Team USA Medal Haul: American Women Led the Way

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Beyoncé must have been onto something when she said girls run the world.

At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the women of Team USA did exactly that. Out of the United States’ 113 total medals, the women earned 66, the men had 41 and six were from mixed events.

In fact, the amount of Olympic medals that American women won in Tokyo broke the previous record of 61, set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In Rio, the men of Team USA won 55 medals and there were five earned in mixed events. 

Of the 66 medals that the women of Team USA took home from Tokyo, 23 were gold, 22 were silver and 21 were bronze.

Let’s take a look at some of the American ladies that dominated at the Games:

Allyson Felix

Team USA star Allyson Felix became the most decorated Olympian in American track and field history in Tokyo.

She won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m and took home a gold as part of the 4x400m relay team, the last race in her historic Olympic career.

Katie Ledecky

Famed American swimmer Katie Ledecky didn’t disappoint in Tokyo after adding four medals to her Olympic career haul.

Ledecky took home golds in both 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle. She also earned silver in the 400m freestyle and as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team.

And Ledecky’s not done just yet. The seven-time Olympic gold medalist confirmed that she is “definitely targeting Paris in 2024.”

Team USA water polo

The United States women’s water polo team won its third straight gold medal after defeating Spain in the final.

With Team USA’s win in Tokyo, the U.S. became just the third nation to win three straight Olympic gold medals in the sport.

Alix Klineman and April Ross

Beach volleyball pair Alix Klineman and April Ross won the gold medal after going undefeated in Tokyo.

Ross, 39, made history as the oldest woman to win an Olympic beach volleyball medal as she added to her silver from London and bronze from Rio. Klineman made the switch from indoor to beach volleyball in 2017, making this her first Olympic medal.

Molly Seidel

Move over, Rudy! A new Notre Dame underdog is here. Team USA runner Molly Seidel took home the bronze medal at the women's Olympic marathon … in her third-ever competitive race of that length.

Seidel had never run a competitive marathon until she placed second at the 2020 trials to qualify for Tokyo. Now, she joins Joan Benoit (1984 gold) and Deena Kastor (2004 bronze) as the only American women to ever win an Olympic marathon medal.

Team USA women’s gymnastics

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team left Tokyo with six medals -- the team all-around silver and five individuals. Breakout athlete Suni Lee won the gold medal in the individual all-around and bronze in the uneven bars. Jade Carey earned gold in the floor exercise, and MyKayla Skinner won silver on vault.

Star gymnast Simone Biles added to her Olympic medal haul with a bronze on balance beam, despite dropping out of several events as she recovered from the “twisties” and prioritized her mental health.

Sydney McLaughlin

American track star Sydney McLaughlin took the gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles final, and set a world record of 51.46 seconds to do it.

Reigning Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad from the United States came in second for the silver medal.

Team USA women’s indoor volleyball

The United States women's volleyball team was on a quest to win Olympic gold in Tokyo, something the program hasn't done in the 57 years that the sport has been featured at the Games.

And they did it. With a win over Brazil, who beat them three times in the past four Olympics for the title, the U.S. left Tokyo with its first indoor volleyball Olympic gold medal.

Athing Mu

Athing Mu, 19, won the women’s 800m gold medal in Tokyo at just 19 years old. Mu broke the U.S. record to do so.

Fellow American woman Raevyn Rogers took bronze in the event.

Team USA women’s basketball

The U.S. women's basketball team made history in many ways at the Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA secured its seventh straight gold medal, and ninth overall, with a win over Japan. With the medal, the United States matched a record set by the U.S. men between 1936 and 1968 for most consecutive golds.

Also, veteran teammates Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi became the first basketball players, male or female, with five Olympic gold medals.

Carissa Moore

In the debut of surfing at the Olympics, Team USA’s Carissa Moore took home the first-ever gold medal.

Moore wasn’t the only American athlete to take home a “first-ever” piece of hardware -- the U.S. actually medaled in every single new sport that debuted in Tokyo.

Team USA women’s soccer

The U.S. Women's National Team defeated Australia in the bronze medal match to take home the hardware. After being eliminated in the 2016 Rio quarterfinals and missing out on a medal for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Olympics, the USWNT returned to the podium in Tokyo.

