Winter Olympics 2022 – Norway 🇳🇴 wins the Olympic Gold Medal Count!

Norway wins the Winter Olympics by earning the most Gold Medals and Medals in total!

Medal Table: Gold(s); Silver(s); Bronze(s); Total.

1. Norway: 16; 8; 13; 37
2. Germany: 12; 10; 5; 27
3. PR China: 9; 4; 2; 15
4. USA: 8; 10; 7; 25
5. Sweden: 8; 5; 5; 18
6. Netherlands: 8; 5; 4; 17
7. Austria: 7; 7; 4; 18
8. Switzerland: 7; 2; 5; 14
9. Russian Olympic Committee: 6; 12; 14; 32
10. France: 5; 7; 2; 14
11. Canada: 4; 8; 14: 26
12. Japan: 3; 6; 9; 18
13. Italy: 2; 7; 8; 17
14. South Korea: 2; 5; 2; 9
15. Slovenia: 2; 3; 2; 7
16. Finland: 2; 2; 4; 8
17. New Zealand; 2; 1; 0; 3
18. Australia: 1; 2; 1; 4
19. Great Britain: 1; 1; 0; 2
20. Hungary: 1; 0; 2; 3
21. Belgium: 1; 0; 1; 2, Czech Republic: 1; 0; 1; 2, and Slovakia: 1; 0; 1; 2
22. –
23. –
24. Belarus: 0; 2; 0
25. Spain: 0; 1; 0; 1 and Ukraine: 0; 1; 0; 1
26. –
27. Estonia: 0; 0; 1; 1, Latvia: 0; 0; 1; 1, and Poland: 0; 0; 1; 1

Norway did very well to win the Gold Medal Count and Total Medal Count in Beijing 2022. This continues the Norwegians dominance in the Winter Olympics, of which they hold the record total most amount of Winter Olympic Gold Medals and Winter Olympic Medals. Norway has now won or tied the Gold Medal Count the last 3 Olympics. In 2014, Norway and Russia had a joint 14 Golds, but Russia edged out Norway on Silver Medals and thus Russia won the count. In 2018, Norway and Germany both had 14 Golds, with Norway edging out Germany on Silver Medals, thus Norway won the count. This time in 2022, Norway was by far the winner with 16 Golds, 4 more than Germany who had the next most. Norway finished with the highest amount of Gold Medals won at a Winter Olympics at 16. Before, it was at 14. However, this is partly due to there being more Gold Medal events now, at 109. But, Norway also has the highest Gold Medal count when adjusted for inflated Gold Medals set during the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland. There, Norway won 43% of all Gold Medals.

Germany did well again to battle for the top of the Gold Medal Count and overall Medal Count too. Germany has the third most amount of Gold Medals and Medals all-time at the Winter Olympics, and then when you add in East Germany (13th all-time) and West Germany (18th all-time), it is even higher. Germany has been performing towards the top of the Winter Olympics for some time now. Germany keeps dominating the sliding sports (luge, skeleton, and bobsled) and Germany has lots of potential in other winter sports to improve their worth and compete with Norway more.

PR China had a very impressive Winter Olympics and were one of the standouts from this year. PR China had won 13 total Gold Medals before the 2022 Winter Olympics. PR China got 9 Gold Medals in this Olympics alone! That means roughly 41% of all PR Chinese Gold Medals at the Winter Olympics came during the 2022 Winter Olympics. PR China achieved a lot of success using naturalized athletes such as Eileen Gu, who won 2 Gold Medals. PR China still has a lot to work on, but their main goal should be how to keep their current form going. PR China’s 9 Gold Medals are the most by any Asian team at a single Winter Olympics. PR China had an interesting strategy, which is sort of everybody’s, but PR China and New Zealand really exercised this. At least 60% of both countries medals won were Gold Medals, more than any other country. In contrast, the Russian Olympic Committee finished second in overall medals and Canada finished fourth in overall medals, but only less than 17% of the Russian Olympic Committee’s medals were Gold Medals and less than 16% of Canada’s medals were Gold Medals! Thus, Chinese Efficiency seemed to reign supreme this Olympics because when they went for medals, they went for Golds!

For now, the USA finished fourth on the Gold Medal Count, but if investigation proves the Russian Olympic Committee did knowingly cheat in figure skating, then the USA might move up to third on the Gold Medal Count for 2022. Regardless of these investigations, the USA has to be proud that they stayed within a fighting chance until part way through last week to win the Gold Medal Count. The USA suffered from many athletes underperforming at the Winter Olympics 2022, and unlike in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this past summer, the USA did not have enough events to comeback and win the Gold Medal Count on. There were no real upsets. Unfortunately for the USA, lots of upsets happened on them. The USA needs to figure out why they are not reaching their full potential in Winter Sports. It first has to do with accessibility of course, and the USA needs to find ways to make winter sports training more applicable in non-snowy areas. And, the USA is not alone in needing to do this, rather most of the world needs to do this. It is just that the USA has the resources to really do this to the extreme.

