With the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics under way, there's two YBF Olympians who caught our eye: Shani Davis & Maé Bérénice Méité. Meet them inside...
Because we love a fresh face arond these parts, we've got two new YBF folks you should totally be keeping an eye on during the Winter Olympics. It may give you a reason to watch in between all the snow boarding and bobsledding.
Raised on the Southside of Chicago, speed skater Shani Davis perfected his "speed" by running from the tough kids growing up. The 31-year-old is a two-time Olympic gold medalist...and keeps it sexy in those tights. If that's your thing. Here are a few fun facts:
+ In Turin, Italy in 2006, Davis became the first black athlete from any nation to win a gold medal in an individual sport at the Olympic Winter Games.
+ His guilty pleasure is pizza. He told Wayne Drehs from ESPN, "Man, I’m a Chicagoan. Chicago pizza. The best pizza is from Chicago; it’s the best in the world.”
+ Shani (which is Swahili), in English translates loosely to a combination of “light” and “weight”.
+ It is "alleged" that Frozone, a superhero from The Incredibles, is based off Shani Davis.
And she may not be on TEAM USA, but she's fab nonetheless:
French figure skater Maé Bérénice Méité is the 2011 Ondrej Nepela Memorial champion, 2013 Challenge Cup silver medalist, and the 2014 French national champion. In addition to the skating rink, she also knows her way around the boxing ring (see below). This 19-year-old is one of very few prominent black female figure skaters (fellow black figure skater Vanessa James is also on Team France). And she's damn good. Here are a few fun facts.
+ She is an only child and is also fluent in English and Spanish.
+ She plays the violin.
+ At the age of five, her first international event was the 2007 Cup of Nice, and in addition to her singles skating, she participates in Theatre on Ice with her skating club.
Who's watching?!
Photos via Shani's Twitter/Mae's Twitter
