The 2022 Beijing Olympics have been one to remember. From figure-skating star Nathan Chen winning his first career gold medal to snowboarding legend Shaun White making his final halfpipe run, these Games' storylines have been endless.
Team USA collected 24 medals overall, its most since winning 25 in Turin 2006. That total included eight gold medals from the likes of Chen and snowboarder Chloe Kim along with nine silvers and seven bronzes.
Alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin entered the Games with sky-high expectations like Chen and Kim. But unlike that pair, the 26-year-old failed to medal in all five of her individual events and was disqualified from three of them. It was a shocking career tumble for an athlete who's earned gold medals in each of the last two Olympics.
Team USA's women's hockey team, the defending Olympic champions, earned silver in Beijing after falling to Canada in the gold-medal game. It was the latest chapter in a rivalry Olympics followers have come to know well, as the U.S. and Canada have met in six of the seven women's hockey finals since the sport was introduced in Nagano 1998.
In curling, the U.S. men's team not only failed to defend its gold medal but also missed the podium for the third time in the last four Games.
Still, Team USA gave fans plenty to celebrate over the past two weeks. Here are each of Team' USA's medalists and some of the best moments from the Beijing Games.
Team USA 2022 Medal Winners
- Jaelin Kauf: Silver, women's moguls – February 6
- Julia Marino: Silver, women's snowboarding slopestyle – February 6
- Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zachary Donahue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierm, Vincent Zhou: Silver, figure skating team event – February 7
- Ryan Cochran-Siegle: Silver, men's super-G – February 8
- Jessie Diggins: Bronze, women's sprint cross country skiing – February 8
- Lindsey Jacobellis: Gold, women's snowboard cross – February 9
- Colby Stevenson: Silver, men's big air – February 9
- Nathan Chen: Gold, men's singles figure skating – February 10
- Ashley Caldwell, Christopher Lillis, Justin Schoenefeld: Gold, mixed team aerials skiing – February 10
- Chloe Kim: Gold, women's snowboarding halfpipe – February 10
- Nick Baumgartner, Lindsey Jacobellis: Gold, mixed team snowboard cross – February 12
- Erin Jackson: Gold, women's 500m speed skating – February 13
- Kallie Humphries: Gold, women's monobob bobsled – February 14
- Elana Meyers Taylor: Silver, women's monobob bobsled – February 14
- Zachary Donohue, Madison Hubbell: Bronze, Ice dance – February 14
- Megan Nick: Bronze, women's aerials skiing – February 14
- Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, Joey Mantia: Bronze, men's speed skating team pursuit – February 15
- Alex Hall: Gold, men's slopestyle skiing – February 16
- Nick Goepper: Silver, men's slopestyle skiing – February 16
- Team USA women's hockey: Silver, ice hockey – February 17
- Brittany Bowe: Bronze, women's 1,000m speed skating – February 17
- David Wise: Silver, men's skiing halfpipe – February 19
- Sylvia Hoffman, Elana Meyers Taylor: Bronze, two-woman bobsled – February 19
- Alex Ferreira: Bronze, men's skiing halfpipe – February 19
Nathan Chen wins his first career gold medal
These Olympics have been somewhat of a redemption tour for Nathan Chen. The ultra-talented figure skater was expected to medal at the 2018 Games, but uncharacteristic mistakes made him tumble to fifth place in PyeongChang's men's singles event. Chen made no such mistakes this time around. Chen led the U.S. to silver in Beijing's team event and earned his first career gold medal in the men's singles competition. In the short program, Chen put on a dazzling show fans won't forget any time soon.
Erin Jackson becomes the first Black gold medalist in individual speed skating
Erin Jackson's win in the women's 500m speed skating event brought her first Olympic hardware, but its significance stretched far beyond that. The win made Jackson the first Black speed skater to claim an individual gold medal for Team USA. Jackson sped past Japan's Takagi Miho (37.12) and Russia's Angelina Golikova (37.21) for a time of 37.04 in the historic win. If it weren't for teammate and longtime friend Brittany Bowe, however, Jackson wouldn't have even been in the race. Jackson fell during January's U.S. Olympic trials and placed third, and only the top-two finishers automatically qualified for Beijing. Bowe, who finished first, relinquished her spot to Jackson. The story ended positively for both, though, as Bowe claimed bronze in the women's 1000m race.
Chloe Kim adds another gold medal to her flawless résumé
In PyeongChang 2018, then 17-year-old Chloe Kim flashed superstar potential after becoming the youngest woman ever to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal. The 21-year-old confirmed her superstar status in Beijing. Kim earned a second consecutive win in the women's halfpipe event, making her the only woman snowboarder to win two golds in the halfpipe. Kim's sensational first run in the halfpipe final earned her a top score of 94, 3.75 points better than the second-place finisher, Spain's Queralt Castellet. With the legendary Shaun White retiring after these Games, Kim looks to be a worthy successor to his snowboarding throne.
Shaun White finishes his snowboarding career on a high note
Shaun White has competed in five Olympics and won three gold medals over his storied career, but those accomplishments don't begin to encapsulate just how significant he is to the snowboarding world and beyond. The 35-year-old launched his own video-game franchise, has appeared in multiple feature films and is even starting his own clothing line. In Beijing, White demonstrated how he became the sport's biggest icon one last time, as he's retiring after these Games. White (85.00), who at 35 is seven years older than the next oldest men's halfpipe competitor, finished only 2.25 points behind the third-place finisher, Scotty James (87.25) of Australia. It was a marvelous final Olympics for White, who cried after the competition and got a well-deserved ovation from his fellow snowboarders.
Kaillie Humphries triumphs in her first Olympics for the U.S.
Kaillie Humphries came into Beijing with two Olympic gold medals under her belt, but she knew these Games would still be "so special." That's because it was her first Olympics for Team USA, as the 35-year-old represented Canada in the last three Games. Humphries, a Canada native who became a U.S. citizen in December, left Canada's squad after accusing coach Todd Hays of verbal and mental abuse in 2019. In her first appearance for the U.S., she shined. Humphries won gold in the Olympics' first-ever women's monobob event, bringing her career medal total to four.
Lindsey Jacobellis earns her long-awaited gold medal
Like Chen, snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis came into Beijing seeking her first Olympic gold medal after one slipped her grasp years prior. The only difference, however, is Jacobellis' missed opportunity came 12 years before Chen's. Jacobellis had a clear lead in the 2006 snowboard cross event, giving her enough time to celebrate before passing the finish line. But the showboating came with a huge cost. Jacobellis fell while attempting an unnecessary trick, allowing Switzerland's Tanja Frieden to pass her for gold. In the three next Olympics, Jacobellis failed to medal once. That all changed in Beijing. Jacobellis won Team USA's first gold medal of the 2022 Games in the women's snowboard cross, and days later she -- along with Nick Baumgartner -- won another gold in the team snowboard cross. Jacobellis' strong performance in the team event helped Baumgartner, 40, become the oldest Olympic snowboarding champion ever.
