Make way for the new breed

Several young stars made a name for themselves at the Beijing Olympics. AFP Sport picks out five talents who look set to reign over future Winter Games.

Gu Ailing

The 18-year-old, who was born in California, began competing for her mother's native China in 2019, and was already well-known before the Games.

However, her three medals in freestyle skiing-gold in both Big Air and halfpipe, and a silver in slopestyle-propelled her to an even wider international audience.

Hoping to inspire the next generation onto the snow, the teenager embraced all the attention with her trademark eloquence: "I'm proud to have done my best to spread a positive and personal message, and to have reached audiences willing to listen to me."

Su Yiming

The host nation soon had another teenage home hero to celebrate in the form of snowboarder Su Yiming.

Su, who turned 18 on Friday, had to settle for a controversial silver in slopestyle-many experts said he deserved to win gold and judges later admitted they made a mistake.

The former child actor did not have to wait long though for gold, taking the Big Air title.

Su's success threatened to break China's internet, with a hashtag relating to it getting more than 1 billion views on the Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Nathan Chen

Much of the spotlight in men's figure skating fell on two-time reigning champion Yuzuru Hanyu.

But that did not bother the 22-year-old American Chen who was all grace and composure as he produced a dominant performance to win his first Olympic title.

An Olympic gold had been the only major prize eluding the three-time world champion.

Japan's Hanyu, meanwhile, fell twice and ended in fourth, outside the medals, in what could be his last Games.

Chen is his heir apparent.

Zoi Sadowski Synnott

The 20-year-old snowboarder made history for New Zealand after winning the country's first ever Winter Olympics gold medal.

She came from behind to snatch the women's slopestyle with an incredible final run, before being mobbed in the snow by her rivals at the finish.

In New Zealand, her father made viral news of his own after a colorful interview in which he appeared to have been toasting his daughter's success just a bit too much.

"Yeah, I think really that he had a few too many drinks at that point," said Sydney-born Sadowski Synnott, who also won silver in the Big Air.

Juraj Slafkovsky

There might have been no NHL stars at the Olympics but Slovakia has one in the making in 17-year-old Juraj Slafkovsky.

Considered a top prospect for the NHL's July draft, the giant forward-he's 1.92 meters (6-foot-3) tall-sent his stock soaring with his nose for goal.

He finished the Olympic tournament as the leading goal scorer with seven as Slovakia won a bronze medal.

Slafkovsky, who plays pro hockey in Finland, is the youngest player to ever represent Slovakia in Olympic hockey and was going up against some veterans twice his age.

AFP