Beijing Winter Olympics start Feb. 4. Here’s what you need to know, athletes to watch

2022 WINTER OLYMPICS

When: Feb. 4-20 (Opening Ceremony airs at 6:30 am on the 4^th)

Where: Beijing, China

T.V.: NBC, Peacock. Prime-time coverage begins each night at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. on Sundays). On Feb. 13 it will air before and after the Super Bowl.

10 Team USA Athletes to Watch…

MARIAH BELL, 25, Westminster, Colorado. Figure Skating

After eight tries, the 25-year-old figure skater finally won her first U.S. championship this month, becoming the oldest woman to hold the title since 1927. She will be the oldest U.S. female Olympic figure skater in 94 years.

NATHAN CHEN, 22, Salt Lake City, Utah. Figure Skating

Chen is a six-time national champion but the prize he wants most – Olympic gold – has eluded him. He entered the 2018 Olympics as a favorite but struggled and finished fifth. Since that disappointment he has dominated the sport. He won 14 titles, including over the world’s top skaters, including reigning Olympic champion Hanyu Yuzuru of Japan. Chen is the first skater to land five different quadruple jumps in competition. He is enrolled at Yale University, majoring in statistics and data science.

ALEX FERREIRA, 27, Aspen, Colorado. Freestyle Skiing

The halfpipe silver medalist at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Ferreira is going for gold this time. Alex is the son of former Argentine soccer player Marcelo, who played for River Plate briefly before emigrating to the United States. Alex’s mother, Colleen, is a marathon runner.

ERIN JACKSON, 29, Ocala, Florida. Speedskating

Jackson is the world’s top-ranked 500-meter speedskater, but almost didn’t get a spot on the U.S. Olympic team after a rare slip during trials left her in third place. Her teammate Brittany Bowe, who will be competing in the 1,000 and 1,500 meters, gave up her 500-meter spot so Jackson could compete. In November Jackson became the first black woman to win a World Cup event.

CHLOE KIM, 21, Long Beach, Calif. Snowboarding

Chloe Kim made headlines four years ago, when, at age 17, she won the Olympic gold medal in the halfpipe, the youngest woman to ever medal in snowboarding. She is favored to defend her Olympic title in Beijing as she has not lost a World Cup event since 2018. She took time off to attend Princeton University but returned to the tour in 2021 and won the X Games.

ABBY ROQUE, 24, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Ice Hockey.

Roque is one of eight first-time Olympians on the 2022 USA roster. She played center for the University of Wisconsin team that won the 2019 national title and the USA team that won a silver at worlds last year. Roque is a member of the Wahnapitae First Nation and the first Indigenous player to represent the United States in women’s hockey.

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN, 26, Edwards, Colorado. Alpine Skiing.

Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, has won 11 world championship medals (6 of them gold), more than any other American skier. She ranks third in World Cup titles with 72, won the gold medal in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and in giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She has overcome adversity since the last Olympics. Her beloved maternal grandmother died at age 98 in October 2019 and her father died four months later of a head injury suffered in an accident at home. Shiffrin tested positive for COVID in late-December and missed two races but returned to the tour in early January.

JOHN SHUSTER, 39, Duluth, Minnesota. Curling

Shuster is a five-time Olympic curler who led the U.S. team to its first-ever gold medal in 2018. He also was a member of the 2006 Olympic bronze medal team. He is the first curler to compete in five Olympics. Shuster, facing younger and more athletic competition last year, dropped 25 pounds and said he has never worked harder to make an Olympic team.

JORDAN STOLZ, 17, Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Speedskating

Stoltz is considered the future of U.S. men’s speedskating, but he is proving he is already poised to compete with the best. He won the 500-meter and 1000-meter races at the recent Olympic Trials, breaking the 1000-meter track record set by two-time Olympic gold medalist Shani Davis. Stolz will be the third-youngest American male speedskater to compete at the Games.

SHAUN WHITE, 35, San Diego, Calif., Snowboarding

White, the former skateboarder who gained fame as “The Flying Tomato”, is a five-time Winter Olympian and three-time gold medalist. He won golds in the halfpipe in 2006, 2014 and 2018. He finished fourth among Americans in the World Snowboard Points list before Beijing. White has also dabbled in acting and music.