It’s been a challenging year for some – but not for these legends. The year 2022 will go down in history as one marked by the outstanding achievements and strides made by Asian celebrities and figures around the globe. To celebrate greatness in action, we’re giving shout outs to the year’s biggest movers and shakers, from grande dame and Icon of the Year Michelle Yeoh, to elite athletes and breakthrough performers making us proud. Here are 11 – or 64, depending on how you look at it – Asian icons that shaped 2022. 1. Michelle Yeoh Let’s just state the obvious: Michelle Yeoh has been and always will be an icon , far before 2022 came along. But this year, she reminded us all just how magnificent she is in her starring role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once . From savage brawling with Jamie Lee Curtis to elegantly rocking a hot dog finger look, 60-year-old Yeoh gives the performance of her career, somehow managing to stand out from the film’s star-studded cast. No wonder she was named Time’s 2022 Icon of the Year, an honour which celebrated Yeoh’s 40-year acting career. Who is the richest Avatar star? Net worths, ranked 2. Ke Huy Quan We can’t mention Everything Everywhere All at Once without also singing the praises of former child star Ke Huy Quan – aka the comeback kid of the year. The Vietnamese-born actor starred in two definitive 1980s blockbusters – Indiana Jones and The Goonies – but quit acting after struggling to find roles in Hollywood for Asian actors, per The Guardian. Quan told the publication he became convinced otherwise when he saw Crazy Rich Asians . Soon afterwards, the 51-year-old was offered the role of Waymond Wang and is now a strong Oscar contender for the role. 3. Eileen Gu Few athletes generated more buzz at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics than Eileen Gu . Though born in the US, the 19-year-old opted to compete for China, where her mother and family are from, and made history as the youngest Olympic champion in freestyle skiing. Gu took home three medals for China, two gold and one silver, and her decision was hailed by many as a celebration of modern multicultural identity. Crazy rich kids: 10 Asian ‘nepotism babies’ born into privilege 4. Jin from BTS The BTS Army shared a collective cry of anguish this month when news broke that group member Jin had begun his 18-month mandatory military service in South Korea. As if we needed any more reason to love this iconic boy band, we can’t help but admire 30-year-old Jin’s courage and sense of duty, especially considering the group’s atmospheric level of international fame . 5. Blackpink Not one, not two, but four icons – Blackpink’s Lisa, Jennie, Rosé and Jisoo have proven themselves to be a tour de force in 2022. This year, they released their highly anticipated second studio album, Born Pink , which promptly broke records as the bestselling album by a Korean girl group, per Koreaboo. And Time also announced the K-pop quartet as 2022’s Entertainer of the Year. How Blackpink owned 2022: Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie and Rosé’s roller coaster year 6. HoYeon Jung The breakout star of the Netflix series Squid Game (besides Player 001, of course) was undeniably HoYeon Jung. This stunning South Korean model made her on-screen debut in the wildly popular survival thriller series and showed impressive acting chops. The 28-year-old’s performance was rewarded with a SAG Award; Jung displayed her national pride at the awards ceremony by wearing a custom-made daenggi , a traditional Korean hair adornment. 7. Will Sharpe British-Japanese actor Will Sharpe, 36, played a pivotal role in the highly anticipated second season of HBO’s The White Lotus . We were captivated by Sharpe’s performance as newly rich Ethan Spiller, and husband to the possible adulteress played by Aubrey Plaza. Though the series has wrapped up, Sharpe’s character gave us one of the series’ most contentious storylines: just what exactly did Ethan Spiller and Daphne Sullivan get up to on Isola Bella?! 10 richest football stars of 2022: net worths, ranked – from Neymar to Messi 8. Park Seo-joon Following in the footsteps of Asian actors like Simu Liu, Gemma Chan and Benedict Wong, this year it was announced that Park Seo-joon had landed a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The 34-year-old Korean actor will star as Brie Larson’s husband, Prince Yan, in Captain Marvel 2: The Marvels , per Allkpop. 9. Simu Liu Speaking of Simu Liu … The groundbreaking 33-year-old actor and Marvel’s first Asian superhero was named one of Time’s most 100 influential people in 2022. It doesn’t get more iconic than that! Who is Lionel Messi’s gorgeous fashionista wife, Antonela Roccuzzo? 10. Japan’s World Cup team Their run in the Qatar World Cup might have come to an end, but not without an upset or two. The Japanese squad took everyone by surprise when they defeated Spain and Germany. A top-notch performance that proves Asia’s footballers aren’t to be underestimated. 11. South Korea’s World Cup team The same can be said for South Korea’s football team. This all-star group managed to beat Portugal’s team, led by Cristiano Ronaldo , and advance to the quarter-finals. Considering the Korean squad includes players like Tottenham Spur forward Son Heung-min, widely considered one of the best Asian footballers in the world, and Cho Gue-sung, it was an inspiring moment in World Cup history. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .