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Norway leads the way in 2025 winter sports world championships medals

With the winter sports season nearly over, a familiar nation will go into the Winter Olympic season riding the most world championships success.

Norway, which won the most medals at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games, will have also won the most medals in Olympic program events over all the winter sports world championships this season.

Norway won 43 medals and 17 gold medals so far at world championships in 2025 in Olympic program events (or their closest equivalents). There are still two events left to be decided through late May — mixed doubles curling and men’s hockey — but Norway’s current totals cannot be surpassed by any other country.

If Norway repeats its results from all of the world championships at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games, it will break its own Winter Olympic records for most medals won (currently 39) and gold medals won (currently 16).

This is not too surprising since the number of events at the Winter Games has increased with every recent edition. And since Norway was even more dominant at world championships in 2023.

2025 World Championships Medal Standings

CountryGoldSilverBronzeTotal
Norway17131343
Germany9141336
USA14101034
Switzerland1081028
Canada109726
Japan511824
Netherlands95721
France85619
Austria38617
Italy75416
Sweden73515

*Through 114 of 116 events. In Winter Olympic program events (or their closest equivalents) only.

Can USA, Germany challenge Norway at Milan Cortina?

Norway may have been the gold standard this winter, but its team at the Winter Olympics will undoubtedly look different.

A Norwegian superstar in three different sports has said they are retiring rather than continuing into the Olympic season: biathlete Johannes Thingnes Bø, cross-country skier Therese Johaug and Nordic combined skier Jarl Magnus Riiber.

Those three athletes combined for eight individual medals, including four golds, at world championships this season.

What’s more, Norway benefited this year from home snow and ice advantage at the World Nordic Ski Championships in Oslo (cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined) and the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Hamar. A combined 35 of the 116 events that are on the Olympic program were contested at those two worlds.

The U.S., meanwhile, is outright second behind Norway in gold medals at world championships this year.

The U.S. last finished second in Winter Olympic golds in 2006 (tied with Austria), last was outright second in 1952 and was first once in 1932.

The U.S. benefited from home ice advantage at the World Bobsled and Skeleton Championships in Lake Placid, New York, and the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston (a combined 11 Olympic program events).

On the flip side, Mikaela Shiffrin raced a limited schedule at Alpine worlds in her return from injury, Jordan Stolz’s prep for speed skating worlds was disrupted by pneumonia and strep throat and Kristen Santos-Griswold withdrew from short track worlds after a collision on the qualifying day.

Those three athletes combined for nine individual medals, including five individual golds, at their most recent worlds before this year. In 2025, they totaled three individual medals (all Stolz), plus Shiffrin’s team combined gold with Breezy Johnson.

Ilia Malinin won a second straight world title Saturday night, but felt upset that he had left something undone.