By: Jessica A. Dennehy
The latest edition of the Olympic Games has dazzled in the City of Lights, Paris, where the world’s finest athletes have come together to flaunt their hard-earned skills and talents. In a close-knit race for the most gold medals, the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China tied, each snagging an impressive sum of 40. Meanwhile, the Americans topped the charts in total medal counts, amassing a grand total of 126 medals.
Of such contributions, American female athletes were responsible for bringing home 67 of these medals, including 26 golds. Their role in securing more than half of America’s total medal count reinforced that the Americans didn’t merely come to “play.” In fact, if American women were considered a separate nation, they would have ranked third overall in the Olympic Games, only behind the United States (126 medals) and China (91 medals). This astonishing achievement was highlighted by the Olympic organizers, who hailed Paris 2024 as “the first gender-equal Olympics.”
Certain U.S. teams truly stood out at the Summer Olympics this year, with the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens Team earning the country’s first-ever medal in the sport, securing a bronze. Another “football” medal was also earned by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team, who took home their first gold since 2012, marking their fifth win in less than 30 years. The U.S. Women’s Basketball Team also took gold, defending their winning streak and achieving their eight consecutive victory. They did this while also defeating the French on their own home turf. Pivoting from net to natatorium, the U.S. Women’s 4×100 medley relay team not only won gold, but also broke the world record.
On a more individual note, the accumulation of medals in various individual athletic events is also remarkable. Swimmer Victoria “Torri” Huske took home five medals—three gold and two silver—making her the top medalist in all of Team USA for these Olympics games. While this article is not solely dedicated to singing the phrases of the Team USA Women’s Swim Team, it’s also worth noting that swimmers Gretchen Walsh, Katie Ledecky, and Regan Smith, as well as gymnast Simone Biles, each won four medals in the process of breaking multiple Olympic records.
Katie Ledecky, already the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time, was able to further extend her record by winning her ninth Olympic gold and 14th overall medal. In a similar fashion, Simone Biles, now the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast, added four additional Olympic medals to her career total, raising the amount to a whopping 11 total. Biles also played a pivotal role in helping win the team women’s all-around gymnastics finals while also securing gold for herself in the individual women’s all-around gymnastic finals. Diana Taurasi, a longtime Team USA basketball star, scored her sixth gold medal, becoming the first basketball player ever to achieve the milestone. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone also set the world record in the 400m run for the fifth time, surpassing her own record she set back from the Olympic trials a month prior. She now holds the three fastest 400m times in history and six out of the ten fastest times ever in the event. Additionally, McLaughlin-Levrone earned a secondary gold through her contribution to the women’s 4×400 relay team, bringing her total to four Olympic gold medals.
