Three Snowboarders on ESPN's List of Top 25 Olympians of the Century
ESPN recently published a list of the top 100 Olympians of the century, and three names to adorn the top 25 were our very own Shaun White, Chloe Kim, and Lindsay Jacobellis.
Shaun White sits pretty at the number seven spot on the ESPN list. Chloe Kim is not far behind, claiming a clean 12th overall, while Lindsey Jacobellis cinches the 20th spot. It is an incredible honor for these world class athletes, and yet it does not come as a surprise.
Shaun White has won three Olympic gold medals in halfpipe snowboarding along with 15 X Games medals. His Olympics gold medals were won in 2006 in Torino, 2010 in Vancouver, and 2018 in PyeongChang. He is one of, if not the most, successful men's snowboarders in history. While he is now retired, Shaun remains active in the action sports world, having just launched his own professional snowboard and freeski league and started helping fund the grassroots summer snowboard camp High Cascade.
Shaun White at the Olympics
Chloe Kim ranked 12th on the list also for snowboard halfpipe. A two-time Olympic gold medalist and nine-time X Games medalist, she is the youngest woman to win Olympic halfpipe gold, having won at age 17 at the 2018 Olympics. She won gold again at the 2020 winter Olympics in Beijing. Kim continues to compete actively and remains a formidable presence on the international circuit.
Chloe Kim at the Olympics
Lindsey Jacobellis, a boarder cross athlete renowned for being the most decorated snowboarder in history, holds the 20th spot among top Olympians. A three-time Olympic medalist, she secured two gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Jacobellis made history by becoming the first snowboarder to win multiple golds in a single Olympic Games, triumphing in both individual snowboard cross and mixed team events. What makes this comeback story even better is that in the 2006 Olympics, Jacobellis lost an near-guaranteed gold.
Between these three snowboarders, the other half of winter sports made it on the list to represent the U.S. Ski and Snowboard organization as well. Skiers Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn made the top 25 coming in at spots number 5 and number 16, respectively.
Read the full list here.
