Recap of Team USA’s Olympic medals 2018

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Team USA has won a total of 10 medals so far in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Athletes from snowboarding, figure skating, alpine skiing, speed skating and the luge events all contributed to this success.

While another week of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games still awaits, several athletes have already triumphed in their events for Team USA. As of Sunday, Feb. 18, US Olympians from snowboarding to skiing have secured a total of 10 medals for their country.

Out of Team USA’s 10 medals, half are gold. The first to take gold for the US was 17-year-old Red Gerard, who prevailed in the men’s snowboard slopestyle over athletes with previous Olympic experience. Another 17-year-old snowboarder, Chloe Kim, took gold in the women’s halfpipe event, making her the youngest woman to win gold in snowboarding in the history of the Olympics. While Gerard and Kim celebrated their first-ever Olympic victories, fellow snowboarder and four time Olympian Shaun White made a comeback from his disappointing fourth place finish in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, landing his third gold medal in the men’s halfpipe. Likewise, Jamie Anderson was able to win her second gold medal in the women’s snowboard slopestyle, which Anderson has dominated since its addition to the Olympics in 2014. Finally, alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin secured the last Team USA gold medal in the women’s giant slalom, bringing the team’s gold medal count to five.

In addition to these gold medals, Team USA also had three second place finishes. On Sunday, Feb. 11, Chris Mazdzer won the first-ever US silver medal in men’s singles luge, an event historically and currently dominated by Germany. First-time Olympian John-Henry Krueger was also able to take second in his event, the men’s 1000m speed skate, winning the US its first individual speed skating medal in eight years. Finally, Nick Goepper earned a silver medal in the men’s freeski slopestyle, four years after his bronze medal win in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

On top of five gold and three silver medals, Team USA captured two bronze. The first of these two medals was shared by members of the figure skating team. US teammates from ice dancing, pairs’ skating and the men and women’s individual skating events all competed against rivals of their same event to score the points that secured the US their second bronze medal in this competition since its introduction to the Winter Olympics in 2014. In addition to this Team USA victory, snowboarder Arielle Gold triumphed in the women’s halfpipe, winning bronze alongside Kim’s gold.

Altogether, these gold, silver and bronze victories give Team USA hope for more medals in the last week of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.