Photo: ISSEI KATO/Corbis. With just a couple of more days until the start of the 2014 Winter Olympic games, there's already a media swirl surrounding the top contenders to take home the gold. And, for one figure skater bearing the same last name as the sparkling first-place medal, the pressure is on to become the next big "ice princess" in the rink. Eighteen-year-old Gracie Gold certainly has the looks, talent, and charm to fill the skates of legends like Kristi Yamaguchi and Sarah Hughes. But, she still has to beat out some pretty stiff competition: Olympic champion Kim Yu-na of Korea, two-time world champion Mao Asada, and Russia's Julia Lipnitskaia.
USA Today reported that the day after Gold's victory at nationals (which landed her a spot in the Olympics), her name was the nation's seventh most searched term, according to Google trends. That's saying a lot considering it was only the Golden Globes and some associated stars who beat her out.
Known as a natural jumper and extreme perfectionist, Gold credits her coach Frank Carroll for teaching her to relax a bit, as to not hinder her success. "It will always be an aspect of my personality," Gold told USA Today. "It's been there since I was little. Baking cookies was equally traumatic if they didn't look like the picture in the cookbook." We don't know about you, but we can't wait to see what she has cooked up for the Games. Here's to hoping Gold will become the next ice princess like her idol Michelle Kwan. (USA Today)