U.S. tops Youth Olympics total medal standings for the first time
The U.S. won the most medals of any nation at the Youth Olympics for the first time.
The U.S. won 21 medals, including five golds, at the Youth Winter Games that ended Thursday in Gangwon, South Korea, using many venues from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
Germany finished second with 20 total medals. Italy had the most golds with 11.
Americans won gold in men's hockey, short track speed skating (Sean Shuai), ski slopestyle (Henry Townshend) and dual moguls (Elizabeth Lemley, plus the mixed-gender team of Lemley and Porter Huff).
The Youth Olympics — for athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 — debuted with a first Summer Games in 2010.
Like the Olympics, the Youth Games are held in even years, alternating between Summer Games and Winter Games.
There have been seven editions combined. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the IOC announced the 2022 Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, were postponed to 2026.
They will be the first Olympics — traditional or Youth — to be held in Africa.
