By: Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor
If you didn’t have time to watch the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, we’ve got you covered.
So, just how many medals did team USA win this year? NBC News reported: 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze medals, for a total of 121 medals. American swimmers won a total 33 of those medals, our track and field athletes won 32 and our gymnasts won 12.
The USA won a few medals in every other sport, but the majority of medals were in these events. Team USA has always done well in the Olympics, bu
t this year we had a few record breaking wins in the mix. The amazing Simone Biles from the women’s gymnastics team, a member of, “The Final Five,” was the first gymnast ever to win four gold medals. She placed first in vault, team all-around, floor exercise and individual all-around. Biles even has a move named after her, aptly named, “The Biles,” because she was the first to successfully execute it in competition. Biles is currently the only gymnast in the world able to do this.
Simone Manuel of the women’s swimming team was the first African-American women to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event. Katie Ledecky (also of the women’s swimming team), beat four world records, two of which were her own from the previous Olympic Games.
Overall, the 2016 Summer Olympic Games was a good year for team USA.
Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
