Sochi Wrap-Up

Some loose ends to tie up here . . .

Canada won the gold medal in ice hockey. Again.  So they have two Olympic ice hockey championships . . . and we still have Justin Bieber.   Oh yeah, they also have free health care.

Meanwhile, the U.S. four-man bobsled team led by Steven Holcomb won the bronze medal.  The Russian team led by Alexander Zubkov won the gold medal, but, in a surprise, the Latvian team led by Oskars Melbardis won the silver.  Lat-vi-AH! Lat-vi-AH!  :-D It was one of four medals - they other three being a silver and two bronze - won in Sochi by the white and maroon.  Latvia was 23rd overall in the medal count at Sochi.

Speaking of which, here's the finally tally showing the top fifteen teams.  Click on it for a better view. 

The United States remains in fourth place based on medal colors, though it was second in the overall quantity of medals won.  Russia, as expected, came out on top thanks to the home-court advantage.

And what of Kazakhstan, which hopes to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Almaty?  Among the nations who competed in these Winter Games and won medals, Kazakhstan came in last - 26th - with only a single bronze medal.

If Almaty gets the 2022 Games for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan, the Kazakhs are going to need a home-court advantage.