
Japan
Japanese snowboarding phenom Ayumu Hirano might be small in stature, but he more than makes up for it in the superpipe. The soft-spoken Hirano got his first taste of stardom at 14 where he medaled in the Winter X Games, boasting amplitude that a number of athletes many years his senior couldn't match. Not known for flashy post-run celebrations or being outspoken, Ayumu prefers to let his explosive snowboarding speak for itself, and it does.