Marvel Artist Designs NFTs Based On Beijing Athlete
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Marvel Artist Designs NFTs Based On Beijing Athlete
As athletes return home from Beijing, ten of the greatest are being celebrated in a new NFT collection called Heroletes, a series of digital trading cards featuring ten competitors in figure and speed skating, luge, curling, skiing, and snowboarding, including 2022 medalists Lindsey Jacobellis, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Hilary Knight, and Joey Mantia.
Created in partnership with the athletes themselves and designed by former senior Marvel Studio visual artist Anthony Francisco, Heroletes digital collectibles reimagine superhuman athleticism as heroic comic book characters. "All of these amazing athletes are already heroes to so many, and me and my team had a blast reimagining them as comic book superheroes," Francisco said. "Their talent, strength and athletic prowess serves as an inspiration to the world, and they were all very enthusiastic collaborators creating these digital trading cards."
In addition to digital collectibles, NFT fans have the opportunity to enter sweepstakes for exclusive in-person experiences, including a once-in-a-lifetime instruction on how to ride a luge with Chris Mazdzer, learning to curl with John Shuster, an autographed pair of ice hockey skates from Kendal Coyne Schofield, and more. By collecting a full set of 16 collectibles from any one athlete, fans are entered to win one of five Grand Prizes.
Winter Sports Champions included in this collection are (alphabetically):
• KENDALL COYNE SCHOFIELD - American ice hockey player and Team USA Captain. Born and raised in Illinois, Coyne Schofield is a three-time Winter Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist [2014 Silver in Sochi, 2018 Gold in PyeongChang, 2022 Silver in Beijing], six-time International Ice Hockey Federation World Champion, and became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition in 2019.
• RED GERARD - American snowboarder born in Westlake, OH and raised in Silverthorn, CO. After learning to snowboard at the age of two, he began competing at the amateur level within ten years, and at the professional level five years after that. Gerard claimed the title of youngest male Olympic snowboarding champion and secured a medal in slopestyle at his first Winter Games [2018 Gold in PyeongChang]. Additional early career highlights of Gerard's include competition at the 2015 FIS Junior World Championship, First Place at the 2017 FIS World Cup Standings, First Place at the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championship in 2019, and First Place in the 2020 & 2022 Dew Tour on Copper Mountain. A seven-time X Games Competitor, he earned a Bronze medal at the 2020 X Games in Aspen and returned to the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.
• LINDSEY JACOBELLIS - American snowboarder born in Danbury, CT and raised in Stratton Mountain, VT. A 20-year Team USA member, Jacobellis is a five-time Winter Olympian, a two-time Olympic medalist [2006 Silver in Torino, 2022 Gold in Beijing], 31-time World Cup Gold medalist, ten-time X Games Gold medalist, and six-time World Champion. She is the author of a new children's book, an NASM-certified personal trainer, and mentors young athletes.
• GUS KENWORTHY - British-American freestyle skier born in Chelmsford, Essex, UK and raised in Telluride, CO. He focuses on slopestyle and halfpipe events and has competed in 31 X Games, three World Championships, and is a three-time Winter Olympian and an Olympic medalist [2014 Silver in Sochi]. As the first action sports athlete to publicly come out in 2015, Kenworthy helped change the landscape of sports and now advocates for the LGBTQ community.
• NANCY KERRIGAN - American figure skater and Massachusetts native, represented the United States at the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympic Games. She is a two-time Olympic medalist [Bronze in Albertville and Silver in Lillehammer], world medalist, US National Champion, and member of the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame. Kerrigan began skating at an early age at a rink down the street from her home in Stoneham, MA, and eventually became one of the sport's most prodigious performers, appearing in ice shows including Champions on Ice, Halloween on Ice, Disney's Dreams on Ice, and a Salute to the Golden Age of American Skating. She has also appeared off the ice in movies and television shows including Blades of Glory and Dancing with the Stars. Kerrigan, the mother of three, has been an active supporter of the vision-impaired in honour of her blind mother.
• HILARY KNIGHT - American ice hockey player with active roster status on Team USA. Born in Palo Alto, CA, Knight is a recent MBA graduate and currently resides in Sun Valley, ID. She began playing hockey at five years old and is now a five-time Winter Olympian and four-time Olympic medalist [2010 Silver in Vancouver, 2014 Silver in Sochi, 2018 Gold in PyeongChang, 2022 Silver in Beijing], as well as an eight-time Women's World Champion. An outspoken advocate for gender equality, Knight is changing the landscape for women in sport. She holds the record for the most goals scored all-time at the Women's World Championships and leads the Americans with 79 points all-time in the tournament.
• JOEY MANTIA - American speed skater born and raised in Ocala, FL. Through his career in inline speed skating, Mantia is a 15-time World Cup Gold medalist, 28-time World Champion, three-time Pan American Games Champion, 12-time Junior World Champion, and has over 90 national titles. He is now a now a three-time Winter Olympian, winning Bronze in Beijing in 2022.
• CHRIS MAZDZER - American luger and active roster member of Team USA. Born in Massachusetts and raised in Salt Lake City, NY, Mazdzer started luge at eight years old. He is a nine-year World Championship participant, a ten-time World Cup medalist [securing Gold four times], and an eight-time Norton National Champion. With four Winter Olympic showings, Mazdzer made history by becoming the first American athlete to win a medal in the Men's Single Luge event [2018 Silver in PyeongChang].
• TINA MAZE - Slovenian Alpine skier who began to ski at three years old. After her 1999 World Cup debut at the age of 15, she went on to become a four-time Olympic medalist [2010 Silver (2) in Vancouver, 2014 Gold (2) in Sochi] with four world titles to her name. Maze announced that she would take the year off from competitive skiing following the 2014-15 season and appeared in one more World Cup competition in January of 2017 - the same competition and location where she had made her World Cup debut - then retired. As of today, Tina still holds the world record of points scored in one World Cup season for men and women combined with a total of 2414 points.
• JOHN SHUSTER - American curler born and raised in Chisholm, MN, residing now in Superior, WI. An eight-time U.S. National Champion, he has participated in nine World Curling Championships and five Winter Olympic games to become a two-time Olympic medalist [2006 Bronze in Torino, 2018 Gold in PyeongChang] and a flagbearer for the United States in 2022 in Beijing.
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