11 American teenagers set to dominate the Winter Olympics and beyond

Every four years the Winter Olympics brings together the best athletes from all over the world to slide, skate, and curl their way to Olympic gold.

Heading into Pyeongchang 2018, there were the stalwarts of the Winter Games that Americans already know and are eager to tune in for — Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin's in downhill skiing, Team Shuster in curling, and more Olympic favorites all back in action.

But there's also a great batch of young American athletes this year that will likely become the anchors of Team USA for years to come.

Competing in their first Olympics, these teenagers represent the bright futures of their sports, and are not only stars to watch right now, but also the athletes we'll be looking forward to welcoming back when the Winter Olympics return in 2022.

Chloe Kim

Age: 17

Sport: Snowboarding — halfpipe

One thing to know: Already one of the breakout stars of the 2018 Winter Olympics, Chloe Kim captured the hearts of fans with her amazing skills in the halfpipe and her extremely relatable food tweets. At 17, she's already won her first gold medal, and looks set to win many more in the future.

Red Gerard

Age: 17

Sport: Snowboarding — slopestyle, big air

One thing to know: Red Gerard is another young American who has already secured his first bit of Olympic hardware, winning the men's snowboarding slopestyle event earlier in the week. Like Kim, he's become a favorite thanks to relatable anecdotes involving his family cheering for him while shotgunning beers and a Netflix binge the night before his big run.

He'll have a shot at another medal before the games are over in the big air competition.

Hailey Langland

Age: 17

Sport: Snowboarding - slopestyle, big air

One thing to know: Hailey Langland came in sixth at the women's slopestyle event this year — a contest somewhat marred by the fact that windy conditions made the course almost impossible to run, with some participants arguing the event should have been cancelled.

Still, with her impressive showing despite the conditions, Langland looks set to be a force in women's slopestyle in the future.

See Also:

• 17-year-old snowboarding star Red Gerard may be incentivized to turn away from competition to pursue a path that could pay him up to $1 million per year
• Skeleton sliders have a habit of sporting some intense helmets — here are the best ones from Pyeongchang 2018
• Bode Miller apologized for blaming a skier's decline on her decision to get married