Despite all the high-tech tricks, political posturing and pyrotechnics, the best part of the Closing Ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics proved to be the athletes.
01.02.2022 - 08:31 / hollywoodlife.com
Kevin Bickner has accomplished a lot by 25! The ski jumper, who currently holds the U.S. record and is competing in the upcoming 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, is more than excited to take his skills to the snow. “My goals are to improve upon my results from last Olympics,” Kevin told NBC Chicago on Jan. 31.
“I had some good results last Olympics for it being my first. I didn’t get any medals or anything, but I had set some goals for myself and I reached those goals. Four years later I think I can be that much better. I want to improve on those same results and try and be the top competitor of my country again.”
Find out more about Kevin below and read about his journey to Beijing!
He began skiing at age 9Kevin was born September 23, 1996 in Wauconda, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He first became interested in the sport after witnessing it at the nearby Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove, Illinois. He apparently began practicing jumping on a plastic hill and, by age 11, started jumping the 70-meter hill — the tallest at the club. Five years after that, Kevin was living part-time in Park City, Utah and was a part of the U.S. developmental team.
Related Gallery“I remember as young as 3 years old, he was constantly climbing on things and jumping on this and that and it was almost more worrisome (than ski jumping),” his mom, Maureen Bickner, told TeamUSA.org ahead of the 2018 Winter Games. “It was good to get him into a sport where he could have that adrenaline rush in a controlled way.”
He’s the current national record holder in ski jumpingKevin, who’s 25, is the current U.S. record holder for the sport, jumping 244.5 meters (802 ft.). He achieved this feat on the Vikersund hill in Norway on March 19, 2017. Kevin
Despite all the high-tech tricks, political posturing and pyrotechnics, the best part of the Closing Ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics proved to be the athletes.
Simone Biles has shared her support for Winter Olympics star Mikaela Shiffrin after she posted a heartbreaking message to fans.MORE: Simone Biles is engaged! See the heartwarming proposal and stunning ringMikaela took to social media to share a powerful message about the online hate and trolling she has received as she struggled through the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Mikeala was one of Team USA's big hopefuls but she failed to finish the women's combined event, and lost control during the opening few seconds of her run in the giant slalom; Mikeala was defending her 2018 gold medal.WATCH: Simone Biles falls off mat during Tokyo 2020 qualifying roundsShe fell and skied out, ending her 30-race streak, and ended up being disqualified from the event."I know this all too well.
Team USA found a way to make it happen!
ABC’s Good Morning America has been the top morning show among total viewers for some time, but the network on Tuesday trumpeted its most recent weekly win — during the first week of the Winter Olympics.
American track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson is RIGHTFULLY calling out what appears to be a major double standard at this year’s Winter Olympics. And we’re here for her take!
Sha’Carri Richardson, the American track and field star who was banned from the Tokyo Olympics last year for marijuana use, has an issue with Russian Olympic Committee figure skater Kamila Valieva‘s participation in the Beijing Olympics. 15-year-old Kamila tested positive for a banned substance in the midst of the 2022 Winter Olympics, but on Feb. 14, she was granted approval to continue competing by the Court of Arbitration for Sports. The CAS said Kimila’s age is the main reason they decided to lift the ban on the teenager, according to Sport’s Illustrated.
Erin Jackson proved her title as the number 1 ranked speedskater in the world is no fluke! The superstar athlete won the world over as she took home the gold medal for the United States in the 500-meter race at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. In the incredible process, Erin became the first Black woman to win an individual speedskating medal at the Olympics. Find out more about the ground-breaking American here!
Though many call Shaun White, 35, the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time) of snowboarding, Nina Dobrev, 33 has coined a new term for him to celebrate his final Olympics: G.(B).O.A.T. (Greatest Boyfriend of All Time). Nina gushed over her BF of two years in a new Instagram post, where the actress revealed she was “in awe” of his accomplishments, writing: “You are one of a kind.”
2022 Winter Olympics. The 54-year-old American actor appeared on Thursday's episode of , and revealed that he was rooting for the Jamaicans this year, after starring as a member of the country's 1988 Olympic team in the classic film .«After doing a movie like , you always feel like you're part of the country,» Yoba said, speaking in the Jamaican accent he used in the 1993 film. «I have to root for Jamaica.
