Record shattering performances, a catalog of top-notch athletes, and underrated countries championing out their luck in the medal tally, Tokyo Olympics 2021 has started with a blast, sending huge aftermath shockwaves across the continents.
Out of all teams from all over the world, USA athletes in the Tokyo Olympics 2021 have been a dominant team to reckon with. Although the start for the team that took home 121 medals in the Rio Olympics, out of which 46 were gold, has been a little slow. While no one expected the USA to win zero medals on the first day, the bounce-back was equally dominant. The rough finish in women’s weightlifting and upsetting performance by the men’s saber team still hasn’t dashed the hopes for almost 10 million viewers from the USA who are glued to the screen, cheering for the USA athletes to hit their mark again.
After being outperformed on Day 1, USA athletes at Tokyo Olympics 2021 have started bouncing back to their winning ways after the USA women’s soccer team’s outlandish win against New Zealand with a sweeping 6 goals against the one made by the latter. Medals started pouring in when stars like Chase Kalisz at Tokyo Olympics 2021 gave a historical performance at the men’s 400 meters individual rally. It wasn’t long before six medals came pouring in and USA athletes at Tokyo Olympics 2021 found their way back to the top of the medal table.
Jay Litherland, another USA athlete, considered a rival to Chase Kalisz bagged a silver medal; leaving no room for any other country to be on the points table in men’s 400 m swimming relay. Meanwhile, Hali Flickinger and Emma Weyant also came out strong and won bronze and silver for the USA respectively.
The first lady, Jill Biden also went to celebrate the festivities along with the USA team to cheer them for their match against France at the three-on-three basketball venue. Prior days to the opening have been hugely successful for gymnast teams as well. And they easily advanced to the next stages, thus, keeping the hopes of grabbing more gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
The Tokyo Olympics 2021 has been highly competitive so far with the likes of China and Japan coming out strong. But as we progress through the several stages, as more sports events are introduced in Tokyo Olympics 2021, team USA is expected to be far dominant in the later roster stages.
Fencing
With a structure designed to replicate sword fighting, Fencing is a combat sport where points are made upon contact with your opponent’s body. Arising in the 19the century, Fencing was quickly adapted to be a key sport in the Olympics. Drawing upon the mistakes made at Rio Olympics, USA athletes did well in fencing at Tokyo Olympics 2021, with Lee Kiefer winning at the women’s foil final.
Shooting
Divided into three areas- rifle and pistols, where the athletes shoot at stationary targets in range. And shotgun, where a moving target is hit upon by technically sound athletes. Shooting has always been the main sporting event for the Olympics since its inception. It tests the dedication and focus of every athlete.
Swimming
From 50 meters freestyle for both men/women to 400 m individual medley, swimming is perhaps the most widely celebrated sport at the Olympics. Competing to achieve that fastest time record in a predetermined set ranging from freestyle to butterfly to backstroke, the USA has always been a dominating force in swimming. And this time too, the athletes came home with gold medals, taking the USA to the top of the medal tally.
Taekwondo
Demonstrated first in Seoul in 1988, Taekwondo is actively played in over 200 countries and practiced by an estimated 80 million people from all over the globe. A calculation of kicks and punches, Taekwondo serves in over 8 genres including men and women from all weights under 70 and over 50 with a variance of 1.
Triathlon
A multisport event focusing on cycling, running, and swimming over vast distances, Triathlon is nothing short of a dreaming field. The sport doesn’t just check the endurance but also the willpower of the athletes to go the distance. The event consists of a single race with no breaks in between. The first athlete to cross all the hurdles to render that finishing touch is the winner.
Street skateboarding
Street skateboarding is a culmination of jumps, midair spins, and flips. The sport is making its debut in Tokyo Olympics 2021, and we couldn’t be more excited to witness the USA triumphing over others in the sport. An essential part of the street culture from around the world, street skateboarding is a great addition for aspiring athletes.
USA Gold Medals at Tokyo Olympic
| Sport | Athlete | Event |
| Fencing | Lee Kiefer | Women’s foil final |
| Shooting | Vincent Hancock | Men’s skeet shooting |
| Shooting | Amber English | Women’s skeet shooting |
| Shooting | William Shaner | Men’s 10m air rifle |
| Swimming | Chase Kalisz | Men’s 400m relay |
| Swimming | Caeleb Dressel, Blake Pieroni, Bowen Becker, Zach Apple | Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay |
| Swimming | Lydia Jacoby | Women’s 100m breaststroke |
| Taekwondo | Anastasija Zolotic | Women’s taekwondo final |
Lee Kiefer performance at Tokyo Olympics 2021
Taking on I.Deriglazova of ROC with a 15-13 final score. Lee Kiefer, born on June 15, 1994, Lee Kiefer started her career in Fencing early in her life. She now boasts the title of four-time NCAA champion, nine-time individual Pan American champion, and ten-time team Pan American champion. And the gold medal at Tokyo Olympics 2021 has just added another achievement under her name.
USA triumphing at Shooting
Shooting is a sport divided into three disciplines- rifle, pistol, and shotgun respectively. Shooting has featured in every modern Olympic game and countries can easily establish their supremacy by showcasing their strength at shooting. Vincent Hancock and William Sharma were dominant in men Skeet shooting and 10m Rifle respectively. While Amber English triumphed in Women’s Skeet Shooting.
