Hits

1. Halfpipe heroes

Shaun White won a third Winter Olympics snowboard halfpipe gold
Shaun White won a third Winter Olympics snowboard halfpipe gold (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

Shaun White, the world’s most famous snowboarder, delivered under intense pressure and scrutiny to win the halfpipe competition for a third time. The American, nicknamed the Flying Tomato, followed an emerging talent to take halfpipe gold. Chloe Kim, a 17-year-old Californian of South Korean descent, won the women’s event.

2. Legend of Ledecka

After surprising everyone, including herself, by winning the women’s super-G on borrowed skis, the 22-year-old Czech Republic ace claimed an expected victory on a snowboard in the parallel giant slalom to win golds in two sports at the same Olympics.

3. Queen of sliding

Lizzy Yarnold won the women's skeleton at a second successive Olympics
Lizzy Yarnold won the women’s skeleton at a second successive Olympics (David Davies/PA Images)

Lizzy Yarnold became the first Briton to successfully defend an Winter Olympics title, with a scintillating final run in the women’s skeleton. Her medal was one of three for Britain in the head-first sliding events.

4. Next generation of Russians

Russian Alina Zagitova won the women's figure skating title, aged 15
Russian Alina Zagitova won the women’s figure skating title, aged 15 (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

The 15-year-old Alina Zagitova won a spell-binding gold medal in the women’s figure skating, ahead of 18-year-old team-mate Evgenia Medvedeva. Zagitova’s gold was the first of the Games for the Olympic Athletes of Russia.

5. Garlic Girls

South Koreans caught curling fever due to the performance of their women's team
South Koreans caught curling fever due to the performance of their women’s team (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

South Korea’s women’s curling team may have been beaten to gold by Sweden, who beat Britain in the semi-finals, but they were the stars of the tournament. Nicknamed the ‘Garlic Girls’ due to their rural origins, Kim Eun-jung’s rink created curling fever.

Misses

1. Russian doping strikes again

Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles curling bronze for doping
Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his mixed doubles curling bronze for doping (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

Two of the four anti-doping procedures at the Games involved Russian athletes, leaving the International Olympic Committee with no choice but to maintain the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee until after the Games. It cost OAR a medal, too, as Alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of the mixed doubles curling bronze medal he won with his wife, Anastasia Bryzgalova.

2. Christie crashes

Elise Christie's Olympics torment continued
Elise Christie’s Olympics torment continued (Mike Egerton/PA Images)

For a second successive Olympics, British short-track speedskater Elise Christie suffered disappointment. She crashed and picked herself up to finish fourth in the 500m. Next she crashed out of the 1500m and had to go to hospital for scans on an ankle injury. And then the Scot started the 1000m, crashed before the first corner, the race was re-started and she was disqualified.

3. Face planting Pole

Poland’s Artur Nogal was lining up at the start of his 500m effort when he reacted to the starting beep. Rather than push powerfully and serenely into the optimal gliding position, he fell flat on his face.

4. Canada’s curlers

Canada's men's curling team finished fourth to miss out on a medal for the first time
Canada’s men’s curling team finished fourth to miss out on a medal for the first time (David Davies/PA Images)

Canada have been the dominant nation in Olympic curling since it became part of the Games again in 1998. But they were eliminated before the knockout stages in the women’s event and were fourth in the men’s after a semi-final loss to United States and defeat in the bronze play-off with Switzerland. They did take gold in the first mixed doubles competition, though.

5. Halfpipe chancer

Elizabeth Swaney, a 33-year-old American-born Hungarian who only first skied in 2010, exploited the Olympic qualifying system to reach the women’s ski halfpipe competition. She did not perform a trick and finished last of all the competitors. She was eligible to represent Hungary through her mother.