Day 13 of the Winter Olympics is upon us and it’s time to start taking a closer look at the medal tally in Sochi.
A handful of nations have started to separate from the pack in both the overall medal count and competition for the most gold medals with only a few days of action left in Russia.
Let’s take a peek at an updated list of medals for each participating nation and highlight a few Day 13 events that could end up making the difference in these races down the stretch.
Latest Medal Count
Day 13 Events to Watch
Figure Skating—Women’s Free Skating Finals
This competition was initially to be a two-way battle for gold between up-and-coming Russian star Julia Lipnitskaia and defending gold medalist Kim Yuna of South Korea.
Lipnitskaia, just 15 years old, vaulted to the top of the figure-skating world when she made her Olympic debut in the team event earlier this month. Her first-place performances in the free skate and short program were the main reason that the host nation would earn the gold in that event.
However, she finished in fifth place during the short program with a score of 65.23 and left the door open for other competitors to challenge Kim.
Kim has not had a chance to show her stuff in Sochi yet, as South Korea was not one of the 10 competing nations in the team event. She was itching for a chance to hit the ice and came out with an amazing short program that earned a 74.92 from the judges, the best of the 30 skaters on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old is looking to end her Olympic career with a second gold medal, becoming only the third woman in history and first since Katarina Witt in 1988 to top the podium in consecutive Winter Games. She is in prime position to do exactly that after her amazing routine on Day 12.
Kim told Jere Longman of The New York Times that “the meaning is different” in reference to the fact that it is her second Olympic competition and Lipnitskaia’s first.
Regardless of the meaning, there is going to be an epic battle to determine a winner. It’s a can’t-miss event, so make sure you tune in when they take to the rink at 10 a.m. ET.
Ice Hockey—Women’s Gold Medal Game
As most expected before the Sochi Games even began, Team USA will match up with the rival Canadians in the finals of the women’s hockey tournament.
Canada is certainly ready for the battle, as star forward Natalie Spooner told Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press (via ABC News):
We feel like we've prepared all year for this game…We've played a lot of great games against them. It's going to be another one of those in the final.
Steve Goldstein of Fox Sports Florida posted a photo of Canada meeting with the media ahead of the big game:
The United States will be attempting to stop its neighbor of the north from winning a fourth consecutive gold medal in Olympic hockey. It’s going to be tough, but the Americans have a slight edge in recent play.
Team USA won four of the seven matches against Canada during the lead-up to this gold medal contest and has 11 returning Olympians from Vancouver’s silver medal squad, as per Golen.
Those skaters definitely remember faltering to Canada four years ago and are hungry for revenge, as Julie Chu told Golen: "The last four years, that's been our goal. We're going for a different color this time."
America hasn't claimed a gold since hockey was introduced as a women’s Olympic sport in 1998. It’s been a long time coming and earning a victory against a bitter rival would be the sweetest result for this hungry, talented team.
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