Sweden did well to finish toward the top of the count, but Sweden should be disappointed their Norwegians neighbors are doing so much better than them, as are the PR Chinese!

The Netherlands will be happy to have dominated speed skating and finish so high on the count. Austria and Switzerland both finished high as well, but considering the Winter Olympic Capitals are them and Norway, as the Swiss and Austrian Alps are widely regarded as the best skiing mountains, I think a finish below PR China should concern both nations.

The Russian Olympic Committee may have only won 5 Gold Medals, but regardless, pending investigation, they will stay with the second highest amount of medals. They should be happy with their medal count, but disappointed so many medals were not Gold. They need to figure out how to improve their lack of Gold Medals for next time.

France did do well to finish so high. France has potential to achieve higher, and I think will in neighboring Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, especially after they will come off of hosting their own 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Canada is a lot like the Russian Olympic Committee. Both seemed to have the conundrum of being experts in all, but masters in none, well actually masters in a lot, but not really compared to how many medals they had! Canada will need to improve their Gold Medals for the 2026 Winter Olympics. After all, the whole country is practically a snow paradise so them and Russian cannot play the “these sports are only for Norwegians” card.

Japan started off well, and then did not finish on a high note. Same with Italy. Italy needs to improve for when they host the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026. And, South Korea did well to keep up their good form from their Winter Olympics they hosted in 2018. All three of these nations have hosted the Winter Olympics, but are not reaching their full potential in earning Gold Medals right now. However, Japan did earn their highest ever Total Medal Count at any Winter Olympics ever, even if it did not come with as many Golds as in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 or Nagano, Japan in 1988. The Japanese earned 5 more Medals than in 2018, their previous best Winter Olympics in terms of Total Medals. This is following Japan’s best ever Gold Medal Count and Total Medal Count at any Summer Olympics in their own 2020 Tokyo Olympics this past Summer! And, South Korea continued their streak of winning at least 2 Gold Medals at every Winter Olympics since Albertville, France in 1992. And, in Italy’s 2022 defense, they did win their second most amount of Total Medals ever at any Winter Olympics.

Slovenia did well in the opening of this Olympics to earn 2 Gold Medals, but they did not do much after. For a small country, and considering their Croatian neighbors did not even achieve a medal, this is not the worst performance by Slovenia and is actually their best Winter Olympics in terms of the Gold Medal Count as only in Sochi in 2014 did Slovenia win more medals, but less Silvers and the same amount of Golds. But, for an Alpine nation, you would expect more. Finland, same thing. The Finnish will probably forget that they did not achieve much because 1 of their 2 Golds came in men’s ice hockey. Because of this Gold, Finland will look back at this Olympics with resounding success! And not just because of this, but also because Finland actually did their best since 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, USA. This is quite disastrous for such a snowy nation, but all you can do is improve and that is what Finland is doing.

New Zealand did very good to finish so high, considering they had never won a Winter Olympic Gold before this Olympics. This was New Zealand’s best ever Winter Olympics as New Zealand won half of all their Winter Olympic Medals and all of their Winter Olympic Gold Medals in 2022. Now New Zealand has 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 2 Bronze Medals at the Winter Olympics. The Southern Hemisphere has so much untapped potential in the Winter Olympics as Glacier hotspots like New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile have not really done well at the Winter Olympics, and are countries that really could conceivably host the Winter Olympics if the IOC allowed one to happen in the Summer. Australia achieved more medals than their rivals, but less Gold Medals. While this was not Australia’s best Gold Medal Count at the Winter Olympics, Australia did achieve their highest Total Medal Count at any Winter Olympics in 2022. Great Britain got their only Gold Medal on the last day of competition. Great Britain should be better, but they do well in the Summer Olympics so the British should not complain too much, but definitely more than a little.

Hungary had their most successful Winter Olympics in Beijing as the Hungarians got their second Winter Olympics Gold Medal all-time, their first coming in 2018, and got two bronze medals too! Hungary had never won more than one medal at a single Winter Olympics before. Hungary now has 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 6 Bronze Medals at the Winter Olympics in total. Hungary is a country to watch for in the future because they too should be good in the Winter Olympics, and for the record, the Hungarians are good in the Summer Olympics so they have a lot more Olympic Gold Medals and Total Medals when the Summer Olympics are included.

Belgium had their second most successful Winter Olympics ever, after St. Moritz in 1948, where the Belgians won one Gold Medal and one Silver Medal. This was Belgium’s first Gold Medal since 1948, and second overall, and Belgium now has 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 4 Bronze Medals at the Winter Olympics. While less successful than the Hungarians in the Olympics, the Belgians also have many more Olympic Gold Medals and Total Medals when the Summer Olympics are included.

