Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display</s>When the 2018 Winter Olympics come to a close on Sunday, fans will be able to take a final inventory of the successes and failures of their respective nations. But figuring out Pyeongchang’s big winner isn’t as simple as it may seem. First, we need to determine how, exactly, bragging rights should be doled out.

If total medal count is paramount, then Norway will come out on top. At the time of this writing, the Norwegians have claimed 38 medals in Pyeongchang, nine more than second-place Canada. But if gold medals and gold medals alone are the true yardstick by which competing nations should be judged, then Germany’s current haul of 13 brings them level with Norway for first place.

In order to settle this matter before the closing ceremony, let’s take a look at the case for each metric.

The case for judging countries based on their gold medal hauls:

—They only play the national anthems of gold medal-winning athletes; the loser nations have to stand there and listen.

—Finland won four bronzes but just one gold in Pyeongchang. You don’t think the Finns would trade all those extra podium appearances for one more spin of “Maamme”?

—Gold medalists will forever be introduced at parties as a “gold medalist,” not an “Olympic medalist” or (God forbid) an “Olympian.”

—Silver and bronze medals are glorified participation trophies. If NFL linebacker James Harrison sees your ice-dancing silver medals, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, he will throw them (and you) in the trash.

—Getting Cash 4 Gold is as easy as making a phone call. You ever try getting Cash 4 Bronze?

The case for judging countries based on their total medal count:

—A country that stacks the podium should get credit for its depth of talent. If a nation produces one decent speedskater, good for her or him. If a nation can produce a veritable army of great speedskaters, we should acknowledge and celebrate its suspicious commitment to speedskating.

—When Canada and Germany tied for first place in the two-man bobsled, both squads got gold medals. No silver medals were awarded in the event, meaning fewer silvers than golds were awarded at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Not only did this dull the symbolic luster of Pyeongchang gold, a flooded market also means the literal value of a 2018 gold medal was cheapened. Due to this imbalance, silver can be considered the gold standard at these Olympics.

—People are more likely to assume a gold medalist is taking performance-enhancing drugs. That probably makes winning gold a bit of a drag, especially if you’re not taking performance-enhancing drugs. No one suspects bronze medalists. At worst, they’ll be asked to provide the answer keys for urine tests.

—All medalists are given the same stuffed animals. There is no plushy hierarchy; they are all equally fun to squeeze and would make for great tea party guests alongside Mr. Bungles Bear and Madame Elephant-in-a-Raincoat.

—If you win a gold medal, you’re expected to defend it at the next games. What if you have other plans?

—In one million years, we’ll be dead and all the precious metals will either have decayed or been melted into alloys for space weaponry. Nothing levels the playing field like a good ol’ fashioned Galaxy War.

Verdict: In the name of fairness, total medal count is the only way to go. And besides, whether you won a gold medal in Pyeongchang or had to settle for silver or bronze, we can all agree that the real losers of the Olympics are all the fourth-place finishers.

Read the rest of Slate’s coverage of the Pyeongchang Olympics.
• I Long for the Days When the Winter Olympics Mascot Was an Abstract Monster
• Is Figure Skating Stuffed Animal Wrangler the Best Job at the Olympics?</s>During the 2018 Winter Olympics, 301 medals were awarded. Here's how that number breaks down.

Total Medals by Country

Norway led the way with 39 total medals, the most ever in a Winter Olympics -- breaking the record of 37 held by the United States since the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Germany finished second with 31 total medals. The United States landed in fourth place with 23. Full medal count table

Medals Per Athlete

The Netherlands had 34 total athletes competing in Pyeongchang and won 20 medals, leading the way for most medals per athlete. Kjeld Nuis won two gold medals for the Netherlands, and Ireen Wust won a gold and two silver. Norway came in second (39 medals with 109 athletes), and the United States came in 16th place after sending 242 athletes and winning 23 medals.

Team USA's Medals by Sport

Of the United States' 23 medals, 11 of them were in extreme sports (freestyle skiing and snowboarding). Here's a breakdown of the medals by sport.

