The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have come and gone, and with this, the tally is in. The United States has finished fourth in gold medals, taking home eight.
Norway dominated the event, with sixteen gold, eight silver and thirteen bronze medals. Germany came in at second, with twelve gold, ten silver and five bronze medals. They were followed by China, who overtook the U.S. in the final week, with nine gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
The United States finished in fourth, actually tied with Sweden and The Netherlands with eight gold medals, but won the tiebreaker with more silver and bronze medals — the U.S. had ten silver and seven bronze medals, while Sweden and The Netherlands both had five silver medals.
This year’s Olympics was, of course, not without its memorable moments. After a breathtaking opening ceremony, it wasn’t long before American-born Chinese skier Eileen Gu became a sensation, legendary snowboarder Shaun White partook in his final Olympics before retiring, and Russia was accused of cheating, this time with allegations against Kamila Valieva and her failed drug test.
In fact, quite a few events did not go the way Russia, who played under the name ROC, would have wanted. After Valieva fell several times during the figure skating final, of which she was expected to win the gold, the ROC was beaten by Finland in the men’s ice hockey tournament. The Finnish team defeated Russia in the game, 2-1, to secure their first-ever gold medal in hockey.
After Hannes Bjorninen scored the go-ahead goal just a mere thirty seconds into the third period, it was smooth skating for Finland as they managed to limit the ROC to one goal and secure the win. This was, as mentioned, their first-ever gold medal in hockey, despite this being their 18th all-time appearance in the tournament.
Despite the United States’ falling in the total standings, it is undeniable that this iteration of the Olympics was a success for the country, as it saw success in quite a few tournaments including Nathan Chen winning gold in men’s figure skating, as well as Erin Jackson taking the gold in women’s 500m speed skating, Lindsey Jacobellis’s comeback win to take the gold in mixed-team snowboard cross, and Shaun White’s aforementioned grand finale, among many other wins.
What did you think of the 2022 Winter Olympics? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
