Day 17 - February 20, 2022
The last day of the entire competition, and then it is on to Milan-Cortina, Italy in 2026 (via the Summer Games in Paris 2024)!!!
Not much actual action on fields, mountains, rinks, venues, etc., today, but there was one medal event, the women's 30km cross-country race. On a course that was incredibly cold and with a wind that was gusting terribly throughout the course, a breakaway group of 4 that included Norway's Therese Johaug, Jesse Diggins of the United States and Sweden's Ebba Andersson took control of the race early, with Johaug eventually dropping the other skiers and won gold, Norway's Olympics-leading 16th gold medal (and leading 37th overall) of these games. Johaug herself finished with 3 of those golds! Diggins skied strong to win silver - her second medal of these games after winning the bronze in the spring free - whereas Andersson was caught by the chase pack with 2 kilometers or so to go. Kerttu Niskanen of Finland rallied for silver, with American Rosie Brennan finishing 6th. Andersson came in 8th. On top of it all, Jesse Diggins contracted food poisoning the day before the race!!!
In one of the more entertaining events of every Olympics, is the free skate, in which notable skaters - women, men, pairs, and dancers, all perform without judges, ratings, and medals on the line. This tradition allows for more interesting/fun outfits, fun music, and more risky jumps and tricks that are purely for the skaters' - and the audience's - entertainment.
Then, we had the Closing Ceremonies, the snuffing of the Olympic torch, and the traditional "passing" of the games to Italy.
The final medal count is (using my system of 5 points for gold, 3 points for silver, 1 point for bronze):
A tiebreaker is most golds/then silvers/then bronzes:
1. Norway - 117
2. Germany - 95
3. Russian Olympic Committee - 80
4. United States - 77
5. Sweden - 60
6. Austria - 60
7. China - 59
8. Netherlands - 59
9. Canada - 58
10. France - 48
11. Switzerland - 46
12. Japan - 42
13. Italy - 39
14. South Korea - 27
15. Slovenia - 21
16. Finland - 20
17. New Zealand - 13
18. Australia - 12
19. Great Britain - 8
20. Hungary - 7
21. Belgium - 6
21. Czech Republic - 6
21. Slovakia - 6
24. Belarus - 6
25. Spain - 3
25. Ukraine - 3
27. Estonia - 1
27. Latvia - 1
27. Poland - 1
Athletes of the Day: Therese Johaug, Netherlands, Cross-Country Skiing
She won the gold medal in the only event competed on this final day - the women's 30km cross-country skiing mass start.
Teamwork/Sportsmanship Moment of the Day: Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
He didn't invade another country - in this case the Ukraine - unlike in 2008 when the Summer Olympics were held in Beijing and Putin ordered the invasion of Georgia. (I am being sarcastic, this isn't sportsmanship, but also with only 1 event contested today, I had to come up with something!)
Olympic Term of the Day: Classic Skiing. In cross-country skiing, it is the technique characterized by opposite-leg and opposite-arm motion in a straight-ahead direction. Also called kick-and-glide, this is the technique primarily associated with cross-country skiing.
Olympic Events Watched: Closing Ceremonies, Cross-Country Skiing, Figure Skating
USA Potential Closing Ceremony Flag-Bearer(s): Nick Baumgartner, Nathan Chen, Jesse Diggins, Kaillie Humphries, Erin Jackson, Lindsey Jacobellis, Chloe Kim, ELANA MEYERS-TAYLOR
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