The astonishing stat which underlines how much USA relied on its female athletes at Paris Olympics
The women’s team of Team USA made history at the Paris Olympics by winning a record 26 gold medals, 65 percent of the country’s total gold medals.
The United States finished atop the Olympic medal table again this summer. The women’s basketball team claimed a hard-fought victory over host nation France on Sunday, narrowly beating China.
That means the United States has now dominated seven of the last eight Summer Games, and this time it’s largely thanks to its female athletes.
A whopping 65 percent of the American Olympic champions in Paris were women, winning 26 of their 40 gold medals in Paris.
This is the highest ever performance of a female contingent at a single Olympic Games. It is a historic achievement by the women representing the country.
The women’s team of Team USA made history at the Paris Olympics by winning a record 26 gold medals, the last of which was won by A’ja Wilson (pictured) and the women’s basketball team
In total, the women of Team USA won 67 of the 126 medals in the French capital, surpassing the men by seven.
However, one of those medals has been thrown into doubt after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered gymnast Jordan Chiles to return her floor exercise bronze over a dispute over her score.
If American women were their own country, they would have finished third in the Olympic medal table, behind the US and China. And that’s even without Chile’s bronze.
Simone Biles lived up to her reputation as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time this summer by becoming America’s most decorated gymnast of all time, adding three more golds and a silver to her collection in Paris.
Although it looks like Chiles will lose her bronze, she still has gold in the team finals. She won the event along with Biles, Jade Carey and Suni Lee, who also won bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars.
Simone Biles became America’s most decorated gymnast of all time after adding three more gold medals and a silver to her collection
Sha’Carri Richardson gave the US gold in the women’s 4x100m relay after having to settle for silver in the 100m final
Elsewhere, Sha’Carri Richardson delivered gold for the US in the women’s 4x100m relay after having to settle for silver in the 100m final. Gabby Thomas won three golds after a stunning Games (200m, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay).
Katie Ledecky also became the most decorated American swimmer of all time this summer after winning gold in the 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle, bringing her career record to nine gold medals and 14 medals total.
And to top off the special Olympics, the women’s basketball team defeated France in Paris to take gold for a record eighth consecutive time, putting the US at the top of the medal table.