Related: Red, White, Blue and Gold: Watch Every US Gold Medal Performance | Photos: US Medal Winners for the 2018 Winter Olympics

Related: Red, White and Bruised, US Struggles to Win Medals

Team USA Medal Totals by Year

Many expected the U.S. to have a chance at breaking its own record of 37 medals in the Winter Olympics - including American officials themselves. Instead, Norway did it, and the U.S. didn't come close.

Medals by Gender

The Olympics were disappointing for the Americans in terms of medal count, but it was American women that prevented it from being disastrous. Women accounted for 12 of America's 23 medals, including standout gold-medal performances by snowboard Chloe Kim, cross-country skiers Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall and women's hockey team.

In fact, the 2018 Games marks the first time since 1998 that women have won more medals than men for Team USA. Related article: Who Runs Team USA? Women</s>Norway secured a record 38th medal at a Winter Olympics with bronze in the inaugural alpine skiing mixed team event as Switzerland took gold.

Norway passed the United States' tally of 37 medals, won at the 2010 Vancouver Games, with victory over France in the bronze-medal decider.

Switzerland beat Austria for gold in the event which sees four-strong teams compete in head-to-head slalom races.

Great Britain were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Norway.
• Morgan wins bronze in big air for GB's record fifth medal of 2018 Winter Olympics

The British team of Alex Tilley, Charlie Guest, Laurie Taylor and Dave Ryding beat United States in the opening round but lost on a tie-break in the last eight.

Switzerland came from behind to win 3-1 in the final with Daniel Yule, Wendy Holdener and Ramon Zenhaesern winning their races after Austrian Katharina Liensberger beat Denise Feierabend in the opener.

Norway's previous best at a Winter Olympics was 26 medals which they achieved in 2014 in Sochi and 1994 when they hosted the Games in Lillehammer.

They are currently on 13 gold medals in Pyeongchang, one fewer than the record held by Canada from 2010.

The full Norway team was Nina Haver-Loseth, Kristin Lysdahl, Maren Skjold, Sebastian Foss Solevaag, Leif Kristian Haugen and Jonathan Nordbotten.
• Sign up for news and medal alerts</s>The United States men's curling team's win at the 2018 Winter Olympics was so surprising there was a notable misspelling on their gold medals.

Per ESPN's Alyssa Roenigk, the U.S. men received gold medals with "women's curling gold medal" engraved on them:

The American team defeated Sweden 10-7 to earn the country's first Olympic gold medal in curling. It's also the United States' first medal in the sport since taking home a bronze in 2006.

It was also the United States' ninth gold and 23rd medal overall as the Games from Pyeongchang, South Korea, come to a close on Sunday.</s>The closing ceremony of Winter Olympics 2018 will offer the athletes as well as the fans one last chance to celebrate and remember the incredible tournament that went by. Even though the closing ceremony is not as looked forward to as the opening ceremony, it is still a celebration worth watching. Countries select flag-bearers who lead their contingent for one last time at the Games, which is followed by artists and performers making the show memorable for those who have been a part of it. Other than that, K-pop is expected to perform at the closing ceremony of PyeongChang Games. Here is all you need to know about the closing ceremony of Winter Olympics 2018.

When is the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The 2018 Winter Olympics will officially end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 25.

What time is the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The Closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics begins at 2000 hrs Korea Standard Time (KST). In IST that will be 4.30 PM.

Where will be the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics be held?

The Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics will be held at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The site of the Closing Ceremony was built specifically for the purpose of the Winter Olympics. It can accomodate 35,000 people. No Olympic or Paralympic events will be held at the stadium and it will only be used for the purpose of opening and closing ceremonies.

Who will perform at the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics?

K-pop band EXO will be among the performers during the closing ceremony for the Pyeongchang Games. The closing ceremony will include an elaborately choreographed routine that will bring together music, dance, and art.

Where can I watch the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics?

The Closing Ceremony or any part of the 2018 Winter Olympics will, unfortunately, not be aired in India on TV. None of the sports TV channels or their digital properties aired the Games live. However, Reliance’s JioTV have acquired broadcast rights for the Winter Olympics.

For all the latest Sports News, download Indian Express App</s>Marit Bjoergen waving the Norway flag as she is carried by her teammates after winning the country's last gold.

Marit Bjoergen grabbed a record-extending 15th Winter Olympics medal as she won the 30km cross-country to put Norway top of the final medal table in Pyeongchang yesterday.

