Female athletes dominate as U.S. comes out on top in medal count
The Olympics have come and gone, but it was the first time in a long time that countries from all across the globe celebrated something other than a negative COVID test.
Even before the opening ceremony, there was controversy surrounding the Olympics. 21-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for marijuana which led to her being left out of the U.S. track and field Olympic roster. Naturally, people from all across the nation flocked to social media to voice their opinion. Richardson was set to compete in the 100-meter event in which she won the trials for in Ore.
Despite the pushback, the USA Track and Field stuck to their decision and Richardson was not allowed to compete.
U.S. female competitors were positively dominant in Tokyo. The U.S. female athletes earned 66 of the U.S.’s 113 overall medal count. On top of that, the women earned more gold medals than their male counterparts, earning 23 gold medals as opposed to the 16 won by the men.
The U.S. women’s volleyball team clinched the thirty-ninth gold medal for the U.S., edging out China by one. If the U.S. women had been their own separate country, they would have won the fourth most medals.
The women’s basketball team won their seventh straight gold medal, defeating host country Japan 90 to 75.
Despite early struggles in the preliminary contest, the U.S. men’s basketball team pulled it together and came out on top. The men triumphed over the French national team in an 87 to 82 shootout. This was the fourth straight gold medal for the U.S. in men’s basketball.
The U.S. had the best individual golfers in the world in which Nelly Korda won gold in the women’s division and Xander Schauffele won the gold medal on the men’s side.
The U.S. also dominated the pool as there were 12 gold medals handed out between the men and women.
Katie Ledecky took home gold in both the 800 and 1500 meter freestyle events.
Caeleb Dressel earned five gold medals in the games winning the 50 and 100 meter freestyle, the 100 meter butterfly, the 4-by-100 meter freestyle and 4-by-100 meter relays.
Honolulu native Carissa Moore won her first gold medal in the surfing event.
NDSU’s own Payton Otterdahl finished tenth overall in the men’s shot put event when he hurled a throw of 20.3 meters.
All in all the Olympics were certainly something that no one wanted to miss. Don’t be too sad they are gone, in six short months Beijing is hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.