Can you imagine having the hopes and expectations of an entire nation weighing on your shoulders? Having a constant worry of being inept, or inexperienced? Experiencing an ever-present fear of failing and letting your country down?

Welcome to the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, where intense competition and fierce camaraderie are omnipresent in every sport.

Ice hockey, speed skating, short track, figure skating, curling, biathlon, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, nordic combined, alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding are only a few of the many sports in the Winter Olympics, which came to a brilliant and colorful conclusion on February 23 during the closing ceremonies.

Some may wonder how anyone can choose to dedicate his/her entire life to such a stressful and dangerous lifestyle and career. In order to truly commit to a sport, one must have a driving passion and love for the sport itself. Such passion is what makes athletes –at both the Winter and Summer games– risk it all. One of these athletes is Kerri Walsh, a three-time beach volleyball Olympic gold medalist. Walsh believes, “Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning. It makes you willing to jump through hoops, go through all the ups and downs, and everything in between to reach your goal.”

In the Sochi games, the passion Walsh speaks of was on display every day, and in every sport by some of the games’ youngest athletes.

Gianina Ernst, a 15-year-old German ski jumper, was the youngest athlete at the Winter Olympic Games. However, in an interview conducted by Olympic.org, the official website of the Olympic Movement, the young athlete claims, “I do not really feel that I am the youngest, as everybody is treating me the same as the other athletes, which is good.” Starting the sport at the age of eight, she earned her first success at the age of 12 by winning the Swiss Championships. After coming in second at the 2013 Lillehammer World Cup, the best a female German ski jumper has ever done, she qualified for Sochi. Ernst, excited about qualifying, eagerly said, “Just by participating here I have already accomplished a big objective. A dream came true.”

Fifteen-year-old Russian figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya won gold in team figure skating early in the Olympics. However, her youth showed in later performances when she fell, causing her to land in fifth place in the individual competition. Though it was a major setback, the young figure skater picked herself back up, saying, in subsequent media questioning by a Russian news channel, “I will fight tomorrow.” Nevertheless, her performance on February 9^th in the games was hailed as the best and was crucial to claiming the first gold medal for Russia. Lipnitskaya started skating at age four and holds the title of Master of Sport of International Class in Russia.

Ayumu Hirano, a 15-year-old Japanese snowboarder, won the silver medal in the men’s halfpipe. Trying the sport at age four, Hirano immediately excelled. In 2013, Hirano became the youngest winner of the overall halfpipe competition at the World Snowboard Tour. By claiming the silver in Sochi, he became the youngest medal winner in a snow event. When interviewed by Yahoo! News correspondent Eddie Pells, Hirano commented on his brilliant performance saying, “I did everything that was possible with my technical abilities. I watched different competitions. I knew what I had to do.”

However, the Winter Olympics are not over yet because afterwards comes the Paralympics, which are games for the disabled. Sports in these games include ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and alpine skiing. Though they occur over a shorter time period and include fewer sports, athletes in the Winter Paralympics share the same passion as all other Olympians.

Ben Tudhope, a 14-year-old Australian snowboarder, was born with cerebral palsy hemiplegia. However, that didn’t stop him from achieving his dreams. Tudhope started snowboarding in 2009 at the age of 10. Four years later, he successfully competed in the 2013 European Cup, which qualified him for the Australian Paralympic Team. By competing for Australia in the Paralympic Games, he became the country’s youngest winter Paralympian. However, not satisfied with simply appearing in the Paralympics, Tudhope is aiming for a medal in Pyeongchang in 2018. “South Korea will be awesome,” Tudhope said, in an interview by Yahoo! News reporter Rob Harris, “Hopefully I get even better, stronger and bigger. Hopefully I have a lot more games in me.”

It is truly remarkable what all these young athletes accomplished in Sochi. Their success is proof that dreams have no age limit and that passion and commitment come early for some athletes. The determined drive to make it, to win it, to do it, lives in everyone. Whether one has talent in the sports field is not important. What is important is realizing one’s own immense capabilities. When that happens, anyone can win gold.