Tokyo Olympics: USA top medal table as American women strike gold on final day

Triumphs
in
basketball,
volleyball
and
track
cycling
saw
Team
USA
move
to
39
gold
medals
for
the
Games,
pipping
China
at
the
post.

China
finished
with
38
golds,
meaning
that
for
the
third
successive
Olympics
it
is
the
United
States
who
hold
sway
on
the
medals
front.

The
all-conquering
women’s
basketball
team
were
90-75
winners
over
Japan
in
their
final,
landing
gold
for
a
seventh
successive
Olympics.

They
last
lost
at
the
Games
in
1992
at
Barcelona
and
were
never
in
danger
of
surrendering
their
undefeated
streak
since,
as
Sue
Bird
and
Diana
Taurasi
each
picked
up
the
fifth
gold
medals
of
their
remarkable
careers.

Jennifer
Valente
emerged
victorious
from
the
multi-race
omnium
cycling
event
at
the
Izu
Velodrome,
with
the
26-year-old
from
San
Diego
scooping
the
first
Olympic
gold
of
her
career.

Tokyo
Olympics
2020
Medal
Tally

Volleyball
gold
medals
had
previously
been
the
preserve
of
the
men
among
the
US
ranks,
but
now
the
women
have
triumphed
at
Olympic
level
too.

Their
first
visit
to
the
top
step
of
the
Games
podium
was
secured
by
a
3-0
win
over
Brazil
in
Sunday’s
final.

Haleigh
Washington,
a
25-year-old
star
of
the
team,
said:
“It’s
a
great
day
to
have
a
gold-medal
day.
The
hard
work
we
put
in,
the
sweat,
the
tears,
the
blood,
it’s
been
worth
it.
I
am
so
proud
to
have
done
it
with
this
group
of
women.
I
am
so
honoured.”

Coach
Karch
Kiraly
added:
“I
am
so
happy
for
this
team
and
these
amazing
women
in
this
programme.
I
told
them
not
only
are
they
bad-asses,
but
they
are
now
gold
medallists.”