Finally after two crazy weeks of intense competition, broken records, shattered dreams, and unforgettable victories, it is time to bid the Sochi Winter Olympics farewell. This year, 2,873 athletes from 88 countries will go home with memories to last a lifetime.
In honor of the last day, we present to you a recap of some of the top moments from Sochi 2014:
1. Behind their seemingly serious law-enforcing demeanors, the Russian police actually have quite a knack for singing and dancing. Their performance of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” was one the most entertaining moments of the opening ceremony. Check out those moves!
2. Move aside Mckayla Maroney – we have found ourselves a new face of Olympic memes. Meet Ashley Wagner, the 22-year old American figure skater who appeared less than thrilled to place sixth in the women’s short program.
3. Talk about a wardrobe malfunction. Russian speed skater, Olga Graf, may have been too eager to celebrate her bronze medal as she unzipped her skin-tight suit in front of millions of spectators.
4. American freestyle skier, Gus Kenworthy, clearly scored a 10 in all the ladies’ hearts after adopting four stray puppies from Sochi. Even Miley Cyrus approves.
5. During the women’s freeski slopestyle event, Canadian Yuki Tsubota suffered possibly the worst crash of the Sochi Olympics. The 20-year old landed the flat part of the course, and her momentum carried her down the slope. Luckily, she did not appear to have any serious injuries, although there were concerns about a jaw fracture.
6. The women’s figure skating finals on February 20th showcased one of the most intense (and controversial) battles for the gold. Previous Olympic champion, Yuna Kim, also known as “The Queen,” displayed a flawless performance but was ultimately dethroned by the 18-year-old Russian, Adelina Sotnikova, whose performance was perhaps less than perfect. Furious Kim fans accused the results of being biased, and they have even started a petition to reinvestigate the judging process. Who do you think deserves the gold?
7. After a brutal comeback during overtime, the Canadian women’s hockey team snags the gold for the fourth time in a row. Americans are still heartbroken over their loss, despite the close game and taking home second place.
8. This year, the Sochi bear mascot has become infamous with crowd. Some called him “haunting,” others called him “terrifying.” Regardless, the bear has become an Internet sensation, spurring popular twitter hashtags such as #nightmarebear and #sochibearproblems.
9. Ted Ligety is an alpine ski racer who has carved his way into Olympic history. At the Sochi Olympics, he became the first and only man to have won gold in giant slalom as well as the combined event!
10. Last, but definitely not least: the best moment from the Sochi Olympics was when our fellow Wolverines, Meryl Davis and Charlie White, brought home our country’s first-ever gold medal in Olympic ice dancing. Their captivating performance landed them world records in both free and total scores. GO BLUE!
This year, the United States has taken home a total of 28 medals – 9 gold, 7 silver, and 12 bronze, placing them second after Russia for the country with the most number of medals at the Sochi Winter Olympics.