Our Outstanding Snow-lympians

The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics are officially over. For over 3 weeks world class athletes from all over the world demonstrated their incredible athletic ability and broke Olympic records. Whether it be by a snowboarder on the half pipe or a speed skater zooming on a track, the incredible performances were astounding. The most recent Olympics consisted of 102 events performed across 15 various sports. This itself broke Olympic world records as it is the most events a Winter Olympics has ever hosted.

The country currently leading the medal count, by quite a large margin, is Norway. In a country with roughly 1/60th the population of the United States, Norway by far exceeds in medal count. It might make sense when you consider the climate of Norway. In a country obsessed with skiing and snow, it’s no wonder they have an exceptional number of world class athletes. As it currently stands, Norway is leading the race with 35 total medals, with Germany coming in second with only 25 medals. That is an incredible lead to have.

Norway’s most incredible wins come from cross-country skiing. This is a highly anticipated sport in which competitors cross huge distances on skis at astounding speeds. At Pyeongchang there are 14 total events in cross-country skiing, 11 of which were won by Norway. Cross-Country’s superstar is Johannes Klaebo who just won the gold in the 4x10k event. The young Norwegian is thrilled as he passes his final competitor and realizes he’s taking home the gold.

The United States had some incredible victories of their own. The sport that the US continues to dominate in is Snowboarding. With a sport so classically American it’s easy to imagine why they excel in it. There are a total of 11 medals to be won across all snowboarding events. America took home five of those medals, four of which were gold. The American team is filled with superstar athletes that the world adores.

Among them are Shaun White, Chloe Kim, and Kelly Clark. Shaun White is undoubtedly a household name in the world of snowboarding and is competing in his fourth Olympic games hoping to win his third gold medal. His dreams came true when he broke Olympic records and took home another gold in the halfpipe event.

Chloe Kim is only 17 years old and is already favored to take home the gold this year. Many claim that she was talented enough to compete in the last winter games, but since the would only have been 13 at the time, did not qualify. Chloe Kim lived up to absolutely every bit of her hype and took home the gold in the halfpipe event. In fact, her gold was already locked in before her final run. Although she could have taken that run as a victory lap she executed awe inspiring feats and wrote snowboarding history. At the other end of the age spectrum is Kelly Clark, a decorated Olympian competing in her fifth games. If she wins gold at this year’s games, she will become the oldest American to win a medal.

Another famous face at this year’s games is Adam Rippon. This teenage free skating heartthrob took the world by storm with his performances this year. His choreography is impeccable and creative and his demeanor is nothing short of loveable. Adam Rippon even said recently in an interview, “I may not be the best, but I’m the most fun”. He absolutely is the most fun. He also rated his current level of excitement at “Meryl Streep on a scale of Reese Witherspoon to Elmo”. With a hilarious sense of humor and the skill level to back it up, it’s no wonder the world has fallen for Adam Rippon.