Olympic 2018 Results: Which Country Won the Most Medals?
February 25, 2018
Norway finished atop the medal table at the 2018 Winter Olympics, ending the Games with 39 medals overall.
Marit Bjorgen won the women's 30-kilometre mass start in the cross-country event to clinch the 102nd and final gold up for grabs in Pyeongchang, South Korea. That triumph provided the Norwegians with their 14th gold of the Games, level with runners-up Germany, who made up a little less than half of their overall medal count (31) with golds.
Canada finished third with 11 gold medals and 29 overall, just two short of Germany's tally. Hosts South Korea ended the Olympics in sixth after claiming five golds, three of which were awarded in short-track speedskating.
That imbalance pales in comparison to the Netherlands, however, after they saw 16 of their total 20 medals in Pyeongchang awarded in speedskating, including seven of their eight gold medals.
Here's how the medal table looked at the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympics:
Norway Surge to 1st Medal Table Win Since 2002
Norway finished as the top nation at a Winter Olympics for the eighth time on Sunday, breaking a tie with the former Soviet Union to become the outright most successful nation in the Games' history.
Bjorgen demolished the field in the women's 30-kilometre mass start and won in a time of one hour, 22 minutes and 17.6 seconds to ensure Norway topped the gold-medal table, not to mention solidifying her spot as the most decorated Winter Olympian:
Norway had failed to finish first in an Olympics medal table since topping it at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, with this year's second and third-placed finishers, Germany and Canada, each claiming a win since then.
Cross-country skiing was again a particularly strong event for the Norwegians and provided half of their gold-medal count. Dan Wolken of USA Today hailed the country's success despite its limitations:
Norway also won two gold medals apiece in ski jumping and speedskating, while four of their 14 silvers came in the alpine skiing events.
German sports reporter Tobi Gruner noted the fine margins by which this year's table was decided after Germany took silver in the men's ice hockey final:
Tobi Grüner 🏁 @tgruenerMany of my British followers probably never heard of a thing called Winter Olympics but over here in Germany it's a big thing. We can be very proud of our athletes. Unfortunately we narrowly missed gold in ice hockey today. So congrats to Norway for 1st place in the medal table. https://t.co/v46bnTjhVf
Despite that near miss, commentator Gord Miller heaped praise on Germany's hockey team following their 4-3 overtime loss to the Olympic Athletes from Russia, having overperformed before the final:
Canada were only two medals off runners-up Germany in the overall medal count, but their tally of 11 golds provided a clearer jump between positions.
What's more, sportscaster James Duthie touched upon how these Olympics could have gone a lot differently had they managed to live up to expectations in what were supposed to be their strongest fields:
With drama until the last breath in Pyeongchang, Norway saved their best for last and earned a deserved medal table victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Visit NBCOlympics.com for a look at the medal table in full.