The cross-country legend, 37, signed off in style after a glittering Olympic career as she won in 1min 49.5sec, ahead of Finland's Krista Parmakoski, as Stina Nilsson of Sweden took bronze.

It was Bjoergen's second gold and fifth medal at Pyeongchang.

After the final event of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Norway and Germany both have 14 gold medals. But the Norwegians have a record 39 medals overall, compared to Germany's 31.</s>The PyeongChang Olympics have ended with a spectacular closing ceremony that once again saw athletes from North and South Korea marching together.

Preceded by months of mounting tension between North and South Korea and the US, the Games ended with a softening of relations between the two Korean countries, who competed under a united flag.

"The Olympic Winter Games at Pyeongchang has come to an end, but the time of peace will continue," Korean president Moon Jae-in said in closing remarks distributed by the organizing committee ahead of the closing ceremony.

The showpiece attracted a crowd of 35,000 spectators, including dignitaries such as US President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka, to the Pyeongchang Olympic stadium.

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Both Korean countries competed as one team in the women's hockey and marched under a unified flag at the opening and closing ceremonies.

North Korea also sent cheerleaders and musicians to the Games, while Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attended the opening ceremony and met with Moon.

The closing ceremony started with the Olympic Stadium aglow with lights, and the crowd counting down together to say "one," when performers representing the athletes entered the stadium.

It also featured traditional and contemporary Korean dance, music, puppets, a giant turtle -- a sacred animal in Korea -- and finished with a thumping dance party for the athletes.

"This celebration of peace that began at Pyeongchang will continue on to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games and the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games," said Moon.

"Here in Korea, we will continue our endeavor to broaden the horizon of peace that began in Pyeonchang."

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), told the crowd: "The Olympic Games of PyeongChang 2018 are the games of new horizons."

He thanked the athletes for their "competitive spirit and fair play" and told the PyeongChang organizing committee: "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Addressing Korean President Moon, Bach said: "Thank you for your personal commitment and determination to make these Games so successful in every way."

In remarks distributed by organizers before the closing ceremony, Bach had said: "We have seen here how sport can make the world a better place.

"The way in which the DPRK athletes have been received by their fellow athletes and by the crowds shows the Olympic spirit in action."

Bach ended his speech by bringing athletes from the five continents on to the stage, which included Lindsey Vonn of the US, the world's most successful female ski racer of all time, and Tongan flag bearer Pita Taufatofua.

The 23rd Winter Olympics, the first in South Korea since the 1988 Seoul Summer Games, passed by without any major scandals or organizational hiccups, though there were some sporadic cases of doping.

Earlier Sunday there was controversy after the Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) team beat Germany to win the men's ice hockey gold and then sang the Russian national anthem while the Olympic song was being played at the medal ceremony against IOC stipulations.

The IOC had banned Russia from competing in the Winter Games because of state-sponsored doping before and during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Instead, the IOC allowed 168 Russian athletes to compete as the Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) team under a neutral flag, provided they could prove there were clean.

Although two Russian athletes on the OAR team tested positive for banned substances during the Games, the IOC on Sunday ruled it will lift the country's Olympic ban, provided there aren't any more doping cases from its athletes in Pyeongchang.

However, the IOC did not allow the OAR team to march under the Russian flag in the closing ceremony.

In the first week of the Games, the weather took center stage as high winds wreaked havoc with the schedule, ending the multiple gold medal hopes of US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin, who leaves Pyeongchang with one gold and one silver.

Over 3,000 athletes from 92 countries had competed for 102 gold medals, helped by some 20,000 volunteers.

Women provided the breakout performances of the Games, with an unknown Czech athlete, Ester Ledecka, taking center stage as she became the first person to triumph in two different sports at a Winter Olympics when she followed up her shock win in the super-G alpine skiing with gold in the snowboarding parallel slalom.

Although the 22-year-old Ledecka was the fifth athlete to win in two sports at one Games, she was the first to do it in two completely different events as the previous double wins had been achieved in Nordic ski competitions.

Bjoergen bows out as greatest of all time

The last event of the Olympics, the women's cross-country 30-kilometer mass start (classic) was won, perhaps fittingly, by Marit Bjoergen, who ended her Olympic career as the greatest winter Olympian of all time.

