Chatt It Up Sports Olympic Recap: Week 2

Team USA continued its dominance for Week 2 of the 2024 Olympics.

To kick off this report we need to say congratulations to Chattanooga’s own, Olivia Reeves, the 21-year-old college student from the Scenic City, won today’s 71kg competition, giving the United States its first weightlifting gold medal in 24 years. Get the USA Today story here.

Earlier this week, Simone Biles captured gold in the vault, adding another prestigious title to her storied career.

Meanwhile, Katie Ledecky secured her ninth career Olympic gold in the 800-meter freestyle, tying her for second most all-time. As Ledecky hints at a possible return in 2028, she remains a formidable force in the swimming world, though still trailing behind Michael Phelps‘ record of 23 gold medals.

In the field, Ryan Crouser claimed his third consecutive gold in the men’s shot put, while Vincent Hancock earned his fourth gold in men’s skeet shooting. The U.S. swimming team set a new world record in the mixed medley relay, further showcasing their aquatic dominance.

Sprinter Noah Lyles narrowly clinched victory in the 100-meter race by five-one-thousandths of a second, and Kristen Faulkner took gold in women’s cycling after joining the team as a substitute.

Additional triumphs included Bobby Finke’s victory in the men’s 1500-meter freestyle and the women’s swimming team breaking the world record in the medley relay. Golfer Scottie Scheffler also delivered a stellar performance, shooting nine-under-par in his final round to win by a stroke.

Valarie Allman defended her title in the women’s discus, winning her second consecutive gold, with China taking the silver. The U.S. also secured silver medals in men’s pole vault, mixed skeet shooting, the mixed triathlon relay, and women’s floor gymnastics. In the latter event, Biles took silver while her teammate Jordan Chiles earned bronze. The women’s 3-on-3 basketball team also captured a bronze medal.

Despite a fall during her balance beam routine, ending her Olympic campaign, Biles leaves the 2024 Games with multiple medals. When asked about a potential return in 2028, she replied with a cryptic “Never say never,” though she acknowledged the challenges of competing at 31.

In surfing, Caroline Marks claimed gold for Team USA in the women’s competition held in Tahiti. Women’s wrestler Amit Elor dominated her gold-medal match, adding to the U.S. tally. Track-and-field athletes continued to impress, with Cole Hocker winning the men’s 1500-meter race, Gabby Thomas taking gold in the women’s 200-meter, and Quincy Hall staging a dramatic comeback to win the men’s 400-meter.

The U.S. also celebrated a silver in women’s hammer throw, a bronze in men’s boxing, and two more bronze medals in track-and-field. Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt triumphed in her gold medal match, and the women’s cycling team finally captured gold in the team pursuit after years of near misses. A silver in synchronized swimming’s upside-down moonwalk routine and a bronze in men’s weightlifting rounded out the day’s achievements.

As the Games approach their conclusion, Team USA remains in a tight race for the most gold medals. With 30 golds, the U.S. leads China by just one, followed by Australia with 18, France with 14, and Great Britain, South Korea, and Japan with 13 each.

The U.S. men’s basketball team staged a remarkable comeback from 17 points down to defeat Serbia 95-91 in the semifinal, setting the stage for a gold medal showdown against France tomorrow.

Heading into the final stretch, Team USA leads in the overall medal count with 103, ahead of China’s 73. However, the gold medal race remains razor-thin. While finishing second is not unprecedented for the U.S., it is a rare occurrence, with the last instance being the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where China claimed 12 more golds. The lowest the U.S. has ever ranked in golds was third in the 1988 Seoul and 1976 Montreal Games, behind the now-defunct Soviet Union and East Germany.

With just days remaining, all eyes are on Team USA as they fight to maintain their lead in the gold medal tally.

SOURCE: Olympics.com

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