Winter Olympics 2018: 2 Maryland Athletes To Watch

Figure skating, skiing and snowboarding are always favorites at the Winter Olympics, and the 2018 games open Friday, Feb. 9, in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Several U.S. athletes have a good chance at bringing home gold medals, but you’ll also want to keep an eye out for athletes from Maryland, too.

The Olympic Games run for 18 days and conclude with closing ceremonies on Feb. 25. It’s bitterly cold in Pyeongchang, and the forecast calls for 14-degree Fahrenheit temperatures for the opening ceremony on Friday.

From Maryland, Thomas Hong, 20, of Laurel, will compete in men's short track speedskating, and Haley Skarupa of Rockville, on the women's ice hockey team, will represent the United States in the Winter Games.

What To Know About Thomas Hong

The Team USA website says Hong, 20, was born in Korea, is fluent in the language and began skating at age 5. He is a fan of the Washington Redskins, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and DC United. He loves to cook and took culinary classes throughout high school.

Hong's favorite speed skating moment: Skating at Olympic Trials with his idol, J.R. Celski. Favorite place speed skating has taken him: Osaka, Japan because of the food and Japanese culture. Favorite holiday tradition: Getting Chinese food on Easter. Favorite food: Tonkatsu, Ramen. Favorite musical artist: Kanye West & Kendrick Lamar

Olympic Experience

• Qualified for the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team - finished fourth overall at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials

World Championship Experience

• 2016-17 World Junior Championships - 500m silver; 3000m relay bronze; 1500m 18th; 1000m 7th; 4th overall
• 2014-15 World Junior Championships - 3000m relay 11th; 1500m 23rd; 500m 17th; 1000m 12th; 17th overall
• 2013-14 World Junior Championships - 500m 4th; 1000m 9th; 1500m 26th; 3000m relay 8th; 7th overall
• 2012-13 World Junior Championships - 3000m relay 4th

What To Know About Haley Skarupa

The team website says Skarupa, 24, plays forward for the USA women's ice hockey team. Born in Washington, D.C., she calls Rockville home. She is the daughter of Tony and Penny Skarupa and has one brother, Dylan, who was drafted ninth overall by the New York Riveters in 2015 NWHL Draft. She attended Thomas S. Wootton High School and Boston College. She plays for the Team/Club: Boston Pride (NWHL).

Olympic Experience

• Olympian (2018)

World Championship Experience

• Most recent: 2017 – gold
• Years of participation: 2015, 2016, 2017
• Medals: 3 (golds)
• Gold – 2015, 2016, 2017

Other Career Highlights

• Helped Boston College to only the second undefeated regular season in NCAA history in her senior season

Here are five U.S. athletes or teams to watch:

Skier Lindsey Vonn: The three-time Olympian from Vail, Colorado, won gold and bronze in the 2010 Winter Games, but missed the Sochi Olympics in 2014 because of injuries. Despite that, Vonn, 33, is still the sport’s most winning skier, and has earned world titles in all five alpine ski disciplines — something that doesn’t often happen.

Figure Skater Nathan Chen: Sports Illustrated picks 18-year-old Chen to win gold in his Olympics debut. In January, the Salt Lake, Utah, native became the first male figure skater to land five quadruple jumps in a single performance, an exceptional feat he repeated it a month later.

Skier Mikaela Shiffrin: The 22-year-old alpine racer who hails from Eagle-Vail, Colorado, is “the best slalom skier in the world,” The New Yorker said. It’s not hyperbole. Shiffrin has been the No. 1-ranked woman in the world for two years running and will defend her gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.

Snowboarder Jamie Anderson: Anderson, 27, won a gold medal in the slopestyle snowboarding competition in her Olympic debut in Sochi, and is well positioned to repeat the the feat in Pyeongchang. This season, the South Lake Tahoe, California, athlete unveiled a new move, a cab double underflip, at the Winter Games in New Zealand.

Ice dancers Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani: The Ann Arbor, Michigan, brother-and-sister team known as the “Shib Sibs” have won gold medals at international competitions for three consecutive seasons, and also medaled in national championships in each of the past seven years, including gold medals in both 2016 and 2017. Maia is 23 and Alex is 26. They also competed in Sochi Olympics, where they placed ninth.

See Also: When, Where To Watch The Olympics On TV, Live Streams

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Photo: American skier and medal hope Lindsey Vonn/AP Photo:Gabriele Facciotti