The Winter Olympic Virus, The Final Medal Count

It is 2:21 PM on Sunday as I begin to type this in Beijing, China.

Finland has just upset the Illegal Russian Team by a score of 2-1 to win the men's hockey gold medal in the 2022 Winter Olympics.

That is the final of the 109 medal events.

So we can now take a look at the final medals table for these Games.

#1 in medal table and total:  Norway with 16 gold, 8 silver and 13 bronze.

• As has been noted for a couple days, Norway has won both gold and total, and a new Winter Olympic record of 16 gold medals highlight their 37 total medals.  (Old Winter record:  14, Norway 2018, Germany 2018, Canada 2010.  Current total record:  39, Norway 2018)
• 21 medals, including 11 gold, in biathlon and cross-country skiing.
• Two more gold than 2018, two fewer total.
• However, even with the record gold haul, predictions by both Gracenote and Sports Illustrated may have this a disappointing Games for the table champions.  SI had a prediction of 17 gold and 40 overall.  Gracenote went as far as a staggering 21 gold and 44 overall!

#2 in medal table, #3 in total:  Germany with 12 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze.

• Germany finish a full ten medals behind Norway, and one of the main reasons why is the completely lopsided nature of their medals table.
• They won every sliding event except the women's monobob, seven of the nine total medals in the bobsled otherwise, and a stunning 16 of their 27 medals on the sliding course.
• Two fewer golds and four fewer medals than 2018.
• The 12 golds matched their SI prediction and beat Gracenote's by one.
• The 27 total, however, was two fewer than SI thought and three fewer than Gracenote.

#3 in the medal table and #11 in the total, the hosts from China who had only 15 medals, but NINE gold.

• Pretty much what a regime would want to do with somewhat limited winter resources and talent in their case.
• Six more medals than 2018, where they only struck gold once.
• China, before hosting these Games, had only secured 13 Winter Olympic gold medals.
• Five of the nine golds were in X-Games events.
• SI had China pegged for only five golds, but they didn't make the 17 total that SI predicted.  Gracenote had them down for six gold and 13 total, so even under that degree of a successful Games, they did even better than that!

#4 in the medal table and #5 in the total, the USA -- who broke a three-way tie at 8 golds with 10 silvers, with 7 bronzes giving them 25.

• Still one gold fewer than 2018, but the total count increased by two.
• But if you account for the predictions, the USA can hold it's head high, especially after Schiffrin leaves the Games with a complete zero:  SI had them for only 5 golds (with 13 silvers), but they didn't meet the 27 total predicted.  Gracenote had them for 7 gold and an evenly-split 22 total -- so that is a good result.
• There will probably be much consternation among conservative Americans for Eileen Gu, one of two high-profile American-born athletes who chose, at one point or another, to compete instead for China.  Gu won three medals in freestyle skiing, two golds and a silver.
• Their 4th place on the table was the same as the last two Games.  Even with 25 medals, their fifth place in the total is the worst showing for the Americans since Nagano.
• Ten X-Games event medals highlight the total.
• If the team figure-skating result is reversed, they will pass China for #3 on the table with the ninth gold, and nine silvers to China's four.

#5 on the table, and beating Netherlands by a single bronze medal (third in the women's curling) to get there, Sweden, with 8 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze for 18 total.

• One more gold, four more total for a good Games for Sweden.
• A fairly well-balanced program, with the 8 golds among six different disciplines.
• However, SI had them for two more golds and four more medals.  Gracenote, by contrast, had them for one fewer gold and only one more medal.

#6 on the table, #9 in the total, the third nation with eight golds, is the Netherlands, 5 silver and 4 bronze for 17 total.

• You've heard this song and dance before:  Of the 17 medals, between short-track and long-track, only one, a bronze in women's skeleton, was not a speedskating medal.
• Matched their gold total from four years ago, but the total dropped by three.
• SI had them for two more golds and three more total.  Gracenote:  The three less total matched SI, but Gracenote got the 8 golds right.

#7 on the table, #6 on total.  Austria, seven gold with Switzerland, but seven silver and four bronze for 18.

