Time - USA (2022-01-31)

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for the 2018 Olympics for the 2018 Olympics

in PyeongChang, where in PyeongChang, where

she fi nished 24th in she fi nished 24th in

the 500 m. She’s a safe the 500 m. She’s a safe

bet to do far better in bet to do far better in

Beijing.Beijing.

No matter how she No matter how she

fares, though, Jackson fares, though, Jackson

has set herself up for has set herself up for

a future off the ice. a future off the ice.

Jackson graduated Jackson graduated

cum laude from the cum laude from the

University of Florida, University of Florida,

with a B.S. in materials with a B.S. in materials

science and engineer-science and engineer-

ing. She also has an ing. She also has an

associate’s degree in associate’s degree in

computer science and computer science and

is pursuing another is pursuing another

associate’s degree, in associate’s degree, in

exercise science and exercise science and

kinesiology. kinesiology.

Jackson hopes to Jackson hopes to

inspire more people of inspire more people of

color to take up speed-color to take up speed-

skating ranks. “It’s just skating ranks. “It’s just

helpful to see someone helpful to see someone

like you doing some-like you doing some-

thing because then it’s thing because then it’s

like, Oh, maybe I can do like, Oh, maybe I can do

this too,” Jackson said this too,” Jackson said

at the U.S. Olympic and at the U.S. Olympic and

Paralympic Commit-Paralympic Commit-

tee media summit in tee media summit in

October. “Because if you October. “Because if you

look at the sport, there look at the sport, there

aren’t too many of us.” aren’t too many of us.”

In the spotlight of Bei-In the spotlight of Bei-

jing, Jackson could go a jing, Jackson could go a

long way toward helping long way toward helping

to change that. to change that.

——Sean GregorySean Gregory

Johannes

Hosfl ot Klaebo

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING,

NORWAY

Johannes Hosfl ot

Klaebo, the Norwegian

cross-country skiing

superstar, has been

calledcalled the Usain Bolt theUsain

ofof his sport. Indeed, he hissport.Ind

hashas said the Jamaican saidtheJam

sprinting legend

inspiresinspires him, and once him,and

jokinglyjokingly challenged challenged

him to a race. Like

Bolt, Klaebo, 25,

intimidates rivals

and competes with

swagger, celebrating

dominant wins before

he crosses the

fi nish line.

Klaebo’s success

is crucial for Norway,

his home country

of 5 million, which

has won more winter

medals than any other

nation, taking home

39 in 2018, including

14 golds. Klaebo won

three of them: in the

individual sprint, the

4 4 × 10-km relay and ×10-kmrelayand

the team sprint.the team sprint.eteamsprint.

NorwayNorway could could

bring home some bring home some omesome

45 medals this time 45 medals this time lsthistime

araround, according to around, according to rdingto

thethe predictive data the predictive data p ta

companycompany Gracenote.

IfIf so, Klaebo will be so,Klaebo

leadingleading the way. Since theway.Sin

PyeongChang, he has

won six more world-

championship medals.

His boyish looks and

outgoing personality

have earned him a

bit of a cult following;

headlines have

compared him to

Justin Bieber. “Ho ho

ho, Santa is excited for

Christmas tomorrow,”

he wrote on Insta gram

on Dec. 23, from a

bathtub in a Swiss

hotel; he sported a

beardbeard made out of beard made out of beard made out of madeout

suds. If anyone can suds. If anyone can

make cross-country make cross-country

skiingskiing must-see TV in skiing must-see TV in skiing must-see TV in must-seeTVin

Beijing, it’s Klaebo.

—S.G.

Ice dancing has long

toiled in the Olympic

shadow of fi gure skat-

ing, its more acrobatic

cousin. But the sport

is poised to be a head-

liner in Beijing, thanks

to a slate of incredibly

talented and highly

competitive teams that

fuse the elegance of

ballroom dance with

the athleticism of pairs

skating. The favorites

among them are

Gabriella Papadakis

and Guillaume Cizeron,

who won silver at

the 2018 Olympics.

Their free dance to

Moonlight Sonata i n

PyeongChang was a

master class in deep

edges, rich emotion

and perfect synchrony.

It wasn’t quite

enough to earn gold.

But Tessa Virtue

and Scott Moir, the

Canadian team that

beat them, have since

retired, and Moir is now

one of their coaches.

Like most of their

closest competitors in

Beijing, Papadakis and

Cizeron train at the Ice

Academy of Montreal,

which has become a

mecca for the world’s

most talented ice

dancers. Each counts

on the magic touch

of the academy’s co-

founders, the husband-

wife coaching team of

Marie-France Dubreuil

and Patrice Lauzon.

For Papadakis

and Cizeron, their

signature program

includes understated

yet powerful preci-

sion and a subtle

remastering of familiar

classics, epitomized

by both their Moonlight

Sonata free dance and

their dance for this

seasonseason —a haunting, —ahaunting

modernmodern version of a versionof

tangotango to a cello and toacelloa

pianopiano composition. composit

TheThe fusion of traditional The fusion of traditional fusionoft tional

andand contemporary and contemporary contempo y

isn’tisn’t jarring in their isn’t jarring in their jarringin ir

hands, owing to an

effortless harmony of

their skills that began

when they started

skating together a few

years after Papadakis

invited Cizeron to her

7th- birthday party in

Clermont- Ferrand,

France. At the time they

wewere coached by Papa-were coached by Papa-pa-

dakis’ mother, but as dakis’ mother, but as dakis’ mother, but as dakis’ mother, but as dakis’ mother, but as smother,but

theythey moved up the skat-they moved up the skat-moveduptheskat

ing ranks and gained

international success,

the pair moved to Mon-

treal in 2014.

As COVID-19 swept

the globe, the team

opted not to compete

last season, deciding

that traveling to events

and potentially being

quarantined would be

too disruptive to their

training schedule.

Then, each contracted

COVID-19 last summer.

But since their return to

the ice last fall, the duo

is undefeated leading

up to the Games, a up to the Games, a ptotheGames,a

streak they’re hoping to streak they’re hoping to akthey’rehopingto

kekeep against the world keep against the world againsttheworld

chachampions, Russia’s champions, Russia’s ions,Russia’s

VictVictoria Sinitsina and Victoria Sinitsina and Sinitsinaand

NikitNikita Katsalapov. Nikita Katsalapov. atsalapov.

—A.P.

Gabriella Papadakis

and Guillaume Cizeron

ICE DANCING, FRANCE

closest competitors in

Beijing, Papadakis and

Cizeron train at the Ice

Academy of Montreal,

dancers. Each counts

founders, the husband-

wife coaching team of

G E T T Y I M A G E S ( 5 )G E T T Y I M A G E S ( 5 )

Johannes

HHosfl ot Kosfl ot Klaebolaebo

GGabriella Papadakis abriella Papadakis

and Gand Guillaumuillaume Cizeron e Cizeron