Young European stars are set to shine as the world’s best young winter athletes head to Gangwon for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) between 19 January and 1 February.
European National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have a long history of taking home medals at Olympic Winter Games and Winter YOGs, and athletes from 44 NOCs across the continent have travelled to South Korea.
The delegations include eight gold medallists from the last edition of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival in Fruili Venezia Giulia last January, including three multi-gold medallists.
Dominic Major won three gold medals in Italy in the short track speed skating, coming home first in the 1500m, 1000m and mixed-team relay events, while fellow Hungarian Dora Zigeti also took home two gold medals in January 2023, one as part of the same mixed-team relay team as Major and one in the girls’ 1000m event. Both will be aiming for world glory to go alongside their European success.
Polish star Hanna Mazur was also successful on the ice, winning the girls’ 1500m short track as well as two silver and one bronze medal, and will race against Zigeti in Gangwon.
It is not only in short track where Europeans are aiming for success over the coming days.
Finnish stars Iida Karhuner and Lina Haggstrom both won gold at last year’s EYOF and will be hoping to replicate their performances. Karhuner finished first in the figure skating, while Haggstrom won the freestyle skiing slopestyle and big air disciplines with stunning displays in the mountains.
French snowboarder Romian Allemand will look to build on his eye-catching success in the big air final at Fruili Venezia Giulia, while Czechia’s Lukas Dolezal will aim for more glory after winning gold in the Nordic Combined individual 6km cross country skiing and Mika Oserban from Slovenia will do the same in the boys’ giant slalom.
In total, more than 1,802 athletes from 78 NOCs across the world are competing in Gangwon in 15 different disciplines, and fans are able to keep up-to-date with the latest European results via the EOC and Winter EYOF social pages, as well as through the QR codes posted below.
EYOF gold medalists competing at Gangwon 2024
Dominic Major (Hungary) – Speed Skating
Dora Zigeti (Hungary) – Speed Skating
Hanna Mazur (Poland) – Speed Skating
Iida Karhuner (Finland) – Figure Skating
Lina Haggstrom (Finland) – Freestyle Skiing
Lukas Dolezal (Czechia) – Nordic Combined
Mika Oserban (Slovenia) – Alpine Skiing
Romian Allemand (French) –Freestyle Snowboarding
Photo Credit: [Olympic Information Service](https://oisphotos.com/groupitem/10149/)
