Tasha’s Top 18 Olympians of 2018

(Image source: Wikipedia.org)

Hi Friends,

Long time, no see. I know I haven't written on this blog in forever, partly because it's hard to write and proofread at work all day and then convince myself to continue writing on my blog afterward. I just can't stare at a computer screen that long. Also, let's face it-- BYU sports, for the most part, have been sucking lately. I still love my footballers and basketballers, but man, they've had a rough year.

So, I know this isn't a BYU-related post, but it is a sports-related post. And I will tie in BYU at least once... maybe multiple times... I promise. 

Let me just start by saying I LOVE THE OLYMPICS. I'm pretty sure I love the Olympics more than March Madness... and that's really saying something. I've had a lot of people tell me lately that they just haven't had time to watch the Olympics, which makes me sad. So for those people (or for those who want to re-live it), I have compiled a list of my 18 favorite Olympians of 2018, accompanied by videos for most, so you can get a taste of what happened in Pyeong Chang without spending several hours each night for 18 days watching TV (like I did). 

So, here we go:

Tasha’s Top 18 Olympians of 2018

18. German 2-man Bobsled Team- They crashed. And still won the race. They ended up coming in 4th place overall, but I think they should get a medal anyway. 

17. Aliona Savchenco- She has been to five Olympics. FIVE. And finally won a gold medal in Pyeong Chang. Her reaction (2nd video on this page) was priceless.

16. Jessie Diggins- I’ve never tried cross-country skiing, but dang that looks hard. This girl managed to ski uphill and force her way from 3rd to 1st place in a matter of seconds for the first-ever gold in cross country for Team USA. 

15. Oleksandr Abramenko- I instantly became a fan of this guy while watching ski jump aerials. This gold medal jump is crazy, and it was the first-ever winter Olympic gold medal for Ukraine. 

14. Ester Ledecka- She won 2 gold medals in 2 different sports, Super G skiing AND snowboard parallel giant slalom. That’s nuts!

13. Mikaela Shiffrin- I’m not a huge skiing fan because I just don’t think it’s very exciting to watch, but dang, this girl can fly really fast down a mountain. She won silver in women’s combined and gold in giant slalom.

12. Alina Zagitova- I wanted to leave all Russians off this list on principle (because I think they should have been banned completely from the Olympics), but this girl is too adorable and too talented to deny. How can you not love her little tutus? And yes, I think she’s a better than Medvedeva. Don’t hate me. Watch amazingness here. 

11. Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir- If you can’t have Meryl Davis & Charlie White, these guys are the next best thing. 

10. Lindsey Vonn- Again, I’m not a skiing fan, but when she gave a post-race interview about her late grandfather and how she loves skiing so much but her body just can’t handle it anymore made me want to be her when I grow up. #oldwomenunite

9. Mirai Nagasu- Because she nailed a triple axel, which apparently is nigh unto impossible.

8. Chloe Kim- She’s only 17, but she’s already got a gold medal and her face on a box of Corn Flakes. And I’m not sure what she does better—snowboarding half pipe or photobombing people with Jimmy Fallon. 

7. Nathan Chen- We hail from the same home town, so how could I not be a fan? I was so disappointed when he fell all over the place in both the team competition and individual short program, but he definitely redeemed himself by landing 5 clean quads in his free skate and came pretty darn close to the podium anyway. Unfortunately, this was my first thought (BYU tie-in #1), but I love him anyway. #SLCRepresent

6. U.S. Women’s Hockey Team- I’m not a hockey fan, but man that shootout was intense, and the U.S. came away with a much-deserved gold for the first time since 1998.

5. Yuzuru Hanyu- Hands down the best male skater in the world. Plus, he’s like a rock star in Japan and Winnie the Pooh is his good luck charm. How can anyone not like this guy?

4. The Shib Sibs- I have been a fan of Maia and Alex Shibutani for several years, and I’m so glad they finally got an individual Olympic medal! Loved their free skate.

3. Red Gerard- While Chloe Kim gives him a run for his money, I think Red Gerard is the coolest 17-year-old on earth. He’s so unassuming and seems to have no idea why people like him so much… which makes him all the more likable. Plus, he's crazy good at snowboarding.

2. Team Shuster- I got totally sucked into curling this year, and now I love it. I think it was Matt Hamilton who said it’s like “chess meets shuffleboard”—so intriguing and complex. I was thrilled when the U.S. came away with their first-ever gold. Granted I have only been a curling fan for approximately 19 days, but I’m pretty sure Shuster’s last shot in the 8th end of the gold medal game was the best curling shot in the history of ever. #miraCURLonice

1. Shaun White- Easy choice. He’s the GOAT. The Michael Phelps / Wayne Gretzky / Jimmer Fredette (BYU tie-in #2) of snowboarding. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone as happy as Shaun was when he won gold. Best Olympic moment of 2018 for sure! 

Honorable mentions: 

• The Norwegian men’s curling team- Because pants. 
• Waddell from Great Britain's curling team- Because he has been missing for so long (BYU tie-in #3) 
• The squirrel- Because he risked his life to go to the Olympics. 
• The skating pandas in the closing ceremony- Because  I want one. (Sorry for the Chinese video-- it's all I could find!)

Yay for the Olympics! Can't wait for Tokyo 2020. :)