The Winter Olympics gold medal standings changed dramatically overnight! The host nation rose to second place, South Korea claimed its first gold, and China dropped further.

By the end of February 13 in Beijing time, the sixth day of the Milan Winter Olympics finished, and nine gold medals were awarded: Italy 2, Netherlands 2, South Korea 1, Australia 1, Austria 1, Sweden 1, and Germany 1, showing a broad distribution of victories. This caused a significant shift in the gold medal leaderboard. Norway remains first despite no golds that day, but its lead shrank to just one gold. Italy surpassed the United States to claim second place, with the U.S. falling to third. Germany climbed to fourth, Sweden jumped to fifth, Switzerland dropped two places to sixth, and although the Netherlands gained two golds that day, their rank only rose one spot to ninth!

Two countries won one gold each that day. Italy, as the host nation, enjoyed favorable conditions and strong support, demonstrating great competitiveness by capturing two golds in one day—from the women's alpine skiing super-G and the women's 5000m speed skating. Their gold total reached six, surpassing the U.S. to move into second place, just one gold behind Norway. On the overall medal table, Italy leads with 17 medals. The Netherlands earned two golds on the fifth day in men's 1000m and women's 500m short track speed skating, showcasing their dominance in short track. Notably, all three Dutch golds so far have come from speed skating events!

Germany claimed another gold in their traditional strength, luge, winning the team relay and demonstrating strong dominance. This was Germany’s fourth gold of the Games, helping them surpass Switzerland to move up to fourth place. Sweden earned one gold on the fifth day in the women's 10km freestyle cross-country skiing, marking their fourth gold and pushing them ahead of Switzerland into fifth place. Austria won one gold on the fifth day in men's snowboard cross, securing their third gold of the Games and climbing from eighth to seventh place!

Two countries broke through to win their first golds: South Korea and Australia, marking significant progress. South Korea’s gold came from the women’s snowboard halfpipe, moving them up from 15th to 11th place. Australia captured gold in men’s freestyle skiing aerials, boosting their rank directly to 14th place!

After six days of competition, China still has yet to win gold. On the sixth day, they earned a valuable silver medal from Sun Long in the men’s 1000m short track speed skating. He secured the silver with a last-moment sprint, narrowly missing gold. China’s ranking continues to slip, now standing at 16th place!

Written by / Sports Novel