Get to Know Team USA's Finest 2018 Winter Olympic's

Team USA is ready to take home the gold during the 2018 Winter Olympics — and we don't doubt they'll succeed with this lineup of athletes! Thanks to a mixture of seasoned stars (we're looking at you, Gus Kenworthy) and new recruits, it's going to be one wild ride.

Most of the standout stars at this year's Games happen to be rookies — and have incredibly inspiring backstories. Get to know the newbie speed skater, who only took up the sport four months ago, the teenage snowboarder, who also qualified for the 2014 Sochi Olympics but was too young to compete, and more of Team USA's finest!

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Chloe Kim: The Teenage Phenom

Snowboarder Chloe Kim is expected to dominate at the Winter Games, but the four-time Winter X Games gold medalist admits that she’s nervous! “I’m shaking, my heart is pounding out of my chest,” says Chloe, confessing that she finds herself “freaking out” before competitions. “But once I get moving, I feel fine and I feel relaxed.”

Chloe, who’s from Torrance, Calif., has no reason to have jitters: Despite being just 17, this is the second time she’s qualified for the Olympics. (Chloe also made the cut in 2014 but wasn’t old enough to compete.) “I feel like now is a cool time for me. My first Olympics are going to be in [South] Korea, where my parents are from. A lot of my relatives over there have never really seen me compete before,” says Chloe, who feels that given her heritage, she can “represent” both Korea and the U.S. “It’s really exciting."

Nathan Chen: The Dream Chaser

Hard work pays off — just ask Nathan Chen. "I've worked my entire life for this," says the 18-year-old figure skater, who is being dubbed America’s best bet for a gold medal in the sport when the 2018 Winter Olympics kick off on Feb. 8 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “I’ve skated every single day since [I was a toddler]. My biggest goal is to be on that podium for the Olympics.”

Kristi Yamaguchi, 46, the 1992 Olympic gold medalist, is confident he can do it. “Nathan’s a phenomenal young man — just amazing. Not only has he pushed the boundaries of men’s figure skating, consistently landing five quads in one routine, he’s just a really great person off the ice, as well,” she tells In Touch exclusively, while also sharing some advice for the Salt Lake City native. "I would just say, 'Enjoy [your first Olympics because] it's such a special honor to be there.'"

Gus Kenworthy: The Animal Lover

Gus Kenworthy is a favorite to win gold in freestyle skiing. But before Pyeongchang, the Telluride, Colo., native was best known for rescuing a family of stray dogs at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia! “They’re amazing,” says Gus, 26, who credits pups Mishka and Jake and their mother, Mamushka, for being the calming influence he needed to win a silver medal.

He brought them home after the games and gave Mamushka to his parents. But when the athlete called it quits with his live-in boyfriend, Robin Macdonald, they opted to let the pups live with Robin in Vancouver, Canada, because Gus often travels for competitions. “I miss them,” says Gus, adding that he wouldn’t have wanted to separate the siblings. “They are always together. The cutest two peas in a pod.”

Erin Jackson: The Newcomer

After taking up speedskating a mere four months ago, Erin Jackson, 25, didn’t just surprise America when she qualified for the 2018 Games — she surprised herself! “I [came] into the Olympic trials this year just hoping to get some experience and kind of see where I am. I really wasn’t expecting any of this,” says the Ocala, Fla., resident, who was a competitive inline skater for 15 years.

“It was definitely a goal of mine to be on Team USA; I just didn’t see it happening this quickly!” But making the team isn’t her only accomplishment: Erin is the first African-American woman to make Team USA’s long-track speedskating team.

Adam Rippon: The Pioneer

Figure skater Adam Rippon has already made history: He’s the first openly gay U.S. male athlete to ever qualify for the Winter Olympics.

“I remember when I told my mom that I wanted to come out, [she] was a little hesitant. She was saying, ‘Do you think that might affect your scores?’ And I told her, ‘I don’t care. It’s important to me,’” says the LA resident, who, at 28, is the oldest U.S. Olympic figure skating rookie since 1936. “I want to show that you can be successful and an out athlete and it doesn’t matter.”