Tokyo 2020 was a monumental Olympic Games for the United States in 2021.
In a final-day sprint to the finish, Team USA overtook China to finish with the most gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics with 39.
The United States had to wait until its penultimate gold-medal match to surpass China, but after a win in the women’s volleyball final, Team USA clinched the gold-medal count for the third-straight Summer Olympics.
Team USA’s 39 gold medals don’t quite match its last two Olympic performances where it won 46 gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and London, respectively. But it was enough to finish just one ahead of China’s 38 in Tokyo.
The U.S. also clinched the overall count in Tokyo with 113 medals, its second-biggest haul dating back to the 1988 Games after winning 121 in Rio. Team USA has not lost the overall medal count since the 1992 Games in Barcelona, where the Unified Team consisting of former Soviet republics won 112 medals.
In Tokyo, China finished second in the overall count with 88 medals while Japan came in third with 58, including 27 gold medals. The United States closed out the 2020 Olympics with 41 silver and 33 bronze medals.
The Closing Ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics kicked off on Friday night local time, as organizers, athletes, and delegations bid farewell to a Games that was delayed for a year by COVID-19 and marked by several challenges — but that also delivered unforgettable sporting moments.
The ceremony began as Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach arrived and the flag of Japan was carried into Tokyo Olympic Stadium by medal-winning athletes.
Team USA’s Top Moments
The flags of the 206 participating countries and delegations then paraded into the stadium, with javelin thrower Kara Winger, a four-time Olympian, the flag bearer for the U.S. contingents.
An extra year of waiting was rewarded with Olympic memories that will surely endure lifetimes.
Spectators watching from home all around the world saw tears of joys, glimpses of pain, rallies of resilience, and history being rewritten over, and over again by the athletes heralding from America.
Simone Biles reminded everyone what it means to prioritize your own mental health, and how to be the best supporter as your teammates step up when you know you can’t.
Photo via Twitter
Allyson Felix, a 35-year-old mother, overtook Carl Lewis to become the most decorated American track and field athlete of all time.
Photo: Team USA
Kevin Durant, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi showed us the true meaning of dominance in the sport. The veterans, when called upon again, took to the floor in the same fashion they have always done and walked away as champions.
It was not all plain sailing for Team USA with the track teams failing to meet expectations and the USWNT only taking bronze in football, and it was not until the final day that they overtook China for most golds at the Games.
That said, it was still a hugely successful 16 days, and compiling a list of highlights is no easy task. Here are just some of the top moments brought to you by Team USA from Tokyo 2020.
You can also find a full list of all the medals won by the U.S. below.
Gold medalists:
- Lee Kiefer, fencing, women’s foil individual
- William Shaner, shooting, 10m air rifle men
- Vincent Hancock, shooting, skeet men
- Amber English, shooting, skeet women
- Carissa Moore, surfing, women
- Caeleb Dressel, swimming, men’s 100m freestyle
- United States, swimming, men’s 4x100m freestyle relay
- Chase Kalisz, swimming, men’s 400m individual medley
- Robert Finke, swimming, men’s 800m freestyle
- Lydia Jacoby, swimming, women’s 100m breaststroke
- Katie Ledecky, swimming, women’s 1500m freestyle
- Anastasija Zolotic, taekwondo, women’s -57kg
- United States, basketball 3×3, women
- Sunisa Lee, artistic gymnastics, women’s all-around
- Caeleb Dressel, swimming, men’s 100m butterfly
- Ketie Ledecky, swimming, women’s 800m freestyle
- Xander Schauffele, gold, men’s individual stroke play
- Robert Finke, swimming, men’s 1500 freestyle
- United States, swimming, men’s 4x100m medley relay
- Caeleb Dressel, swimming, men’s 50m freestyle
- Valarie Allman, athletics, women’s discus throw
- Jade Carey, artistic gymnastics, women’s floor exercise
- Athing Mu, athletics, women’s 800m
