A thrilling Winter Olympics came to an end Sunday with the closing ceremony in Verona, Italy.
Over the last two and a half weeks, we have seen many inspiring moments and record-setting performances.
Norway, the most decorated country in Winter Olympics history, topped the medal table once again with 41 medals, 18 of which were gold. Leading the way was cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who became the first athlete ever to win six gold medals at one Winter Games. He has now won 11 Olympic golds during his Olympic career — the most ever by a winter athlete.
Finishing second in the medal table was the United States, which won 33 medals, 12 of them gold. The last one came Sunday when the men’s hockey team defeated Canada in overtime to win the Olympic tournament for the first time since 1980. The victory came 46 years to the day since the “Miracle on Ice.”
It was the cherry on top for Team USA, which has never won this many gold medals in one Winter Games. The women’s hockey team also won gold last week, on the same night that figure skater Alysa Liu became a national hero by winning the singles competition — the first for an American woman since 2002.
American speed skater Jordan Stolz dazzled us on the ice with two golds and a silver during these Games, and skiers Breezy Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin amazed us on the slopes with golds in the downhill and the slalom.