Waving the Norwegian flag and with a beaming smile on her face as she crossed the finish line in one hour, 22 minutes and 17.6 seconds, the 37-year-old mother-of-one clinched a record eighth gold medal.

A few hours later, Bjoergen received her gold medal during the closing ceremony in the stadium from IOC president Bach.

It was her fifth medal at the Pyeongchang Games, and her 15th overall. It was also the 39th medal for Norway, a winter Olympic record. Germany was second on the medals table with 31 medals while Canada finished third with 29.

The US sent its biggest ever team but finished in a disappointing fourth place on the medals table with 23 medals, which was well below its target of 37 and its worst performance in 20 years. Great Britain won five medals, its most ever at a Winter Games.

The host nation ended the games in seventh place with 17 medals.

The first part of the closing ceremony featured a young guitarist playing from the highest spot in the stadium, and a solo dancer performing Korea's traditional Spring Dance of Nightingale on the ground stage with the sound of geomungo, a traditional Korean string instrument, resonating through the stadium.

The crowd let out a huge roar when the athletes, many waving flags and dancing with each other, entered the stadium to a live band playing Korean music.

But the biggest cheer was reserved for the unified North and Korean team, who entered the arena together for the second time in 17 days.

The Pyeongchang Games officially ended with the traditional raising of the Greek flag, the lowering of the Olympic flag and the Beijing 2022 flag handover ceremony before the Olympic flame was extinguished.</s>From the only triple axel landed by a female American skater at the Olympics to the USA's first men’s single medal in luge at the Games, U.S. athletes made history at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Athletes from 92 nations fiercely competed for a chance to stand on those coveted Olympic podiums in Pyeongchang, South Korea. There were 15 different sporting activities and a total of 102 events.

Team USA racked up 23 Olympic medals. Here’s a look at the winning American Olympians.

Team USA’s Jamie Anderson took home the gold in the 2018 Winter Games after she performed in less-than-perfect weather conditions.

"I was trying to keep the spirits high, like, 'Let's run it,'" the 27-year-old athlete said, according to the Associated Press. "A handful of the girls were like, 'No, it's not safe,' and things like that. It's not like what we're doing is safe, anyhow."

The U.S. women’s cross country team won its first ever medal – and it was gold.

Led by Jessica Diggins and Kikkan Randall, the women’s team pulled off a huge upset and won the Olympic event, beating out the Swedes and Norwegians.

The women’s historic win comes more than 40 years after Bill Koch won the only other Olympic medal in cross-country skiing – silver.

The conditions for the men’s snowboard slopestyle were less than ideal, but 17-year-old Red Gerard made it through the swirling winds to capture the United States’ first gold medal of the 2018 Olympics.

Gerard reportedly overslept before his event because he stayed up too late watching Netflix and had to borrow his roommate’s jacket when he couldn’t find his own. Still, Gerard, the underdog, overcame the odds and made it to the top of the podium with a score of 87.16.

At 17, Chloe Kim became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal during the Winter Games. Kim dominated two amazing runs on the women’s snowboard halfpipe, earning her the first place spot on the medal podium.

Kim’s Olympic dreams were realized with a special family member cheering her on in person – her South Korean grandmother. Kim’s parents emigrated to the U.S. from South Korea, making her Olympic debut in Pyeongchang all the more special.

Mikaela Shiffrin trailed the competition after her first ride down the slope but powered through her final run to take the top time and win the women's giant slalom, her second career Olympic gold medal.



The 22-year-old won her first gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in the women’s slalom.

With the most technically precise run ever seen in the sport of halfpipe skiing, David Wise won the gold for the U.S. He scored a 97.2 in the event, beating out his American counterpart.

Four years ago, Wise won gold on the halfpipe in the Sochi Olympics.

Winning his third Olympic gold medal, snowboarder Shaun White made history in the 2018 Games as he scored America’s 100th Winter Games gold medal.

“The Flying Tomato” is the first American male to win gold in three different Winter Games as well; he won his previous two medals in Turin in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010.

White, 31, had a near perfect score of 97.75 on his final run on the halfpipe. He started off strong on his first run, but fell on his second of three attempts.

