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2022 Beijing Winter Olympics

Michelle Kwan to Apolo Ohno: Where are your favorite former Winter Olympics stars now?

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing are here, with Friday's opening ceremony kicking off the games. 

The Winter Olympics will draw viewers from around the world as fans tune in to watch their favorite events, from snowboarding to figure skating, hockey and more. Viewers will cheer for their long-time favorite athletes while discovering new stars. 

But the games might also remind viewers of past Winter Olympians who brought home medals or made Olympics history. If you're wondering about your favorite former Winter Olympics athlete, here's a look at some of the biggest names who have competed in past games. 

Vonetta Flowers, right, cries as she hugs her teammate Jill Bakken of the United States after their final and gold medal winning run in the Two Woman Bobsled inaugural event at Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in Park City, Utah, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2002. Flowers, 28, is the first black athlete to win a medal at any Winter Games.

Vonetta Flowers 

Flowers won the gold medal for bobsledding in the two-woman event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. She made history with the victory, becoming the first Black athlete from any country to win gold in the Winter Olympics.

Flowers also competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, coming in sixth place. Since her time in the Olympics, she was named to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and is serving as an honorary co-chair of the 2022 World Games, among other accomplishments. 

She and her husband, Johnny Flowers, have three sons – Jaden, Jackson and Jorden. 

Dorothy Hamill, the 1976 Olympic figure skating champion in ladies’ singles and the 1976 World Champion, was treated for breast cancer in 2008.

Dorothy Hamill 

Hamill won a gold medal for the ladies' singles at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. She later skated professionally. 

She was appointed to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and carried the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies of the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Games. 

She has a daughter, Alexandra, and married John MacColl in 2009. 

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 1980, file photo, Eric Heiden, of Madison, Wisc. competes during the 500m Olympic speed skating event of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y. Heiden won five speedskating gold medals, all in record time. Lake Placid is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Winter Olympics that were held in the Adirondack Mountain village. (AP Photo)

Eric Heiden

Heiden, a former speed skater, won five gold medals during the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, and became the first to win all five speedskating events. 

After his skating career, he became a cyclist and practiced as an orthopedic surgeon. He met his wife, Karen Drews, while they were both students at Stanford University. They have a daughter, Zoe. 

In a file photo from Feb. 19, 2002, Michelle Kwan raises her fists in triumph after completing her short program at the Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games.

Michelle Kwan 

Kwan, one of the most famous American figure skaters, won a silver medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and bronze at the 2002 games. Between Olympic Games, world championships and other titles, she is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history

But Kwan's accomplishments go far beyond the ice. She was named the first American public diplomacy envoy in 2006 by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and she also served in former President Obama's administration. Last year, President Biden said he would nominate Kwan to be ambassador to Belize.

Earlier this year, she announced that she welcomed her first child, Kalista. 

Bode Miller of the United States

Bode Miller 

Miller, a five-time Olympian, won six medals in the Winter Olympics, including one gold, three silver and two bronze. The former skier married former professional volleyball player Morgan Miller in 2012 and is father to eight children. 

Miller with his family established the Turtle Ridge Foundation in 2005. The organization seeks to "support youth & adaptive sports programs," offer "the opportunity for our disabled community and young people to participate in a variety of sports" and more, according to its website. 

Miller's daughter, Emeline, died in a tragic drowning accident when she was 19 months old. Since their daughter's death, the Millers have advocated for water safety, including working with the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

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Apolo Anton Ohno: 8 medals. The highest ranking American, the popular short track speed skater won two gold, two silver and four bronze in his three Olympics between 2002 and 2010.

Apolo Anton Ohno

Ohno, a speed skater, is the most-decorated American at the Winter Olympics, with eight medals won across three Olympic Games. 

Ohno won the fourth season of "Dancing with the Stars" and has worked as a speaker, sports analyst and more since retiring from speed skating. He is also a New York Times best-selling author. 

Ohno is engaged to Bianca Stam, a model, actress and restaurant owner. 

SPECIAL TO USA TODAY--FILE--Debi Thomas from the United States is all smiles March 22,1986 as she shows off her gold medal in Geneva.. She won it  for her performance in the ladies singles event of the World Figure Skating Championships. Debi, who beat defending East German title holder Katarina Witt, is the  first ever black woman to win this title.(AP Photo/dc) ORG XMIT: NY918

Debi Thomas 

Thomas, a figure skater, won a bronze medal in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, becoming the first Black athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. She was also selected to serve as part of the U.S. Delegation at the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. 

Thomas's career extended beyond skating, and she became a practicing orthopedic surgeon after her Olympic triumph. 

However, she later had to close her medical practice due to bankruptcy, the Holland Sentinel reported. She also told the outlet she is living with her fiancé, Jamie Looney, and his two sons. 

She was previously married to Chris Bequette, and they have one son, Luc.

Lindsey Vonn celebrates

Lindsey Vonn

Vonn, one of the most decorated U.S. female skiers in history with two bronze medals and a gold medal, retired in 2019 in the wake of a string of injuries. But she told USA TODAY, "I think in a lot of ways it made it easier that my decision was kind of made for me, in the sense that my body really was telling me that that enough was enough."  

She released a memoir titled "Rise" earlier this year. She is the founder of the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, which "provides scholarships and programming for education, sports, and enrichment programs to give future generations the tools they need to reach their goals and discover their grit within," according to its website.  

Vonn split from her fiancé, professional hockey player P.K. Subban, in 2020. 

Kristi Yamaguchi competes at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville.

Kristi Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi won a gold medal for figure skating in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, becoming the first Asian American person to win the top prize in figure skating. 

In 1996, she established the Always Dream Foundation, which "ensures children from low‑income families have access to high‑quality books in the home environment and extensive family engagement support," according to the organization's website. She has also written multiple books, including the children's book "Dream Big, Little Pig," won the sixth season of "Dancing with the Stars" and served as a skating analyst. 

Yamaguchi married former professional hockey player Bret Hedican in 2000, and the couple has two daughters. 

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