Korea had an impressive medal haul at the Vancouver Olympics beginning Feb. 14, when Lee Seung-hoon won silver medal in the men's 5,000 m speed skating and followed by Mo Tae-bum and Lee Sang-hwa sweeping gold in the men's and women's 500 m speed skating. Lee Jung-su then snatched two gold medals in the men's short track speed skating, and the Korean team's spirit culminated with Kim Yu-na's winning gold in the women's figure skating competition on Friday.

Having finished all competitions on Saturday, a day ahead of the closing ceremony, Korea won a total of six golds, six silvers and two bronzes, rising to fifth in the medal standings. That is an all-time high, up two notches from the no. 7 ranking in the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics. China ranked seventh with five golds, two silvers and four bronzes this year and Japan 20th with three silvers and two bronzes. Host country Canada took first place with 14 gold medals.

In the count regardless of color, Korea came seventh with 14, while the U.S. led with 37 followed by Germany (30) and Canada (26).

Korea expanded its spectrum from its dominance of short track speed skating to longer distances and figure skating thanks to the strenuous efforts of a new generation of athletes. Kim Yu-na' gold in the women's figure skating raised the nation's profile worldwide.

On Saturday, Korean short track speed skaters added two silvers, in the men's 500 m (Sung Si-bak) and in the men's 5,000 m relay, and one bronze in the women's 1,000 m (Park Seung-hi). In total, that means two golds and three silvers in the men's short track speed skating, and one silver and two bronzes in the women's. The national team returns home on Tuesday.