In a dramatic shootout, the United States women's hockey team defeated rival Canada 3-2 to win their first gold medal since 1998.

American Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson broke the deadlock in the shootout’s sixth round and goalie Maddie Rooney stuffed the last two Canadian shooters to clinch the victory.

John Shuster, Tyler George, Matt Hamilton, John Landsteiner and Joe Polo led the underdog Americans to their first-ever gold medal in men’s curling, upsetting Sweden in a 10-7 victory.

Schuster was also a part of the 2006 Turin bronze medal team—the U.S.’s only other medal in the sport.

Sweden, the reigning world champion, finished second and Switzerland placed third.

Her second medal win of the Games, Jamie Anderson clinched a silver medal during the big air event in the second week of the Games. The Team USA snowboarder was in first place until Austria's Anna Gasser's final run.

The silver is Anderson's third Olympic medal.

Coming in behind his American teammate, Alex Ferreira won silver in the Olympic men’s halfpipe event. He had led in the event after the first two runs, but was unable to beat David Wise’s third run score.

Ahead of the Olympics, Ferreira and Wise got matching tattoos of the Pyeongchang Games logo.

Driver Elana Meyers Taylor and brakeman Lauren Gibbs took silver in women's bobsled -- coming in second to Germany's Mariama Jamanka and Lisa Buckwitz.

It was Meyers Taylor's third Olympic medal: she nabbed silver at the 2014 Games in Sochi and bronze at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Jamanka and Buckwitz, her brakeman, finished their four runs in 3 minutes, 22.45 seconds. Meyers Taylor and Gibbs were second in 3:22.52, the 0.07-second margin is the closest between first and second in any Olympic women's bobsled race.

Nick Goepper added a silver medal to the bronze he won four years ago in Sochi. Goepper, now 23, fought depression and went to rehab in the wake of those Games, USA Today reported.

"I came to this Olympics wanting a different color, wanting the gold, but coming away with the silver is so thrilling,” he said while speaking to ABC News. "I couldn't be more stoked."

Norwegian skiier Oystein Braaten and Canadian skiier Alex Beaulieu-Marchand won the gold and bronze medals, respectively.

John-Henry Krueger, 22, took silver in the men’s 1,000-meter short-track speedskating event. His win marks the first U.S. speedskating medal of the Pyeongchang Olympics.

"There were so many thoughts rushing through my head," Krueger said after medaling.

Krueger's win comes four years after he was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic trials because he came down with swine flu.

Canadian snowboarder Sebastien Toutant earned the gold in the men's big air snowboarding event but American Kyle Mack earned the silver medal for his performance. Mack, a Michigan native, joined Toutant and Great Britain's Billy Morgan as the first men to medal in the event, which was debuting for the first time at the games.

Coming in second place, Chris Mazdzer, 29, brought home USA luge’s first men’s single medal in history. He’s also the first non-European athlete to win an Olympic medal in the event.

Mazdzer competed in both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics, placing outside of the top 10.

Americans have been second in doubles luge twice.

Mikaela Shiffrin notched her second medal of the 2018 Games, taking home the silver in the women’s Alpine combined. The 22-year-old finished behind Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin.

Shiffrin captured a gold medal in the giant slalom earlier in the Olympic Games, taking her career total to three.

Despite a dislocated shoulder, Arielle Gold earned the bronze medal for the United States in the women’s snowboard halfpipe competition – joining her teammate Chloe Kim on the podium.

Gold, 21, similarly injured her shoulder ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, causing her to miss the Sochi games.

American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani, affectionately known as the Shib Sibs, took home the bronze medal after a near-flawless ice dance free skate, racking up 192.59 points. Canada finished with gold and France with silver.

The Shibutanis squeaked out the bronze finish over teammates Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohuse by just five points.

Brita Sigourney entered the Olympics as one of the top-ranked women skiers and was able to edge out teammate Annalisa Drew for the bronze medal in the freestyle halfpipe.

Canada's Cassie Sharpe won the gold, and France's Marie Martinod won the silver.

In what was likely her final Olympic downhill run, Lindsey Vonn took home the bronze medal in women’s downhill skiing. The 33-year-old became the oldest female medalist in Alpine skiing at the Winter Games.

