Meet the Olympians Taking Over TikTok

If you’ve been active on social media in the last few weeks, you’ve probably seen something about the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics which spanned from February 4th to February 20th. Every four years, there is extensive coverage of these athletes performing in their respective sports, but one thing we don’t usually experience is a true behind-the-scenes look at the athletes.

This year many athletes (mostly members of Gen-Z) have decided to start giving the inside scoop on the Olympics through TikTok. Their content spans a wide range of videos from athletes doing TikTok trends together to outfit videos of what they’re going to be wearing at the games. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like being a professional Olympic athlete, this is your chance to experience it firsthand.

Here are some of the Olympians currently taking over TikTok:

Maddie Mastro

One athlete who has recently gained a following of over 600,000 people on TikTok is 21-year-old Maddie Mastro, a snowboarder specializing in halfpipe for Team USA. Mastro kicked off her Olympic TikToks by showing what snacks she was packing for the trip and said she would be vlogging every day throughout the games. She posts daily videos of her picking out what to wear for various events, hanging out with her friends at the Olympic Village, and a video of her wiping out while attempting a trick garnered over 14 million views. You can follow her TikTok here: @maddie_mastro.

Birk Irving

Another fan favorite is 22-year-old Birk Irving, a freestyle skier, and gold medalist for Team USA. If you’re looking for the comedic relief of Olympic TikTok, his videos are for you. Irving’s videos mostly consist of him goofing around while dancing and lip-syncing to various popular songs and film audios on TikTok. He often recruits some of his fellow Olympic skiers for the U.S. team, David Wise and Alex Ferreira, to join in on his antics. You can follow his TikTok here: @birkirving1.

Scotty James

27-year-old Scotty James is an Australian snowboarder who took home the silver medal for halfpipe this year at the Olympics. His TikTok fame began before the Olympics when one of his videos where he hopped on a popular TikTok trend and remarked on the ideal snowboarding conditions while bopping his head along to a song, which reached over 15 million people. James posts a multitude of videos ranging from impressive slow-motion videos of him performing snowboarding tricks to his funny take on TikTok trends such as “Things in my Olympic Room that just make sense.” You can follow his TikTok here: @scottyjames31.

Eileen Gu

The youngest Olympian on this list is 18-year-old Eileen Gu, a Chinese-American freestyle skier who won two gold and a silver medal while representing China at the Olympics this year. Not only is she an Olympian at such a young age, but she’s also a model and will be attending Stanford University this upcoming fall. Her videos are relatable and often include her poking fun at herself for being so obsessed with skiing and the realities of sexism in her industry. You can follow her TikTok here: @eileen_gu.

Shaun White

Shaun White is a recently retired American snowboarder and skateboarder who has won three Olympic gold medals for halfpipe snowboarding. He’s managed to gain 1.5 million followers on TikTok just for being a down-to-earth guy. His videos include him reacting to funny TikToks or answering fans’ questions and showing them videos of whatever they ask to see, such as a haul of his Olympic gear or his favorite thing to do when he’s not snowboarding. The amount of time he takes out of his day, even when doing something as busy as attending the Olympics, to connect with his fans, shows how many of these Olympians are just regular people. You can follow his TikTok here: @shaunwhite.

Karen Chen

Last but certainly not least is 22-year-old American figure skater Karen Chen whose team won the silver medal at the Olympics this year. Most of her videos are of her various ice skating performances set to popular songs on Tiktok but for the Olympics, she decided to switch it up. She’s kept her content interesting by participating in TikTok trends but adding an Olympic twist to them. In one video she even let an eyeliner filter pick what eyeliner she was going to wear that day at the games. You can follow her TikTok here: @karebearsk8.

These TikToks offer insight into how Olympic athletes are just normal people who happen to be extremely talented at one (or multiple) sports. Even with the Olympics coming to an end, these athletes have more to offer that meets the eye, so follow them on TikTok to see more funny and entertaining videos.

Who’s your favorite Olympic TikToker? Leave a comment below.