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More than gold medals for these deserving Team USA stars

August 9, 2021
The GIST: From breaking records to changing the conversation around mental health, the GOATs of Team USA did it all in Tokyo.
Sports NewsOlympic Sports
More than gold medals for these deserving Team USA starsMore than gold medals for these deserving Team USA stars
Source: Sports Section/Twitter

In competition: Over the weekend, three athletes further cemented their GOAT status: Allyson Felix won her record-breaking 11th medal — a gold in the 4x400m relay — the most in U.S. track & field Olympic history.

  • And Team USA women’s basketball defeated Japan 90–75 to win their seventh straight (!!!) gold medal, marking five golds for WNBA stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.
  • The wins were the perfect end to a Games that also saw Katie Ledecky become the first female swimmer with six individual golds. Who knew GOATs could swim?

The bigger picture: In addition to their incredible on-the-field accomplishments, these athletes’ actions go beyond stats and records. This was Felix’s first Olympics since publicly cutting ties with Nike over their maternity policies and advocating for moms in and out of sport.

And Simone Biles’ decision to pull out of (most) competition (and of course return to win bronze on balance beam) will forever shape the global discussion surrounding mental health. Now that’s truly legendary.

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