Winter storm warnings continue in northern Minnesota 

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

American women dominated the summer Olympics, bringing home more than half of Team USA’s medals.

. Of those, women were responsible for a whopping 67.

Of that total, one medal remains in contention: Olympic officials have ordered gymnast Jordan Chiles to 

 from the floor exercise final after a score reversal, but 

That controversy aside, American women have won so many medals in Paris that if they were their own nation, they would place third in the overall medal count, behind the 126 won by the full U.S. squad and China’s 91 total medals and ahead of Great Britain’s 65. 

When it comes to gold medals, China and the U.S. tied with 40 apiece. Team USA has women to thank for 26 of those.

 by American women at what organizers have hailed as the 

, their fifth in less than three decades (and their first since 2012). And the U.S. 

 closed out the games by beating France on their home turf, for their eighth consecutive gold medal.

 Team USA athlete. Swimmers Gretchen Walsh, Katie Ledecky and Regan Smith, as well as gymnast Simone Biles, each won four medals.

 — and 14th ever — to extend her title as the most-decorated U.S. female Olympian.

 in Paris, bringing her total to 11 and becoming 

 U.S. Olympic gymnast in history. She helped lead Team USA to gold in the 

American women also blazed their way to several key victories on the track. Among them: An all-star team of runners 

 in 4-by-400m relay, the eighth in a row in which U.S. women have claimed gold.

 beat her own world record in the 400-meter hurdles, becoming the only woman to win the event in consecutive Games. Tara Davis-Woodhall and Jasmine Moore earned the U.S. two 

Even some lesser-known sports have gotten more attention — and more funding — as a result of their Olympic dominance.

 for a historic fourth consecutive gold medal, it won headlines and a multi-year sponsorship deal from its 

 has helped put her sport on many peoples’ radar — including American businesswoman Michele Kang, who announced a $4 million donation to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team after their Olympic victory.

. U.S. artistic swimmers earned silver in the team event, their first Olympic medal since 2004. The U.S. Women’s Foil Team became the 

 since 2000, while Evy Leibfarth won the country's first medal in canoe slalom since 2004. Jenn Valente became the most decorated U.S. Olympic women’s cyclist in history, while 

 became the first American cyclist to win gold in both track and road cycling.

While Olympic organizers touted their progress in achieving full gender parity in Paris, athletes and researchers say there’s still more to be done when it comes to giving women the same quality of resources, opportunities and media coverage, to name a few areas.

And sexism was a persistent issue throughout the Games, which started with a Eurostar commentator getting dropped for his 

The U.S. ranked eighth for medal parity between men and women at this year’s Games, according to the U.K.-based charity 

. It noted that the top 10 countries rank above average on the United Nations' Gender Inequality Index, “showing that there is a direct correlation between women’s sport and broader social equality.”

This is the fourth Summer Olympics where U.S. women won more medals than their male teammates, according to 

, as well as the fourth where the country has sent more women than men. Team USA's Paris roster featured 

Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland told the outlet earlier this week that the athletes' achievements are a testament to 

 which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded school programs.

“Their performances are a reminder of how far we've come and the boundless potential that still lies ahead,” she said. “We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and the example they set for future generations of athletes.”

Sports

Olympics and Paralympics

Homepage

Rachel Treisman

Author

If American women were their own country, they would rank third in the 2024 Olympic medal count. Women brought home 67 of Team USA’s 126 medals, though one remains in contention.

Team USA has women to thank for more than half of its Olympic medals

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox