U.S. Olympic team hits 100 Rio medals, on pace to top haul from London
RIO DE JANEIRO – Team USA hit the 100-medal mark Thursday night when Ashley Spencer crossed the line third in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. The Americans will leave Rio with a massive win in the total medal count.
With just three days left, the United States has won 42 more medals than China and has a 35-22 edge on Great Britain in the number of golds. It’s a performance that should far surpass what the Americans did four years ago in London, racking up 103 medals and a 15-medal margin over China. (Russia, fourth in London, was here with a fraction of its normal contingent because of a doping scandal.)
And it could end up being one of the best Summer Olympics hauls all-time for Team USA.
Though it’s going to be almost impossible for any U.S. team to surpass the 1904 performance in St. Louis of 236 medals and 79 golds, the high-water mark in the modern era is 1984 in Los Angeles with 174 total medals and 83 golds when 14 Eastern Bloc countries including the powerhouse Soviet Union and East Germany teams boycotted the Games.
With a strong finish, this could be the third-best medal performance for the U.S., surpassing 1992 (108 total, 37 gold) and 2008 (110 total, but 15 fewer golds than host nation China).
Best performances for the U.S.
1904 St. Louis (Archie Hahn and Harry Hillman in track, Anton Heida in gymnastics; Games held over several months in conjunction with World’s Fair, and international contingent was limited.)
236 total: 79 gold, 78 silver, 79 bronze
1984 Los Angeles (Carl Lewis in track, Greg Louganis in diving, Bart Conner and Mary Lou Retton in gymnastics)
174 total: 83 gold, 61 silver, 30 bronze
2008 Beijing (Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Aaron Peirsol in swimming, Nastia Liukin in gymnastics, LaShawn Merritt in 400 meters)
110 total: 36 gold, 38 silver, 36 bronze
1992 Barcelona (Dream Team in basketball, Jackie Joyner-Kersee in heptathlon, Gail Devers in 100-meter, Carl Lewis in long jump, Oscar De La Hoya in boxing, Janet Evans and Summer Sanders in swimming)
108 total: 37 gold, 34 silver, 37 bronze
1968 Mexico City (Tommie Smith/John Carlos in the 200 meter, Bob Beamon in long jump, George Foreman in boxing)
107 total: 45 gold, 28 silver, 34 bronze