Winter Olympics gold medal standings shaken up: Norway leads with 15 golds, France and Sweden rise & Japan wins 5 golds, China jumps 5 places

On February 19th Beijing time, the 12th day of the Milan Winter Olympics ended with nine gold medals distributed, once again shaking up the medal standings. Asia saw a strong performance with China, Japan, and South Korea collectively winning four golds in one day. Norway continues to dominate with 15 golds, Italy has surpassed the USA to hold second place, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden all share six golds, and Germany, Austria, Japan, and Switzerland fiercely battle with five golds each. China, with two golds, ranks 14th, ahead of South Korea!

Norway’s gold medal momentum is unstoppable; on this competition day, they secured the men’s cross-country skiing team sprint freestyle gold, bringing their total to 15 golds and 33 medals, firmly holding first place in both categories. Their dominant winter sports strength leaves other countries far behind. This marks the 12th consecutive day Norway has topped the leaderboard. These golds largely come from three major disciplines: biathlon, Nordic combined, and cross-country skiing, all requiring endurance and stamina. A key contributor is the 29-year-old star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who has competed in six events and helped Norway win five golds, boasting a perfect record. This men’s cross-country team sprint freestyle gold is Klæbo’s fifth of the Games and his tenth Olympic gold overall, making him the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals in history. His dominance is incredible, and he still has one event left—the 50km mass start—where he could potentially win six golds in a single Olympics!

On the 12th competition day, France and Sweden each won one gold medal, bringing their totals to six golds apiece. France’s gold came from the women’s 4×6 km biathlon relay, while Sweden earned theirs in the women’s cross-country team sprint. These wins boosted both teams’ rankings, with France climbing to fourth and Sweden to sixth. Japan, a strong Asian winter sports nation, also added a gold on this day from the women’s snowboard slopestyle, increasing their total to five golds and maintaining their position as Asia’s top country, surpassing China and South Korea and breaking into the top ten!

China experienced a breakout on the 12th competition day, winning two gold medals from men’s snowboard slopestyle and women’s freestyle skiing aerials. This ended an 11-day gold medal drought and significantly eased public pressure. Moreover, China improved its ranking to 14th, narrowing the gap with Japan to three golds and surpassing South Korea thanks to more silver medals. On the 13th day, China has another gold medal opportunity in the men’s 1500m speed skating event, with Ning Zhongyan competing for gold—an exciting prospect!

Written by / Sports Novel