ExplainerBeijing 2022 Winter Olympics: Top 10 Asian prospects who can break the ice

As we count down a year to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, it comes as no surprise that the top performing winter nations often hail from Scandinavia, North America and Europe. However, there has been an unlikely influx from the greater Asian region, ranging from already established snow-friendly China, South Korea and Japan, to sweltering Southeast Asia. The following is our list of top 10 Asian Winter Olympians to look out for as preparations intensify. The Post has opted not to include Asian-American athletes or ethnic Asians representing nations outside Asia. Nor will it make medal and placing predictions because of the extraordinary circumstances before the Games. Eileen Gu, China, skiing (freestyle skiing) One of the host nation’s biggest hopes, 17-year-old Gu’s face has already been plastered on mainland adverts and billboards after she opted to represent China in 2019, citing Beijing 2022. American-born Gu (Chinese name Gu Ailing) impressed her new fans just months into her announcement by clinching gold at the freeski half-pipe at the Winter Games New Zealand. Everything you need to know about Beijing 2022 Fast forward to January 2021 and Gu was back in the headlines after winning China’s first-ever Winter X Games golds in the superpipe and slopestyle. She won two golds and a bronze, the first time a rookie has done so in the competition’s 20-year history. Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan, figure skating Already considered an all-time figure skating great in Japan and the world, two-time Olympic gold medallist Hanyu has already made his intentions clear with a rock-star performance at the Japan national championships. The 26-year-old will be aiming to make it a three-peat in Beijingafter winning in Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 – further cementing his place in history. Though he is sitting out this year’s Grand Prix Finals over his pandemic fears and his asthma, do not be surprised if he has another record-breaking outing next year. He is the only male in history to win all majors in his junior and senior careers and holds multiple programme records. You Young, South Korea, figure skating Another potential generational talent, the 16-year-old You, a 2020 Youth Olympic gold medallist, is set to comfortably take the reins from South Korean treasure Yuna Kim. That’s a big call but she is the youngest South Korean national champion at 11 – taking over from Kim who won it at 12 – and now a four-time winner, the first Korean woman to land a triple Axel, and a 2020 Four Continents silver medallist. You started skating because of 2010 Vancouver Olympics winner Kim – now the Singapore-raised skater is ready to win an Olympic gold of her own. Everything you need to know about Beijing 2022 one year out Japan, women’s ice hockey team Makoto Ito and company were in their teens when they upset two-time Youth Olympic winners Sweden to snatch gold at Lausanne 2020. Japan became the first Asian team to win an Olympics ice hockey event, potentially ushering a whole new generation in the women’s game. Their IIHF world ranking is six – could they do the unthinkable and creep into the top five with the likes of the US, Canada, and Russia? Twins Riri and Rio Noro are set to star alongside Ito, Kamada Minami and Shimomukai Hina. Remember the names. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Magnus Bøe 김마그너스 (@guemool) Magnus Bøe, South Korea, cross-country skiing Born to a Norwegian father and South Korean mother, Bøe chose to represent his mother’s homeland ahead of Pyeongchang three years ago. The cross-country skier burst onto the scene at the 2016 Youth Olympics, where he sealed two golds and a silver, then won at the 2017 Asian Winter Games. Reports say the 22-year-old opted for his birthplace over Norway because he would have struggled to get a spot on the Norwegian team for the 2018 Games at his age. Bøe is now set to compete against them under the Taegukgi flag as Magnus Kim. South Korea, women’s speed skating team Renowned for their short-track artillery – it has brought more Olympic golds than any other country – South Korea are looking to sweep the board in Beijing. Two-time Olympic gold medallist Shim Suk-hee is at the helm for the women’s team as they attempt to defend their Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018 3000-metre relay titles. For 24-year-old Shim – who in 2019 revealed coach Cho Jae-beom had raped and repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted her from when she was 17, to which he was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison last year – bringing another gold back would mean a lot. Another potential young X-factor is Seo Whi-min, who won 2020 Youth Olympics gold in the 500m and 1,000m. Arabella Ng, Hong Kong, alpine skiing History-making Hong Kong giant slalom skier Ng became the first athlete from the city to compete on snow at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The then-16-year-old said “it was so cool” to compete with the likes of Mikaela Shiffrin as she finished 63rd overall. Hong Kong has previously featured at the Winter Olympics in speed skating events, but not on the slopes. The Hong Kong Ski Association unsurprisingly has big plans for US-based Ng and wants her to be a “multiple Olympian” having sparked interest in the snow sports discipline. Jeffrey Webb, Malaysia, alpine skiing Kuala Lumpur-born slalom and giant slalom competitor Webb is one of two Malaysians to reach a Winter Olympics after qualifying for Pyeongchang 2018. Though the US-based 22-year-old is likely to find it tough to hang in with titans Austria and Switzerland, his trailblazing achievement has not gone unnoticed. He previously said he wanted to put Malaysia on the winter sports map and he may be on his way to keeping them there. Similarly, Malaysian figure skater and 2017 Southeast Asian Games gold medallist Julian Yee hopes to qualify for next year. Cheyenne Goh, Singapore, speed skating Teenage 1,500m speed skater Goh was likewise Singapore’s first Winter Olympian. Singapore-born, Canada-raised Goh is a two-time 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medallist and is only getting better at just 21. She will certainly want to do better than she did in Pyeongchang 2018, where she did not get out of the qualifiers. Local media have taken to calling her “Cheyenne Gold” – perhaps one day she may do just that at speed skating’s highest level. Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik, North Korea, pairs figure skating Ryom and Kim are considered North Korea’s biggest hope for a Winter Games medal in the future. The Pyongyang pair have been quietly preparing in Montreal, Canada, with seasoned coach Bruno Marcotte to make the country’s Olympics skating debut. The 21-year-old Ryom and 28-year-old Kim are the first North Korean figure skaters to win a medal at an ISU event and won bronze at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan. Though not expected to place in Beijing, fans will want to tune in for what Marcotte labelled their charismatic expression and footwork on the ice.