Racking up 39 gold medals, Team USA left the 2021 2020 Tokyo Olympics with more golds – and more overall medals – than any other country. Here’s a look back at some of the performances that stood out from the rest.
KD Leads U.S. to Hoops Gold
We’ve all seen what a fired-up Kevin Durant can do in the NBA playoffs. Well, the same goes for international competition. Riled up after critics targeted Team USA in the wake of its exhibition play struggles and a loss to France in its Olympic opener, the fiery superstar led the Americans to five straight wins – and a fourth straight gold medal. Fittingly enough, the U.S. beat that same France team, 87-82, in the gold medal game behind 29 points from KD, who is now the leading scorer in U.S. men’s Olympic basketball history with 435 points.
Sunisa Lee Claims All-Around Gold
Simone Biles’ stunning withdrawal from women’s individual all-around competition opened the door for a new American gymnastics hero. Sunisa Lee took advantage, becoming the fifth consecutive U.S. woman to claim all-around gold. Given the surprise factor and dramatic lead-up to her win, Lee’s Tokyo performance will surely go down as one of the most memorable in U.S. Olympic lore.
Ross & Klineman Dominate
Not only did April Ross and Alix Klineman take home gold in women’s beach volleyball, but they were just so darn dominant along the way. Losing just a single set in seven matches, the American duo absolutely toasted the field in Tokyo, becoming the first U.S. beach volleyball duo to win gold since 2012.
Dressel Racks Up the Golds
No American athlete dominated quite like Caeleb Dressel. The 24-year-old won five gold medals, setting two world records and two Olympic records along the way. He’ll be one to watch on the Olympic stage for some time.
Ledecky Cements Her Legendary Status
Katie Ledecky’s legend grew further in her third Olympic Games, where she added two more gold medals to her collection – giving her seven golds and 10 medals overall in three trips to the Games. Somehow only 24, Ledecky figures to remain a fixture on the Olympic stage for years to come.
Felix Goes Out on Top
Big names. A dominant performance. A legendary career’s triumphant end. The Americans’ women’s 4x400-meter relay gold medal performance checked all the boxes. The foursome of Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Athing Mu, and Allyson Felix dominated, topping second-place Poland by nearly four seconds. In her fifth and final Olympics, Felix pushed her career medal haul to 11 – a record among U.S. track and field athletes.
1st Gold for U.S. Indoor Volleyball
Going up against the country that denied the United States a gold medal in 2008 and 2012, the Americans broke through in Tokyo with a three-set win over Brazil to claim their first indoor volleyball gold medal. It also vaulted the U.S. to the top of the gold medal leaderboard.
U.S. Women Win 7th Straight Hoops Gold
WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, and A’ja Wilson led the Americans to their seventh straight Olympic gold medal. Just how good has the U.S. been in Olympic competition? It’s getting a little silly at this point. The Americans haven’t lost since … the 1992 Games in Barcelona. That’s 55 wins in a row. Fifty. Five.
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