ATLANTA — It's no easy feat making it to the Olympics. It takes hard work, dedication, luck, and hours upon hours of practice.
Reaching that goal once is something most athletes across the world can only dream of - but to do it two, three, even four times in one's life is truly something special.
This year, four athletes on Team USA are taking things a step further, competing in their now-fifth Winter Olympics.
Those include curler John Shuster, skeleton slider Katie Uhlaender, and snowboarders Shaun White and Lindsey Jacobellis.
White in particular has announced that Beijing will be his final Olympics, telling ESPN: "I got pretty excited about the idea of finishing my Olympic career where I started it [in Italy in 2006]. But through this process, I realized I don't think I can do another four years, mentally or physically. This is going to be my last go."
The famed snowboarder is widely considered one of the top athletes in sport and has won three previous gold medals. He made his Olympic debut back in 2006 at the Turin Winter Games and had hoped to bring his career full circle when the Olympics return to Italy in 2026.
With that plan now abandoned, White is pushing to make sure Beijing is where he can grab hold of a fourth gold before winding down his impressive career.
In the meantime, fellow snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis already has snatched herself a gold medal during this year's games, the first for Team USA.
According to the Associated Press, the 36-year-old racer from Connecticut was best known prior to Beijing for taking a massive lead in the final jump at the 2006 Turin Games. However, she unfortunately rode over the crest and fell, placing her in silver.
She had not won another Olympic medal since, but broke that streak in spectacular fashion in Beijing.
Curling star John Shuster has won two medals in his Olympic career: one gold and one bronze.
The men's US curling team recently competed and beat Russia in a nail-biter on Wednesday. Ultimately it would be Shuster's final throw of the match that would seal the deal.
While skeleton slider Katie Uhlaender hasn't won any medals, he career has nonetheless been impressive, with multiple World Championship medal wins.
She's also the first American woman from any sliding sport to make five Olympic teams, according to the Associated Press. What makes that accomplishment even more astounding is the fact there have only ever been six US Olympic women’s skeleton teams.
According to the Team USA website, Uhlaender began competing in skeleton back in 2004. After he sliding career, she hopes to become a producer or write to "combine her writing and photographic skills in a creative way."