Despite Nathan Chen’s historic landing of six quads in one Olympic freeskate, and Chloe Kim soaring into the record books as the youngest woman to win snowboarding gold, Team USA didn’t live up to expectations in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea.
With both star studded veterans and promising rookies making up the roster of 244 athletes, expectations were high for the Americans going into the games, and as of the games closing on Feb. 25, they had obtained a total of 23 medals, nine being gold.
While a medal count like that could be considered a resounding success for many countries, it is the lowest medal count Team USA has won in a Winter Olympics since the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan, where they left with a measly 13.
Unfortunately, this thrust the Americans into what could arguably be called the worst placement in the games– fourth place, just missing the podium behind Norway (39), Germany (31), and Canada (29).
Overall disappointment aside, this does not discount the personal victories of the athletes who competed in the games, with some living up to their hype, and others making a name for themselves out of the shadows of obscurity.
Let’s take a look at a few who shone in these games.
Chloe Kim
Not able to compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics because of her young age, Kim came into these games with incredible promise, a fire in her heart, and a relatable craving for ice cream.
While Kim’s first run on the snowboarding halfpipe was enough to secure her the gold medal position and the record for youngest women’s gold medalist in the sport, she absolutely crushed her own score, going from a 93.75 on her first run to a whopping 98.25 on her last.
In a later interview with Jimmy Fallon, she talked about why she felt the need to run that second time.
“I think I would have been really mad at myself if I didn’t do it,” Chole said. “…because I knew I could do better… I think I’m really competitive with myself.”
Shaun White
A snowboarding household name if there ever was one, veteran snowboarder Shaun White redeemed himself this year after a disappointing failure in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, where he fell multiple times and failed to place at all.
With a final score of 97.75, White secured his third gold medal at a Winter Games, making him the only male athlete on Team USA to do so, and also won the landmark 100 medal overall for the United States.
Women’s Hockey
In a heartstopping shootoff with the Canadians, the USA Women’s Hockey team came out on top, with a successful serpentine-like shot from forward Jocelyne Lamoureux and a hard block from goalie Maddie Rooney, ending the game in a triumphant, golden victory.
Adam Rippon
This men’s figure skating competitor might not have come home with the gold, but he still made his mark by becoming one of the first openly gay men to compete, along with freeskier Gus Kenworthy.
While poised and graceful in his movements during his short program, Rippon lost potential points for his lack of a quad jump–a jump that has the skater rotate a full four times before landing–and missed his chance on the medal podium.
What he didn’t gain in terms of Olympic medals, Rippon surely gained in love and adoration, gaining a large following of fans on social media after his mesmerizing performance.
Nathan Chen
Another figure skater who just missed the medals podium, but forged a name for himself with his performance nonetheless!
After a disappointing first performance, Chen came back with a redemption skate to go into the history books, being the first competitor to ever land six quads in a single performance.
Chris Mazdzer
And out of seemingly nowhere, Team USA won their first ever medal in an Olympic Men’s Single Luge event!
Mazdzer, after finishing in 13 place his last two Olympic appearances, pulled it all together to skyrocket into a silver medal position after his fourth and final run.
In a social media post before the games, Madzer admitted to being in a negative headspace, saying he found himself inside a “dark cave”.
However he ended hopeful– a now awe inspiring foreshadowing of what was to come: “Thank you to everyone who has always believed in me, I want you to know that you always help me get through the tough times and I am looking forward to sleighing the future…”
The next Olympic Games will be hosted in Tokyo, Japan.