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A magnanimous 120 athletes donned the American colours proudly and gave their best at Paris 2024 Olympics as Team USA carted home with 34 medals to top the medals table. Here are the best 10 carefully selected based on their iconic feats, medals won, and history-making performances.
With the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics, American athletes such as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Noah Lyles, and Gabby Thomas soared to record-breaking performances as they led their country to the top of track and field's medals table.
Team USA recorded their highest medal count since L.A. 1984 with 34 total medals (14 Gold, 11 Silver, and 9 Bronze medals) to finish Paris 2024 as the most successful athletics nation.
While all 120 athletes donned the American colours proudly and gave their best, here's a countdown of the 10 best Pulse Sports has carefully selected based on their iconic feats, medals won, and history-making performances.
10 - Jasmine Moore
From being the first American woman to qualify for both the Long and Triple Jump in Olympic history, Jasmine Moore did more by medalling in both events in Paris.
She became the first American woman to medal in both events at the Olympic Games, with a bronze medal in the triple jump at 14.67m and added the same colour in the long jump with her 6.96m mark.
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By doing this, Moore etched her name as the second woman in Olympic history to medal in both the triple jump and long jump at the same Games.
9 - Grant Fisher
The long-distance runner made history as the first American man to medal in both the Olympic 5000m and 10,000m at the same Games.
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Fisher is just the second American man in 56 years to win a 10,000m Olympic medal.
8 - Annette Echikunwoke
From the disappointment not competing at Tokyo Olympics, Annette Echikunwoke switched back her nationality to compete for Team USA, which paid off by being the first American woman to medal in the Olympic hammer throw.
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The US champion secured the silver medal with a massive distance of 75.48m, and it only took a jaw-dropping throw of 76.97m from Canadian Camryn Rodgers to snatch the gold medal.
7 - Sha'Carri Richardson
The world's fastest woman in 2024 sealed double medals in her maiden Olympics, first by blazing to the 100m silver behind St Lucia's Julien Alfred, and anchoring Team USA to the 4x100m gold in a Season's Best (SB) performance of 41.78s.
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17:36 - 10.08.2024
Paris 2024: Touching podium image of Sha'Carri Richardson in tears serves as a testament to her Olympic redemption
Sha'Carri Richardson was in tears after winning her first Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024. The emotional moment was surely a testament to her Olympic redemption which started in 2021.
6 - Noah Lyles
The Virginia-born native against all odds stormed to the men's 100 gold medal in a new Personal Best (PB) of 9.79s, defeating fierce Jamaican rival Kishane Thompson in the process. His victory reclaimed the Olympic 100m title for Team USA in 20 years.
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Lyles was primed as the favourite to add the 200m title as well but settled for the bronze medal in 21.70s, finishing behind Botswana's Letsile Tebogo and Kenny Bednarek. An aftermath revelation will later confirm he tested positive for COVID two days before the final, which affected his performance.
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12:55 - 12.08.2024
Noah Lyles vs The World: Canadian Olympic champion commends American rival's BIG personality and how he motivates him
Legendary Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse is of positive opinion on his American rival Noah Lyles, classifying his big personality as good for the sport and how he motivates him to get better.
5 - Rai Benjamin
Double gold medals in two of the most competitive events at Paris 2024, Rai Benjamin claimed the Olympic titles for USA in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay.
In unarguably the best 4x400m relay final the Olympic Games have ever seen, Chris Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Benjamin ran a a new Olympic Record of 2:54.43 (the second fastest time in world history, just .14s off the World Record (WR).
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Benjamin held off a fast-finishing Tebogo with a split time of 43.13s, brilliant enough to finish ahead of the Botswanan Olympic 200m champion, who had a jaw-dropping split time of 43.03s.
4 - Vernon Norwood
A veteran in the 400m, Vernon Norwood dropped multiple essential, unflashy relay legs, and showed tremendous leadership and class in USA carting home with medals in the mixed 4x400m and men's 4x400m events.
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Norwood showed out with fast split times as shown below and was rewarded with a new WR, mixed 4x400m silver medal and men's 4x400m gold in a new Olympic Record.
3 - Cole Hocker
He pulled off a massive upset to win Olympic gold in the 1500m in Paris, thus leading an American 1-3 in the event as Yared Nuguse took Bronze. Hocker clocked an OR of 3:27.65 to achieve this historic feat.
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It became the first time in 112 years that wo Americans secured podium placements in the men's 1500m at the Olympics since 1912.
2 - Gabby Thomas
Gabby Thomas ended Paris 2024 Olympics as the queen of athletics after carting home with three gold medals - the only athlete to walk away with such a feat.
She won her third gold medal in the women's 4x400m with a brilliant third leg run as the quartet of Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Alexis Holmes blazed to an Olympic and American Record of 3:15.27 - the second-fastest time in history.
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Thomas being part of the USA squad, was her third gold medal in Paris. Her previous medals came in the 4x100m relays, where she played a vital role in the squad of Melissa Jefferson, Tee Tee Terry, and Sha'Carri Richardson blazing to the Olympic title in 41.78s.
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Finally in her individual event, the 200m, Thomas claimed the gold medal convincingly in 21.84s, ahead of Julien Alfred in 22.08s, while her compatriot Brittany Brown won bronze in 22.20s.
1 - Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Unarguably takes the No.1 spot, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone obliterated her 400mH World Record to win gold in a jaw-dropping time of 50.37s, breaking the WR for the sixth time in the event. She is also the first woman to successfully defend an Olympic 400mH title.
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In the women's 4x400m final, the heroic hurdler clocked an outstanding split time of 47.71s (second-fastest in history) as the quartet destroyed a 34-year-old American Record, missing the WR by a mere 10th with their 3:15.27.
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