bowe is a three-time Olympian at age 33.
17.Team USA: Curler John Shuster in 2006
Shuster was 23 at the time.
John Shuster in 2022
The now-39-year-old Shuster has competed in five straight Winter Olympics.
18.Team Germany: Luger Natalie Geisenberger in 2010
The 22-year-old won bronze at her first Olympics.
Geisenberger in 2022
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
Twenty-one-year-old Kingsbury won silver in 2014.
Kingsbury in 2022
Twenty-nine-year-old Kingsbury won silver again this year after winning gold in 2018.
20.Team Germany: Speed skater Claudia Pechstein in 1992
Pechstein won bronze in 1992 at age 19.
Here's another look at Pechstein in 1992:
Pechstein in 2022
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
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
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)
Ammann was just 16 when he first competed, and 20 when he won two gold medals.
Ammann in 2022
This is 40-year-old Ammann's seventh Olympics.
23.Team USA: Snowboarder Nick Baumgartner in 2010
Baumgartner was 28.
Baumgartner in 2022
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
Clarey was 29.
Clarey in 2022
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
Nergaard was 27.
Nergaard in 2022
This is 47-year-old Nergaard's sixth consecutive Winter Olympics.
26.Team China: Figure skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong in 2018
Wenjing was 22, and Cong was 25.
Wenjing and Cong in 2022
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
Schouten was 25.
Schouten in 2022
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
Fontana was just 15.
Here's another photo without her goggles and helmet:
Fontana in 2022
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
Kalla was 22.
Kalla in 2022
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
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
Here's a photo of Biney just before the Olympics without her goggles:
31.Team Norway: Skiier Johannes Thingnes Bø in 2014
He was 20 at the time.
Thingnes Bø in 2022
Twenty-eight-year-old Thingnes Bø just won his eighth Olympic medal.
32.Team Germany: Bobsledder Francesco Friedrich in 2014
He was 23.
Friedrich in 2022
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
Takanashi was only 17.
Takanashi in 2022
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
Twenty-three-year-old Ferreira won silver in halfpipe skiing in 2018.
Ferreira in 2022
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
Blunck was just 17.
And finally...Blunck in 2022
This is 25-year-old Blunck's third consecutive Winter Olympics. He is also set to compete tonight.
