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The team had more than 100 medals heading into the final day but
had to rely on Sunday winners -- including their women's
basketball team which grabbed a seventh straight gold -- to
reach the top of the standings for the third Games in a row.
They won 39 golds -- one more than rivals China -- and 113
overall, a decline since the Rio Games, where they picked up 46
golds and 121 medals overall.
"We are thrilled by the performance of Team USA at the Tokyo
Games –- and couldn’t be more proud of the way they carried
themselves," said Susanne Lyons, chair of the USOPC. "These
Games are one for the history books."
For some, the pursuit of Olympic glory took on greater
complexity and meaning, as the Games carried on without fans
under restrictive conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simone Biles entered Tokyo eyeing a record haul of six
gymnastics golds but instead changed the narrative away from
winning medals to championing mental health, leaving an
indelible mark on the Games and prompting conversation about the
costly pressure to succeed.
Allyson Felix, who competed in her fifth and final Games after
giving birth to a daughter via emergency C-section in 2018, got
the sendoff worthy of her glittering career, picking up a record
11th medal as the most decorated woman in Olympic track and
field history.
The American men struggled far more, getting just one individual
athletics gold in the shot put and ending their drought on the
track with a gold medal in the 4x400 metres relay on Saturday.
For some American fans, the competition was memorable because of
who was absent -- 100m sprinting star-on-the-rise Sha'Carri
Richardson, who was suspended for cannabis use, prompting the
White House to call for a review of the rules.
With the hugely successful Michael Phelps out of the pool and
into the commentary booth, rising star Caeleb Dressel won three
individual golds as the U.S. swimmers faced a fierce challenge
from the Australians, who more than doubled their medal count in
the sport since Rio.
The 'Duel in the Pool' between Katie Ledecky and Australian
Ariarne Titmus generated thrills, as the American ceded her
crown in the 200m and 400m. She proved untouchable in longer
distances, however, winning the 800m and 1,500m.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Tokyo; editing by Clare Fallon)
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