Beijing Winter Olympics come to a close, U.S. finishes fourth in medal count

Wracked by COVID-19 and the threat of war in Eastern Europe, the Beijing Winter Olympics came to a close Sunday with a spectacularly ornate final show that temporarily masked many of the world’s tensions.

The United States finished fourth in the medal count for the second straight Winter games, finishing behind Norway, Russia and Germany.

Americans captured a total of 25 medals, slightly better than the 23 from four years ago in South Korea.

Cross country skier Jessie Diggins captured the Americans last award, a silver in the women's 30-kilometer mass start. She had won bronze in an earlier event. 

The U.S. team delivered on some of its high hopes as men’s figure skater Nathan Chen captured gold with a near flawless performance. But Americans also struggled in events where they were supposed to dominate, typified by the unexpected medal-less performance by decorated skier Mikaela Shiffrin.

The 26-year-old Shiffrin failed to medal on her final event Sunday, and the women’s ski team also finished an unexpected fourth. 

“I have had a lot of disappointing moments at these Games; today is not one of them,” Shiffrin told reporters after her final run, citing the time with her teammates as a reward.

In the final event of the Beijing Games, Finland stunned defending champion Russia to win its first gold in men’s hockey.