Olympian families in Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics

“I trained with my coach, targeting to enter the competition. I feel like all of my efforts have paid off,” said Alexandra Oberstholz (age 17, Italy), who won a gold medal in the women's luge double and team relay and a silver medal in the women's single at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games. The Italian women's national team is led by coach Christian Oberstholz (age 47). Their last names are the same because they are father and daughter.

“When I first decided to become a luge player, my mom and dad were against it. Interestingly, both of my grandparents were against my mother and father playing luge. But in the end, they met because of luge,” she laughed.

Italian national team player Manuel Weissensteiner (16), who won two gold medals in the men's luge event and the team competition, is also a ‘second-generation sledder.’ His mother, Zelda (55), is the first Italian athlete to win Olympic medals in two sports. She won a gold medal in luge at the 1994 Lillehammer Games and a bronze medal in bobsleigh at the 2006 Turin Games.

Maya Voigt (age 17, Denmark), who won the gold medal in women's bobsleigh Monobob (single-person), also pursues her father’s dream. “My daughter is fast. She takes after me,” smiled Peter, Maya’s father (age 50). Peter had been a track and field athlete and bobsledder but never made it to the Olympics. Maya, who won all first to sixth competitions of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) Youth Series this season, boasts excellence in this competition, taking first place in all eight practice runs and the 1st and 2nd rounds of the finals.

Jakob (18) and Katrine Schmidt (16, Denmark), brother and sister players in curling, also continue the family tradition of winning Olympic medals. Their father, Danish national team coach Ulrich Schmidt (62), competed in the Olympics twice, and their mother, Lisa Richardson (58), competed in the Olympics once but failed to win medals. The Schmidts, who won a bronze medal at last year's Under-21 World Championships, are considered strong candidates for the competition.

Romy Ertl (age 17, Germany, photo) competes in alpine skiing and is also a ‘second-generation rising star.’ Her mother, Martina (51), participated in the Olympics five times and won three medals (two silver and one bronze) in alpine skiing. Romy won her first individual medal (bronze) in the competition in the women's alpine skiing super combined.

Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com