"If you think what's happened over the last eight years and what I've been through to get here, I gave it all and to come away with a medal is a dream come true," Vonn, who missed the 2014 Sochi Games after tearing ligaments in her right knee, said. "You've got to put things into perspective. Of course, I'd have loved a gold medal but, honestly, this is amazing and I'm so proud."

Vonn finished third behind Italy’s Sofia Goggia and Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway, who took home the gold and silver, respectively.

The United States’ figure skating team won the bronze medal – thanks in part to flawless performances from Adam Rippon and Mirai Nagasu.

Nagasu became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics. Rippon landed both of his triple axels.

Siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani also propelled Team USA to the podium with their free dance. Teammates Alexa Scimeca-Knierim, Chris Knierim, Nathan Chen and Bradie Tennell also medaled following the event.

Heather Bergsma, Brittany Bowe, Mia Manganello and Carlijn Schoutens took bronze for women's team pursuit. It was Team USA's first Olympic medal in the event since it began in 2006.

Bergsma, Bowe and Manganello defeated Canada to clinch the medal in a B final.

Fox News' Nicole Darrah, Ryan Gaydos, Stephen Sorace, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>Norway topped so many podiums they ran out of commemorative shoes, Germany enjoyed a gloriously golden fortnight, and the United States' women "saved" their country's 2018 Winter Olympics.

There were 102 gold medals up for grabs across 15 sports in Pyeongchang, with the likes of big air snowboarding, mixed-doubles curling, mass start speed skating and mixed-team alpine skiing added to the programme.

Ester Ledecka won two golds in two different sports, Marit Bjorgen became the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time, and five was the magic number for Great Britain's competitors.

Here BBC Sport looks at the stats behind the medals in Pyeongchang.

This was a remarkable Games for Norway - minnows in terms of population but powerhouses in the winter sports world - as they surpassed USA's record of most medals won at a single Winter Olympics.

The Americans racked up 37 at Vancouver in 2010, but the Norwegians finished on 39 in Pyeongchang, with Bjorgen winning her fifth medal of the Games in the final event, the women's cross-country skiing mass start.

Their final tally was 13 more than their previous best medal haul of 26 - set at both Lillehammer in 1994, and Sochi last time out. They did this with a team of 109 athletes - 133 fewer than USA sent to Pyeongchang, and 45 fewer than Germany.

Both Norway and Germany finished with 14 goals - matching the record set by Canada at Vancouver in 2010.

Norway have now finished top of the medal table at eight Winter Games, but this is the first time since 2002.

They and Austria are the only two countries to have won more medals at the Winter Olympics than in summer Games.

"These guys have an extreme need to come first. They are obsessed about winning," said the country's chef de mission Tore Ovrebo.

Norway's annual sports budget of about £13.7m is less than half the amount UK Sport provided Britain's Winter Olympic competitors for Pyeongchang alone (£28.35m).

Ovrebo recently told Time that Norway's athletes - some of whom work as plumbers, carpenters and teachers - do not receive prize money or bonuses from their federations for winning medals. Instead they are given commemorative gold-coloured shoes. And cake.

The team's gold rush in Pyeongchang did create a slight problem for their officials, who ran out out of the commemorative shoes they give to athletes for medal ceremonies.

Their skiers spend 250 days a year together, play cards and enjoy 'taco nights', and super G bronze medallist Kjetil Jansrud says there is a "no jerks" rule on the team.

They will be celebrating modestly back home in Oslo, in sub-zero temperatures, in the snow.... and that is apparently the, perhaps obvious, secret to Norway's success.

Asked what was behind their achievements, Ovrebo replied: "Snow."

He added: "We are proud but we're not bragging. That is very important because this is how we do it in Norway.

"The medal count is one thing, but that's secondary. The most important thing is we have had fun all the time and we are friends and we are still friends."

Sports data analytics company Gracenote said before the Games that Germany were favourites to top the medal table, with a projected 40 to Norway's 37.

The absence of Russia inevitably played a role in other nations' heightened success.

Russia topped the table four years ago in Sochi, but were banned from South Korea after state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Games. Instead, 168 Russian athletes were invited by the International Olympic Committee to compete as neutrals.

Gracenote predicted Norway would be the country most likely to profit from Russia's absence, suggesting the Olympic athletes from Russia (OAR) would win 12 fewer medals than had they entered a full representative team.