The Czechs had their worst Winter Olympics as an independent country since Lillehammer in 1994, their first Winter Olympics as an independent country. This is following their most successful Summer Olympics ever in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which actually happened this past summer in 2021. Slovakia did not improve this Winter Olympics either, but unlike their Czech siblings, the Slovakians did not have their worst Winter Olympics ever, and have continued their streak of 4 straight Winter Olympics with a Gold Medal, which started in Vancouver, Canada in 2010. The Slovakians also got their first Medal, a Bronze Medal, in Men’s Ice Hockey, so like the Finnish, the Slovaks will look at the Winter Olympics as an overall success.

Belarus needs to look in the mirror and see that their country is full of snow and should be much better in Winter sports! In 2014 in Sochi, Russia, Belarus won 5 Gold Medals and 6 Total Medals, and even in 2018, Belarus won 2 Gold Medals and 3 Total Medals. 2022 was a step in the wrong direction. Plus, Belarus’s Men’s Ice Hockey Team did not even appear in the Olympics in 2022, which is an even greater disappointment for the former Soviet republic. On the other hand, Spain is a Mediterranean Country whose greatest Winter Sports success is probably hosting the 2015 Winter Universiade. Spain won their first Silver Medal ever at the 2022 Winter Olympics and technically had their second best Winter Olympics, their best being in 1972 in Sapporo, Japan where Spain won their only Olympic Gold Medal so far. Spain’s best Total Medal Count Olympics came in 2018 when they 2 Bronze Medals. Spain’s only other Winter Olympics medal was a Bronze Medal at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Ukraine broke their streak of 2 straight Winter Olympics with a Gold Medal. It does not quite make sense why the Ukrainians are super successful in winter sports given their Soviet background and winter climate, but believe it or not, this was tied for the 5th best Winter Olympics ever. Ukraine has only won 3 Gold Medals, 2 Silver Medals, and 4 Bronze Medals all-time. They should have no excuses for not being successful at the Winter Olympics, and neither should Estonia, Latvia, and especially Poland who finish off this list. Neither of these last 3 are good either. Estonia won their first medal since the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This is Estonia’s 4th Winter Olympics to ever win an Olympic Medal, winning 1 Silver in Vancouver, 3 Golds in Turin, Italy in 2006, and winning 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze in Salt Lake City in 2002. Latvia continued their streak of winning medals at 5 straight Winter Olympics, but only won 1 Bronze in 2022. This is tied for their third best Winter Olympics along with 2006 and 2018. In 2010, Latvia won 2 Silvers, and in 2014, Latvia won 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 3 Bronze Medals. Poland has competed in every Winter Olympics (1924), and have only won 7 Golds, 7 Silvers, and 9 Bronze Medals. Quite abysmal from such a large and cold country. Poland had their tied for 8th best Winter Olympics with their 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Poland has now won medals at 6 straight Winter Olympics, dating back to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, but this is Poland’s worst Winter Olympics in that span.

The top athletes at the Winter Olympics were biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø (Norway), cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov (Russian Olympic Committee), and biathlete Marte Olsbu Røiseland (Norway).

Johannes Thingnes Bø (Norway) won 4 Golds and 1 Bronze, winning the Gold Medal Count for individuals at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Johannes Thingnes Bø got 5th Place in the Pursuit, won Bronze in the Individual, and won Gold in the Sprint, Mass Start, Relay, and Mixed Relay! He was dominant at this Olympics!

Alexander Bolshunov (Russian Olympic Committee) tied for the top of the medal count, and finished second overall! He did not start in the Sprint, but won Bronze in the Team Sprint, Silver in the 15 km Individual, and won Gold in the 30 km Skiathlon, 50 km Mass Start, and 4 x 10 km Relay!

Marte Olsbu Røiseland (Norway) also tied for the top of the medal count and finished third overall. She finished 4th in the Relay, won Bronze in the Individual and Mass Start, and won Gold in the Sprint, Pursuit, and Mixed Relay!

Many other athletes performed well, and some such as the Canadian Women’s Ice Hockey Team and Finnish Men’s Ice Hockey Team to name two groups had 100% Gold Medal Winning rates as they only competed in these events.

Overall, congrats to all the nations on this list, and athletes who medaled.

There were only 29 nations that won a medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, and only 327 Medals up for grabs, with a few extra for team events as multiple medals are given out for one event in these.

This Olympics will be remembered as the first Winter Olympics to take place in the People’s Republic of China, as well as the first time a city, Beijing, has hosted both the Summer (2008) and Winter (2022) Olympics. Of course, this is debatable, if Beijing even counts as a city. Furthermore, this may signal the rise of a new winter sports giant, the People’s Republic of China. Norway, Germany, the USA, and Russia all better be aware of the sleeping giant who is no longer in hibernation.