Vancouver Olympics 2010 roundup: Top 20 gold medal winners so far

Were you wanting to go to the Winter Olympics but couldn’t find affordable accommodations in Vancouver?  If you weren’t able to go, Viscape’s got you covered.  By the time the Olympics are over, 3.5 billion people will have tuned into various parts of the Vancouver Olympics either by television or mobile device.

Vancouver Olympics snow sculpture 2010; Tim in Sydney

With ratings up 22% over the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, the Vancouver Olympics even surpassed American Idol for viewership.  The International Olympics Committee predicts that this Olympics will be the most watched Olympics ever.

What accounts for the huge ratings increase?  With the Olympics taking place in the North American time zone, its easier for the United States and Canada to track the events.  With stellar performances of Olympic athletes like Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White, these champions draw in the viewers.

American skier Lindsey Vonn celebrates her Vancouver gold medal for the giantslalom; photo credit: AP

So who’s winning? Another reason for the possible increase could be that the U.S. has the highest total medal count, with 28 medals in total and the highest number of gold medal wins to date (7 gold medals).  Canada is in a 5th place, winning 11 total medals and 6 gold medals.  Not bad being on or near your own turf, eh?  Below you can see the latest medal count for the top 20 medal winners in the Vancouver Olympics.

Vancouver Olympics medal count Feb 23, 2010; source: Vancouver Olympics official website

The Vancouver Olympics has showcased Vancouver and the surrounding area, including Whistler as a world class ski destination. The largest ski mountain in North America, Whistler mountain is hosting all of the ski events including giant slalom, cross country skiing, ski jumping, snowboarding, and alpine skiing.   The indoor events such as figure skating, curling, and ice hockey are all taking place in Vancouver.

Vancouver Olympics opening ceremony; photocredit: brownunited

One of the more interesting events to watch will be women’s figure skating.  World champion Kim Yu-na of Korea is favored to win the gold.  She is Korea’s “Michael Jordan” and is one of the hottest celebrities the country has ever had.  She will be contending for the gold against Japan’s Mao Asada and Canada’s Joannie Rochette.

This evening featured the short program, which determines which skaters qualify to move onto the long program where they contend for the gold medal.  Drama ensued on ice as Asada managed to put on a flawless performance, scoring 73.78, over 10 points above all the prior contestants who went before her.

Just when it appeared Osada had the contest locked up, Kim Yu-na who immediately followed Osada, surprised the crowd with a with a flawless, forceful, but graceful James Bond performance, skating to the Golden Eye theme song.  Yu-na, also known as “Queen Yu” for her icy composure, hit a world record by earning the highest score in Olympic history of 78.50.

Both acts were followed by Joannie Rochette of Canada who considered dropping out of the competition when her mother died of a heart attack on Sunday.  She put on a dramatic and elegant performance, finishing with tears in her eyes as the crowd gave her a standing ovation for her bravery in competing in the games despite her loss.  Rochette finished in third place, giving her a strong leg up for the long program.

Champion and gold medal contender Kim Yu-na; Source: Chang W. Lee/NY Times

There were many other very talented skaters who competed this evening.  The top 24 skaters from the short program will compete this Thursday evening for the gold.  As the top ranked skaters from Japan and South Korea compete for gold, it will be interesting to see if South Korea wins against Japan.  The event has major historical and cultural meaning given the history of conflict between the two countries.  Who will win?  Check out the long program this Thursday!

If you decide after the Olympics that you would like to experience the beathtaking beauty of Vancouver or Whistler, please consider Viscape for finding a Whistler vacation rental or condo rental in Whistler.