Lydia Jacoby

American swimmer Lydia Jacoby took home two medals from her first Olympics. Jacoby, an Alaska-native, won the 100m breaststroke gold medal and earned the silver as part of the 4x100m medley relay team at just 17 years old.

Team USA softball

In the long-awaited return of softball to the Olympic games, the U.S. team did what they usually do: took home a medal.

Led by veteran pitchers Cat Osterman and Monica Abbott, Team USA earned the silver medal after losing to Japan in the gold medal game.

Nelly Korda

After leading the women’s golf tournament for a majority of the time, American Nelly Korda took home the gold medal from Tokyo.

Korda’s -17 finish earned the United States its first medal in women's golf since 1900.

Here is a full list of Olympic medals from Team USA women in Tokyo:

While some women of the U.S. Olympic team earned multiple medals, here is a comprehensive look at every piece of hardware that the ladies earned in Tokyo:

Gold Medals

  • Lee Kiefer, fencing, foil individual
  • Amber English, shooting, skeet
  • Carissa Moore, surfing
  • Lydia Jacoby, swimming, 100m breaststroke
  • Katie Ledecky, swimming, 1500m freestyle
  • Anastasija Zolotic, taekwondo, women's 57kg
  • United States, basketball 3x3
  • Sunisa Lee, artistic gymnastics, all-around
  • Ketie Ledecky, swimming, 800m freestyle
  • Valarie Allman, discus throw
  • Jade Carey, artistic gymnastics, floor exercise
  • Athing Mu, 800m
  • Tamyra Stock Mensah, wrestling, freestyle 68kg
  • Sydney McLaughlin, 400m hurdles
  • Katie Nageotte, pole vault
  • Nevin Harrison, canoe single 200m
  • April Ross/Alix Klineman, beach volleyball
  • Nelly Korda, golf
  • United States, water polo
  • United States, 4x400m relay
  • United States, basketball
  • Jennifer Valente, cycling track, omnium
  • United States, indoor volleyball

Silver Medals

  • United States, diving, synchronised 10m platform
  • Kathleen Ledecky, swimming, 400m freestyle
  • Emma Weyant, swimming, 400m individual medley
  • United States, artistic gymnastics, team
  • United States, softball
  • Erica Sullivan, swimming, 1500 freestyle
  • Alex Walsh, swimming, 200m individual medley
  • Kayle Browning, shooting, trap
  • Regan Smith, swimming, 200m butterfly
  • United States, swimming, 4x200m freestyle relay
  • Lilly King, swimming, 200m breastroke
  • MyKayla Skinner, artistic gymnastics, vault
  • Kendra Harrison, 100m hurdles
  • Raven Saunders, shot put
  • Hannah Roberts, BMX freestyle, park
  • United States, swimming, 4x100m medley relay
  • Katherine Nye, weightlifting, 76kg
  • Kendra Harrison, 100m hurdles
  • Brittney Reese, long jump
  • Adeline Gray, wrestling, freestyle 76kg
  • Courtney Frerichs, 3000m steeplechase
  • United States, 4x100 relay

Bronze Medals

  • Regan Smith, swimming, 100m backstroke
  • Lilly King, swimming, 100m breaststroke
  • Kate Douglass, swimming, 200m individual medley
  • United States, swimming, 4x100, freestyle relay
  • Hali Flickinger, swimming, 400m individual medley
  • Katie Zaferes, triathlon
  • Hali Flickinger, swimming, 200m butterfly
  • Annie Lazor, swimming, 200m breaststroke
  • Sunisa Lee, artistic gymnastics, uneven bars
  • Krysta Palmer, diving, 3m springboard
  • Hali Flickinger, swimming, 200m butterfly
  • Simone Biles, artistic gymnastics, balance beam
  • Gabby Thomas, 200m
  • Raevyn Rogers, 800m
  • Sarah Robles, weightlifting, +87kg
  • Oshae Jones, boxing, welterweight
  • United States, cycling track, team pursuit
  • Helen Louis Maroulis, wrestling, freestyle 57kg
  • Allyson Felix, 400m
  • United States, soccer
  • Molly Seidel, marathon

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