A’ja Wilson scored 21 points and the United States overcame the biggest challenge of its eight-game gold medal streak with a 67-66 victory over France on Sunday in the women’s basketball final at the Paris Olympics.
No team was able to push the Americans during that impressive 61-game winning streak. Only two of those victories had come by single digits before that game against France. The eight consecutive gold medals broke a tie with the U.S. men’s program, which had won seven in a row from 1936 to 1968.
PHOTO ARIS MESSINIS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Brittney Griner (15) and teammates celebrate their narrow victory.
The women’s victory came less than 24 hours after the U.S. men’s team also beat France in the final. It’s the first time in Olympic history that the two gold medal games have featured the same two teams.
Unlike the men’s game, this match was decided in the final minute and on a final shot from France that was sent just to the wrong side of the three-point line. On the very last possession of the game, Gabby Williams scored the basket, but she mistakenly placed her foot on the three-point line. A few centimetres further back and she would have forced overtime in extremis.
The United States and China thus finished tied for the top spot in terms of gold medals won at the Paris Olympics, with 40 titles each. With 125 medals (40 gold, 44 silver, 42 bronze), the United States finished in first place in the medal table thanks to a greater number of silver medals than China (91 in total, 40 gold, 27 silver, 24 bronze).
Canada finishes in 12th placee ranks for the number of titles, with 9, and with a total of 27 medals, a peak for the country of the non-boycotted Olympic Games.