Hoda Kotb took to social media to reveal an incredible bit of news that had fans feeling as elated as she was.MORE: Jennifer Lopez teases Hoda Kotb about Joel Schiffman split live on Today showThe Today Show star shared a picture on Instagram featuring the two athletes who had brought the United States gold at that point at the 2022 Winter Olympics.WATCH: Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie share how to watch the Winter Olympics GamesThe post highlighted Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim in competition, and Hoda happily wrote: "Good morning GOLD!!! Congrats @nathanwchen @chloekim."One fan excitedly commented: "Thank you Nathan and Chloe for an amazing job - it was so exciting and enjoyable watching you- your hard work and dedication certainly paid off!!"MORE: Hoda Kotb makes rare revelation about home life with daughters Haley and HopeAnother wrote: "Way to go guys!!!! So proud of you," with many others sharing congratulatory messages as well and sharing love for Hoda.While Hoda is currently dealing with the ramifications of her split from longtime fiancé Joel Schiffman, she has maintained that the two are still quite amicable.A post shared by Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb)Hoda celebrated the athletes that won gold for USA at the Winter OlympicsShe has been keeping herself busy by throwing herself into coverage for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are being held in Beijing.While Hoda did attract a huge amount of fan love for her warm and enthusiastic coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, this year the pandemic and ongoing fears of a resurgence have forced NBC to alter plans. MORE: Inside Hoda Kotb's stylish home where she will co-parent her kids with ex Joel SchiffmanMORE: Hoda Kotb announces split from fiancé Joel Schiffman live on
Go Team USA! Nina Dobrev cheered on Shaun White, while he competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics for snowboarding on Wednesday February 9. The 33-year-old actress posted tons of videos of her TV screen while her boyfriend, 35, shredding up the slopes to try to win yet another gold medal for the United States in Beijing. Nina topped it all off with a sweet photo with her boyfriend on screen to show that even miles apart, she’s rooting for him.
Today. “Because it really shaped me into the individual that I am.
Daft Punk’s music made an unlikely appearance at the Winter Olympics yesterday (February 6).A medley featuring a series of tracks from the former dance duo’s final album ‘Random Access Memories’ was used to soundtrack a routine in the US figure skating Team Event in Beijing.The team were sitting in third place behind Japan in a battle for the silver medal before Madison Chock and Evan Bates performed their Daft Punk routine which included snippets of ‘Within’, ‘Contact’ and ‘Touch’.As a result the team picked up the silver medal. You can view the pair’s routine below.#NBCOlympics #WinterOlympics2022 #TeamUSAUSA's Chock/Bates channel Daft Punk to win team ice dance | Winter Olympics 2022 | NBC Sports pic.twitter.com/PCmjpiqKLL— Pitbull (@Willian87420216) February 7, 2022Daft Punk split last February after 28 years together.
Go team go! Team USA has a long history of winning at the Winter Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Games are no different.
Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterNBC Sports says 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, an all-time low for Olympic ceremonies on linear television.That’s around 43% down compared to the 28.3 million viewers that watched the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February 2018.Friday’s torch-lighting in Beijing aired live on NBC and the streaming service Peacock beginning at 6:30 a.m. ET yesterday morning and was replayed again in primetime.
Meghan McCain has slammed the 2022 Winter Olympics, branding them the "Genocide Games" over China's human rights abuses.MORE: Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie share disappointment over 2022 Winter Olympics newsThe 37-year-old took to social media to share an image designed by Chinese artist badiucao, which was created in protest of the host country. It showed an ice hockey player wearing the Chinese flag with blood on their stick and mask as they knocked over a Tibetan monk.WATCH: Meghan McCain announces departure from The View"I will not watch one minute of the @Beijing2022," she captioned her post, adding the hashtag, "#GenocideGames."On Twitter, she expanded on her opinion, writing: "There is no reason to watch a Winter Olympics that is holding up and spreading propaganda for a regime that is committing actual genocide and ethnic cleansing - on top of poisoning the world and killing 6 million people.
Proud family. For Chloe Kim‘s parents—father Jong Jin Kim and mother Boran Yun Kim—their daughter is the definition of the American dream.
If you asked him, Shaun White’s parents—his mother Cathy White and his father Roger White—are reason he’s a five-time Olympian today.