12 Badass Female Athletes to Watch at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics

12 Badass Female Athletes to Watch at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics

1. Mikaela Shiffrin, alpine skiing

At 18, Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest woman to win her discipline at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics - the same race in which Lindsey Vonn is competing. At 22, she is currently number one in the world in alpine or slalom skiing (a downhill race). on a course marked by poles or flags). She will be back in Pyeongchang to defend her gold medal.

2. Erin Jackson, speed skating

Whatever happens in South Korea, Erin Jackson has already made history: The 25-year-old is the first African American to make the Team USA long track speed skating team. (Long track speed skating, or just speed skating, unsurprisingly takes place on a larger rink than short track speed skating.) What's even cooler about Jackson is the fact that she's only been speed skating for four months—the Ocala, FL, native was previously an inline skater.

3. Mirai Nagasu, figure skating

While Mirai Nagasu competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (she placed fourth), she missed her chance to skate in Sochi in 2014 when she was passed over by the U.S. Figure Skating Committee, which brought Ashley Wagner instead. This year, the 24-year-old is primed for the podium: She is the only current female competitor who can land a triple Axel.

4. Chloe Kim, snowboarding

This isn't the first time Chloe Kim has landed a spot on Team USA: The snowboarder qualified for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but wasn't allowed to compete because she was only 13 years old. Now, at 17, she could become the youngest American woman to win an Olympic medal in snowboarding. Considering she was a three-time X Games gold medalist by the time she was 16 - and she's one of the few women to regularly land 1080s (or three spins in the air) - her chances of winning gold are pretty good.

5. Devin Logan, free skiing

In 2014, Devin Logan earned a spot on the first-ever U.S. Olympic slopestyle team – and took home a silver medal. This year, she hopes to qualify for the Olympic team in slopestyle and halfpipe (she didn't make the halfpipe team in 2014). The 24-year-old is the only skier who could potentially compete in two events. If she wins a medal in both disciplines, which is very likely, she would be the first skier ever to take home hardware in the two freeskiing events at the Olympics. (Related: Follow These Olympic Athletes on Instagram for Serious Fitness Inspo)

6. Maddie Bowman, free skiing

Pyeongchang would be Maddie Bowman's second Olympics and she is hoping for a repeat of her first. In 2014, the then 20-year-old won the gold medal in his freeski halfpipe Olympic debut. If she can qualify for Team USA and defend her title, she could become the first two-time gold medalist in freeskiing. (Related: Ralph Lauren Just Revealed the Uniforms for the 2018 Olympics Closing Ceremony)

7. Maia Shibutani, ice dancing

Get ready to fall in love with the “Shib Siblings”: Maia Shibutani and her older brother Alex are coming to fill the ice dancing void left by Meryl Davis and Charlie White. The siblings, who are 23 and 26, started skating individually but joined in 2004. They finished ninth at the 2014 Olympics but placed first at the 2016 and 2017 national championships, making them a real Olympic threat for 2018.

8. Amanda Kessel, ice hockey

Amanda Kessel almost made the 2010 U.S. women's Olympic ice hockey team at age 17, but was ultimately cut. However, she made the 2014 team and helped bring home the silver medal. But a concussion in a pre-Olympic scrimmage nearly derailed her post-Sochi career and kept her off the ice for two years. Now the 26-year-old, who skates for the New York Riveters and is reportedly the highest-paid woman in the National Women's Hockey League, is back with Team USA.

9. Elana Meyers Taylor, bobsledding

In 2010, Elana Meyers Taylor helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal. In 2014 she piloted her team to a silver medal. Now she's hungry for gold — and if her team can clinch the top spot on the podium, it will become the first U.S. Olympic women's bobsleigh team to win since the sport's debut in 2002. At 42, Taylor is considered the fastest driver in the sport, so her chances are good. (Related: Olympic Athletes Share Body Confidence Tips)

10. Maame Biney, speed skating

Maame Biney is already another history-making Olympian: In December, the 17-year-old swept the 500-meter race and became the first African-American woman to qualify for the U.S. Olympic short track speed skating team (short-track speed skaters race shorter distances than long-track speed skaters). And she will be the second African-born athlete (she was born in Ghana) to represent the United States at the Winter Olympics.

11. Sarah Hendrickson, ski jumping

Sarah Henrickson went to the 2014 Olympics as a World Cup gold medalist - the first time women's ski jumping was included. But she tore her MCL and ACL six months before the Games and came 21. She was still bragging rights: With bib number 1, she was the first woman ever to complete a ski jump at the Olympics. While the 23-year-old still struggles with knee problems, she won the US Olympic Trials in ski jumping to earn her spot on Team USA.

12. Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing

In February 2016, Jessie Diggins helped the United States bring home three World Championship medals - silver in the individual sprint and bronze in the team sprint - their best performance ever. If she wins a medal in Pyeongchang, she would be the first U.S. woman and the second American ever to do so.