The 2018 Winter Olympics are almost over, and it's been a hell of a ride.
The shirtless dude from Tonga
Do you remember the shirtless guy from Tonga from the Rio Olympics? Well, he’s back, this time in 28–degree weather. While everyone else was bundled up (Team U.S.A.’s fringed gloves straight out of Dumb and Dumber), Pita Taufatofua, the flag–bearer for Tonga, showed up with nothing but coconut oil on the top half of his body. He did the same thing two years ago in Rio when he competed in taekwondo. Now he’s back as a cross–country skier, because why not? Seeing him is a bit like watching a long–dead meme come back to life. When asked if he would appear shirtless again, he said that he wants to still be alive for his race. Okay, just don’t crush our souls with your killer abs before you do that.
Kim Jong–un’s sister
She's the Ivanka Trump of North Korea. Kim Yo–jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong–un, visited the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as a diplomatic move. A family member of Kim Jong–un was actually IN South Korea—that hasn't happened since the Korean War. Like, holy shit. That’s like if Jeb Bush went into the depths of Iraq. That just doesn't happen. But she did it. She even met the South Korean president. She even invited him to North Korea. Mind blown.
Nathan Chen falls—then gets up again
Nathan Chen was supposed to be a god. The 18–year–old two–time national figure skating champion, aka the “quad king," can land multiple quadruple jumps in a single routine. He was Team U.S.A.’s best shot at a figure–skating gold medal, but then he fell. He missed moves. He said “I made as many mistakes as I possibly could have.” But the Nathan Chen we know was back for a historic long program where he landed five quadruple jumps, the most in Olympic history. He says Simone Biles inspired his comeback. Honestly, same.
The teeniest teen Olympian ever
Sleeping in before you finally get up for that chem lecture is one thing. Sleeping in before the competition you waited for your entire life is another. Red Gerard, a 17–year–old snowboarder from Colorado, fell asleep to Netflix the night before his run for the men’s snowboard slopestyle event. Gerard overslept, and his roommate had to wake him up. Then Gerard couldn’t find his jacket. His roommate offered his. After this hot mess of a morning, Gerard went on to win the first gold for Team U.S.A. at the event, and promptly said “holy fuck” to the camera. He says he got a Snapchat of his family members shotgunning beers that morning. If only all of us could win an Olympic gold medal on our bad days.
When you’re too chill for anything, including the Olympics
What do you do when you feel nervous before a big day? Probably not what this man does. Just before one of his competitions, Finnish snowboarding coach Antti Koskinen was knitting at the top of the slopes. Very low–key. Apparently, he’ did the same thing at the Sochi Olympics. It turns out that Koskinen is not the only one knitting: Team Finland is working on a blanket for the newborn son of 69–year–old Finnish president Sauli Niinisto and spouse Jenni Haukio. Aww. Sorry, Barron, we got nothing for you.
