We’ve moved into the 1950s on our first Olympic Wednesday miniseries today, and that means Oslo, Norway! Almost 700 athletes from 30 countries competing in the winter sports, with 22 medal events in 8 disciplines. The 1952 Winter Games continued some normalcy for the world, as (West) Germany participated in the Olympics for the first time since the end of World War II. That was a positive step.

The host nation topped the table with 16 overall medals, while the United States came in second 11 medals. Third place on the country podium went to Finland (9), as the first Winter Games to be hosted by a Nordic/Scandinavian nation played out just as one might expected it to in that regard. All in all, only 10 nations won multiple medals, with 3 countries winning a singular medal. This winter idea needed growth!

Most Outstanding Male Athlete: Hjalmar Andersen, Norway

After not finishing the 10,000m event in St. Moritz, Norwegian speed skater Hjalmar Andersen rebounded with a stellar effort in Oslo: he won 3 golds, sweeping his events—1,500m; 5,000m; and 10,000m. He was the only competitor in this olympiad to win 3 medals, and because they were all gold, it makes the achievement even more impressive … not to mention the distance range, too. Incredible!

Most Outstanding Female Athlete: Andrea Mead-Lawrence, United States

The only woman to win 2 gold medals at these games, American skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence won both the slalom and the giant slalom events while taking 17th place in the downhill. She had competed in the 1948 Games in 3 events without finishing higher than 8th place, so this was a definite improvement for the U.S. darling of the sport. She would defend her golds in 1956, too, although she would not medal there.

Most Outstanding Male Team: Finnish Cross-Country Skiing

In the 3 events of the discipline, Finland won 2 golds (50km, 4x10km), 2 silvers (18km, 50km), and 1 bronze (18km) to secure this achievement. All individual medals were won by different skiers, and obviously this would have helped the Fins win the gold in the relay event. If you’re counting at home, Finland won 5 of the 9 medals available in the discipline, with Norway winning 3 others and Sweden winning 1 medal. Typical!

Most Outstanding Female Team: Finnish Cross-Country Skiing

There was only 1 event for women in cross-country skiing: the 10-kilometer race, obviously, for culture and society believed women to be too fragile for the long(er) distances. Ahem. Moving forward past the asinine, the Finnish women swept the medal podium in the event, taking all 3 medals. Lydia Wideman won gold; Mirja Hietamies grabbed silver; and Siiri Rantanen claimed bronze. Well done, Finland, to sweep/sweep.