In an Olympics that were labeled as "Truly Exceptional" by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, the American effort lived up to that title with their own athletic performance and achievements. The U.S. Olympic team won the most overall medals in Beijing with 110, breaking the previous record of 108 set in Barcelona, and matched the 36 gold medals, achieved in Athens in 2004.
Besides the individual headliners of Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, and Brian Clay, the US was highlighted by their strong team successes in basketball, volleyball, soccer, water polo, and softball.
Phelps: The Olympic Marvel
What else can be said about the headliner of the Beijing Games? Michael Phelps came to Beijing with eight goals in mind, and achieved all of them in unbelievable fashion. Two of his eight victories came down to breathtaking photo finishes and were arguably two of the greatest moments in Olympic history.
For a week, Americans were captivated by this Baltimore native, who seemed to thrive under the enormous expectations set upon him. He leaves Beijing the all-time winningest Olympian, with 14 career victories, and will look to add to that total at the 2010 Games in London.
USA Basketball: Redemption Achieved
Playing the Olympic tournament in a country that celebrates the number eight, it had been that very number that haunted the US men's basketball team over the last decade. A team, formerly so dominant, hadn't won a gold in Olympic play in eight years. With the years of inevitability behind them, the US dropped to a bronze medal finish in Athens.
In 2006, Jerry Colangelo was given full control of the operation and brought Mike Krzyzewski in to coach. Together, they asked for a three-year commitment from the players, that would ideally end with Olympic gold. Labeled as the Redeem Team, the US showed their rejuvenated commitment and passion in pool play, overwhelming teams by an average of 32.2 points a game.
Led by stars Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade, the team reached the championship, and survived a formidable test from their rival Spain, 118-107, to achieve their first gold medal since 2000. It was ultimately satisfying for a team that had worked for three years to "redeem" themselves.
Gold in the sand
The Americans were able to clean up the competition in the sand, sweeping the men's and women's beach volleyball gold medals.
Caught in a driving rain storm, Misty May Traenor and Kerri Walsh beat hometown favorites Tian Jia and Wang Jie to become the first team to defend their Olympic championship. The victory was the team's 108th straight match win and 103rd tournament championship. With each taking time out to focus on family, they have yet to make a decision as to whether or not they will be returning to Olympic competition in 2012.
On the men's side, Americans Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser completed the first ever sweep of a men's and women's Olympic tournament by a country, when they outlasted Brazil in a grueling three-set championship match. Rogers and Dalhausser, facing a deep men's field, dropped their first match and fell behind 6-0 in the third set of an elimination match, before ultimately showing the resiliency and resolve that champions are made of. The U.S. now owns five out of the eight gold medals in Olympic
beach volleyball history.
USA Volleyball: From tears of tragedy to tears of glory
The Olympics are supposed to bring out the best in human kind through competition, and encourage world peace, but these Games got off to an inauspicious and horrific start, far outside of the ideals that the event promotes. On the opening day of competition, the father-in-law of the head coach of USA's men volleyball team, Hugh McCutcheon, was murdered by a madman, while sightseeing in Beijing. McCutcheon, struck by an inexplicable tragedy, was forced away from the team's first three matches.
In honor of their coach, the U.S. team ran off an undefeated record to the championship game, where they would meet Brazil; a team most gave them no chance to beat. With McCutcheon back on the sidelines, his team won the gold in four sets, to ignite one of the most emotional moments in recent Olympic history. Overwhelmed by the spectrum of emotions he had experienced, McCutcheon was forced to step aside for a moment after the victory. This was the third gold in Olympic history for the US men's volleyball team and the first in twenty years.
USA Softball proves to be mortal
When the curtain closed on Olympic softball at the Beijing Games, Team USA was supposed to be on the podium, accepting its fourth consecutive gold medal while enjoying the sounds of its National Anthem. Japan's Yukiko Ueno, however, had no intentions of buying into that script.
In one of the most shocking upsets in Olympic history, Japan, led by Ueno's 5-hitter, knocked off softball's super power, 3-1. It was the first loss for the Americans in 22 games, since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The United States had enjoyed sheer domination in the sport since its inception in the Olympics in 1996. In 2006, the International Olympic Committee decided to drop the sport from the Games' schedule moving forward. It will not be a part of the 2012 or 2016 Games, and there are no definite plans in place for its return after that.
US Women's Soccer takes down Brazil for Gold
Pushed to the brink, in a scoreless duel that went into extra time, the US women's soccer team returned to glory and defended their gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0. Before a packed house of 51, 612, the two teams battled it out on a rain-drenched field for 90 minutes of regulation.
Hope Solo, the US goalie, who had been banished from the World Cup bronze medal game for criticizing the former coach, came up huge for the Americans. Brazil outplayed the U.S. for the majority of the game, but Solo continued to stand pat in net and kept them off of the scoreboard. Carli Lloyd scored the championship goal, six minutes into extra time, delivering the country's 1,000th Olympic gold medal of all-time.
Nastia Liukin: All-Around Golden Girl
All eyes were on the 2007 All-Around World Champion, Shawn Johnson coming into the Beijing Olympics. She was upstaged, however, by her teammate; a Russian-born American. Nastia Liukin, a Texas resident, bred for Olympic success, gracefully performed six routines to take home gold in the Individual All-Around. Shawn Johnson finished just behind her with silver.
This marked the first time in history that two members of Team USA reached the podium in the women's individual all-around. Liukin left Beijing with five medals, which ties her for the U.S. Gymnastics record for medals won in a single Olympics. She returns to Texas with bragging rights, by winning one more medal than her father, Valeri, who won four medals for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Games.
Clay claims World's greatest athlete title
In an Olympics dominated by swimming sensation Michael Phelps, the "world's greatest athlete" competition took a backseat. Don't tell that to Bryan Clay, however, who pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion to take home the gold in the decathlon.
Returning from a second-place finish in Athens, the Hawaiian born Clay jumped out to an early lead with the fastest time in the 100m dash. After nine grueling events, Clay had successfully followed in the footsteps of U.S. decathlon champions, Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien.
Dara Torres: Ageless Wonder
Who says a 41-year-old mother can't compete at the Olympic level? Not only did Parkland, Florida resident Dara Torres compete at the Beijing Games, but she also took home three silver medals, tying her with Jenny Thompson for the most medals won by a U.S. female Olympian.
Swimming against competitors, some 25 years younger, Torres thrilled the crowd with a sprint towards ageless glory in the 50m freestyle. She ended up falling just one hundredth of a second short, finishing second. After proving that she could still contend on the world's biggest stage, Torres did not rule out a possible curtain call in 2012, when she would be 45.
The Lopez Siblings: Family ties make history
The Lopez siblings, Steven, Mark and Diana came to Beijing as the first three U.S. siblings to compete in an Olympic Games since 1904. The first family of taekwondo left Beijing achieving history; threefold. The Lopez family brought with them a large cheering section that energized the Beijing Science and Technology Gymnasium. They cheered on a Lopez double-header when Mark and Diana fought in back-to-back matches. Mark ended up settling for silver after losing a dramatic gold medal match by one point, and Diana won her bronze medal contest.
The Lopez contingency returned a couple of days later to support Steven in his attempt at a third consecutive Olympic medal. The defending Olympic gold medalist lost his first match in six years to Italy's Mauro Sarmiento in a controversial quarterfinal match, during which he was deducted a point for a penalty in the final round. Lopez bounced back, winning the bronze medal and completing the families' historical feat. Together, the Lopez's became the first American family of three siblings to medal three times in one Olympics.
