It’s not all about the U.S. at the Olympics. The best of the rest of the world was on display in Sochi. Here are a few of the athletes from other countries that stood out, along with a few Olympic disappointments.
WINNERS
Dutch speedskating
Netherlands earned 24 medals in Sochi, 23 of which came in long track. The Dutch dominance of the sport is unparalleled in Olympic history. The rest of the world combined to earn 13 medals in speedskating.
Viktor Ahn
After a falling out with the skating federation in his native South Korea, Ahn accepted Russia’s offer of citizenship. He rewarded the host country with four medals — three gold and a bronze — in short track to become the sport’s greatest ever.
Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
The 40-year-old Norwegian biathlete capped his Olympic career by earning gold in sprint and mixed relay to bring his career medal count up to 13, the most in Winter Games history.
LOSERS
Russian men’s hockey
This year’s hosts put all their eggs in the gold-medal basket, but suffered a shocking disappointment when they lost, 3-1, to eventual bronze medalist Finland in the quarterfinals.
Figure skating judges
As per custom, the sport’s scoring came under fire again. Forget who won gold (Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova) or silver (South Korea’s Yuna Kim), but pay attention to American Ashley Wagner’s calls for an end to “anonymous judging.”
Sochi’s reputation
Russia made a big investment in the city for these games and as a winter tourist destination, but the hastily built hotels have been the butt of so many jokes that it may be a tough sell in the future.
