Thursday was a medal-fueled day in Beijing filled with some stunning upsets as some of the biggest 2022 Winter Olympics events came to a close.
Figure skating came to a surprising finish and while Team USA's women's hockey may not have gotten the gold it hoped for Wednesday night, the U.S. still added to its medal count in big ways.
After a slow start, Team USA now has the third-most gold medals with eight through 13 days. With U.S. speed skater Brittany Bowe winning bronze in the 1000m and women's hockey scoring silver, the U.S. currently has the fourth-most total medals with 21.
The United States had a shot to win a gold medal in women's hockey, but they fell to Canada in the contest.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Mikaela Shiffrin was in fifth place after the first run in the women's combined race, but she skied off the course in the slalom race, leaving her without a medal in the event.
The United States came to Beijing with the second-most Winter Olympics medals with 305.
Over 300 medals will be awarded to Olympians participating in the 2022 Winter Games. With 15 sports and 109 events, ranging from skiing to bobsledding to figure skating, world-class athletes will go for gold during a two-week global competition on the grandest stage.
Here are the top nations in the medal count so far:
1. Norway – 29 (14 gold, 7 silver, 8 bronze)
2. ROC - 26 (5 gold, 9 silver, 12 bronze)
3. Germany - 22 (10 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze)
3. Canada - 22 (4 gold, 6 silver, 12 bronze)
5. United States - 21 (8 gold, 8 silver, 5 bronze)
Norway continues to lead the way with 14 gold medals.
China's Eileen Gu won her third medal in Beijing with a gold medal in the women's freeski halfpipe event. Canada's Cassie Sharpe and Rachael Karker won the silver and the bronze, respectively, to vault Canada into a third-place tie on the medal table with Germany.
How is Team USA Doing?
The U.S. endured five days of grueling competition - with some disappointing upsets - to finally bring home its first gold medal last week.
Lindsey Jacobellis slid to victory in the women's snowboard cross, putting an end to Team USA's gold-less streak at the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Snowboarder Julia Marino won the United States’ first medal on Saturday, but it was not gold. Madison Chock and Evan Bates added another silver medal to the team's count after their stunning galactic-themed ice dance Sunday night.
Jaelin Kauf won the Olympic silver behind Australia's Jakara Anthony during the women's moguls finals, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle clinched another silver medal, adding to the USA's total count, in men's super-G, on Tuesday.
Jessie Diggins secured the fifth medal for Team USA - the bronze in women's individual sprint, cross-country skiing. She made history here, becoming the first American to win a medal in the cross-country skiing individual sprint event.
Nathan Chen earned gold in the men’s singles figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Games. He clinched the title by receiving a 332.60 total score, giving him a 22.55-point victory over silver-winning Yuma Kagiyama of Japan.
Chloe Kim wasted no time showing off why she is the reigning gold medalist as she blew the competition away with her first run of the final halfpipe event - securing her spot at the top of the podium and women's halfpipe history.
The United States won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the mixed teams aerial event at the Winter Olympics.
The trio of Ashley Caldwell, Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld scored a total of 338.34, beating out China for the gold. It's the first gold medal in aerial freestyle skiing for the U.S. since 1998.
Mixed team snowboard cross made its Olympic debut at the 2022 Beijing Games and Team USA also won the first-ever gold medal in the event.
Erin Jackson ended a medal-less day for the U.S. on Sunday with her win in the 500-meter final.
Megan Nick scored bronze in women's aerials early Monday morning, Kaillie Humphries won the first-ever gold in the women’s monobob and teammate Elana Meyers Taylor joined her on the podium with a silver medal and American duo Madison Hubbell and Zach Donohue earned bronze in the ice dance event.
Team USA scored a bronze in the men's speed skating team pursuit, marking a surprising finish for the world record holders.
Team USA then had a 1-2 punch atop the men’s freeski slopestyle podium. Hall earned gold and Geopper earned silver.
Team USA fell short in the women's ice hockey gold medal match, losing 3-2 to Canada Wednesday night to earn silver in Beijing.
American Brittany Bowe then captured that elusive individual medal, winning bronze in the women's 1000m speed skating race.
What Medals Are Up for Grabs Next?
Although some events are finished, the U.S. still has a good chance to win more medals in the following events:
- Curling: Men's (team)
