2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Winners and Losers of the Games

After 19 days of competition and hundreds of medals awarded, the 2022 Beijing Games reached their conclusion Sunday.

In the immediate aftermath, we're recognizing a handpicked collection of noteworthy storylines. While the focus is slightly skewed toward Team USA, other topics include Germany's dominance in sliding sports, speedskating records and Norway's finish atop the medal table for the second straight Winter Olympics.

And, of course, the Russian doping controversy.

The list is subjective and organized in no particular way, other than alternating between winners and losers from Beijing.

"Hey, everyone. Really appreciate you joining us. What an honor to represent your country at the Winter Olympics. Also, congrats to the Germans for winning, like, everything."

That's basically how the conversation went in Beijing.

Germany won both gold medals in skeleton, all four in luge and grabbed three of the four—including a podium sweep—in bobsled. Additionally, the German squad recorded a silver in skeleton, two silvers in luge and three silvers in bobsled with a bronze.

If you're having trouble keeping track, that is—among 10 total sliding events—nine golds, six silvers and a bronze. Literally every other nation combined for one gold, four silvers and nine bronzes.

Not awful, you know?

Frustrating though the situation undoubtedly was, it was uncomfortable to hear the criticism directed toward Kamila Valieva following the news of her positive doping test.

You guys, she's 15.

In my opinion, NBC commentator Mike Tirico said it best. Valieva's circumstance is a product of when leadership fails.

"The adults in the room left her alone," he said (h/t Drew Weisholtz of Today). "Portrayed by some this week as the villain, by others as the victim, she is, in fact, the victim of the villains. The coaches and national Olympic committee surrounding Kamila Valieva, whether they orchestrated, prescribed or enabled—all of this is unclear. But what is certain: They failed to protect her."

I won't pretend to have the answers or a great understanding of what happens next. What I do know, however, is a large section of the universe turned on a 15-year-old girl—months, perhaps years, after the supposed adults in the room first did.

We could highlight each U.S. medal winner individually, and it'd be worth the time. In the interest of concision, though, here's a selection of noteworthy Team USA accomplishments.

Elana Meyers Taylor secured a silver and bronze medal, increasing her career total to five. She became the most decorated Black athlete in Winter Olympics history. Meyers Taylor shared the monobob podium with Kaillie Humphries, who previously represented Canada and earned gold in her Olympic debut for the U.S. team.

Erin Jackson skated to a 500-meter gold and made history as the first Black woman to win an Olympic speedskating event.

Jessie Diggins secured the first individual cross-country Olympic medal for a U.S. woman, taking bronze in the sprint. Then, for good measure, she earned silver in the 30km freestyle.

Never before had anyone won multiple golds in women's halfpipe, but Chloe Kim ended the streak.

And, lastly here, Nathan Chen set a world record with a 113.97 in the short program en route to figure skating gold.

There is no room for personal attacks on Mikaela Shiffrin.

As a decorated athlete, however, there are expectations and personal goals. The 26-year-old skier, quite literally, will be the first person to acknowledge she didn't live up to either of those.

Shiffrin did not finish the slalom, giant slalom or combined—the events considered her best shots at a medal, especially gold. Not surprisingly, given she's renowned as a technical skier, Shiffrin also finished off the podium in Super-G (ninth) and downhill (18th). Team USA finished fourth in the team event, as well.

Over the next several years, it's entirely probable Shiffrin will remain a dominant force on the World Cup circuit. But this disappointment in Beijing is her next obstacle to navigate.

From a U.S. perspective, it's probably tough to find a better, more redemptive story than Lindsey Jacobellis'.

In 2006, a celebration gone wrong cost Jacobellis a gold in snowboard cross. Since then, she'd managed to cross the line in fifth, seventh and fourth. But in Beijing, Jacobellis outraced France's Chloe Trespeuch for a long-awaited gold.

And, best of all, Jacobellis wasn't finished.

Paired with Nick Baumgartner in the team event, Jacobellis won another gold. Most memorably, she grabbed her board on the final jump—the exact move responsible for her shocking silver in 2006—and provided an iconic highlight for Team USA.

Four years ago, Canada earned an Olympic-best four medals in figure skating. Although it wasn't necessarily a surprise, none of Canada's skaters are leaving Beijing with a medal.

Not yet, at least.

In theory, the International Olympic Committee could strip the Russian Olympic Committee's gold in the team competition as a penalty for Valieva's positive test. If that happens—and there's no guarantee of it—Canada would move into bronze position.

As it stands, though, Canada didn't secure any hardware on the ice for the first time in 42 years.

Speedskating records fall at nearly every Olympics, but Beijing took the trend to another level.

Irene Schouten of the Netherlands and Sweden's Nils van der Poel accomplished the feat twice apiece on the longer track, including a world record for the latter. China's Gao Tingyu, Japan's Miho Takagi, Canada's team pursuit and both Kjeld Nuis and Ireen Wust of the Netherlands joined them for nine Olympic records in medal races.

On the short track, Suzanne Schulting of the Netherlands notched two individual Olympic records—one world, as well—and contributed to two more in relays. She totaled four medals in Beijing.

Hungary's Shaolin Sandor Liu and South Korea's Hwang Dae-heon and Choi Min-jeong also set short-track records.

On the women's side, Canada and the United States squared off in the gold-medal game for the sixth time in seven tournaments. Canada secured gold with a 3-2 victory over the U.S. team.

However, the North American neighbors had disappointing finishes in the NHL-less men's tournament.

Partially thanks to a 4-2 win against Canada, Team USA ended group play as the top-seeded team. Canada checked in fifth and cruised past China 7-2 in the opening playoff round.

Neither the U.S. nor Canada survived the quarterfinals, though.

Slovakia stunned Team USA, which surrendered a last-minute equalizer in the third period and lost in a shootout. Later that day, Sweden blanked the Canadian squad 2-0. The loss snapped a three-Olympic streak of Canada earning a medal in men's hockey.

Most medals? Norway. Most golds? Norway.

I, for one, welcome our Scandinavian overlords, who excelled in biathlon, cross-country skiing and nordic combined. That trio of sports accounted for 26 of the Norwegians' 37 total medals.

Norway accumulated 16 gold, eight silver and 13 bronze medals throughout the Beijing Games. It's the second straight Winter Olympics in which the Norwegians—who collected 39 medals in 2018 in Pyeongchang—topped the table.

Next up were the Russian Olympic Committee (32), Germany (27) and Canada (26). Team USA finished fifth at 25 total medals, registering eight gold, 10 silver and seven bronze.