Olympic Medal Count: Norway Tops Table as Verona Arena Hosts Closing Ceremony
The final olympic medal count was framed by a lavish closing ceremony at the Verona Arena and a dominant showing from Norway, a small nation that led the table and rewrote Winter Games history.
Olympic Medal Count
One account lists Norway with 18 golds and 41 total medals, while another account lists Norway with 15 golds and 32 total medals; the figures differ across the coverage provided. In the first set of totals, the United States finished second with 12 golds and 33 total medals, while another tally put Team USA at 24 total medals and seven golds and in third place for total medals. Italy and the Netherlands each appear with 10 golds in one summary, though another count lists Italy with 25 total medals, nine of them gold.
Verona Arena closing ceremony
The closing ceremony at the Verona Arena closed Milano-Cortina in style with opera, dance and song. Performers included a Rigoletto appearance and a singer named Achille belting out "Amor. " Diplo was seen filming on his phone, and Major Lazer took the stage; a TNT commentator described the set as "This is music they play at the gym, that is the genre. " Italian athletes were shown celebrating warmly while some other national delegations appeared more muted. Coverage closed with a signoff that Milano-Cortina is officially over and a final "Buona Notte!"
Klæbo, Stolz and other headline performances
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo accounted for six gold medals on his own; one summary noted his haul exceeded the gold totals of all but seven other countries at these Games. Another historic marker in one set of totals said Norway's 18 golds were the most by any country in Winter Olympics history. Speedskater Jordan Stolz set an Olympic record in the men's 1, 000 meters and then won a second gold on Saturday, again setting an Olympic record. Elizabeth Lemley, 20, won gold in her Olympic debut in women's moguls on Feb. 11, with teammate Jaelin Kauf taking silver.
Standouts for Team USA
Breezy Johnson won gold in the women's downhill on Feb. 8, noted as only the second American woman to do so; it was the first Olympic medal of her career and the first gold for Team USA at these Games. She stood tearfully on the podium and said, "it doesn't feel real yet. " The figure skating team event produced an early-team victory when Ilia Malinin — nicknamed the "Quad God" — delivered a performance that provided enough points to defeat Japan. The U. S. men’s hockey team also took a dramatic gold late in the Games, with Jack Hughes singled out in reaction as a standout performer described as "different gravy. "
Small nations punching above weight
The coverage highlighted Norway's small population of about 5. 7 million and noted how it outperformed larger winter-sports nations: the United States (342 million), China (1. 4 billion), Germany (84 million), Italy (59 million) and Canada (40 million). The Netherlands, with a population around 18 million, finished with 10 golds in one tally and matched Italy's gold total in that same summary. Great Britain recorded its best-ever Winter Olympics haul with three golds, a silver and a bronze, and Australia also registered a best-ever performance with three golds, two silver and a bronze.
Notes from the arena and final reactions
As the ceremony wound down, writers and commentators traded lighter notes: a puzzled aside about an opera singer's face tattoo, a reader named JJ writing that they were surprised by how many in the crowd remained seated during the French anthem (the rest of JJ's comment is unclear in the provided context), and a closing line that the Games had been a privilege to cover and that the cycle will continue. One coverage note lists Isabel Yip as a news associate.
Milano-Cortina is officially over; commentators signed off with a final farewell and a note that they will be back for future Games in 2030.
