In an opening ceremony different from any other, the United States Olympic team cruised down the Seine with 205 other countries. Team USA was led by Captain Lemerica, a.k.a. LeBron James.
Delegations ranged from one participant (Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, and Somalia) to the United States’ 594 athletes. The female flag bearer for the U.S. was Coco Gauff, an accomplished tennis player; the male flag bearer was Lebron James, the first male basketball player ever to carry the flag for the U.S. The duo were the second pair to share the honor for the U.S.
LeBron James superfan Connor Simpkins was almost brought to tears when he saw James with the Olympic torch, “It was a surreal moment for me, following the NBA and Lebron my entire life; I’ve firsthand witnessed his athletic dominance in basketball. As he ages, it’s nice to see him get the respect he deserves and represent our country on the highest athletic level in the world.”
Most games were held in Paris, though sixteen other cities in France also hosted events. Surfing was held in Tahiti, the farthest place where games were held.
The summer games were an excellent success for U.S. athletes and had many exciting and viral moments.
Breakdancing, introduced as a new Olympic sport this year, was subject to controversy. A break dancer from Australia, Rachel Gun, nicknamed Raygun, achieved a score of zero total points. Her “Kangaroo Dance” was mocked on social media and even made a feature on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, raising the question among many as to whether she was taking her sport seriously.
In swimming events, the United States won twenty-eight total medals. Katie Ledecky and Kate Douglas led the field for the U.S., each with two gold medals. But it was the young French phenomenon, Leon Marchand, who won four gold medals this year, who dominated the sport.
In track and field events, the United States won twenty-nine total medals. Notable performances were Cole Hocker’s close 1500-meter comeback and Quincy Wilson’s gold in the men’s 400-meter. Wilson, at age sixteen, was the youngest U.S. Olympic athlete on the team.
Simone Biles and Team USA were fan favorites and added another gold in the Women’s All-Around Gymnastics. Ms. Biles went on to win two gold medals in vault and balance beam. Jade Carey contributed another gold medal in the individual women’s floor exercise.
Stephen Nedoroscik became a crowd favorite in the men’s pommel horse, earning bronze. He also helped the U.S. Men’s team take home a bronze. Nedoroscik went viral as he appeared to be sleeping on the sidelines for the first three hours of the competition.
In wrestling, the U.S. collected two more golds, in fencing, Lee Keifer won an individual fencing gold and led Team USA to gold as well. Golf brought home a gold in the men’s competition. Kristen Faulkner added two more golds in the cycling category.
Vincent Hancock won one gold for the U.S. in the skeet shooting category; Yusuf Dikeç, a Turkish shooter, took silver in the mixed ten-meter pistol competition and gained notoriety for his casual appearance at the games.
In rowing, the U.S. won gold in the men’s un-coxed four and their first medal in the men’s eight since 2008, when they earned the bronze medal.
In the big team events, the U.S. also found success. The women’s soccer team smashed through the competition to win the gold.
The men’s Olympic basketball team owed their motivation to track star Noah Lyles. Last year, after Lyes won the 100-meter world championships, he said, “World Champion of what?” about the NBA. Several NBA superstars, most notably LeBron James, took offense. James became eligible and pursued other NBA superstars to create a super team.
Joel Embiid, who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, caused controversy because he initially said he would play for France, his home country. Whenever he entered a game or touched the ball, he did so to massive boos from the crowd.
The team struggled in their exhibition games, but as their chemistry grew, so did their success; by the round-robin level, they were winning every game by almost twenty points. By the elimination stage, the U.S. was the first seed. In the finals versus France, the U.S. smashed past the French with the French broadcast calling Stephen Curry “a devil.”
The women’s team led the U.S. to gold, as France’s last shot was taken with a foot inside the line to give the U.S. a one-point victory.
In the last few days of the competition, the United States and China began to pull away from the rest of the competition in the medal count. One thing that impacted people’s perception of the games was how results were displayed on the scoreboard.
Several scoreboards showed the total medal count; however, this needed clarification as some countries focused on the most golds won, while others concentrated on medals per capita. The International Olympic Committee does not officially rank participating countries, stating in the Olympic Charter, “The Olympic Games are competitions between athletes in individual or team events and not between countries.” Despite the IOC approach, the medal count is followed, and this year, the U.S. scraped past China to win the overall.
The next Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, meaning better watch times for all Americans.
