Posted on 02/23/2014 9:04:42 AM PST by Altenkrug
The 2014 Winter Olympic games are in the books, and despite the United States and Russia being tied in the medal count mid-way through Saturday, the Russians pulled away Sunday to win the most medals of any nation.
Russia finished with 33 medals overall, including an Olympic-high 13 golds. Launching them to first place were the country's men's cross-country 50 kilometer mass start racers on Sunday. Russia swept that event as Alexander Legkov took gold, Maxim Vylegzhanin took silver and Ilia Chernousov took bronze. The Russians also took gold in the four-man bobsled event.
Team U.S.A. was second in overall medals with 28. Their lone medal on Sunday came in the four man bobsled as the team led by Steven Holcomb finished with a bronze medal. The United States' nine gold medals were just the fourth-most in the Sochi games as both Canada and Norway finished ahead of them in that category.
Norway was third overall in medals with 26 and second on gold with 11. Canada's Mens Hockey gold medal pushed them ahead of the United States in that category; Canada will leave Sochi with 10 gold and 25 medals overall.
Rounding out the top five in medal winners are the Dutch. The Netherlands finished with 24 medals overall this year and tied for fifth in the gold count with Germany as both countries took the top spot on the podium eight times.
It didn’t hurt that they “imported” a Korean short track star. He won several gold medals.
It’s very impressive. Norway is so much smaller than Russia and the US.
Canada did very well too, in 4th place but 20 out of their 25 medals are gold or silver (10 of each). I feel ignorant realizing I have no idea what the pop. of Canada is, I just know they all live in a little strip close to the US Border.
Congrats to all the winners!
The US has never really been a powerhouse in the winter olympics, so the total medal count is a pretty good showing. If it were not for the recent addition of x game type events, the US showing would have been very mediocre. The USOC needs to do some work in the traditional olympic events. Funny how most of the big names, did not do very well.
Also, women’s hockey has more soul than men’s hockey. Men’s hockey is essentially NHL players on hiatus — not really the same thing as the 1980’s team of amateurs at all. The US women are basically amateurs, even if some of them end playing in some sort of women’s professional league. The games, themselves don’t have the same gravitas as they did during the cold war. Back then, I think national pride made the competition more intense.
Which country had the most members sign the petition against climate change?
Population of Canada is about 35 million, a little less than that of California.
Plus 2 more hockey golds. Not bad for the Canucks.
Norway is a very fit, athletics-oriented country.
While in the glorious Corps, we did cold weather training there. I was impressed by how active and fit everyone was there. People were out and about going to gyms, swimming pools, and skiing, etc. They own the snow. The women are gorgeous, of course.
indoor swimming pools, of course....LOL.
These should be the only Winter Olympic events:
Skiing - Downhill and Slalom, and Cross-Country (Skiing should not have ‘style points’)
Ski Jumping
Speedskating
Biathlon
Figure Skating (NO ICE DANCING)
Hockey
Bobsled
Luge
THAT’S IT!!!
Other sports go to the X-Games.
Falling should eliminate you from any medal.
So they are 1/10th our size, thanks. See, you really do learn something every day, esp. if you hang out on FR.
I don’t think it’s that easy to change the country that you compete for, even if you can change citizenship. In hockey it’s probably not even worthwhile to do this. If you have already competed for Country A and you then become a citizen of Country B, I believe you have to go through a four-year waiting process and play for your new country in a lot of international tournaments before the International Ice Hockey Federation will let you represent Country B in the Olympics.
Did California win any medals at all.................
Its all the Gold Medals money can buy! BUT, that being said—its a fun outlet—and one that might do a great deal to offer a bit of peace and competition. A harmless event for the most part. This yea a lot of smaller, Second Class Nations, got to take home a bag of medals. Norway did well, with even their King coming to root for the home team. Even grim face Putin came and cheered as his Hockey team lost out. Where was Obama? Where was his “beautiful” wife? (where was Putins?).
NBC presented it as one with some of their commentators.
So the nbc homo-fest is FINALLY OVER !
Netherlands did very well in speed skating this time out. Traditionally the USA has done well in that sport (Eric/Beth Heiden, Bonnie Blair, etc...)
I don’t think footballers’ second choice would be speed skating, nor that speed skaters’ second choice would be football.
California has the highest total of winter olympians in 2014. Vt had the highest number per capita. The colder states, as you could imagine, produced more winter olympians.
http://www.sportsgrid.com/olympic-sports/cool-map-which-states-produced-the-most-sochi-olympians/
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