February 18 Olympic Journal: Redemption for Mikala Shiffrin, King Klaebo, and USA Men’s Hockey
February 18 continued the captivating Olympic viewing with some amazing accomplishments. The United States won three medals, including a gold medal from Mikaela Shiffrin. King Klaebo won his tenth winter Olympic gold medal, plus there is USA Men’s hockey against Sweden.
It was good to see Shiffrin get a gold medal in her last race of these Olympics. What the Norwegian cross-country skier has accomplished is utterly amazing. Do you think he will compete in the next Olympics?
February 18 Medal Table
| Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Norway | 15 | 8 | 10 |
| Italy | 9 | 5 | 12 |
| United States | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| France | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 7 | 2 |
| Sweden | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Germany | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Austria | 5 | 8 | 4 |
Mikaela Shiffrin Earns Gold in Ladies Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin shook off the Olympic duldroms and the most decorated skier in American history won the gold medal in the Ladies Slalom. Shiffrin posted a time of 1:39.10 to win the gold medal on February 18. In her fourth and likely final Olympics, in what could be her last race ever, Shiffrin was golden. A fairy tale ending, to be sure.
Shiffrin said after the race, “This feels like a really big moment. Honestly, the skiing is what I care about. Of course, a medal and gold, that’s a dream come true. But at some point this week, I just said, like, stop dreaming. Just ski. This whole time, [I’ve been] waiting for two times, 45 seconds today to be able to ski. And I’m so happy to be able to do the right thing in the right moment.”
King Kleabo
Johannes Kleabo won his fifth gold medal of these games, and tenth winter Olympic gold medal overall. His five gold medals this February tied him with Eric Heiden, the American speed skater. What he did in cross-country skiing is unbelievable. When one thinks about the perfection required to win ten gold medals and the difficulty of what he did, it is simply eye-watering.
US Men Defeat Sweden 2-1 in Quarterfinal Overtime Thiller
The United States’ men’s hockey team advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 overtime win against Sweden. The overtime win was one of three (there were four) overtime games in the quarterfinal round.
Dylan Larkin scored for the United States late in the second period. Mike Zibinajad tied the game for Sweden, who was using an extra skater, with about a minute and thirty seconds left in the game. Quinn Hughes scored for the United States in overtime to give them the win in the elimination game.
There are a lot of National Hockey League players in the February Olympic hockey tournament. The level of play is high and intense. There was even a fight. What is important about this is that just about any team could win any game, so the United States was fortunate to come away with a win.
Parting Shots
February 18 was must-see television. Shiffrin won by an amazing 1.5 seconds. She was able to break her Olympic jinx. That was the first thing in the morning on the East Coast. Also in the morning on the East Coast, Johannes Klaebo won his fifth gold medal of these winter games and his tenth overall, which makes him the most decorated winter Olympian. His achievement is noteworthy.
Finally, the day was capped off with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win by the US men’s Olympic hockey team. The win advanced them to the semifinals and delayed the local news.
