We Do This: 12 Black Winter Olympians Who Made History

The Winter Olympic games bring together athletes from around the globe to a central competition, showcasing talent on ice, in frigid temps, and in sports we often may forget about. That hasn't stopped Black athletes from making history, breaking and setting records at the Winter Olympics.

Here are 12 Black Olympians who've made history at the Winter Games.

Debi Thomas
This New York native kicks off our list because of her 1988 feat of winning a bronze medal in figure skating –– becoming the very first Black athletes to earn a medal at the Winter Games. Thomas, did this while a student at Stanford University. To this day, Thomas remains the only Black woman to make it to the podium in figure skating.

Vonetta Flowers
In 2002, Flowers became the first Black athlete to win a gold medal at the Winter Games after placing first place in the two-woman bobsled event, alongside her teammate Jill Bakken.

Shani Davis
Team USA speed skater Shani Davis broke barriers at the 2006 Winter Games, becoming the first Black athlete to win a gold medal in an individual competition.

Jarome Iginla

Representing Team Canada in 2002, Iginla became the second Black athlete to win gold at the Winter Olympics, scoring big for the country's ice hockey team.

Elana Meyers Taylor
This Oceanside, California native made Winter Olympic history at the 2010 and 2014 games becoming the first-ever American athlete to win a medal as a brakeman and driver in the bobsled event. Meyers Taylor won bronze and silver, respectively.

She's currently in Beijing hoping to be cleared to compete at this year's games after testing positive for Covid-19.

Lauryn Williams
This Pennsylvania native reached an impressive feat in 2014, officially becoming the first woman ever to win a medal at the Summer and Winter Olympics. In 2004 and 2012, Williams medaled in track and field, representing the US as a sprinter. In 2014, she clutched the silver alongside Meyers Thomas in the two-woman bobsled event.

Jordan Greenway

Greenway made history as the first Black person to represent the U.S. Hockey Team when he competed at the 2018 Olympics. After being drafted by the National Hockey League as an ice hockey forward for the Minnesota Wild, he received many accolades, including being a gold medalist during the 2014, 2015, and 2017 world championships.

Maame Biney

In 2018, the Accra, Ghana born athlete became the youngest athlete and first Black woman to make the Olympic short track speed skating team. She's also only the second athlete born in Africa to represent the U.S. for the Winter Olympics. 

Sabrina Simander

In 2018, at just 19-years old, Simander became the first female and alpine skier to compete for Kenya at the Winter Olympics. She was the only athlete representing the country that year.

Akwasi Frimpong

The Ghanaian athlete was the first to represent his country in Skeleton. Frimpong is also the second Ghana's second athlete ever to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Simidele Adeagbo

Adeagbo became the first Nigerian and African woman to compete in skeleton in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The skeleton racer is also the first Nigerian and African Athlete to Win Gold in an International Bobsled Race. 

Erin Jackson

Jackson, the world's top-ranked woman in the 500m event for speedskating, is the the first Black woman to be on the U.S. long-track speedskating team. The 29-year old skate qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics after learning how to speedskate just four months prior to the games.

Catch the 2022 Olympic Games kicking off Friday, February 4th - February 20th.