The 2018 Winter Olympics have begun in freezing Pyeongchang County, South Korea where temperatures have been reaching negative 30 degrees with harsh cold winds.

The United States has been facing some tremendous competition from bobsled to the biathlon and everything in between.

More specifically in figure skating, a married couple from the United States have been a fan favorite. Chris Knierim and Alexa Knierim began their journey together in 2012 when they began skating as a team. They are extremely fierce competitors and are two-time national champions.

Their lifestyle was put on hold when Alexa became very ill. She was constantly vomiting, had no appetite and lost a significant amount of weight, weighing only 80 pounds at five feet two inches.

Doctors could not determine why she was so sick, but in the summer of 2016 she was diagnosed with a rare and fatal gastrointestinal illness and she had three different surgeries.

The young couple had a long road ahead of them to get back to where they had started and proceed on with their goals and dreams. This year they were able to return and compete harder than they ever had before.

On February 11th, they placed fourth in the team freestyle skate making a few crucial mistakes. The pair will continue to try and make a miraculous comeback, with hopes of returning to the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Beijing, China.