Olympic Medals 2018: Best Photos of Athletes Celebrating in Pyeongchang

The 2018 Winter Olympics drew to a finish on Sunday as the last of the medals were distributed in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and the closing ceremony signalled the end of another edition of the Games.

Athletes will return to their respective countries of residence, and only a portion of the thousands in attendance will have silverware to remember their stay, while others will rely on photos for their Pyeongchang memories.

The competition was injected with positive vibes from the beginning, too, after hosts South Korea joined neighbouring North Korea to march out for the opening ceremony under a unified flag, per Buzzfeed News:

From there, the 2018 Winter Olympics got underway in earnest, with more than 300 medals and more than 100 golds handed out over the past fortnight and some nations dominating the tally more than others.

Medal-table leaders Norway were always tipped as contenders for Pyeongchang and had particular success in the ski jumping events, per BBC Sport, which was likely aided by the magnificent moustache of Robert Johansson (far left):

Another strong candidate to top the medal tally was Germany, and Eric Frenzel was among their earliest medallists in Pyeongchang after he skied to victory in the Nordic Combined Gundersen NH, per German daily Sport:

But both those nations were tipped for big things at this year's Games; it's arguably that much more satisfying to see the underdog prevail in such cold conditions.

Take the United States, for example, whose women's team ended Canada's 16-year Olympic winning streak, beating their rivals 3-2 to win ice hockey gold for the first time since 1998, per podcaster Steve Schwartzman:

Pyeongchang also provided the foundation for Shaun White's run to redemption, and after missing out on the medals in Sochi four years ago, he couldn't hold back the tears upon winning his third snowboard halfpipe gold, per CNN:

From far-flung visitors to the home favourites, one South Korean team that captured the hearts of many has been the women's ice curling team. Nicknamed the "Garlic Girls" for the produce that comes out of their home region, their tale of childhood friends turned Olympic gold medal finalists has been infectious, per Reuters:

Canada came close to winning figure skating gold at Sochi 2014 but made that extra push this year and topped the podium in the ice dancing and team events.

Toronto radio station Indie88 posted a mid-dance shot of pair Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir en route to clinching gold in the team event, even if the latter's expression looks as though he caught the former stealing from the cookie jar:

And then there were the victories that were never victories at all. 

It's not regular that African nations compete, never mind succeed at any Winter Olympics, but Nigeria made history when they became the first team from their continent ever to compete in the bobsled, per writer James Hall:

Skeleton competitor Akwasi Frimpong moved to the Netherlands at a young age but represented his birth nation of Ghana fiercely in Pyeongchang, more so in choice of attire than results, however, per SuperSport:

The Winter Olympics have come to an end, but the memories created in Pyeongchang—good and bad—will last a lifetime.