Black Olympians to watch during the Winter Games

Seven Black athletes will compete in Beijing in two sports. Among the ranks is a personal trainer, medaled Olympians, a weightlifter, and a college track competitor.

Feb 11, 2022

As the 2022 Winter Olympics continue, we have to pay homage to the phenomenal Black Olympians representing Team USA. This year they will compete in two sports: bobsled and speed skating.

The US Women Bobsled team has won medals in every Olympic game since the event’s debut in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This year’s team is bringing the heat with new and returning Olympians. 

Elana Meyers Taylor is competing for the fourth time as an Olympian. Taylor has won silver medals in 2014 and 2018, as well as a bronze medal in 2010. New Olympians Kaysha Love and Sylvia Hoffman have joined the bobsled team this year and are forces deserving recognition.

Elana Meyers Taylor Olympics
Elana Meyers Taylor and Kaysha Love of Team USA, pictured in a file photo from December 2021 in Winterberg, Germany. The two women are among seven Black athletes competing for the United States at the Winter Games in Beijing this month. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
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Hoffman is a pro-lifter and former basketball player on the women’s team for the University of Louisiana, Shreveport. Love is a sprinter for the University of Nevada, Las Vergas’ track team. Aja Evans, who won an Olympic bronze medal in 2014, is a standing alternate for the team.

Hakeem Abdul-Saboor also is a new Olympian after being noticed by the men’s bobsled team. When his dreams of playing for the NFL fell through due to an injury, he became a personal trainer. What got him noticed? A viral workout video.

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U.S. Olympian Hakeem Abdul-Saboor attends the USA House at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on February 13, 2018 in Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC)
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Erin Jackson and Maame Biney are representing Team USA for speed skating this year in short track and long track. Biney was the first Black woman to qualify for the speed skating team back in the 2018 Olympics, while Jackson was the first Black woman to be qualified for long track speed skating.

With only 14 Black athletes winning medals from the Winter Olympics so far, we’re hoping for more to be added to the list. The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will last until February 20. Make sure to tune in to witness Black excellence and history being made!

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