While the U.S. finishes the 2022 Winter Olympics ranked fifth in the overall medal count, the women’s medal standings show a very different picture. The United States claimed more medals in women’s events (13) than any other nation, though Dutch women claimed the most gold (6).
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As the 2022 Beijing Winter Games come to a close, here are a few key takeaways about the performance of U.S. women.
Women are responsible for bulk of Team USA medals
Of the 25 medals earned by U.S. athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics, women played a role in winning 17 (13 in women’s events, four in mixed gender events). In comparison, just eight medals were won in men’s events.
United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics:
- Percentage of medals in women’s events: 52%
- Percentage of medals in men’s events: 32%
- Percentage of medals in mixed gender events: 16%
This is the second straight Winter Olympics in which a majority of U.S. medals were won by women. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, the U.S. won 23 medals total (12 in women’s events, 9 in men’s events, and two in mixed gender events).
U.S. women are doing more with less
These 2022 Beijing Winter Games have been called the most “gender equal” Winter Olympics in history. But that doesn’t mean they are actually equal.
The current Olympic program includes 46 women’s events compared to 51 for men, plus 12 mixed gender events. A variety of sports and events – including hockey, bobsled, and luge – also have more quota spots for men than women. (A complete guide to gender equity at the 2022 Winter Olympics can be found here.)
So it’s especially notable that the women of Team USA had such notable success given that they still have fewer overall medal and participation opportunities.
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In the lead-up to Beijing, U.S. women actually had more success in international qualification. American woman secured about 84 percent of available quota spots, while U.S. men qualified about 80 percent.
Even still, women were in the minority on the 2022 U.S. Olympic team. The 224-person roster included 108 women, 115 men, and one non-binary athlete. That said, not all 224 athletes competed in Beijing and thus earned the title of “Olympian” (more below).
USA and Canada break Winter Olympic women’s participation record
The U.S. and Canada both broke the record for most women from one nation to compete at a single Winter Olympics. The U.S. sent 108 women to Beijing, while Canada sent 106; ultimately, 105 women from both countries competed on the Olympic stage.
The previous record, 101, was set at the 2018 Winter Olympics – also by the United States and Canada.
The U.S. has now broken the women’s participation record at 11 consecutive Winter Olympics, a streak that began in 1984, according to Olympedia.org.
Team USA Medal Count at the 2022 Winter Olympics:
Medal |
Athlete |
Sport |
Event |
Date |
| Silver | Julia Marino | Snowboarding | Women’s Slopestyle | 6-Feb |
| Silver | Jaelin Kauf | Freestyle skiing | Women’s Moguls | 6-Feb |
| Silver | Evan Bates, Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, Madison Chock, Zach Donohue, Brandon Frazier, Madison Hubbell, Alexa Knierim, Vincent Zhou | Figure skating | Team Event (Mixed Gender) | 7-Feb |
| Silver | Ryan Cochran-Siegle | Alpine skiing | Men’s Super-G | 8-Feb |
| Bronze | Jessie Diggins | Cross-country skiing | Women’s Individual Sprint | 8-Feb |
| Gold | Lindsey Jacobellis | Snowboarding | Women’s Snowboard Cross | 9-Feb |
| Silver | Colby Stevenson | Freestyle skiing | Men’s Big Air | 9-Feb |
| Gold | Nathan Chen | Figure skating | Men’s Singles | 10-Feb |
| Gold | Ashley Caldwell, Christopher Lillis, Justin Schoenefeld | Freestyle skiing | Mixed Gender Team Aerials | 10-Feb |
| Gold | Chloe Kim | Snowboarding | Women’s Halfpipe | 10-Feb |
| Gold | Nick Baumgartner, Lindsey Jacobellis | Snowboarding | Mixed Gender Team Snowboard Cross | 12-Feb |
| Gold | Erin Jackson | Speed skating | Women’s 500m | 13-Feb |
| Gold | Kaillie Humphries | Bobsleigh | Women’s Monobob | 14-Feb |
| Silver | Elana Meyers Taylor | Bobsleigh | Women’s Monobob | 14-Feb |
| Bronze | Zachary Donohue, Madison Hubbell | Figure skating | Ice Dance (Mixed Gender) | 14-Feb |
| Bronze | Megan Nick | Freestyle Skiing | Women’s Aerials | 14-Feb |
| Bronze | Ethan Cepuran, Casey Dawson, Emery Lehman, Joey Mantia | Speed skating | Men’s Team Pursuit | 15-Feb |
| Gold | Alex Hall | Freestyle skiing | Men’s Slopestyle | 16-Feb |
| Silver | Nick Goepper | Freestyle skiing | Men’s Slopestyle | 16-Feb |
| Silver | U.S. Women’s Hockey Team (Cayla Barnes, Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Alex Carpenter, Alex Cavallini, Jesse Compher, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Jincy Dunne, Savannah Harmon, Caroline Harvey, Nicole Hensley, Megan Keller, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Maddie Rooney, Abby Roque, Hayley Scamurra, Lee Stecklein, Grace Zumwinkle) | Hockey | Women’s Tournament | 17-Feb |
| Bronze | Brittany Bowe | Speed skating | Women’s 1000m | 17-Feb |
| Silver | David Wise | Freestyle skiing | Men’s halfpipe | 19-Feb |
| Bronze | Alex Ferreira | Freestyle skiing | Men’s halfpipe | 19-Feb |
| Bronze | Elana Meyers Taylor, Sylvia Hoffman | Bobsled | Two-woman | 19-Feb |
| Silver | Jessie Diggins | Cross-country skiing | Women’s 30km freestyle | 20-Feb |
The NBC Olympics research team contributed to this report.
Follow Alex Azzi on Twitter @AlexAzziNBC
