Team USA has women to thank for more than half of its Olympic medals

American women dominated the summer Olympics, bringing home more than half of Team USA’s medals.

The U.S. won 126 total medals, the most of any country. Of those, women were responsible for a whopping 67.

Of that total, one medal remains in contention: Olympic officials have ordered gymnast Jordan Chiles to return her bronze medal from the floor exercise final after a score reversal, but the U.S. is appealing that ruling.

That controversy aside, American women have won so many medals in Paris that if they were their own nation, they would place third in the overall medal count, behind the 126 won by the full U.S. squad and China’s 91 total medals and ahead of Great Britain’s 65.

When it comes to gold medals, China and the U.S. tied with 40 apiece. Team USA has women to thank for 26 of those.

The medal count is one of many historic accomplishments by American women at what organizers have hailed as the first gender-equal Olympics.

U.S. women brought home the country’s first-ever rugby sevens medal, a bronze. The U.S. women’s soccer team won Olympic gold, their fifth in less than three decades (and their first since 2012). And the U.S. women’s basketball team closed out the games by beating France on their home turf, for their eighth consecutive gold medal.

Swimmer Torri Huske took home five medals, the most of any Team USA athlete. Swimmers Gretchen Walsh, Katie Ledecky and Regan Smith, as well as gymnast Simone Biles, each won four medals.

Ledecky won her ninth Olympic medal — and 14th ever — to extend her title as the most-decorated U.S. female Olympian.

Biles won four medals in Paris, bringing her total to 11 and becoming the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. She helped lead Team USA to gold in the women’s all-around gymnastics final in a much-anticipated comeback.

American women also blazed their way to several key victories on the track. Among them: An all-star team of runners cruised to first place in 4-by-400m relay, the eighth in a row in which U.S. women have claimed gold.

Hurdle phenom Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone beat her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the only woman to win the event in consecutive Games. Tara Davis-Woodhall and Jasmine Moore earned the U.S. two long jump medals (gold and bronze), while sprinter Gabby Thomas won three gold medals.

Even some lesser-known sports have gotten more attention — and more funding — as a result of their Olympic dominance.

While the women’s water polo team fell short in its quest for a historic fourth consecutive gold medal, it won headlines and a multi-year sponsorship deal from its high-profile hype man, the rapper Flavor Flav.

Rugby and TikTok star Ilona Maher has helped put her sport on many peoples’ radar — including American businesswoman Michele Kang, who announced a $4 million donation to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team after their Olympic victory.

There were plenty of notable team and individual wins. U.S. artistic swimmers earned silver in the team event, their first Olympic medal since 2004. The U.S. Women’s Foil Team became the first Americans to win a team fencing gold in history.

Olivia Reeves won the first U.S. gold medal in weightlifting since 2000, while Evy Leibfarth won the country's first medal in canoe slalom since 2004. Jenn Valente became the most decorated U.S. Olympic women’s cyclist in history, while Kristen Faulkner became the first American cyclist to win gold in both track and road cycling.

While Olympic organizers touted their progress in achieving full gender parity in Paris, athletes and researchers say there’s still more to be done when it comes to giving women the same quality of resources, opportunities and media coverage, to name a few areas.

And sexism was a persistent issue throughout the Games, which started with a Eurostar commentator getting dropped for his remarks about women swimmers and saw an international controversy over the participation of two women boxers.

The U.S. ranked eighth for medal parity between men and women at this year’s Games, according to the U.K.-based charity Women in Sport. It noted that the top 10 countries rank above average on the United Nations' Gender Inequality Index, “showing that there is a direct correlation between women’s sport and broader social equality.”

This is the fourth Summer Olympics where U.S. women won more medals than their male teammates, according to USA Today, as well as the fourth where the country has sent more women than men. Team USA's Paris roster featured 314 women and 278 men.

Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland told the outlet earlier this week that the athletes' achievements are a testament to Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded school programs.

“Their performances are a reminder of how far we've come and the boundless potential that still lies ahead,” she said. “We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and the example they set for future generations of athletes.”

Copyright 2024, NPR

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