MILAN, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics concluded on Sunday, after 17 days of competition that saw broad participation, historic breakthroughs and China's best-ever performance at an overseas Winter Games.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Winter Games, two cauldrons were extinguished simultaneously in two different cities, symbolizing the harmony between Milan and Cortina and the spirit of the Games.

China's medal tally at Milan-Cortina stood at five golds, four silvers and six bronzes.

At the Milan-Cortina, we saw the purest form of athletes - beyond age and injury, driven only by passion.

Seventeen-year-old Choi Gaon of South Korea rebounded from a heavy crash on only her second trick to win women's halfpipe gold at Livigno Snow Park.

The 21-year-old Mikhail Shaidorov delivered a technical masterclass with five clean quadruple jumps to secure Kazakhstan's first Olympic figure skating gold medal.

The 25-year-old Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil stunned the skiing world by winning gold in the men's giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, delivering South America's first-ever Winter Olympic medal.

Sport is competition, but we also witnessed emotional moments about love, memory, and the people who make the dream possible at the Winter Games.

At the Milano Ice Skating Arena, U.S. skater Maxim Naumov sat in the kiss-and-cry holding a photo of himself with his late parents.

At the Tesero cross-country stadium, spectators applauded and cheered for Stevenson Savart of Haiti, who ranked 64 during the men's 10km+10km skiathlon of cross-country skiing event, no less enthusiastic than the moment the champion finished.

In the competition of freestyle skiing aerials, the victory of China's Xu Mengtao and Wang Xindi made them a rare married couple to each win individual gold medals at the Winter Games.

Beyond wins and losses, every handshake, embrace, and gesture of respect gave living expression to the Olympic spirit.