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The United States surpassed 3,000 medals won in Olympic competition with four trips to the podium on Tuesday.
The all-time medal count for Team USA is compiled between the Summer and Winter Olympics. No other country has won more than 1,500 combined medals, according to ESPN.
The U.S. went into Tuesday’s schedule of events three medals away from 3,000. Here is how the Americans reached then surpassed the milestone number.
USA women’s gymnastics wins gold
The U.S. women’s gymnastics squad winning gold in team competition put the country’s total count at 2,998.
A medal was virtually assured, with the U.S. women medaling in every Summer Games since 1988. But winning gold after a disappointing finish for silver at the Tokyo Olympics was a standout moment for the team with each athlete competing at their best.
Up next for the U.S. gymnasts are the individual events, with Simone Biles and Suni Lee pursuing medals in the individual all-around competition.
Women’s rugby sevens team gets first Olympic medal
Perhaps the most unexpected medal win for the U.S. took place just before the women’s gymnastics team wn gold. The women’s rugby sevens team earned its first-ever Olympic medal with an upset over Australia that earned a bronze.
An opportunity for gold or silver – which would have been a surprise – was lost when USA fell to New Zealand earlier in the day. But Alex Sedrick assured the U.S. would get a place on the medal stand by powering through for the match-winning score.
The women’s rugby sevens team astonishing win put Team USA at 2,999 medals going into the women’s 100m backstroke final.
Swimmers Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff put USA over 3,000
The women’s swimming team hit the major milestone for the United States and surpassed the 3,000 mark in the 100m backstroke final with Regan Smith touching the wall for silver and Berkoff getting bronze.
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won gold with an Olympic record time of 57.33, her second consecutive gold medal after winning at the Tokyo Games. Smith set the event’s World record (57.13) at the U.S. swimming trials in June, but couldn’t overtake McKeown in Paris. Berkoff finished at 57.98 to place third.
Smith and Berkoff medaling also achieved a notable mark for USA swimming. They won the 599th and 600th Olympic swimming medals in the team’s history. No other country has won that many medals in swimming, with USA’s count more than twice Australia’s total.
Source Agencies
