How did haymitch win her Hunger Games?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!

Here's every known victor of the annual event at the center of the Hunger Games franchise. The deadly competition was put in place by the Capitol following the end of the First Rebellion as a way to punish the 12 districts that form Panem. Aside from the movie series, the Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins has filled in the blanks when it came to the history of Panem's winners.

Each year, a male and female tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 were chosen from each district to participate in an annual Hunger Games event. They would then be forced into an arena to fight to the death. The lone survivor would go on to become the victor, acquiring a yearly income from the Capitol as well as a special status. Of course, the most famous victor was Katniss Everdeen, the central figure of the Hunger Games series, and the inspiration between the Second Rebellion.

Though 75 Hunger Games took place, only 74 were completed. That said, Katniss' first games featured a special circumstance, meaning there were 74 total victors before the games came to an end. Let's take a look at the known winner and how they won their respective event.

Lucy Gray Baird

Years before District 12's Haymitch Abernathy won the games, 16-year-old Lucy Gray Baird took the honor as the victor in the 10th annual event. Lucy Gray was mentored by Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem, which was the focus of the prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The tribute hid for the duration of the games before poisoning the rest of the participators.

Mags Flanagan

The following year, another female tribute emerged as the winner. Mags Flanagan became the first victor from District 4, living off of nuts and her survival skills by creating fishhooks. She was also the first victor to move to Victor’s Village before serving as a mentor. During the 75th Hunger Games, Mags volunteered in place of Annie Cresta, but she passed away during the event from an acid fog.

Beetee & Wiress

Beetee and Wiress were two victors from District 3. Whereas Beetee won by building an electronic trap in the arena, Wiress' method of winning was unknown. Both former victors were chosen for the 75th Hunger Games where they aligned with Katniss. While both assisted with Katniss' survival in the Quarter Quell, Wiress died during the event.

Haymitch Abernathy

At the age of 16, Haymitch Abernathy was reaped into the Second Quarter Quell. He survived the event due to his various alliances and his skilled knife fighting. In the end, it came down to Haymitch and the District 1 female tribute, but the latter accidentally killed herself by throwing an ax that bounced off of the force field, killing her. As the only living victor from District 12, Haymitch served as the mentor to Katniss and Peeta.

Finnick Odair

Finnick Odair won the 65th Hunger Games when he was just 14-years-old, the youngest in history. As a male tribute from District 4, he was mentored by Mags. He was already skilled in fighting but the use of a trident in the arena led to his big win, as did the various gifts sent by sponsors. Like Mags, Finnick participated in the Third Quarter Quell and made an alliance with Katniss.

Johanna Mason

Johanna Mason, a tribute from District 7, won the 71st Hunger Games. She pretended to be weak so she wasn't viewed as a threat, but when the opportunity arose, Johanna attacked with fierce intensity. Being from the lumber district, she was skilled with ax-wielding. Johanna was reaped in the Third Quarter Quell since she was the only living female tribute from her district.

Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark

Wheres Peeta Mellark was reaped into the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen volunteered in place of her little sister. Both tributes from District 12 survived deep into the games before reuniting. Katniss had her archery skills while Peeta was skilled in camouflage. As the last two tributes, the pair made a suicide pact until the Gamemaker announced that they could share the victory. Katniss and Peeta returned as tributes in the Third Quarter Quell.

Other Known Hunger Games Winners

Woof (unknown games): District 8 male who hid during the entire event.

Seeder (unknown games): District 11 female who outlived opponents by going without food.

Porter Millicent Tripp (38th Hunger Games): District 5 female who won despite a serious spinal cord injury.

Chaff (45th Hunger Games): District 11 male that won with his brute power while fighting.

Brutus (unknown games): District 2 male career tribute.

Lyme (unknown games): District 2 female career tribute.

Blight (unknown games): District 7 male who used an axe to win his event.

Cecelia (unknown games): District 8 female that used intelligence and sword fighting.

Enobaria (62nd Hunger Games): District 2 female career tribute that had sharpened teeth to rip competitors' throats out.

Gloss (63rd Hunger Games): District 1 male career tribute that had knife-throwing skills.

Cashmere (64th Hunger Games): District 1 female career tribute who was also skilled in knife-throwing.

Augustus Baun (67th Hunger Games): District 1 male career tribute.

Annie Cresta (70th Hunger Games): District 4 female who won due to her swimming skills.

Next: Hunger Games: Every Major Difference Between The Movies & Books