Freeskiers Absent on ESPN's List of Greatest Olympic Athletes

Earlier this week, ESPN ranked the top 25 Olympians of the 21st century, with two alpine skiers— Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn —making the list.

Shiffrin and Vonn ranked fifth and 16th, respectively. Their inclusion isn't really up for debate. Both athletes have success-studded resumes.

Shiffrin's the winningest alpine skier of all time with several Olympic medals to match. Her record-breaking moment came in March 2023, the year after a challenging appearance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, proving that setbacks couldn't derail her rise to sports superstardom. Vonn's place in the alpine skiing history books is assured, too. She secured 82 World Cup wins and three Olympic medals before her retirement at 34.

While a number of other winter sports disciplines are featured on the list , including hockey, cross-country skiing, figure skating, and snowboarding, freeskiing is notably absent.

Freeskiing is indeed a younger Olympic discipline. Slopestyle and halfpipe first appeared during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics ( skiing big air debuted later in 2022 ), meaning there's been slightly less time for stand-out 21st-century performances. But that hasn't stopped professional freeskiers from stepping up.

Nick Goepper won Olympic slopestyle medals in 2014, 2018, and 2022— he might win more at the upcoming 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Eileen Gu won gold in big air and halfpipe at the most recent Winter Olympics, capping her podium-topping performances with a silver in slopestyle. Unless Gu picks up moguls or cross-country skiing, that's the most medals she could win at a single Olympic games. In one swoop, she matched Vonn's Olympic medal tally.

Perhaps it's just a matter of time before slopestyle, half pipe, and big air skiers are acknowledged more frequently beyond freeskiing's insular bubble. There have already been some flashes in the pan. Gu's Instagram following has soared to two million followers, and former freeskiing Olympian Gus Kenworthy has 1.2 followers. Halfpipe skier David Wise won an action sports ESPY in 2018. Gu, too, has won her own ESPYs: Best Athlete, Women’s Action Sports and Best Breakthrough Athlete.

These are meaningful recognitions and, with the next Winter Olympics rapidly approaching, I hope we keep the momentum going. Double and triple corks are athletic feats, too.

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