2022 Beijing Olympics in Rearview Mirror
The 2022 Beijing Olympics are done and dusted. What an exciting two weeks of athletic prowess and accomplishment it was and a joyride for fans of Olympics betting. There were favorites delivering on their perceived potential and there were also many surprises and upsets, too. That’s the nature of sport and competition.
Here we look back at some of the results, memorable highlights and how the United States fared at these Winter Games.
Incredible Closing Ceremony! Beijing Olympic Winter Games were amazing! We’re next. I can’t wait to see world’s best Paralympic athletes on snow and ice showing their talent, determination, courage. They will inspire the world and send a strong message of equality and inclusion. pic.twitter.com/4VVb2xgy0C
— Andrew Parsons (@parsonsandrew) February 20, 2022
Norway Delivers on Odds, Hauls in Most Medals
Going into the Olympics, markets served up Norway as the nation to beat in total medal count and gold medal count, respectively. BetUS sportsbook priced Norway at -700 to haul in the most medals of any country and at -500 to clinch the most gold medals.
Tale told, Norway delivered on both counts and made medal history in the process. Norway won a total of 37 medals at the Beijing Games, five more than second-placed Germany (32). The Norwegians also broke the record for the most gold medals at a single Winter Olympics, winning 16 gold, eight silver and 13 bronze medals. Germany was the closest in gold medals with 12 in total.
Team USA finished third on the gold front with eight, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) came away with just six golds and Canada finished with four gold medals.
In the final medal count for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, the United States finished with 25 medals, including eight gold medals. Norway finished first in the Olympic medal count with 37 total, including 16 gold medals. pic.twitter.com/p4ooJDr9z0
— KARE 11 (@kare11) February 20, 2022
USA Fifth Overall in Total Medals, Third in Golds
Over 300 medals were awarded across 109 events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.. The United States arrived in Beijing as the second-most decorated country at the Winter Games with 305 medals in total.
Beijing saw the United States finish fifth overall with 25 medals in total (eight gold, 10 silver and seven bronze).
The eight gold medalists for the United States covered a wide range of disciples. Figure skater Nathan Chen, who entered the competition as one of the top favorites to win gold, came through in the men’s singles competition while Kaillie Humphries clinched gold in women’s monobob.
Elsewhere, Chloe Kim came through for a second straight Olympics by winning gold in the women’s snowboard halfpipe. Alexander Hall topped the podium in Men’s Freeski Slopestyle and Lindsey Jacobellis took gold for women’s snowboard cross. Erin Jackson led the charge in the women’s 500-meter speedskating event.
Finally, in team events, the United States took two golds. Team USA won gold in the mixed team aerials and mixed team snowboard cross.
Other Notable U.S. Medal Winners
Elana Meyers Taylor became the most decorated African-American Winter Olympian when she won her fifth medal alongside Sylvia Hoffman in the two-women bobsled. The pair won bronze with a time of 4:05:48.
History for bobsled pilot Elena Meyers Taylor 🙌
The American is now the most decorated Black Winter Olympian of all-time with five medals
More: https://t.co/DuShMyubCh pic.twitter.com/4VURD9XQud
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 19, 2022
Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates helped deliver the silver medal for Team USA after a stunning performance in the team event. Meanwhile, the ice-dancing duo Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue won the bronze in the individual competition, finishing behind France’s top ice-dance duo and the betting online favorites Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron.
Despite the major setback—doubles #figureskating proved a win for #TeamUSA Monday.
Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed silver—for what’s been touted as a dramatic, ethereal performance that captured fans’ attention.https://t.co/5JC3hhgxFZ
— NTD News (@news_ntd) February 10, 2022
Jessie Diggins took the bronze in the women’s sprint, the first individual Olympic medal won by an American woman in cross-country skiing. Less than a fortnight later, Diggins won silver in the women’s 30-kilometer freestyle – a marathon race that she finished in 1 hour, 26 minutes, 37 seconds.
Other Notable Highlights
One of the biggest upsets in Beijing came in the men’s hockey tournament when Finland beat the ROC in a hotly contested 2-1 finale. Finland won its country’s first-ever gold medal in hockey and the ROC took home silver.
Slovakia clinched the bronze medal in men’s ice hockey by blanking Sweden 4-0. It was the first-ever Olympic medal for Slovakia.
Figure skating is one of the most popular events at the Winter Games, but this year’s installment was marred by the devastating news of Kamila Valieva’s failed drug test. Although the Russian figure skater was allowed to compete in the singles event, it wasn’t without controversy or gut-wrenching heartache in the end for the skater herself.
Valieva led the field after the short program, but a disastrous performance in the long program saw her finish fourth overall and off the podium. The pressure, scrutiny and overwhelming media backlash understandably got to the teenager (she’s 15 years old!), and she was left devastated, broken and inconsolable in every way possible.
Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States came into the Olympics with heavy expectations. She was the odds-on favorite on the Olympics odds board in a few events, but she left Beijing without a medal.
