The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics concluded on the 20th of February – Sunday. Now it’s time to reflect on the event’s highs and lows.
From hard-fought successes to painful defeats, many will remember the 24th Winter Games for all the good reasons and all the terrible ones.
The Kamila Valieva doping controversy dominated the news throughout most of the competition. However, don’t overlook the success stories of some of the world’s top athletes.
Norway solidified its supremacy in winter sports, and a new generation of talents, notably China’s Freeski wonder Eileen Gu, made their international debuts.
IOC President Thomas Bach Expressed Gratitude to China and Had a Message for the World’s Leaders
In his parting address, IOC President Thomas Bach calls for peace and togetherness while appreciating the Chinese people for organizing and hosting the Beijing Winter Games.
“Give peace a chance,” he urged world leaders to take inspiration from this month’s Olympic spectacular in Beijing.
Bach also lauded the organizers for staging the Games amid the epidemic and expressed gratitude to the participants for their generosity and constant excitement.
Bach then announces the 24th Winter Games officially closed, to thunderous cheers from everyone within the stadium.
It was just enough time for one final touching video before bidding Beijing farewell.
Norway Maintains Its Dominance and Sets a New Record
Norway earned the most gold medals ever in a single Olympic Winter Game with 16 in Beijing. The country’s participants have won gold in various sports, including speed skating, cross-country skiing, and biathlon.
According to reports, Norway’s Olympic success is due to two significant factors: The weather is ideal for winter sports, and the country is affluent, with a GDP ranking inside the top 35 countries worldwide. Winter sports need a significant investment in equipment, training, and financial resources.
Kamila Valieva Finished Fourth in a Contentious Olympics Run
Valieva, the Russian figure skating sensation anticipated to win gold inside the women’s free skate finale, failed amid a doping controversy.
The 15-year-old came back positive for trimetazidine in December, specialists say. Trimetazidine is a cardiac medicine used to treat angina and has been shown to enhance blood flow to the heart.
They did not reveal the findings until Valieva was in Beijing and winning gold in the figure skating team competition after landing a quad — a four-spin leap in the air.
Valieva was permitted to compete inside the individual figure skating event despite her positive test due to her age.
She fell many times on the ice during her final performance this week, though, and finished fourth behind her Russian Olympic Committee colleagues Anna Shcherbakova & Alexandra Trusova, who finished first and second, respectively. She wept as she completed her regimen.
Now, all eyes are on Valieva’s trainer, a team doctor, and the Russian professional figure skating community for their alleged roles in her doping controversy.
GU Dominated Her Debut Olympics, Capturing Three Medals, Two of Which Were Gold
The 18-year-old Freeski sensation won three medals at her debut Winter Olympics, including two golds. And in her final program, she took a deserved victory lap following a near-perfect performance in the women’s halfpipe.
Gu, born in the United States but competes for China, made one of the most memorable Olympics starts this year. And while she was doing it, she created history by being the first freestyle skier to win three medals in a single winter game.
“It’s been two weeks of the most intense highs & lows I have ever known,” she told reporters following her victory. “It altered the course of my life permanently.”
Zhu Yi Is Facing Severe Online Backlash for Falling in Her Regimen
The California-born 19-year-old, who competes for Team China, received a barrage of harsh remarks online following her fall on the ice in the women’s figure skating program earlier in the month.
Zhu, who gave up her American citizenship to participate in China’s national team in 2018, also changed her name from Beverly Zhu. Chinese spectators have been chastised for her lack of proficiency in the language and lackluster performance in the Games.
Nonetheless, Zhu is looking for the bright side of her 2022 Games journey.
Earlier this week on Instagram, Zhu stated that she “persisted through seasons of adversity and emerged a stronger person.”
The Closing Ceremony Concludes With a Magnificent Firework Display Above Beijing National Stadium
An incredible 90-second show illuminates the Beijing sky and extinguishes the Olympic flame inside the Beijing National Stadium.
Although the fireworks are allegedly non-toxic and eco-friendly, they are dazzling.
That concludes Beijing 2022.
More than two weeks of top competition have concluded, with its share of highs and lows. Let us do it again in less than two years when Paris will host the Summer Olympics in 2024.
