A female skier discovered a genius hack that allowed her to participate in the Winter Olympics despite being a complete beginner. Elizabeth Swaney, a Hungarian skier of American origin, faced criticism for her lack of tricks during the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. Although she failed to impress the public and Olympics officials with her performance in the ski halfpipe run, she managed to meet the top-30 requirement by participating in competitions with fewer than 30 athletes, ensuring she achieved the necessary 13 finishes.
The Motive
The Winter Olympics in question took place from the 9th to the 25th of February, 2018, in the host country of South Korea. After her performance, Elizabeth Swaney’s TikTok videos went viral, turning her into an overnight social media sensation. Now, she aims to inspire the next generation and make her presence felt in the competition. Swaney expressed her desire to encourage others to engage in freestyle skiing, emphasizing that it’s possible to participate in the sport regardless of one’s background.
Success
Swaney had an opportunity to secure a 13th-place finish out of 15 competitors. That was made possible because several top athletes chose to compete in other significant events, such as the Dew Tour at Breckenridge and the Grand Prix at Copper Mountain. Swaney focused on avoiding crashes and completing her runs to accumulate enough finishes to qualify for the Olympics.
The Response
In response to Swaney’s participation, FIS Ski Halfpipe judge Steele Spence announced that there would be modifications to the qualification process to raise the standards for participating athletes in future Winter Olympics. Spence highlighted the relatively shallow field in women’s pipe events and mentioned Swaney’s consistent participation in World Cup events with a limited number of competitors. The authorities will consider several changes in World Cup quotas and qualification criteria to ensure athletes qualify through a more rigorous system. The Italian cities of Cortina and Milan will co-host the upcoming Winter Olympics in February 2026.
9-Year-Old Boy Graduates From High School and Pursues Astrophysics
While most nine-year-old kids struggle to balance their elementary school homework and playtime shenanigans, there’s one boy from Pennsylvania who achieved his high-school diploma at that age. David Balogun graduated from Harrisburg-based Reach Cyber Charter School after taking online classes. This achievement has made this boy prodigy one of the youngest students in the country to graduate from high school.
The Child Prodigy
David Balogun started high school in early 2020. He continued his studies virtually for three years and ended up graduating with a 4.0 GPA. As his science teacher, Cody Derr told the media, David had been an “inspirational kid,” who could make a teacher change their way of thinking about traditional teaching. Alongside several hobbies, like martial arts, playing piano, etc., David is hugely passionate about science, especially computer programming. After graduating from high school, the prodigious kid has already set his future career aspirations to become a professional astrophysicist. As David informed local media outlets, his subjects of interest are studying supernovas and black holes.
Future Options
David is already on his way to pursue his passion! The genius boy has already joined Bucks County Community College and completed an online semester. His parents are now weighing college options for him. However, as he’s just a nine-year-old child, so they’re hesitant to send David somewhere too far. According to his dad Henry Balogun and mom Ronya Balogun, it’s already difficult for little David to focus on the usual adult things in his study and related work. But, they still believe in David and so, are eyeing prestigious Ivy League institutions like the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and of course, Harvard University. Options fit for a genius, indeed!