The Gold Standard, Day 9: A thousand golden moments

Medalists in the men's free figure skating from right, Japan's Shoma Uno, silver, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, gold, and Spain's Javier Fernandez, bronze, pose during their medals ceremony at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018. (Morry Gash/AP)

It may not be possible to catch all the best moments in a single day of the Olympic Games, but we’re going to try. Every day, we’ll award medals for standout achievements at (and around) Pyeongchang 2018 and feats that may or may not be recognized on the podium (and may or may not even be of an athletic nature).

Day 8 of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games featured a historic achievement, an incredible photo finish and a unique stress reliever.

Gold medal for history

It’s official: There have been 1,000 golden moments in Olympic Winter Games history.

Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu achieved a few historic feats. He won the men’s free skate program, becoming the first man to claim back-to-back Olympic titles since American Dick Button in 1952. Not only that, Hanyu earned the 1,000th gold medal in Winter Games history.

From American speed skater Charles Jewtraw in 1924 to Hanyu in 2018, there have been some incredible victories. Here’s to 1,000 more.

Gold medal for the tightest finish

There may not be a photo finish as close as what we saw in men’s 15-kilometre biathlon.

Frenchman Martin Fourcade and Simon Schempp hustled to the finish line as they battled for the gold medal. Both men crossed, it was so close that the photo finish had to be blown up and examined. It turns out Fourcade edged Schempp by the thinnest of margins.

Ironically, Fourcade missed out on gold in the 2014 Games in Sochi to Norwegian Emil Hegle Svendsen in a photo finish. That makes this victory even sweeter.

Gold medal for most unique stress relief

Competing in the Olympics can obviously be very stressful, so athletes have to do everything they can to calm their nerves.

The Finnish snowboarding team may have found the most unique stress reliever of all.

Not only do the athletes knit, the coaches partake in the activity as well. Sometimes right before the snowboarders begin their runs.

Enni Rukajarvi won bronze in women’s slopestyle, so clearly the method is working for at least one Finnish athlete.

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