For the first time, TIME Magazine released its first ‘100 Most Influential People in Sports‘ list, recognizing the coaches, athletes, investors, and advocates that have shaped the landscape of sports. The inaugural list featured dozens of sports legends, such as Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, and Alex Honnold. Among them were some of the biggest names in snow sports, displaying the growing influence of skiing and snowboarding beyond the mountains.
TIME Magazine recognized these snow sports athletes for their actions on and off the snow.
Eileen Gu
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu has become one of the most recognizable names in all of sports. A student at Stanford University, a runway model, and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, Gu has helped shape the world of sports, showing that athletes can be more than just athletes.
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At age 15, Gu decided she would represent China in competition (Gu’s mother is from China). The decision was met by polarizing opinions, with many viewing her choice as disloyal. In an interview before the 2026 Olympics, United States Vice President J.D. Vance said he had hoped American-born athletes would “want to compete in the United States.” Gu’s response? “I’m flattered. Thanks, J.D.”
Gu has been competing for China in the hopes that she can influence women and girls in China to take up winter sports. And it is happening. Since 2015, 346 million Chinese people have taken part in winter sports.
Gu’s on-snow achievements are remarkable. The world’s most decorated freestyle skier, Gu has six total Olympic medals, and is the only action-sports athlete to win three medals apiece at two Olympics. In addition, Gu holds three X Games gold medals and two World Championship gold medals.
Mikaela Shiffrin
At the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin showed the world why she is the winningest skier of all time. Shiffrin left the 2022 Olympics without a medal and entered the 2026 Games desperate for a podium finish. She would end up placing 11th in giant slalom, and a subpar performance in the team combined left her narrowly missing a medal. It felt like the pressure was too much.
But on her last race of the Games, she rose to the occasion. Shiffrin won gold in the women’s slalom event by a margin of 1.5 seconds — the largest margin of victory in any Olympic alpine skiing event since 1998. She celebrated the victory with her mother and longtime coach, Eileen. It was her first Olympic gold since losing her father, Jeff, in an accident in 2020.
Shiffrin finished off her 2026 season by winning her sixth Crystal Globe, awarded to the world’s best all-around alpine skier.
Oksana Masters
Oksana Masters was born in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine, in 1989, three years after the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. Congenital defects linked to radiation left Masters with several birth defects, such as different leg lengths, missing shin bones in her calves, and webbed fingers with no thumbs. She moved from orphanage to orphanage, where she was physically and emotionally abused. At age 7, Oksana was adopted by an American single mother and moved to the United States. She later had both legs amputated.
Oksana began adaptive rowing in 2002, later setting world records in the sport. At the 2002 Paralympics in Paris, Oksana won bronze in trunk and arms mixed double sculls, America’s first medal in the event. A back injury would force Oksana to give up rowing. Not one to give up, she turned her attention to new sports.
Oksana would begin training in cross-country skiing and cycling, winning her first Olympic gold at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in the cross-country skiing women’s 1.5 km classic sprint race. She won a total of five medals at the 2018 Games; three in cross-country and two in biathlon. Her first cycling Paralympic gold came in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
In the lead-up to the 2026 Paralympics, Masters dealt with hand surgery, a concussion, and a bone infection, but they did not slow her down. Masters won three gold medals in cross country, another gold in biathlon, and a bronze in cross country. With 14 Paralympic gold medals and 25 total Paralympic medals, Masters is one of the most decorated Paralympians, and her success despite her backstory has made her one of sport’s most influential and inspirational figures.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo
At the 2026 Olympics, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo competed in six events. He took gold in all six, setting a record for gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Klæbo is the only Winter Olympian with double-digit gold medals, with 11 total. Michael Phelps is the only other Olympian with double-digit golds, holding 23.
To go along with his Olympic golds, Klæbo holds 15 World Championship gold medals.
Lindsey Vonn
Lindsey Vonn’s skiing journey did not begin at extravagant mountains. It began at humble Midwestern resorts like Buck Hill near Saint Paul, Minn., where she was born. Her childhood was filled with trips to larger mountains, where her family realized Vonn possessed unique talent on skis. Her family then moved to Colorado, where Vonn trained with Ski Club Vail.
After two medal-less Olympic Games, Vonn found her footing in competitive skiing, winning three consecutive overall World Cup titles between 2008 and 2010. At the 2010 Olympics in Whistler, B.C., Vonn won her first Olympic medal, a gold in downhill, becoming the first American woman in history to win the event.
The story of Vonn’s career comes with her resilience in the face of adversity. She has faced numerous career-threatening injuries and grueling recoveries, the most famous of which came in 2026.
At a race leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympics, Vonn tore her ACL in her left knee. The world wrote her off, thinking her Olympic journey was over. Despite the injury, the 41-year-old decided she would race, with the world admiring her ambition and determination to win.
However, 13 seconds into her run, Vonn crashed into a gate. Her left leg was shattered and her right ankle broken. Audiences around the world could hear her screams of pain on TV broadcasts. She faced a risk of leg amputation and has undergone five surgeries as a result. Nonetheless, since the crash, Vonn has kept her spirits up, even walking up the stairs at the 2026 Met Gala.
As Vonn continues to rehab, she has not shut the door on another comeback.
Jessie Diggins
Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins’ on-snow achievements are nothing short of spectacular: four Olympic medals with a gold, and seven World Championship medals with two golds. Her success has made her the most decorated cross-country skier in U.S. history. Her accomplishments off the snow are just as significant.
Diggins has used her status to raise awareness surrounding eating disorders, which Diggins has battled herself. She became a spokesperson for the Emily Program, designed to provide treatment for people suffering from conditions like anorexia, bulimia, BED, ARFID, OSFED, and co-occurring conditions. Through the Emily Program, Diggins has been able to share her story while helping people seek treatment so “they can find a healthy life for themselves. ”
Diggins is also a board member for Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit climate advocacy organization designed to mobilize the winter sports community to fight climate change.
