The 21st century has been an exciting time for skiing and snowboarding in the olympics. While both freestyle skiing and snowboarding were added to the Olympics pre-2000 (freestyle skiing began as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Calgary Games, snowboarding debuted at the 1998 Nagano Games), the number of disciplines have exploded over the past 24 years, and we’ve seen some incredible ski and snowboard athletes make their mark. So when ESPN drops a list of their top 25 Olympians of the 21st century, you bet we were scrolling through to make sure our favorite skiers and snowboarders made the list. With five on there, I can honestly say I wasn’t disappointed.
The lowest ranked skier/snowboarder was snowboard cross athlete Lindsey Jacobellis who, after wiping out just before the finish in the finals during the 2006 Torino Olympics, losing her lead and winding up in second, went on to compete in five Winter Olympics. She won two gold in 2022, one in mixed team snowboard cross, and one in women’s snowboard cross, in addition to the silver she won in 2006. ESPN ranked her as the 20th greatest Olympian of the 21st century.
The second lowest ranked skier/snowboarder was Lindsey Vonn. Vonn competed in four total Winter Olympics, with her first taking place when she was just 17, at the 2002 Salt Lake City games. She won a bronze and a gold in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, but was forced to sit out the 2014 games due to knee problems. She then returned for a bronze in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. ESPN ranked her as the 16th greatest Olympian of the 21st century.
ESPN has snowboarder Chloe Kim ranked as the 12th greatest Olympian of the 21st century. With two Olympic gold medals, Kim was the youngest woman to win a halfpipe gold in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, and she returned for another gold in 2022’s Beijing games. She’s also the youngest winner of an X Games Gold medal, and she’s a nine-time X Games medalist.
It’s no surprise that Shaun White is on this list, certainly. The three time Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe and 15-time X Game Medalist is responsible for bringing so much attention to the sport of snowboarding. As someone who’s childhood took place in the early 21st century, watching Shaun White compete stands out as a highlight of my youth. Plus, his general attitude is top notch. Personally I think 7th is too low for him, but that’s where ESPN placed him.
It would be impossible to make a list of the greatest Olympic athletes of the 21st century without naming the greatest alpine ski racer of all time. It would be impossible to make a list of the greatest athletes of all time without naming the greatest alpine ski racer of all time. Mikaela Shiffrin is a three time Olympic medalist, and a two time Olympic gold medalist. She’s also the winning most alpine skier of all time, earning her 87th World Cup race and breaking Ingemar Stenmark longstanding record on March 11, 2023. She certainly belongs at 5th, if not higher.
The rest of their ranking can be viewed here. Not to spoil it for you but, surprise surprise, Michael Phelps is their greatest Olympic athlete of the 21st century. You can’t really argue against that one…
