olympics
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Adam Rippon?
Olympian Adam Rippon has been skating since he was 9 years old. Growing up, Rippon’s mother drove him three hours from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to train in New Jersey every day.
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Ahead of the 2018 Olympics, Rippon reflected on his hometown and his time in the sport.“The support that I've gotten from people in my hometown has kind of been overwhelming,” he said in an interview. “It’s something I really never expected. I hear from people that I used to go to school with who are now following figure skating and keeping track of my career.”
Rippon made history as the first openly gay U.S. athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.
Other interesting facts:
- Is the oldest of six children
- Has choreographed skating programs for fellow Team USA athletes Mirai Nagasu, Ashley Wagner and Christina Gao
- Was born deaf and underwent corrective surgery at Yale University just before his first birthday, allowing him to hear almost perfectly
- Hobbies include running and hiking
Photos: Shaun White through the years
Images of Olympic snowboarder Shaun White through years in the public eye.
Outbreak of norovirus causes quarantine of 1,200 Olympic security guards
Officials in South Korea quarantined 1,200 security guards after 41 of them at the Winter Olympic facilities at Pyeongchang had symptoms similar to the norovirus, CNN reported.
South Korea deployed 900 military personnel after the Pyeongchang Organizing Committee (POCOG) quarantined the security guards. The POCOG said the guards suffered sudden outbreaks of diarrhea and vomited Sunday and were taken to the hospital, CNN reported. An investigation suggested the symptoms could have come from ground water being used in the food and beverages at the facilities, ESPN reported.
"The military personnel ... will be responsible for security checks of the 20 venues as they take up jobs such as security searches, previously done by civilian safety personnel, until the patients' condition is normalized," according to a statement from the POCOG.
All of the civilian guards are in stable condition, according to the statement.
Competitions at the Winter Olympics begin Feb. 8 and will continue through the closing ceremonies on Feb. 25.
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Ryan Zapolski?
Ice hockey goaltender Ryan Zapolski debuted at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games on Team USA’s men’s ice hockey team.
Zapolski grew up playing hockey in Erie, Pennsylvania, at the all-male Cathedral Preparatory School and later went to Mercyhurst University. He’s been playing hockey since he was 8 years old.
WPXI spoke to Zapolski’s father, Raymond Zapolski, about how much it means for his son to be Team USA’s ice hockey goaltender in the 2018 games.
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“You could play for a Stanley Cup or that kind of thing, but playing for your country to win a gold medal, or even have a chance to, the number of people that get to do that is so infinitely small, that it gives you goose bumps and chills,” Raymond Zapolski said.
Other interesting facts:
- Has three siblings, Brandon, Chris and Lindsay
- Married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, in 2015
- Goaltender of the Year and the East Coast Hockey League’s Most Valuable Player in the 2012-13 season with the South Carolina Stingrays
- Hobbies include golfing and reading
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Bradie Tennell?
Bradie Tennell is a relative newcomer to the international figure skating stage.
>> More Olympics coverage at WPXI.com
Tennell, from Carpentersville, Illinois, has been skating since she was 2 years old.
After a big win at the U.S. National Championships, she earned her ticket to the Pyeongchang Games but she says the whole experience has been surreal.
“I can remember, you know, dreaming about it and being like, ‘Mom, I wonder what it would be like to march in the Opening Ceremonies with all those athletes and the cameras, and ‘Oh, my goodness, how cool that would be,’” Tennell told WPXI. “And now I get to go live it. It’s crazy.”
Other interesting facts:
- Skated to the music from “Cinderella,” one of her favorite movies, at U.S. National Championships.
- Has two younger brothers, Austin and Shane, who play ice hockey.
- Volunteers at an assisted living home each week.
- Enjoys cooking, swimming and skiing.
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Gus Kenworthy?
Gus Kenworthy, from Telluride, Colorado, is a 2014 Olympic silver medalist who was part of a U.S. slopestyle sweep.
Kenworthy gained attention after rescuing a mother dog and her four stray puppies in Sochi, Russia.
He contended in both halfpipe and slopestyle in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
>> More Olympics coverage at WPXI.com
In 2015, Kenworthy came out as gay. He received an outpouring of support after simply tweeting, “I am gay.”
Other interesting facts:
- Born in London to a British mother and American father.
- Competes in all three free skiing disciplines: halfpipe, big air and slopestyle.
- Won seven consecutive Association of Freeskiing Professionals titles from 2011 to 2017
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Jamie Anderson?
Jamie Anderson, from South Lake Tahoe, California, won gold in the inaugural slopestyle competition in the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Over the years, she has remained in the top tier in this event.
>> More Olympics coverage at WPXI.com
At the 2018 Winter Games, Anderson maintained her champion status, overcoming weather conditions to take the gold medal in women’s snowboard slopestyle.
Anderson is one of eight siblings and is active in environmental causes.
Other interesting facts:
- Known to hug trees before competitions to relax.
- Won gold in the X Games slopestyle in 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013.
2018 Winter Olympics: Who is Mikaela Shiffrin?
Mikaela Shiffrin, is the youngest-ever Olympic slalom gold medalist. She won when she was 18 at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
>> More Olympics coverage at WPXI.com
Shiffrin is widely considered to be the next great women’s ski racer. The Eagle-Vail, Colorado, native is dominant in slalom and competitive in giant slalom.
Other interesting facts:
- Leads the overall World Cup standings for the 2016-17 season.
- Considers Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin to be one of her best friends.
- Following in the footsteps of her parents, Jeff and Eileen Shiffrin, who are former collegiate skiers.
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