Medal Monday: Team USA’s Top Performers

Every Notable, Medal-Winning & Record-Breaking Olympic Performance From Team USA

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are in full swing after Friday’s Opening Ceremony where world-renowned Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron. It was an eerie sight without fans at the Japan National Stadium, but the Games have officially begun.

Team USA got off to a slow start with a few disappointing performances in the early rounds of men’s basketball (next section) and gymnastics, but the medals started rolling in by Sunday. The United States earned 12 medals as of Midnight ET last night, including an eight-medal haul in the pool. Here’s the latest from Team USA after opening weekend:

Team USA Storylines 🇺🇸

Softball’s Walk-Off Wins Set Up Gold Medal Game

The softball team is still unbeaten after defeating Australia on Saturday (2-1) and Japan on Sunday (2-1). Team USA won both weekend games with walk-off home runs from Amanda Chidester (vs. Australia) and Kelsey Stewart (vs. Japan). After finishing out group play, both Team USA (5-0) and Japan (4-1) have the best records. They’ll meet again for the gold tomorrow morning (7:00 am ET).

Women’s Soccer Bounces Back

The U.S. women’s soccer team suffered a 3-0 loss to Sweden last week to open their Olympic group stage play, but they looked like the Team USA of old on Saturday against New Zealand (6-1). Rose Lavelle and Lindsay Horan sparked the onslaught with first-half goals before a late flurry from Alex Morgan and Christen Press (2). Julie Ertz also had two assists. The USWNT will face Australia tomorrow morning (4:00 am ET).

Women’s Gymnastics Outscored by Russia

Maybe the biggest juggernaut of the entire Olympics was the U.S. women’s gymnastics squad, who entered Tokyo as the closest thing to a guaranteed gold. It appears that won’t come without a fight. Team USA finished second to ROC (Russia) in Saturday’s qualifiers, posting a score of 170.562 that was more than a full point behind ROC (171.629). Simone Biles did take the top score in the all-around and the vault.

Swimming’s Record-Breaking Medal Haul (8)

Men’s swimmer Chase Kalisz captured the United States’ first gold medal of the Games in the 400-meter individual medley. With six medals in a two-hour span on Day 1, Team USA had its best-ever start to an Olympics. They claimed two more medals later. Katie Ledecky was stunned in the women’s 400-meter freestyle by Australian Ariarne Titmus. Ledecky still secured silver. Overall, eight of Team USA’s 12 medals have come in the pool.

Early Success for Team Sports

Volleyball and water polo were among the major team sports to get opening-round wins. They’ll continue their gold medal pursuits this week.

Other Notable Performances (Team USA)

• Anastasija Zolotic Becomes First American Woman to Win Gold in Taekwondo
• Jagger Eaton Earns Bronze in Skateboarding’s Olympic Debut
• Will Shaner Shocks the World With Air Rifle Gold Medal
• Lee Kiefer Becomes First American Woman to Win Gold in Individual Foil (Fencing)

OLYMPICS