As the Olympics came to a close last night and the strength of Team U.S.A. was apparent. They topped the medal leaderboard, winning 121 medals which is the highest count for the Americans in an Olympics held abroad.
The medal charge was lead by Michael Phelps and of course the ladies of the “Final Five,” Katie Ledecky and so many others. Sticking it to the equal pay critics, American women won an impressive 61 of the 121 medals.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming,
The Last Night’s Game Team
Summer Olympics
- World domination. Team U.S.A. men’s and women’s basketball were undefeated, each securing gold medals. It was the sixth consecutive gold for the women and third straight for the men.
- Coming out on top. Claressa Shields became the first American to win back-to-back gold medals in boxing. Shields overcame incredible odds: extreme poverty as a child and even after winning gold in London she struggled financially, as many Olympic athletes do. She is now the most dominant boxer in U.S.A. Olympic history.
- Let me take a selfie. Standout gymnast of the “Final Five,” Simone Biles, was voted by fellow American athletes to carry the U.S.A. flag in the closing ceremonies. The 4’8” star was the hit of the party as she had a receiving line of athletes lining up to take selfies with her. Her smile has taken the world by storm.
- A first time for everything. Helen Maroulis won the first gold ever for U.S.A. women’s wrestling.
- Goals for gold. Known for its soccer culture, host country Brazil won its first ever gold medal in men’s soccer. Brazil beat Germany on penalty kicks in the finals. The final kick was made by team captain and superstar player Neymar (you know you’re a big deal when you only have one name).
- The saga continues. In an NBC interview, swimmer Ryan Lochte said he “over-exaggerated” his robbery story and was “110% sorry.” Read more here.
UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- After their water bottle throwing press conference it appeared that the Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor fight would be one for the ages and they didn’t disappoint. The lead shifted throughout the fight with the two fighters looking strong but in the end Conor McGregor was declared the winner.
OVERTIME
- When he's not competing in the Olympics, American pole vaulter Sam Kendrick is an officer in the United States Army. During competition, as he started his next attempt, he heard the U.S.A. national anthem being played for another American athlete and he stopped mid-run to pay his respects. He ended up bringing home a bronze medal.
Sideline stat
- Pre-season college football rankings have been released. These rankings get fans all riled up over which team is predicted to be the best during the season. This year’s poll is led by defending national champions, the Crimson Tide of Alabama. (FYI – the Crimson Tide is the school’s nickname. Their mascot is actually Big Al, an elephant.) Here are the top five:
- Alabama
- Clemson
- University of Oklahoma
- Florida State
- Louisiana State University (LSU)
Coaches’ corner
- This wasn’t an Olympic version of Magic Mike, but the Mongolian coaches protested a penalty assessed to their wrestler by removing their shirts and pants. The protest: their wrestler began to celebrate his win before the match was over. The referee gave his opponent a penalty point due to the premature celebration, therefore the Mongolian wrestler lost the bronze medal.
