Team USA Makes Olympics History As First Country To Win 3,000 Medals
Team USA Secures Record-Setting Total Of 3,000 Medals At The Olympic Games
Team USA continues to earn medals at the ongoing Summer Olympics in Paris, making history in the process.
The United States achieved an incredible feat at the Olympics on Tuesday (July 30). Team USA earned its 3,000th Olympic medal that day, becoming the first country to ever reach that milestone. Both the summer and winter games are included in that total.
The U.S. reached the unprecedented medal count after Team USA’s swimmers earned four medals in the swimming finals. Regan Smith earned the country’s 2,999th medal (silver), and Katharine Berkoff earned the 3,000th (bronze).
Katharine Berkoff comes from an Olympic family. Her father, David Berkoff, is a four-time Olympic medalist, also in swimming.
“I’m so proud of Katherine and the legacy that she has upheld,” Regan Smith told PEOPLE about her teammate. “Her dad is absolutely incredible and I know that he’s proud of her too and it’s just really special to kind of see that continue.”
Team USA celebrated their outstanding accomplishment on X (formerly Twitter) alongside a photo of Katharine Berkoff and Regan Smith and a collage of other Olympians, such as Apolo Ohno, Lindsey Vonn, and Michael Phelps.
No one does it like U.S. 🇺🇸
Team USA has won 3,000 Olympic medals!#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/r5cKgnA6Ux
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 30, 2024
Gymnast Simone Biles Also Makes Olympics History
Also on Tuesday (July 30), star athlete Simone Biles made history after Team USA won the women’s all-around gymnastics final. Biles, Sunisa “Suni” Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera earned the gold medal after competing on vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor.
Country singer Keith Urban was in the audience at the event and called Team USA’s performance “phenomenal.”
The win gave Biles her eighth Olympic medal, making her the most decorated U.S. gymnast in Olympic history. The previous record holder was Shannon Miller, who competed during the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
Biles added another medal to her total on Thursday (August 1) after she won gold in the individual all-around women’s gymnastics final. Her teammate, Suni Lee, earned the bronze medal in the same competition.
The Paris Olympics end on Sunday, August 11. So Biles and the rest of Team USA still have plenty of time to add even more medals to their already impressive collection!