September 13, 2016

Beginning last week, on September 7, the Summer Paralympic Games took center stage in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, just a couple weeks after the close of the Olympic Games. The Paralympic Games are a multisport international competition for athletes who have physical or mental disabilities. Like the Olympic Games, the Paralympics are divided into Summer Games and Winter Games. Since 1988, the Paralympics have been held after the Olympic Games and at the same site as the Olympics. The Paralympic Games are a separate competition from the Special Olympics, which are restricted to athletes with intellectual disabilities. The Summer Paralympic Games attract about 4,000 athletes from some 150 countries.

U.S. sprinter David Brown, left, runs with his guide, Jerome Avery, in the 100-meter T11 race at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janero, Brazil, on Sept. 11, 2016. Credit: © Jason Cairnduff, Reuters

Team USA track and field stars won big over the past weekend. Sprinter David Brown (with guide Jerome Avery) won his first gold medal in the 100-meter T11 race. (T11 athletes are nearly or totally blind.) Tatyana McFadden won her second-consecutive Paralympic gold in the women’s 400-meter T54 race, and Gianfranco Iannotta topped the men’s 100-meter T52. (T54 and T52 athletes are confined to wheelchairs.) Deja Young won gold in the women’s 100-meter T47 race. (T47 athletes have upper limb impairment.) In the women’s triathlon, Team USA’s Grace Norman claimed PT4 gold and Allysa Seely, Hailey Danisewicz, and Melissa Stockwell won gold, silver, and bronze respectively in the PT2 competition. (PT2 and PT4 athletes have different mobility impairments.) Team USA swimmers Elizabeth Marks, Roy Perkins, Becca Meyers, and Brad Snyder won gold in their respective events. As of today (the games continue through Sunday), Team USA Paralympians have won 46 medals, including 16 golds. China has the most medals (118), and the United Kingdom (63) and Ukraine (61) have the second- and third-most medals.

Participation in the Paralympic Games is organized into five major disability categories: athletes who are amputees; athletes with brain damage; athletes with significant intellectual disability; athletes confined to wheelchairs; and athletes with visual impairment. Other athletes have such physical conditions as dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, or deformities of the limbs. The summer games consist of 20 different sports, including the unique sports of boccia (a lawn bowling sport), goalball (a blind team sport), and wheelchair dance. The Paralympic Games began in 1948 with a sports competition that involved veterans of World War II (1939-1945) who had spinal injuries.

August 16, 2016

On Saturday, August 13, the United States became the first nation to win 1,000 gold medals since the modern Summer Olympic Games began in 1896. Hundreds of athletes have contributed to that gold medal count over the years, but during this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, attention has focused on three stars of Team USA’s roster of 555 extraordinary athletes. Over the first week and a half of competition, gymnast Simone Biles and swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky have left the competition largely behind, winning a total of 13 gold medals between them. To this point, the rest of Team USA has 15 golds in Rio.

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles performs the floor exercise during the women’s all-around final at the world gymnastics championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Oct. 29, 2015. Credit: © Kyodo/AP Photo

Biles, competing in her first Olympics, led her talented teammates to gold in the Women’s team all-around—a tough combined test of the balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars, and vault. Biles scored highest on the vault with an “Amanar,” a demanding vault consisting of a roundoff onto the springboard, a back handspring onto the vaulting table, 2½ twists in the air, and a blind landing. Team USA’s Aly Raisman—who scored second highest in the vault—also executed a difficult Amanar. Biles scored highest on the balance beam and floor exercise, as well. Together with Team USA’s Madison Kocian (who won the uneven bars) and Laurie Hernandez (who had consistently high scores and dazzled on the beam), the women crushed the competition, winning gold by more than 8 points (teams are often separated by tenths of a point) over silver medal-winning Russia. Simone Biles followed the team performance by dominating the individual all-around competition, winning gold over silver medalist Raisman. Biles went on to take individual gold in both the vault and floor exercise as well.

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps competes in the butterfly leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
Credit: © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

Michael Phelps, already the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, came out of retirement to compete in his fifth Olympic Games in 2016. Unwilling to loosen his grip on that “greatest” title, he added 5 gold medals to his already massive haul (23 now in his career—the most for any athlete ever). Phelps helped his teammates win gold in the 4×100-meter and 4×200-meter freestyle relays, as well as in the 4×100-meter medley relay. He also took individual gold in the 200-meter medley and the 200-meter butterfly—a grudge match against rival Chad le Clos of South Africa. Le Clos narrowly beat Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2012 Olympics, and the two had since developed a somewhat contentious rivalry.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 800-meter freestyle race during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. Credit: © Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

Katie Ledecky, competing in her second Olympics, dominated her opponents in Rio, taking individual gold in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter freestyle races. She also earned team gold in the 4×100-meter relay. Ledecky burst onto the international swimming stage at the 2012 games, winning a surprise gold in the 800-meter freestyle at just 15 years of age. Look for Ledecky to add to her medal count at the 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan.

If you’re wondering what national team has the second-most gold medals in Summer Olympic Games history, it’s the Russians. Including games when they competed as part of the Soviet Union, the Russians have won 582 golds (as of today). The next three in order (all with fewer than 300) are Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy.