Sochi Olympics medal count: Russia closes in on the leaders

Norway leads the gold medal count and the United States is on top of the overall medal tally. Russia has one less medal than the US.

Day 14 of the Sochi Olympics concluded with Norway in front of the gold medal count and the United States on top of the overall medal count.

Norway has 10 gold medals and narrowly leads the US, Russia, and Canada, whose athletes have earned nine gold medals each. In the overall medal count the US has 27 medals, followed by Russia with 26 and Canada with 24.

The day got off to a thrilling start for Team USA with the victory of Mikaela Shiffrin in the women’s slalom. The 18-year-old skier is the youngest Olympic champion in the event’s history. She beat one of her childhood idols, Austria’s Marlies Schild who finished second, and Austrian Kathrin Zettel who placed third.

The US also celebrated ending its speedskating drought with a medal in the men’s short track 5,000-meter relay. J.R. Celski and his teammates Chris Creveling, Jordan Malone, and Eddy Alvarez won silver in the US skaters' last opportunity to medal in these Games. They finished behind Russia, who took gold and ahead of bronze-medal winning China. 

In other events, Ukraine won its first gold medal of the Sochi Games in the women’s biathlon relay. The victory was the first Ukrainian Olympic title since Oksana Baiul finished first in the women’s figure skating competition in 1994. The win follows the withdraw of at least one Ukrainian athlete who left yesterday due to the political crisis at home.

Canada also had a golden day at the Games. It won gold medals in men’s curling and women’s ski cross, and its men’s ice hockey team defeated the US 1-0 to advance to the gold medal final verses Sweden on Sunday. The US will play Finland in the bronze medal game Saturday.

While Norway leads the overall gold medal count, it did not win any hardware of that color today. Its sole medal of the day was a bronze in the women’s biathlon relay.