OAR eventually finished with 17, an increase on their projected eight.

Norway were forecast to take home 17 in cross-country skiing alone. They ended with 14 - one more than the previous Olympic record set by the Soviet Union in 1988.

Bjorgen the best of all time

Norway have long relied on the skis of Bjorgen to deliver medals. She became the most decorated Winter Olympian of all time with five medals at these Games taking her overall tally to 15.

The 37-year-old cross-country skier surpassed compatriots Ole Einar Bjorndalen and Bjorn Daehlie as she took bronze in the 10km individual and team sprint, silver in the pursuit, gold in the 4x5km team relay and a final gold in the mass start.

She departs the Olympics as the second most successful woman at either the Summer or Winter Games, trailing only Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina (18 medals).

Johannes Klaebo was also a notable contributor to the Norwegian cause on his Olympic debut. The 21-year-old won three cross-country skiing gold medals while, at the other end of the age spectrum, 35-year-old Aksel Lund Svindal took the downhill title.

Germany's Games proved to be golden, both in terms of medals and recovery drinks.

The German team briefly moved top of the medal table when they won the four-man bobsleigh - their 14th gold - only for Norway to equal that in the final event.

Bobsleigh pilot Francesco Friedrich followed his victory in the two-man with the four-man title, making him only the second man to win in both disciplines in the past 30 years.

And, according to the country's Olympic ski team doctor, many of the team were fuelled by non-alcoholic beer during the Games, with brewery Krombacher shipping 3,500 litres to the athletes' village.

Not happy with winning a gold medal in one sport? Why not try two.

Ledecka made claiming multi-sport titles at one Winter Games look so easy, but the 22-year-old Czech is the the first woman to achieve such a feat, and the first athlete to do so since 1928.

Only Norwegians Thorleif Haug - in 1924 - and Johan Groettumsbraten four years later have managed it previously, both completing a cross-country and Nordic combined double.

Ledecka - described as the 'queen of the Games' - followed her shock victory in the skiing super G, which she won on borrowed skis, by claiming gold in her preferred snowboarding parallel giant slalom.

British medal targets may be modest compared to their Norwegian, German, Canadian and American counterparts, but this was still a record-breaking Games for Team GB.

Topping their previous best of four at Sochi 2014 and Chamonix 1924, the British team met the target of five set by UK Sport.

Snowboarder Billy Morgan proved the unlikely hero as he earned bronze in the big air to realise British ambitions.

It came after Lizzy Yarnold successfully defended her skeleton title to win GB's only gold, Dom Parsons and Laura Deas won bronze in the same sport, and Izzy Atkin also took bronze in the ski slopestyle.

"The disappointments and close calls for the Americans have befallen the famous and the barely known," said USA Today.

"USA Olympics was being humiliated - then the women stepped up," said the New York Post.

Team USA fell well short of their pre-Games target of 37 medals - winning 23 - and their haul would have been significantly lower were it not for the contribution of their female athletes.

At one point in week two, the USA's women had won eight of the team's previous 10 medals, including a surprise victory over fierce rivals Canada in the ice hockey final.

The women's success seemed to spark some momentum among the rest of the squad, with the men's curlers - backed by the A Team's Mr T - beating favourites Sweden in the gold-medal match, only to realise they had been given the women's winners medals...

But, after a disappointing performance overall, US chef de mission Alan Ashley said they would look at other countries and ask: "What are they doing?"

He added: "One of the things I'm curious about is that Norway had a runaway success here and they really did a great job preparing their athletes and I really admire them for that.

"I want to find out some things about what they're up to."

South Korea entered their biggest team at a Winter Olympics, with 122 athletes competing for the hosts. They recorded their best medal tally - 17 - at a Winter Games.

That bettered their performance in Vancouver eight years ago by three, and left the team seventh in the medal table.

Previous host nations have enjoyed greater success of late, with Russia topping the medal table at Sochi four years ago and Canada's 14 golds at Vancouver in 2010 placing them above USA (37) and Germany (30), despite taking fewer medals overall (26).
The closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics occurs, officially bringing the competitions to an end. The Norwegian team leads the medal table with 14 gold and record 39 medals in total.