All-weather wonders: The Olympians for all seasons

Jaqueline Mourao (Brazil, 46, cross-country skiing, biathlon; mountain biking)

Returning to Beijing where she competed in mountain biking in 2008, Jaqueline Mourao is a true Olympic stalwart.

Qualifying for cross-country skiing at Beijing 2022, the 46-year-old created history as the first Brazilian athlete to compete at the Olympic Games eight times.

"I am making history for the most Olympic appearances by a Brazilian," she said. "It's a great honor to be able to carry our flag at the opening ceremony."

Mourao is also the first Brazilian woman to compete at both Summer and Winter Olympics. As a professional cyclist, she made her Olympic debut in mountain biking at Athens 2004. She began skiing in 2005 after a snowstorm prevented her from continuing her cycling training in Canada. The following year she competed in cross-country skiing at the 2006 Turin Winter Games, and at Sochi 2014 added the biathlon to her repertoire.

Although the veteran has yet to pocket a medal at the Olympics, she arrived in Beijing fresh from winning a silver at a 5-km cross-country ski race in Zlatibor, Serbia.

"In 2008, I wasn't a very mature athlete, mentally," Mourao said of her development through the years.

"Today－perhaps because I've become a mother twice and had all these other experiences－I'm more focused on myself and my performance and can better channel the energy at what I want to do."