Watch out, your national pride is showing! Time to hoist up your stars and stripes and wear the red, white, and blue. The 4th of July is here, and the U.S. Olympic Team Trials are underway. To celebrate the U.S.A., here are some of my favorite Team USA Olympic champions.
1. David Boudia
A local favorite, this Purdue diver took home two medals from London in 2012: a bronze from the synchronized 10 meter platform, and a gold in 10 meter platform. The latter was the first U.S gold medal in diving since 2000. This year David is back for both events, bringing along another Purdue diver, Steele Johnson, to the synchro platform.
2. Tommie Smith and John Carlos
In 1968, Tommie Smith and John Carlos won the gold and bronze medal in the 200 meter race, respectively. In a symbol of protest of the unfair treatment of blacks in America, both medalists raised their fists in a manner similar to the Black Power salute. Their powerful gesture ended in their expulsion from the Olympic Games, along with harsh criticism and abuse when they arrived home. This act of courage in a time of discrimination makes their efforts in the Games even more monumental.
3. Muhammad Ali
A Light Heavyweight gold medalist in 1960 under his original name, Cassius Clay, Ali's most memorable Olympic moment did not take place until 36 years later. Already in the middle of a difficult fight with Parkinson's Disease, Ali lit the cauldron in the Olympic Games in Atlanta, a memory that will last long after his passing earlier this year.
4. The Dream Team and the Redeem Team
The 1992 Olympics was the first time Team USA featured active NBA players. The famous "Dream Team," consisting of legends such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan, crushed their opposition, winning the gold medal. The 2008 "Redeem Team," which fielded the likes of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and coach of both teams, Mike Krzyzewski, returned to gold greatness after a bronze in 2004.
5. The Fierce Five
The 2012 Women's Gymnastics team was the second ever team to win the gold medal in the team event. Outside of the team competition, the Fierce Five won four more medals, one of which being Gabby Douglas's gold in the All-Around Finals. This year, it's expected that two of the five, Aly Raisman and Douglas, will return to Rio.
6. Apolo Anton Ohno
The face of short track speed skating for almost ten years, Ohno won eight medals throughout his Winter Olympics career. Ohno had many memorable battles against his rivals from South Korea, using excellent starts and pure grit to fight through one of the fastest sports. Outside of the Olympics, some may know Ohno as the winner of the fourth season of "Dancing with the Stars."
7. Women's National Soccer Team
The U.S. Women's team is the shining star of U.S Soccer. Three straight gold medals and strong contenders in the World Cup, their presence is felt away from the pitch. Role models to young girls everywhere, and great representatives of the sport, this team brings out the inner football fans in everyone.
8. Michael Phelps
22 medals. Eight golds in one Games. A handful of world records. And he's back for one more swim. The most decorated Olympian deserves his spot in the list because of his amazing feats and his unreal selection of medals. From comeback wins, to photo finishes, Phelps brings the action as soon as he dives in the pool.
9. 1980 U.S.A Hockey Team
period, a strange goalie change, Al Michaels's question of, "Do you believe in miracles?”— it almost sounds like a movie (which coincidentally, it is). The victory was a massive upset, and it brought a wave of national pride over the United States.
