The American athletes made history, but not the good kind. For the first time since 1972, Team U.S.A. was shot out of the medal ceremony on the first day.
Now granted, the events on Day 1 weren’t exactly what you would consider sports that Americans excel at, but it was still a bummer not hearing the National Anthem one time.
China won four medals, South Korea took home three, and Japan won a couple.
Here’s the events that went down Saturday:
- Men’s road race cycling
- Women’s Epee fencing
- Men’s saber fencing
- Women’s 48kg judo
- Men’s 60kg judo
- Women’s 10m air rifle shooting
- Women’s 49kg weightlifting
- Women’s 49kg taekwondo
- Men’s 59kg taekwondo
- Men’s 10m air pistol shooting
That list should cheer you up, because almost every American didn’t know these sports existed, let alone care if we won a medal or not.
So despite the first goose egg in 49 years, things were destined to look up, and they did Sunday in Japan.
Chase Kalisz won the first American medal of the Tokyo Games, taking gold Sunday in the men’s 400-meter individual medley.
Jay Litherland won silver, so after a one day shutout, things are back to normal.
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