The Beijing Olympics are officially underway, and here’s what the medal race looks like after the first days of competition.
Right now, the Russian Olympic Committee is leading the medal count with one gold, two silver, and two bronze. Coming in second is Norway. Australia and Italy are tied for 3rd. And Sweden is in fifth. If you’re wondering where the United States stands in the Medal count, its currently sitting in 11th place.
But none of this is set in stone by a long shot. We just started the games after all. Right now, the United States has Two Silver Medals. That’s definitely going to grow in count as the Beijing Olympics continue.
The first Silver Medal the United States got Was in the Women’s Slopestyle. Julia Marino won the United States their first medal of the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She came second only to Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand.
Marino, whose 24, came six in the qualifiers. This is her first-ever Olympic medal. She’s from Westport, Connecticut.
“I’m feeling so many emotions,” Marino said after getting the Silver. “Right now, it’s pure excitement and happiness. It was a great day. The weather was perfect. The course was perfect. The girls were riding well. I couldn’t have asked for a better finals. It’s exactly what it should be like.”
Jaelin Kauf Snagged the Second Silver For Team USA in the Olympics
Jaelin Kauf got a silver in the women’s moguls event as well. The 25-year-old from Park City, UT didn’t perform as well as people hoped
“I was thinking about it going up the lift — ‘Oh my God, I’m going up for the medal round!’” she said following the competition. “As I was getting closer to being in the gate, I was telling myself what I had been telling myself all day: ‘This is your day. Leave it all out there. Have fun and attack.’ And that’s just what I did.”
“I felt so much more prepared to compete on an Olympic stage [this year],” Kauf said. “I didn’t think I had to ski my very best every round of qualifying and I was just skiing to make it to the next round. For these Games, I was skiing to win every round.”
While Kauf and Marino are the only two athletes to Medal so far, the games have just begun. It would be shocking if Team USA didn’t pull out on top or close to it by the end of the games. If you want to watch the games as they unfold, you can tune in to NBC virtually any time, with primetime coverage airing at 8/7 central. You can also watch the Games on the Peacock streaming service.