- Tamyra Stock Mensah, wrestling, women’s freestyle 68kg
- Sydney McLaughlin, athletics, women’s 400m hurdles
- Ryan Crouser, athletics, men’s shot put
- Katie Nageotte, athletics, women’s pole vault
- Nevin Harrison, canoe, women’s canoe single 200m
- David Morris Taylor III, wrestling, men’s freestyle 86kg
- April/Alix, beach volleyball, women
- Gable Dan Stevenson, wrestling, men’s freestyle 125kg
- United States, athletics, men’s 4x400m relay
- United States, athletics, women’s 4x400m relay
- United States, basketball, men
- United States, basketball, women
- Jennifer Valente, cycling track, women’s omnium
- United States, volleyball, women
- Nelly Korda, gold, women’s individual stroke play
- United States, water polo, women
Silver medallists:
- United States, diving, women’s synchronised 10m platform
- Jay Litherland, swimming, men’s 400m individual medley
- Kathleen Ledecky, swimming, women’s 400m freestyle
- Emma Weyant, swimming, women’s 400m individual medley
- United States, artistic gymnastics, women’s team
- United States, softball
- United States, equestrian, dressage team
- United States, shooting, 10m air rifle mixed team
- United States, diving, men’s synchronised 3m springboard
- Erica Sutherland, swimming, women’s 1500 freestyle
- Alex Walsh, swimming, women’s 200m individual medley
- Kayle Browning, shooting, trap women
- Regan Smith, swimming, women’s 200m butterfly
- United States, swimming, women’s 4x200m freestyle relay
- Ryan Murphy, swimming, 200m backstroke
- Lilly King, swimming, women’s 200m breaststroke
- United States, triathlon, mixed relay
- MyKayla Skinner, artistic gymnastics, women’s vault
- Fred Kerley, athletics, men’s 100m
- Kendra Harrison, athletics, women’s 100m hurdles
- Raven Saunders, athletics, women’s shot put
- Hannah Roberts, BMX freestyle, women’s park
- United States, swimming, women’s 4x100m medley relay
- Katherin Nye, weightlifting, women’s 76kg
- Kendra Harrison, athletic, women’s 100m hurdles
- Rai Benjamin, athletics, men’s 400m hurdles
- Christopher Nilsen, athletics, men’s pole vault
- Brittney Reese, athletics, women’s long jump
- Adeline Gray, wrestling, women’s freestyle 76kg
- Kenneth Bednarek, athletics, men’s 200m
- Grant Holloway, athletics, men’s 110m hurdles
- Joe Kovacs, athletics, men’s shot put
- Courtney Frerichs, athletics, women’s 3000m steeplechase
- Duke Ragan, boxing, men’s feather (52-57kg)
- Nathaniel Coleman, sport climbing, men’s combined
- United States, athletics, women’s 4×100, relay
- United States, baseball
- Keyshawn Davis, boxing, men’s lightweight
- Richard Torrez Jr. boxing, men’s super heavyweight
- Kyle Snyder, wrestling, men’s freestyle 97kg
- United States, equestrian, jumping team
Bronze medalists:
- Jagger Eaton, skateboarding, men’s street
- Ryan Murphy, swimming, men’s 100m backstroke
- Kieran Smith, swimming, men’s 400m freestyle
- Regan Smith, swimming, women’s 100m backstroke
- Lilly King, swimming, women’s 100m breaststroke
- Kate Douglass, swimming, women’s 200m individual medley
- United States, swimming, women’s 4×100, freestyle relay
- Hali Flickinger, swimming, women’s 400m individual medley
- Katie Zaferes, triathlon, women’s individual
- Hali Flickinger, swimming, women’s 200m butterfly
- Annie Lazor, swimming, women’s 200m breaststroke
- United States, athletics, 4×400 mixed relay
- United States, shooting, trap mixed team
- Sunisa Lee, artistic gymnastics, women’s uneven bars
- Krysta Palmer, diving, women’s 3m springboard
- United States, fencing, men’s team foil
- Simone Biles, artistic gymnastics, women’s balance beam
- Gabby Thomas, athletics, women’s 200m
- Raevyn Rogers, athletics, women’s 800m
- Sarah Robles, weightlifting, women’s +87kg
- Oshae Jones, boxing, women’s welterweight
- Noah Lyles, athletics, men’s 200m
- United States, cycling track, women’s team pursuit
- United States, football, women
- Cory Juneau, skateboarding, men’s park
- Patrick Gilman, wrestling, men’s freestyle 57kg
- Helen Louis Maroulis, wrestling, women’s freestyle 57kg
- Paul Chelimo, athletics, men’s 5000m
- Allyson Felix, athletics, women’s 400m
- Molly Seidel, athletics, women’s marathon
- Ariel Torres Gutierrez, karate, men’s kata
- Kyle Douglas Dake, wrestling, men’s freestyle 74kg
- Sarah Ann Hilderbrandt, wrestling, women’s freestyle 50kg
Source: Olympics.
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