25 athletes to watch during the 2022 Winter Olympics

The theme of "unfinished business" is quite common when it comes to Olympic athletes. And, there are several on this list who fall under that category. American Bowe, who turned 34 four days after the Beijing Games ended, might be the most prominent. The world-record holder in the women's 1,000 meters, and three-time world champion in the event, finished fourth in that race at the 2018 games in Pyeongchang. Though Bowe won bronze with the U.S. team pursuit squad at those games, this might be her last chance at individual Olympic glory.

Chen is a three-time world champion singles skater, but the Salt Lake City native should be extra motivated for these Games after his massively disappointing 17th-place finish at the 2018 Olympics. Chen was favored in the men's competition four years ago, but a rough short program did him in. But, at 22, Chen has regained his focus and appears poised to challenge for the gold in Beijing. Perhaps without the same amount of pressure, he had to deal with as a teenager in 2018.

Not only is Coyne Schofield synonymous with USA Hockey, but she's one of the most notable international ambassadors of the women's game. The highly-respected forward is poised to star in her third Olympics after helping lead the United States to a silver medal in the 2014 Sochi Games and the country's second women's hockey gold medal in 2018. Coyne Schofield, who has provided game analysis for the San Jose Sharks and served as a player development coach for her hometown Chicago Blackhawks, recorded four goals and five assists during her Olympic career.

After making history, along with teammate Kikkan Randall in the women's team sprint event. to win America's first Olympic gold medal in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Winter Games, Diggins is back for more. Now, it hasn't been an easy road back to preparing herself for Beijing, but Diggins, who carried the U.S. flag at the 2018 closing ceremonies and became the first American to win an overall World Cup title, seems to be more comfortable at this stage. And, with that, should come a level of confidence expected from an Olympic champion.

L’Angelo Biondo, aka the "The Blonde Angel." That's what Italy's Fontana has been dubbed while dominating the world of short-track speed skating. Fontana's eight Olympic medals, highlighted by a gold in the 500 meters at the 2018 Winter Games, make her the most decorated woman in all of short-track speed skating. With a fifth Olympic Games in her sights for 2022, the 31-year-old Fontana appears poised to increase that medal total -- perhaps another gold.

There may not be a better men's bobsledder in the world, at the moment, than Germany's Friedrich. And, it's likely to stay that way for a while. In addition to winning Olympic gold in both the two-man and four-man events at Pyeongchang in 2018, he placed first 13 times in the World Championships, spanning those two races and the mixed-team portion. When the 2022 Winter Games roll around, expect Friedrich and his mates to be favored in both male events -- especially since there seem no signs to the contrary.

When it comes to women's luge, there aren't many who have done or are doing it better than the German Geisenberger. She's won five Olympic medals spanning the last three Winter Games, including four of the gold variety, and the last two in the women's singles. However, the major storyline around Geisenberger is whether she'll go for a third consecutive gold at Beijing. There are reports she could skip these Games after her displeasure with the way Chinese officials treated foreign athletes while training there in early 2021. This is certainly a story worth following. 

The 18-year-old Gu was born in San Francisco but has represented China (her mother is Chinese) since 2019. In Beijing, she hopes to take gold for the host nation, and there's a pretty good chance of that happening. Gu, the first woman freeskier to land a double cork 1440, won gold in the halfpipe and slopestyle events at the 2021 World Championships and earned a bronze medal in big air. If that trend continues in Beijing, she could end up being one of these Games' biggest stars.

While American eyes will be on Nathan Chen, the undisputed favorite to win Olympic men's singles gold remains Japan's Hanyu. He will try for a third consecutive Olympic gold in Beijing, and after recently winning his national championship, it seems a foregone conclusion that will happen. And, when it comes to handling the pressure? There might not be a better pressure player in any international competition, at the moment, than the confident Hanyu.

The skeleton is one of the most exciting and potentially dangerous of the Olympic sliding sports. However, Germany's Hermann is the best in the world among women when it comes to riding a sled headfirst on an icy, twisting-turning track. A four-time world champion, Hermann, who overcame a dilemma when it came to training in her home country, enters the Beijing Games as the women's favorite for gold, and could also bring home some hardware in the mixed-team discipline.

U.S. Olympic fans might remember Jones as one of the world's best hurdlers. Then she clipped the second-to-last hurdle in the 100-meter final at the 2008 Summer Games at Beijing and didn't medal. She'll be back in China for some redemption, but as a bobsledder, and teamed with two-time Olympic gold-medalist Humphries, a native Canadian now competing for the United States. They are the reigning world champions, and, if teamed together, should be regarded as favorites to win the two-women bobsled competition at these Games.

With nine Olympic medals under her belt, including three golds in three different events (10-kilometer freestyle, 4x5-kilometer relay, 15-kilometer skiathlon) from three different Winter Games (2010, '14, and '18), Sweden's Kalla has already written a legacy as one of the greats in international competition -- regardless of the sport. In terms of Beijing 2022, the 34-year-old Kalla will not only look to increase her medal total but also serve as a mentor to those younger, promising members of the Swedish cross-country ski team.

At age 17, California's Chloe Kim won Olympic gold in the women's halfpipe at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018. The victory earned Kim instant fame, whether she was ready for it or not. So, a year later, Kim put her board away to study at Princeton. She even questioned whether or not she was ready to return to the halfpipe for a repeat gold effort in 2022. Thankfully for fans of American snowboarding, Kim didn't call it quits, and now, she sets her sights on more Olympic greatness.

