The athletes of the United States have proven to be the most elite of them all, winning a total of 126 Olympic medals at the Paris Olympics. This is no surprise, as the U.S. has a deep history of winning a large portion of events at previous Olympic games. When people think of the most successful Olympic athletes, Micheal Phelps or Jamaica’s Usain Bolt are usually the first to come to mind. After this year’s Olympics, a new generation of athletes have made their mark – and for the U.S., several of these were women.
The U.S. women alone won a whopping total of 67 medals, over half of the nation’s medal count in Paris. If they were their own country, they would place third in the overall medal count.
Not only have the women dominated in the medal count, many have made history. Simone Biles, one of the most decorated gymnasts of all time, came back to her third Olympics to solidify her GOAT status. During her second Olympics in 2021 at Tokyo with strong expectations to dominate, Biles experienced something nobody would expect. She was going through something the gymnastics world calls “the twisties,” meaning she was so in her head that her mind and her body were not connecting. As much as she wanted to compete, she was mentally not stable enough to. At this high of a level, it could result in injury if she were to land incorrectly, so she made the tough decision to drop out of the Olympics.
She wanted to quit badly, but after some time off decided to come back. She found her love for gymnastics again, and showed that at the Paris Olympics after winning three gold medals and one silver. She has earned a total of 11 Olympic medals in her entire career.
Another athlete that continues to prove herself the greatest of all time is Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Going into the Olympics, McLaughlin-Levrone had already broken the world record five times in the 400 Meter Hurdles. At the age of 25, it is truly impressive how she continues to prevail time and time again. McLaughlin-Levrone ran a 50.37, beating her own world record for the 6th time. McLaughlin-Leverone said in an interview with sports commentator Nick McCarvel, “You know, there’s always ways to improve. And I love trying to figure out what those are and push myself to try to break those barriers and boundaries.”
Even as an athlete with world-class success, McLaughlin-Levrone uses any opportunity she gets to glorify God instead of taking the credit for herself. Senior Evie Gavette said, “I look up to [Mclaughlin-Levrone] a lot even though I’m not a track athlete. Her faith in Christ is really strong and it motivates me to glorify God in the same way.”
Katie Ledecky, a team USA swimmer, left the Paris Olympics the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time. It is undeniable that she is the greatest of all time, with 16 broken world records. Ledecky dominated the 800 Meter Freestyle as well as the 1500 Meter Freestyle, winning gold in both events. In an interview with Andrew Brinner, Ledecky said, “My dedication just comes internally from wanting to achieve my personal goals, but then externally from my coaches and teammates and the people that I surround myself with, who help me through the hard, hard days, keep me happy and loving the sport. I really do love the sport.”
It is extremely rare to come across a team with so much success all around. Who knows when the U.S. will see another group of women as historic as the ones mentioned – and the many others who earned a spot on the podium. The U.S. is lucky to be home to these amazing athletes who are an inspiration to all women and athletes to achieve their wildest goals.
