Allyson Felix breaks Carl Lewis’ record, USA women win water polo gold on Day 15

Last Updated: November 17, 2024By

As the Summer Olympics wind down to its final day, Team USA is blowing away the field when it comes to total medals, and has nearly tracked down China in total gold medals.

The U.S. has 108 medals as of Saturday morning ET/Sunday morning Tokyo time and including 36 gold, 39 silver and 33 bronze, in the lead ahead of China, which has 87 total (38 gold, 31 silver, 18 bronze).

In third is the Russian Olympic Committee, also known as ROC (69, 20-26-23), in terms of total medals.

For an up-to-date tracker of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics medal count, click here to see how every country is doing!

Here are some of the top moments and highlights from Day 15:

Team USA, basketball

It wasn’t easy, but the U.S. men’s basketball team defeated France, 87-82, in the gold medal game behind another stellar performance from Kevin Durant.

The Brooklyn Nets‘ superstar led the U.S. with 29 points and six rebounds, while Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum added 19 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

With the win, Team USA secured its fourth consecutive gold medal after finishing on top in 2008, 2012 and 2016. 

The U.S. started off a bit cold, shooting 2-of-9 to start the first quarter, but the Americans went on a 16-6 run to take a 22-18 lead at the end of the frame. In the second, Team USA turned things around with big buckets from Durant, Tatum and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat to keep the French within arms reach, 44-39. 

To start the second half, Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard kicked off a run of seven unanswered points from Team USA that left France trailing by eight heading into the final frame. It all came down to the final 10.2 seconds when France’s Nando De Colo hit two clutch free-throws to make it a one-score game at 85-82. Durant was fouled by Rudy Gobert (who fouled out on the play), and he went on to make both of his free throws, putting the U.S. up by five with 8.8 seconds to play. 

France came out of the timeout with a chance to make it close, but Nicolas Batum‘s air-ball 3-point attempt was secured by Jrue Holiday, and the game ended there, 87-82.

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Allyson Felix, women’s 4x400m relay

Not only was it gold for Allyson Felix, it was history. 

Felix – alongside Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad and Athing Mu – took home the gold medal in the 4×400 meter relay, giving Felix her 11th Olympic medal all-time. 

The win broke a tie between Felix and Carl Lewis (10) for most medals by an American track and field athlete. 

And before the relay, the legendary Lewis was already congratulating Felix on her amazing career, which reaches back to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Molly Seidel, women’s marathon

In just the third marathon she has ever run, the U.S.’s Seidel stayed with the lead pack and held on for a bronze medal on a muggy morning in Sapporo, Japan.

The 27-year-old finished third with a time of 2:27:46, trailing only a pair of Kenyans – winner Peres Jepchirchir and silver medalist Brigid Kosgei.

Seidel is only the third American woman to medal in the marathon. The others are Joan Benoit, who won the race in 1984, and Deena Kastor, who took bronze in 2004.

“Just getting here was already a dream come true,” Seidel said. “And to be able to come out today against a field like this and be able to come away with a medal, with a bronze for the U.S. – I’m in shock. I’m in disbelief right now.”

Seidel previously ran the 5k and 10k before deciding to try the marathon. She qualified for the U.S. trials with a strong half-marathon time in 2019, then finished second at the trials in her first attempt at the distance. 

Her only other marathon was the London Marathon in October, in which she finished sixth.

Team USA, women’s water polo 

Make it three straight for the USA women’s water polo squad. 

Team USA dominated Spain in the gold-medal match, winning 14-5 behind a monstrous performance from star goalie Ashleigh Johnson, who recorded 11 out of Spain’s 15 shots on the day (73%). 

The U.S. women finished the tournament 6-1, their lone loss coming to Hungary (10-9), and over the last three Olympic Games, Team USA is 17-1-1. 

Team USA, baseball

Hot off an explosive 7-2 victory over South Korea on Day 13, the U.S. faced off in a rematch with the host nation at Yokohama Stadium in Saturday’s gold medal game, but wasn’t able to emerge with the top hardware, falling 2-0 to Japan.

The two teams met earlier this week, with Japan securing a 7-6 walk-off win in 10 innings.

Team USA was trying for their second-ever Olympic gold in baseball. They beat Cuba in 2000 thanks to former Brewers pitcher Ben Sheets, who tossed a four-hit shutout in the gold medal game, while Japan won the baseball silver medal in 1996.

Nelly Korda, golf

The 23-year-old Korda entered the final round of women’s individual stroke play at Kasumigaseki Country Club with a solo lead over all 60 golfers at -15.

After a somewhat rocky Round 3 on Friday and brief suspension of play in the final round due to a severe storm, the reigning Women’s PGA Championship winner won gold with a final score of -17, followed by the host country’s Mone Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko in third (both -16). 

Korda began the day with a three-shot lead at 15 under. After settling for a double bogey on the par-3 7th, Korda rebounded with three consecutive birdies, followed by making par on holes 14 through 17. Japan’s Inami birdied the 17th to tie the lead with Korda, but on the final hole, Inami bogeyed and Korda finished with par to claim gold.

This is Korda’s fourth win of 2021 alongside the LPGA Tour‘s Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio, the Meijer LPGA Classic and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and it’s an Olympic sweep for the U.S., as Xander Schauffele won for the men on Day 9.

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