After winning silver in the moguls at the 2014 Sochi Games, Canada's Kingsbury took care of business and claimed his first Olympic gold in the same event four years later. With World Championship six gold medals (first male to win both the moguls and dual moguls competition), Kingsbury has solidified himself as the star of the circuit heading into Beijing. While freestyle skiing might not generate the same level of popularity as its grander alpine relative, Kingsbury is appointment viewing on the slopes.

At age 37, Meyers Taylor is trying for her fourth Olympic appearance, and just two years after giving birth to son Nico. Though Meyers Taylor's past Olympic success came in the two-women bobsled, with a bronze in 2010 at Vancouver and two silvers (2014, '18), her best bet for Beijing success appears to be in the new event of monobob. Regardless of how things play out for Meyers Taylor, she will remain one of the most respected athletes in U.S. Olympic history.

France's Pinturault has won three medals at the last two Olympic games between the giant slalom and alpine combined competition. However, none of them are of the gold variety. That's why Pinturault has plenty of motivation when it comes to Beijing. He's currently standing tall above the rest of the World Cup field, leading many pundits to believe that Olympic gold, especially in the giant slalom, is certainly within his reach. It should be entertaining to watch Pinturault try.

When it comes to women's hockey royalty in Canada, Poulin is front and center. She's Canada's captain and long ago etched her name in Olympic lore by scoring the winning goal in each of her country's gold-medal winning contests at the 2010 Games in Vancouver and 2014 in Sochi. Poulin, who was also a key part of Canada's silver-medal winning squad at the 2018 Games, has totaled 18 points (11 goals, seven goals) during Olympic competition. Most recently, Poulin notched back-to-back overtime winners against the United States during the Rivalry Series.

Arianna Fontana is not the only women's short-track speed skater who has enjoyed serious success on the international stage. At Pyeongchang in 2018, Dutch star Schulting won gold in the 1,000 meters and was part of the Netherlands' bronze-winning 3,000-meter relay team. Since then, the 24-year-old Schulting has won seven World Championship gold medals, notably in the overall and 1,000 twice each (2019, /21) and the 500 and 1,500. Not bad.

At the 2018 Winter Games, the Russians, competing under the moniker of the Olympic Athletes from Russia after the country was banned from international competition (officially in 2019) for running a state-sponsored doping program, took gold and silver in women's singles figure skating. In 2022, it's quite possible they make it a clean sweep, with the 17-year-old Shcherbakkova leading the way. The reigning world champion, Shcherbakkova also happens to be the first adult woman to land a quad Lutz and the first to do it twice in a program.

It's hard to keep an athlete like American skier Mikaela Shiffrin down for too long. Or in her case, the slopes. Shiffrin won gold in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and was first in the giant slalom at Pyeongchang, where she also took silver in the combined competition. Shiffrin's remained dominant, with a third straight world championship in 2019, and four golds in the 2021 competition. With all that success, Shiffrin, who also continues to grieve the 2020 death of her father, could win up to five gold medals at Beijing, should she compete in that many events.

The pride of Duluth, Minn., Shuster is the old man of U.S. curling with his eye on a fifth consecutive Olympic appearance. He also happens to be the skip of the reigning Olympic gold medal-winning men's team -- and first in U.S. history. Shuster, who also took home bronze for the U.S. at the 2006 Games at Turin, has certainly had his ups and downs during his international career. But, for the time being, he's the king of the world when it comes to Olympic curling.

At just 25-years old, Japan's Takanashi has accomplished just about everything possible in the sport of ski jumping. Except, win an Olympic gold medal. Sure, there's plenty to be proud about in taking home a bronze medal in the individual normal hill at the 2018 Winter Games. But, Takanashi has been so successful in the sport (four World Cup titles and seven world championship medals), it's still rather surprising that gold has eluded her in two previous Olympic contests. Perhaps that will change in Beijing.

Remember that quad Lutz mentioned earlier on this list? Russia's Trusova was the first women's figure skater to land one in competition. She was also the first to stick a quad flip and quad toe loop jumps. However, the 17-year-old Trusova isn't just about executing tough routines, she took home bronze at the 2021 World Championships and is expected to challenge Anna Shcherbakova, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (World's silver medalist), and 15-year-old Russian champion Kamila Valieva for the top spot on the singles' podium in Beijing.

His biological clock might say 35-years old, but White has one more whirl into the halfpipe to go. The three-time Olympic halfpipe gold-medalist, White is slated to be in Beijing for what's likely his final Winter Games. He took more than three years off after competing at PyeongChang in 2018, however, seems more determined than ever to go out on a high note. After all, this is the guy who made snowboarding one of the most popular sports in Olympic history.

According to reports, the legendary Wust plans to retire following the 2022 Games. If that's truly the case, it will be the end to one of the most successful careers of any athlete in Olympic history. The most decorated Olympian from the Netherlands, the 35-year-old Wust won her first gold medal in the 3,000 meters at the 2006 Winter Games. Her 11 Olympic medals, five gold, are the most of any speed skater and rank fourth among all Winter Olympians. She's also the only athlete to win an individual gold medal at four different Winter Games.