The 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing wrapped up on February 20th. Despite the tensions brought on by the ongoing pandemic, the human rights concerns of the host country, and other political turmoil happening worldwide, the 2022 Olympics still resulted in some truly unforgettable, touching and inspiring moments.
Who Won the Most Medals at the 2022 Olympics?
Overall, Norway took home the most gold medals with 16 gold, eight silver and 13 bronze. Germany, China and the U.S. followed closely, while Canada came in 11th with four gold medals, eight silver and 14 bronze — the lowest number of gold medals the country has taken home in a Winter Olympics since 1994.
Medals aside, the important thing is that athletes from all over the globe came together to compete and show off the skills they’ve been working hard to hone their entire lives. Winning is great, but the memories made along the way are what will last into the future.
The Most Memorable Moments From the 2022 Olympics
To recap, here are some of the most inspiring and memorable moments from the 2022 Olympics:
1. Cross-Country Skier Jessie Diggins Made History
Cross-country skier Jessie Diggins made history in the 2022 Olympics as the first woman from team U.S.A. to win a distance medal in cross-country skiing. As the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time, Diggins took home silver and bronze medals — despite falling ill with food poisoning just 30 hours prior to the event.
2. Snowboarder Chloe Kim Smashed the Halfpipe
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American snowboarder Chloe Kim smashed records when she became the youngest athlete to claim Olympic snowboard gold in 2018 at PyeongChang. Fast forward to 2022, and Kim wowed the crowds at the Olympics once again, scoring a 94.00 in the halfpipe to take home another gold medal.
3. Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron Set a New World Record in Ice Dance
France’s Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron set a new world record with an unprecedented high score of 90.83 in this year’s Olympic figure skating ice dance rhythm dance competition, topping their own previous record of 90.03 in 2019. The pair took home a gold medal for their ethereal performance, setting a new world record with their total combined score of 226.98. In a tweet, the New York Times commented that the duo “skated in such unison that there appeared at times to be one skater on the ice instead of two.”
4. Canadian Snowboarder Max Parrot Took Home Gold at the 2022 Olympics
Canadian snowboarder Max Parrot took home both a bronze and a gold medal in the men’s slopestyle final, earning a score of 90.96. To make these wins even more impressive, Parrot was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018, but he’s since beat the disease and come back stronger than ever. He also recently announced that he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child, so all around, Parrot has plenty to celebrate.
5. Gao Tingyu Set a New Record in Speed Skating
China’s Gao Tingyu won gold in the men’s 500-meter final, setting a new record for the 2022 Winter Olympics with his impressive time of 34.32 seconds. Tingyu’s win marked China’s first-ever gold medal in speedskating.
