Olympic athletes on Instagram
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 5, 2014
- United States luge athlete Kate Hansen posted this photo from the sliding center to Instagram with the caption “Meet us at the track. It’s goin down.”
The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, are bound to include plenty of “How’d they do that?” moments. Athletes have perfected moves that demand a double take: gravity-defying ski jumps, jaw-dropping snowboarding tricks, flawless ice dancing routines.
This year, perhaps more than at any other Olympics, fans may be able to see another angle of the Olympic experience: that of the athletes.
Following is a list of Olympians who are active on Instagram. Many have mastered the art of capturing extraordinary tricks on camera from their point of view. These athletes have Instagram streams filled with sunset ski scenes, hockey highlights and moments of victory, and in the weeks to come we can expect video of perfect landings and devastating crashes, gold medal selfies and platefuls of food from the athletes’ village.
Jamie Anderson — jamieandersonsnow
Anderson started snowboarding at a young age, becoming a Winter X Games medalist at 15. She has a stacked résumé as a seven-time Dew Tour gold medalist, a 2013 World Cup gold medalist and a 2012 Canadian Open gold medalist.
Hege Bokko — hegebokko
A Norwegian speedskater, Bokko is a first-time Olympian. She keeps her Instagram followers in the loop, even sharing photos after a gnarly crash chipped two of her front teeth.
Havard Bokko — havardbokkouse
Speedskating runs in the Bokko family. Hege’s brother, Havard, won the 1,500-meter bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Games.
Kelly Clark — kellyclarkfdn
This is the fourth consecutive Olympics for Clark, 30, a halfpipe snowboarder. She finished third in 2010, fourth in 2006 and first in 2002.
Chandra Crawford — chandracrawford
Crawford, a cross-country skier from Canada, was a surprise champion at the 2006 Olympics, winning the sprint. She is beloved in Canada, thanks in part to her spirited rendition of “O Canada” after her 2006 victory.
Simon Dumont — simondumont
Dumont is one of the biggest names in slopestyle skiing. He is an eight-time X Games medalist and set the world record for launching himself 35 feet in the air out of a 38-foot quarterpipe. Dumont is known for bouncing back from horrific falls, including one in 2005 that sent him plummeting 80 feet, rupturing his spleen and breaking his pelvis.
Roz Groenewoud — rozgroenewoud
Groenewoud, a Canadian halfpipe skier, had surgery on both knees just a month ago and has bounced back to compete in her first Olympics. Her Instagram is full of smiling teammates and high-flying action.
Taylor and Arielle Gold — taylor_gold and arielletgold
These siblings, Taylor, 20, and Arielle, 17, made the Olympic snowboarding halfpipe team together. Keep an eye out for a women’s Gold-gold and a men’s Gold-gold sweep.
Kate Hansen — k8ertotz
Hansen broke her foot on the Utah Olympic Park track in an October luge run and healed gracefully to qualify for the 2014 Olympics. She also claims to know all of Beyonce’s choreography by heart, so await Instagram proof.
Russ Henshaw — russhenshaw
Henshaw, a freestyle skier from Australia, has accolades in both slopestyle and big-air competitions, including a silver medal from the 2011 X Games.
Abby Hughes — abbyphughes
Hughes, a ski jumper, placed ninth at the 2013 Olympic test event in Sochi. Surprising fact? Hughes, who jumps off 120-meter hills, has a fear of heights.
Lolo Jones — lolojones
You may recognize Jones as an 100-meter Olympic hurdler. She was recruited after the London Games to train as a bobsledder.
Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux — miniquelam7 and jocelyneusa17
The Lamoureux twins are forwards for the U.S. women’s hockey team. They also competed in the 2010 Olympics, winning the silver medal.
Ted Ligety — ted_ligety
A slalom skier, Ligety was the gold medalist in the 2006 Olympics and has stood on the World Cup podium an astonishing 37 times. He is a favorite in Sochi, and he inspired the remake of the Blackstreet song “No Diggity” to “Go Ligety.”
Justin Reiter — justin_reiter
Reiter is the 2013 World Championship silver medalist in parallel slalom snowboarding. He has been on the cusp of making the U.S. Olympic team many times, only to be stalled by injuries.
Alex and Maia Shibutani — alexshibutani and maiashibutani
Ice dancing siblings Maia and Alex Shibutaniare have been competing together for 10 years, collecting five Grand Prix Series medals along the way.
Hannah Teter — hannahteter
Teter won the halfpipe gold medal at the 2006 Olympics and the silver in 2010. She was the first athlete honored by Ben & Jerry’s, who created “Hannah Teter’s Maple Blondie” ice cream in 2009.
Shaun White — shaunwhite
White is the reigning X Games and Olympics king on the halfpipe, and he will also compete in slopestyle in Sochi. He has the highest overall medal count and most gold medals earned at the X Games and won the gold in halfpipe in the past two Winter Olympics.
Mitch Whitmore — whitmoreusa
Whitmore, a speedskater, raced in the 2010 Olympics, placing 37th in the men’s 500 meters. This year he returns with a 12th-place finish at the world sprint championships under his belt. He also has mastered the difficult art of a luge selfie.
Lauryn Williams — lauryncwilliams
Williams, a three-time Olympic sprinter and 2012 gold medalist in the 4×100 meter relay, is taking her speed to the Winter Games as a bobsledder.