• Two more gold and four more medals than 2018.
• Seven Alpine skiing medals, but a fairly diversified portfolio of medals for the country.
• SI had them with two fewer total medals, but with only three gold, so Austria's seven is a great Games under that measure.  Gracenote not only also only had Austria for three gold, but Austria beat their total projection by three.
• One of the better performances per expectation in these Games.

#8 on the table, tied for #12 on total.  Switzerland.  7 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze for 14 total.

• Two more gold and one less total than 2018.
• SI:  Six gold and 13 total predicted.  So they beat each of those by one.  Gracenote:  Six gold, but they had the total all the way to 21!
• Five golds and nine medals on the Alpine slopes, the rest in the X-Games events.

#9 on the table, but all the way at #2 in the total:  The Illegal Team from the Russian Olympic Committee.  Six gold, but twelve silver and fourteen bronze.  32 total.

• The 12 silvers were the most in the Games, two more than the USA and Germany.
• The 14 bronzes were also tops, tied with Canada.
• Sixteen Nordic medals (four gold) and six figure-skating medals (the other two gold) highlight the total.
• Four more gold and FIFTEEN MORE TOTAL than the OAR total from four years ago.
• The ROC got two more total than SI predicted, but the gold total was about half of what SI predicted (11)  The 32 was also two more than what Gracenote predicted, but Gracenote had them for 10 gold.
• We'll see how much of this actually stands.

#10 on the table, tied for #12 in total.  France, 5 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze for 14.

• Same number of gold, one fewer total than 2018.
• SI had them doing far better:  8 gold (only got 5) and 21 total (only got 14).  Gracenote:  4 gold and 19.  So France is probably going to have some disappointment heading into Paris.
• Seven biathlon medals and three golds highlight the Games for the French.

#11 on the table, #4 in total, Canada.  One more medal than the USA with 26, but only four gold, along with eight silver and 14 bronze.

• Seven fewer golds and three fewer medals than 2018.
• SI had them for six gold and 23 total (two fewer gold, three more total).  Gracenote:  Six gold, 22 total.  So it's kinda half-empty, half-full for the neighbors to the north.
• 20 medals between speed-skating and X-Games.

#12 on the table, #6 in total, Japan.  Three gold, six silver, nine bronze, 18 total.

• One fewer gold, but that bronze total led them to five more medals than 2018.
• SI had their gold and silver totals flipped for their prediction, the 18 total was on the number.  Gracenote had the gold total right, but one more silver only than they actually got.

Five nations got two gold medals, the top of those on the table (#13) was #9 in the total -- the next hosts, Italy.

• One fewer gold than the three they got in 2018.  But they only got 10 medals in Korea, 17 here!
• Seven speedskating medals and four Alpine medals led the way.
• SI had them for 3 gold but only 10 in the total.  So SI had the same 3-4-3 they got in Pyeongchang.  Gracenote:  Got the two gold right, Italy gor four more in the total.

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• No other nation got more than 10 medals.
• The only maiden broken in these Winter Games is New Zealand's gold medal maiden, and they did it twice!
• The only podium sweep was Germany's in the two-man bobsled.
• Four athletes won five medals apiece at these Games.

1. Johannes Thingnes Boe from Norway is the individual champion, with four biathlon golds and one bronze.
2. The Illegal Russian Team's Alexander Bolshunov headed the cross-country charge for the ROC, three golds, a silver, and a bronze.
3. Marte Olsbu Roeiseland of Norway was the women's champion of these Games, the only woman to get five medals, also in biathlon, 2 gold, 2 silver, and a bronze.
4. Quentin Fillon Maillet of France, biathlon, 2 gold and 3 silver.

• Five athletes:  Two Dutch speedskaters (one long-track, one short-track), another Norwegian biathlete, a Norwegian cross-county skier, and a Japanese speed-skater, won three medals.
• No American won more than 2 medals at these Games.  Six Americans won 2, three of them members of that figure-skating team situation.
• 23 nations won gold medals at the Beijing Winter Games.  One more than in both 2018 and 2014.
• The final medals table consisted of 29 nations.  One fewer than Korea, three more than Sochi.