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Medal Heads - Women on the Olympic podium

August 26, 2008 - You won’t find them at Ozzfest. They won’t be in the mosh pit or headbanging. But the U.S. Olympic team has a record number of medal heads. In fact, Americans won the overall count with 110 medals; more than half of those were won by women.

The way Olympic medals work is that a medal for a team sport - such as the golds won by each of the women on the U.S. soccer team - counts as just one. If, instead, the medals awarded to each individual are counted, the totals underscore the American commitment to team sports. They read like this:

Americans: 315 medals
Chinese: 186

Notable medal heads include:

Basketball: The U.S. team, led by Lisa Leslie, claimed a fourth straight Olympic gold medal with a 92-65 blowout of Australia.
Beach Volleyball: Kerri Walsh and Misty Misty May-Treanor are the first pair, male or female, to repeat as Olympic champions in beach volleyball.
Cycling/BMX: Two American women took home medals - Kristin Armstrong won gold and BMXer Jill Kintner captured bronze.
Equestrian: A number of women from the U.S. team medaled including Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden and Gina Miles.
Fencing: Americans Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward swept women’s sabre.
Gymnastics: Nastia Liukin became the third American woman to take the individual all-around in gymanstics and Shawn Johnson won a gold medal on the balance beam. The pair of gymnasts won five and four medals respectively.
Pole Vault: Jenn Stuczynski, making her first Olympic appearance, captured a silver medal.
Rowing: The U.S. women’s eight won gold for the first time since 1984.
Soccer: In stellar fashion, and without injured striker Abby Wambach, the U.S. women took gold by beating arch rival Brazil.
Softball: In their first Olympic loss, the U.S. team garnered a silver medal in what may be the last softball match played at the Summer Games.
Swimming: Americans won 31 medals including six by Natalie Coughlin, the most by a U.S. woman in Beijing. Dara Torres, the oldest swimmer at the Olympic Games, won three medals as did Rebecca Soni, Margaret Hoelzer and Katie Hoff. Swimming Medals
Taekwondo: The Lopez family kicked its way into history as Diana Lopez captured a bronze medal.
Tennis: Venus and Serena Williams won gold medals as doubles partners.
Track & Field: Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards took home two medals each. Stephanie Brown-Trafton won a bronze medal for discus.
Volleyball: The U.S. women’s team took home a silver medal after failing to upset Brazil in the gold medal match.
Water Polo: The women on the U.S. water polo team captured a silver medal.

Fun Fact: The hardware handed out at the Beijing Games included a nod to the Olympics’ Greek roots and a ring of jade, representing honor and pride in Chinese culture. Each medal weighs about five ounces.