The U.S. won its 1,000th gold medal when the women’s medley team came in first place Saturday night.
The winning U.S. 4×100-meter medley team, with anchor Simone Manuela, Kathleen Baker, Lilly King and Dana Vollmer was recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee for nabbing the country’s 1,000th gold medal in Summer Olympics history.
Vollmer said the landmark win was “incredibly amazing.”
“It makes me think about all the generations of Olympic teams and athletes that I have watched and inspiration that I’ve had,” she said. “I remember watching my first team in ‘96 and seeing Kerri [Strug] in gymnastics and just understanding the dedication and the grit when she stood up to do that second vault and I remember knowing I wanted to do that and represent that. And we’re here getting that 1,000th medal for the U.S. It’s absolutely incredible.”
More than half the gold medals came from track and field (323) and swimming (246).
“One thousand gold medals is a remarkable achievement made possible by the culture of sport that is the fabric and foundation of Team USA,” Olympic Committee head Scott Blackmun said.