Swimming genius by American athletes
Men’s 400 m relay – Widely considered as Phelps the second, Chase Kalisz led the USA swimming team Tokyo Olympics 2021 to the win. The three-time NCAA champion was unforgiving in the pool and completed the rally in no time.
Men’s 4×100 m freestyle relay- In a very close competition, several athletes like Calen Dressel, Zack Apply among others brilliantly completed the lap in record time to bring home another tally of gold medals.
Women’s 100m breaststroke – Lydia Jacoby, just a teenager, surprised everyone with her lightning-fast touch at Tokyo Olympics 2021. Specializing in holding her breath, Lydia completed the lap in record time, leaving all her counterparts far behind.
Taekwondo
Women’s Taekwondo Final- Anastasija Zolotic along with her coach Dennis White led the Taekwondo team to gold with her outstanding victory against Tatiana Minina of ROC. They dueled to the score of 25-17 in the final round.
USA Silver Medals at Tokyo Olympics 2021
| Sport | Athlete | Event |
| Swimming | Jay Litherland | Men’s 400m rally |
| Swimming | Emma Weyant | Women’s 400 m rally |
| Swimming | Katie Ledecky | Women’s 400 m freestyle |
Men’s 400 meters individual rally- The former Georgian swimmer did a homecoming dance as he led the USA to win a silver medal in the men’s rally. Lagging a little behind Chase, Jay Litherland was almost his equal and showcased his prowess of training in front of the entire world at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Among the first ones grabbing medals for the USA in Tokyo Olympics 2021, Jay Litherland shuns the haters while rallying the USA up to the top in Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Women’s 400 m rally- USA national champion at individual medley, Emma Weyant win at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 is not a surprise to her ardent followers. Her medley was something to look out for and the Olympic champion won the silver medal for the USA with utmost grace and respect. Thus, making herself the first woman to win silver at Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Women’s 400 m freestyle- Tokyo Olympics 2021 is the Olympics for women as more and more women from the USA are grabbing medals for their country. And Katie Ledecky is just another added name in the list of women at Tokyo Olympics 2021 who is making her country proud. The swimmer’s 400 meters run at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 made her the second woman to win a silver medal for the USA.
USA Bronze Medals at Tokyo Olympics 2021
| Sport | Athlete | Event |
| Swimming | Kieran Smith | Men’s 400m freestyle |
| Swimming | Erika Brown, Abbey Weitzeil, Natalie Hinds, Simone Manuel | Women’s 4x100m relay |
| Swimming | Hali Flickinger | Women’s 400 m rally |
| Swimming | Ryan Murphy | Men’s 100m backstroke |
| Swimming | Regan Smith | Women’s 100m back |
| Swimming | Lilly King | Breaststroke |
| Triathlon | Katie Zaferes | Triathlon |
| Skateboarding | Jagger Eaton | Street skateboarding |
Men’s 400m freestyle- Kieran Smith scored the third position in Men’s 400 m freestyle to bag a hunk of bronze for himself. The start was graceful but he couldn’t match that with the ending. 400 m freestyle demands active and quick-thinking reflexes. With the likes and talent of someone like Kiernan Smith, more medals can be expected.
Women’s 4×100 m rally- Erika Brown, Natalie Hinds, Simone Manuel, and Abbey Weitzeil delivered an outstanding performance in the relay category and grabbed the Silver medal for the USA.
Men’s 100m backstroke- After the mesmerizing start, Ryan couldn’t hold off to the competition with the Russians. But the competition was fierce nonetheless with just a difference of one second between him and E.Rylov, who grabbed the gold medal in this category.
Women’s 400 m rally- Finishing third, Hali Flickinger showed her talent at Tokyo Olympics 2021 with a lap time of 4 minutes 34 seconds. While her teammate raced past her to win Silver at Tokyo Olympics 2021, winning bronze is not a small feat nonetheless.
Women’s breaststroke- Lagging just a second behind her teammate in the same category, Lilly King broke sweat and blood but couldn’t quite deliver that final punch Tokyo Olympics 2021 women’s 100 m breaststroke. But there are plenty of sporting events around the corner, and expectations from Lilly King are high.
Triathlon
Katie Zafares triumph- With a runtime of just under 2 hours, Katie Zafers proved her endurance on the world stage by winning a bronze medal for the USA in Tokyo Olympics 2021. The challenge was nothing short of difficult teams like Bermuda, Great Britain, and France giving tough competitions to the USA. But Katie endured the distance and made the USA proud through a bronze medal in Triathlon.
Street skateboarding
Jagger Eaton skills- Jagger Eaton scored a total of 35 points for the USA to grab the bronze medal. While Japan and Brazil won gold and silver respectively. Though he scored the second position in prelims, Jagger fell short of a position in the finals. But the sport is new and many developments are yet to be made. It will be exciting to see who dominates this sport in the coming years.
Tokyo Olympics 2021 have just started and the USA seems to be at the top of the medal tally. Keep visiting us for more updates. After all, there are many medals to come.
Published On : July 28, 2021 by: Twinkle/Category(s) : Trending
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