Olympic Wednesday arrives in Switzerland for the 1928 Winter Olympics at St. Moritz, and this second olympiad of the colder persuasion truly established some worldwide fame for its competitors. There were 459 competitors from 25 countries competing in 14 events across 8 disciplines, and the only true controversy was the renewed inclusion of Germany for the first time since the end of World War I.

Editor’s Note: Oddly, the host nation won just a single bronze medal as Norway (15), the United States (6), and Sweden (5) topped the medal list. Finland and Austria both took home 4 medals each, while the controversial Germans also won a single bronze in these Games. Only 5 competitors won multiple medals, making our analyses below a little more challenging, that’s for sure. Enjoy!

Most Outstanding Male Athlete: Johan Grøttumsbraaten, Norway

Finnish speed skater Clas Thunberg, who won this nod from us in 1924, won 2 gold medals (500m, 1500m), but his victories both came in sprint races. However, Norwegian nordic athlete Johan Grøttumsbraaten also won 2 golds—but in different disciplines: the 18-km cross country-skiing event and the Nordic combined event. He had won silver and bronze, respectively in these 2 events at Chamonix. Therefore, he’s our pick.

Most Outstanding Female Athlete: Sonja Henie, Norway

The only event for women in these Games was the figure skating competition. Norwegian Sonja Henie rose to worldwide fame in winning the gold medal—she was just 15 years old after finishing eighth in the 1924 Olympics as a preteen! Henie would win this event in 1932 and 1936 as well, while also achieving Hollywood fame and the adoration of figure skating fans around the globe. Her popularity would last for decades.

Most Outstanding Male Team: Norwegian Nordic Combined

Only one men’s team swept the medals in a single discipline: the Norwegian Nordic Combined, led by Grøttumsbraaten. Hans Vinjarengen took the silver, and John Snersrud claimed the bronze. There were other medal sweeps in singular events in these Games, but the Norway men dominated this discipline well enough to win this award in an olympiad with so few events overall.

Most Outstanding Female Team: Austrian Figure Skating

Of the six medals available to women, the Austrians won 3 of them: Fritzi Burger won silver in the women’s competition, while Austrian teams won silver and bronze in the Mixed Pairs event. The three other medals were won by 3 other nations, respectively, giving this award to the same group as we did 4 years ago.