Olympic Medal Count: Norway tops table as Milano Cortina closes in Verona Arena
The final olympic medal count left Norway at the top of the table as the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics closed with an opera-tinged ceremony in the Verona Arena, underscoring a Games of record golds, breakout American moments and surprises from smaller winter-sport nations.
Olympic Medal Count: Norway’s haul and the conflicting tallies
One report put Norway on top with 18 golds and 41 total medals, a mark described as the most golds by a country in Winter Olympics history; that same account said the US finished second with 12 golds and 33 total medals. A separate tally listed Norway with 15 golds and 32 total medals and placed the United States well behind with seven golds among 24 overall, and placed Team USA third in total medals. The two sets of figures conflict on key counts for Norway, the United States and total medals for the Games; the difference is unclear in the provided context.
How individual champions shaped medal tables
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo stood out for Norway, accounting for six golds on his own — more golds than all but seven other countries at this year’s Games. In the United States, Breezy Johnson won gold in women’s downhill skiing on Feb. 8; it was the first Olympic medal of her career and the first gold for Team USA at these Games, and she said at the podium that “it doesn’t feel real yet. ”
Ilia Malinin delivered a pivotal performance in the figure skating team event that helped the American team defeat Japan on the same day. On Feb. 11, Elizabeth Lemley, 20, won gold in her Olympic debut in women’s moguls while Jaelin Kauf took silver. Speedskater Jordan Stolz won the men’s 1, 000 meters, setting an Olympic record, and then won a second gold on Saturday, setting another Olympic record.
Team USA’s medal totals were listed differently across the context: one count put the Americans at 24 medals with seven golds, while another put them at 33 total medals with 12 golds.
Closing ceremony in Verona Arena: opera, pop and Major Lazer
The closing in Verona Arena mixed opera, dance and pop. The ceremony at times evoked Rigoletto, with the trickster spirit described as “packing the arena away, ” and an act named Achille was said to be belting out “Amor. ” Performers and production prompted on-site surprises: a singer with a face tattoo, Diplo filmed on his phone, and a final pop set from Major Lazer that some commentators greeted as a saving party moment.
Broad reactions ranged from delight — Italian athletes were repeatedly shown loving the celebration — to more muted responses from other delegations. A TNT commentator quipped, “This is music they play at the gym, that is the genre. ” The closing note in the coverage said, in effect, that Milano-Cortina is officially over.
Smaller nations and best-ever hauls
Several nations exceeded expectations. The Netherlands finished with 10 golds — the same gold total attributed to host nation Italy in one account — and its performance was tied to strength in speed skating; the Netherlands’ population was cited as around 18 million. Norway’s population was listed at about 5. 7 million, and it was noted that Norway outperformed larger winter-sport countries such as the US (342 million), China (1. 4 billion), Germany (84 million), Italy (59 million) and Canada (40 million).
Great Britain recorded its best ever Winter Olympics medal haul with three golds, a silver and a bronze. Australia matched that best-ever description with three golds, two silver and a bronze.
Moments, messaging and what was said next
The coverage highlighted the USA’s gold in men’s hockey and singled out Jack Hughes for the performance. Commentary from the closing noted both crowd behaviour during anthems and reader correspondence on the topic; a contributor signed JJ commented on who stood or remained seated for the French anthem. The writer who closed the day’s coverage thanked readers and added, “we will see you again in 2030 or maybe tomorrow when you’re checking the latest headlines. Buona Notte!”
One of the contributors named in the medal coverage was Isabel Yip, identified as a news associate.
Milano-Cortina is officially over; the provided context closes with the ceremony in Verona Arena and a forward look by the correspondent toward 2030.
