Here are 10 PyeongChang Olympic hopeful stories that range from unique to extremely strange:
Sabrina Simader, Alpine Skiing, Kenya
The first Kenyan Alpine skier to race in the World Cup or at the world championships and, potentially, at the Olympics. Simader moved to Austria at age 3, where she learned to ski.
Joanne Reid, Biathlon, USA
The daughter of 1980 Olympic speed skating bronze medalist Beth Heiden, which makes her the niece of Eric Heiden, who swept all five speed skating golds at Lake Placid 1980. Reid ranks second among U.S. women in World Cup points this season.
Jazmine Fenlator-Victorian, Bobsled, Jamaica
The 2014 U.S. Olympian could become the first Jamaican Olympic female bobsled driver after switching to represent the nation of her father’s birth. Fenlator-Victorian earned bronze in a lower-level North American Cup race last month, improving her international ranking for Olympic qualifying.
Sam McGuffie, Bobsled, USA
The latest athlete to attempt the transition from pro football to the Olympics. McGuffie was a YouTube sensation in high school, his highlight videos amassing more than one million views. He went on to play running back at the University of Michigan and bounced around NFL teams, but never played a regular-season game. He took up bobsled in 2015 and has become a mainstay push athlete on the top U.S. sled, a good sign for his PyeongChang prospects.
Luis Moreira, Bobsled, USA
Moreira served six years in the U.S. Army, then earned the title of Texas State Bodybuilding Champion in 2014 before turning to bobsledding in 2015. This season, he has become a regular push athlete for U.S. sleds in World Cup races.
Beau-James, Bryon, Jackson and Jossi Wells, Freestyle Skiing, New Zealand
Yes, it’s possible that four brothers could compete at the same Winter Olympics (it has happened before, via OlympStats.com). Last season, Beau-James and Bryon ranked in the top 22 in the World Cup halfpipe standings, while Jackson and Jossi made the top 17 in the World Cup slopestyle standings. Beau-James is the biggest question, as he’s been out since July knee surgery. Beau-James and Jossi competed in Sochi.
Mac Bohonnon/Kiley McKinnon, Freestyle Skiing, USA
They were first-grade classmates at Island Avenue Elementary School in Madison, Conn. Bohonnon started aerials first, then convinced McKinnon in a Facebook message to try the sport. They both won the World Cup season title in 2015.
Matt Dalton, Hockey, South Korea
South Korea’s No. 1 goalie is one of several athletes being naturalized in advance of its home Olympics. South Korea received an automatic place in the Olympic men’s hockey field as host nation, but it doesn’t have much of a talent pool. Retired NHL defenseman Jim Paek, the only South Korean-born Stanley Cup winner, is the coach. Dalton was born in Ontario, played NCAA hockey at Bemidji State, was briefly a Boston Bruin in 2010 and now plays in South Korea’s league.
Nathan Crumpton, Skeleton, USA
Born in Nairobi, competed in track and field at Princeton, an award-winning photographer and appeared as a snowboarder in a McDonald’s commercial that aired during the Sochi Olympics. The No. 2 U.S. men’s skeleton slider this World Cup season.
Noriaki Kasai, Ski Jumping, Japan
44 years old. Seeking a record-breaking eighth Winter Olympic appearance after earning his first individual medal in Sochi (silver, large hill). The top Japanese jumper this season, ranking No. 23 in the World Cup standings.
PYEONGCHANG 2018
Storylines | 18 US Stars | 18 Global Stars | Strange Olympic Hopefuls | Key events
Oldest US Olympian? | Youngest US Olympian? | Venue Photo Gallery | North Korea
*Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly labeled the Wells brothers as Australian.