Illustration by Maytal Bach
The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang came to a close on February 25, following a three week display of world class sporting performance. Falling short of predicted success and bringing home the lowest number of medals since 1998, the United States finished fourth in the medal standings, earning 23 medals. Norway emerged victorious with 39 medals, followed by Germany and Canada.
The Olympics kicked off with an enchanting opening ceremony, displaying South Korea’s culture and amazing feats of technology. The ceremony featured traditional dances under a dome of lights made to look like stars and constellations. While Russia was banned from having their flag and colors following their doping scandal, they marched wearing white and gray under the Olympic flag. Other noteworthy events included South and North Korea walking together during the opening ceremonies, and vice president Mike Pence refusing to stand when Korea walked under one flag.
Team USA didn’t do as well as expected despite having a very large and diverse team, winning seventeen fewer medals than the forty predicted by Associated Press. Over half of the 23 medals won by the US were won by women, leaving nine won by men and two won in mixed events. The women’s figure skaters had their worst performance since World War II, and the men’s alpine skiers didn’t take home a medal for the first time in twenty years. One of the most watched events was the Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe, where Shaun White won the third gold medal of his career at the age of 31.
The viewership for the 2018 Olympics was also lower than expected, and the approval rating went down 17% from the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
In spite of this, the Olympics weren’t all bad for the US this year. Jessie Diggins became the first American woman to win gold in the cross country competition. Her perseverance and success was recognized by her teammates, and she was chosen to carry the flag during the closing ceremony. The women’s Olympic hockey team beat Canada for the gold for the first time in twenty years. The closing ceremonies had an increase in viewership from previous years, and the USA Olympic delegation is hopeful and ready for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.