I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TL;DR: U! S! A! U! S! A! GOOOOOOOOOOOOO OLYMPICS!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYY SPORTS!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVEEEE when the Olympics come around! I'm the type to get over-invested in the stories of the athletes. I shed tears at their wins/losses.

The fact that all these amazing people have found a sport to bring to the Olympic level never fails to leave me in awe. I can only hope to find something in life that ignites a fraction of the fire that fuels the average Olympian. I would be humbled to find a passion to love and care for that makes me feel alive.

They're all so inspirational. While I doubt it's healthy to do so, I let my idolization fuel me in a "derogatory" way. As in, with a mindset of "They can accomplish xyz WHILE being an Olympian, I can get my accounting degree while being a bum."

Some standout stories for me:

Of course, the captivating, ALYSA LIU!!!!!!!!!!

You can't talk about the 2028 Winter Olympics without mentioning this girl's name. The girl crush to end all girl crushes.

We're the same age, and she has this INSANEEEEEEE track record!!

• YOUNGEST EVER U.S. two time women's champion (13 & 14)
• Olympian @ 16, just before retiring
• Came out of retirement @ 18 ONLY TO GO RIGHT ON TO...
• WINNING THE 2025 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (19)
• WINNING WOMEN'S SINGLES AND TEAM ICE SKATING PROGRAMS (20)

Holy powerhouse!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not a person who closely follows figure skating, but with the way the commentators explained Alysa's history: the reaction towards her comeback is comparable to the reaction towards Aang's resurfacing as the Avatar. As if being a highly skilled child wasn't enough, she returned to the ice as an adult only to glide her way to the top. Her steeze, her humor, her charm... she is such a dream to watch skate!!!!!!!!

Literally just after she landed her opening jumps in her free skate, my thoughs were "What a perfect song to score your winning comeback program to; and while wearing gold to match the medal you're about to earn." Her choreography is so FUN! That little boogie she does, that move she likes to do where she caresses her head while swerving along the ice, the graceful little dance she does where she shifts her weight from left to right... and of course the slide on her knees towards the end UGHHH SHE MOVES LIKE MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KAORI SAKAMOTO!!!!!!!

Definitely a big reason I shed tears over the women's ice skating podium. HER FREE PROGRAM WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PERFORMANCE TO END HER COMPETITIVE CAREER ON!!!! I'm tearing up thinking about it now, I'm so happy that she earned silver. Seriously. such a beautiful program from such a highly-respected figure within ice skating. It's comforting to know she's retiring into coaching the next batch of ice skaters.

Contrasted by...

AMI NAKAI!!!!!!!!!!

17 years old, attending her first Olympics, and winning BRONZE!!!! I can't imagine what it must be like to be so young and to have earned the honor of sharing an Olympic podium with such skilled and impressive athletes. With Sakamoto's retirement, I couldn't help but see the podium as a "passing of the torch." The contrast between the experienced senior and the promising youths was the main reason I spent the last 5 minutes of the women's singles program in tears. I'm so excited to see how her skills will have grown by 2030.

Yes these have been women's figure skating athletes so far, I'm drawn to this sport because of how inherently emotional it is compared to the other sports at the Winter Olympics. It feels more like watching a show than a sport; not to undermine the athletic skill needed to do what these athletes do.

Speed round!

LAILA EDWARDS!!!!!! The first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in ice hockey for the United States. She assisted the goal that tied the game, pushing into overtime, where the U.S. won!!!!!!!!!

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN!!!!!! A woman with another crazy track record; a tear jerker, too. She was the youngest American to win the national slalom Alpine skiing title, shortly before debuting in the World Cup. She secured both her first World Cup and World Championship wins at 17. Just after that, she became the youngest to ever win in Olympic slalom at 18. She won another gold (giant slalom) and a silver (alpine combined) at 26, only to follow that up with 17 World Cup race and 2 World Championship wins. She lost her father in 2020. She wasn't able to carry her grief and her focus on the sport at the same time, because of how involved he was in her athletic career. During this year's Winter Olympics, she won her first Olympic gold since her father passed. What. A. Journey. Definitely an athlete I think of when I think of a person who has "found such a passion in life to stick with and bring to such a high level".

AMBER GLENN!!!!!!! Another ice skating athlete. My admiration for her may be simple, but it is definitely not weak. At 26, she is considered "old" for the sport; and yet, she gave the other skaters some tough competition!!!!! While not as nonchalant as Alysa, I am amazed by her ability to bounce back when her mental game falters. I'm sosososo glad she got an Olympic moment to treasure. She deserves to be proud of her performances these from past two weeks.

Anyway its 4 AM and my eyes are NOT dry rn. I love the Olympics. I love you. Goodnight