It seems like just yesterday that the opening ceremonies were taking place, but yesterday the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics came to a close. More than 40,000 attendees filed into the Fisht Stadium for the closing ceremony on Sunday to say farewell to the Games.
Sochi 2014, the costliest Olympics in history, brought a bounty of entertainment. Some memorable moments include Olympians adopting Sochi stray dogs, gifs of insane instant replays, controversial wins and losses, “#SochiSelfies,” Internet memes, dozens of record-breaking performances and so much more. Some people thought Russia couldn’t pull it off, but the host country proved they could. Even though there were a few snags and glitches, we can confidently say that Sochi 2014 ended safely and with celebration. And honestly, what more could you hope for?
Catch up on what you missed during the last weekend of the Olympics! Here is your final Sochi Scoop recap:
Canada defeats USA and Sweden in men’s hockey
Canada’s hockey team went undefeated during the Sochi Olympics, winning every single game all the way up to the final on Sunday. Canada took the gold medal in men’s hockey after defeating Sweden 3-0. The United States and Canada went head-to-head on Friday during the highly anticipated semifinal match. Team USA lost 0-1 and later failed to beat Finland for the bronze medal. Canada’s win marks the country’s third gold in the event in the past four years. Last week Canada took the gold in women’s hockey as well.
The Dutch take two more gold medals in speed skating
The Dutch simply dominated in speed skating during this year’s Olympics. The country has won 23 medals in speed skating (Yes, 23!). The final two medals were added after the Dutch won the men and women’s team pursuit finals. No other country has won as many medals as the Dutch has in a single event. East Germany comes closest to beating the Dutch’s record. In the 1988 Games, East Germany won 13 medals in a single event. The Netherlands ended the games with 24 medals; meaning only one of the medals was not from speed skating.
Russia takes home its first biathlon gold
Russia took its first biathlon gold on Saturday after winning the men’s 4×7.5-kilometer relay. Russia edged out Germany by completing the event in a total of 1 hour, 12 minutes and 15.9 seconds. The Russian team missed eight targets during the shooting portion of the event. Germany took silver while Austria was awarded the bronze medal.
Mikaela Shiffrin becomes the youngest athlete to win Olympic slalom
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has a lot to be proud of. Not only did Shiffrin win gold in the women’s Olympic slalom on Friday, but the teen broke an Olympic record in the process. Shiffrin, 18, became the youngest Olympian to win the event after she completed the slalom course in a combined time of 1 minute and 44.54 seconds. She beat silver medalist, Austria’s Marlies Schild, by 0.53 seconds. Kathrin Zettel, also of Austria, took the bronze medal.
Men and women’s parallel slalom medal results, American wins for Russia
An American snowboarder won gold on Saturday during the men’s snowboard parallel slalom. However, the medal didn’t go to the USA. The gold medalist, Vic Wild, was competing for Russia, where he now lives. His win added another medal to the host country’s final medal count, helping to bring its total to 33. The silver went to Zan Kosir, who trailed behind Wild by just 0.11 seconds. The bronze was awarded to Benjamin Karl of Austria. In the women’s competition, Austrian snowboarder Julia Dujmovits took the gold. Anke Karstens and Amelie Kober from Team Germany took silver and bronze, respectively.
Great Britain loses to Canada in curling final
Canada’s men curling team took the gold with a final score of 9-3 against Great Britain on Friday. Team GB walked away with the silver while Sweden was able to take the bronze after beating China 6-4. Canada won gold twice before in the sport making Friday’s win the third consecutive gold medal for the country in curling. The day before, the women’s curling gold went to Canada after the team beat Sweden at the Ice Cube Curling Center.
Russia takes gold in four-man bobsled
Russia won the gold medal at the Sanki Sliding Center on Sunday during the four-man bobsled event. The Russian bobsled team completed all four runs in a total time of 3 minutes, 40.60 seconds. Latvia took silver after completing the event 0.09 seconds behind Russia. USA was able to walk away with bronze with a difference of 0.39 seconds compared to Russia’s final time.
Russia sweeps men’s 50-kilometer cross-county event
More medals for Russia! Alexander Legkov took gold for Team Russia after completing the men’s 50-kilometer cross-country race in 1 hour, 46 minutes and 55.2 seconds. Legkov’s fellow Russian teammates Maxim Vylegzhanin and Ilia Chernousov took silver and bronze, respectively. Vylegzhanin trailed behind Legkov by 0.7 seconds, while Chernousov did so by just 0.8 seconds. Norway was only 0.2 seconds away from standing on the podium, but instead finished in fourth place. The wins secured Russia’s rein in the medals race, helping the country’s final medal count come to a total of 33 medals.
A bittersweet Closing Ceremony
In good spirit, Russia finished off the Olympics with a closing ceremony full of as much culture and heritage as the opening. With performances by talented musicians, artists and dancers, the closing ceremony capped off the 2014 Winter Olympics in utter Sochi style. One performance that particularly stood out was a musical sequence of 62 musicians performing a tribute to Sergei Rachmaninoff, a famous Russian composer and pianist. And, of course, another dancing circus scene had to be included. One of Sochi’s Olympic mascots, a bear, blew out the Olympic flame as a single tear ran down his face (dramatic, perhaps, but sweet nonetheless).
At the closing ceremony on Sunday, we also learned that Russians have a sense of humor. Performances mimicked the malfunctioning Olympic ring from the opening ceremony, poking fun at the electronic glitch. Russia ended the Olympics at the top of the medals race with 33 medals, 13 of them gold. Being a host country, there’s not much more you could ask for. As fireworks bursts outside of Fisht Stadium, the Games officially ended.
Final medal count: top five countries
- Russia: 13 gold, 11 silver, nine bronze = 33 total
- United States: nine gold, seven silver, 12 bronze = 28 total
- Norway: 11 gold, five silver, 10 bronze = 26 total
- Canada: 10 gold, 10 silver, five bronze = 25 total
- Netherlands: eight gold, seven silver, nine bronze = 24 total
To see a full list of the final medal count, click here.
What was your favorite moment of the Games? Will you be watching the Summer Olympics in 2016 or the next Winter Olympics in 2018? Leave your comments below! Thanks for following Her Campus’s Olympic blog, Sochi Scoop! Until next time, collegiettes…