The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, represented by the
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
(USOC), competed at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. U.S. athletes have competed in every
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
in the modern era, except the
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...
in Moscow, which was boycotted by the US team and many others in protest of the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing (310 men and 286 women), and competed in all
Olympic sports
Olympic sports are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics included 33 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented by an Sports governing body, inter ...
except
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
.
The USOC selected
San Jose State University
San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...
in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, as the primary processing center for all Team USA members headed for Beijing 2008. They flew into San Jose via
San Jose International Airport
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport , commonly known simply as San Jose International Airport, is a city-owned public airport in San Jose, California, United States. It is named after San Jose native Norman Mineta, former United Sta ...
or
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle E ...
for at least two days of document checks, health examinations, cultural briefings, portrait sittings, uniform fittings, and last-minute workout sessions.
The U.S. did not win the most gold medals for the first time in a
Summer Games since 1992, with China being the country that won the most golds (48–36). The United States never led the medal table during the games.
However, the U.S. won its most medals ever (112) in a games not held on home soil, had the highest total medal count, and won more silver and bronze medals than any other participating nation.
This games also saw a gold medal record for U.S. swimmer
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
, who won 8 golds surpassing
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
's
record of 7 golds in a single Olympic event in
1972
Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
.
Phelps also surpassed Spitz,
Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (russian: link=yes, Лариса Семёновна Латынина, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a former Soviet artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 individual Olympic medals and ...
of the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
,
Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official world r ...
of Finland, and U.S. sprinter
Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, ...
to become the current record holder for the
most
Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria
* Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic
** Most District, a district surrounding the city
** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city
** A ...
Olympic gold medals (14).
The United States also saw milestones in women's swimming.
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall (born August 23, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstro ...
won 6 medals in Beijing, the most for a female Olympic swimmer.
Dara Torres
Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American former competitive swimmer, who is a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Gam ...
, who won 3 silver medals after her eight-year absence, became the oldest Olympic swimmer to win a medal, at age 41.
Gymnast
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia "Nastia" Liukin (; russian: Анастасия Валерьевна Люкина ; born October 30, 1989) is a Russian-born American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic All-Around champion, a five-time Olympic medalist, ...
became the third U.S. female to win a gold medal in
individual all-around event.
It was also a successful Olympics for U.S. team-based sports, as men's and women's basketball teams both won gold, as did men's volleyball, men and women's beach volleyball, women's soccer, women's eight in rowing, and the men's and women's 4 × 400 meter-relay teams.
The US won silver and bronze medals in several other team events; women's volleyball, softball, baseball, both men's and women's team gymnastics, men's fencing sabre team, women's fencing foil team, and both men's and women's water polo.
Medalists
The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the by discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.
, style="text-align:left; width:78%; vertical-align:top;",
, style="text-align:left; width:22%; vertical-align:top;",
* - Indicates the athlete competed in preliminaries but not the final
Won all medals in one event
*
Women's sabre
*
Men's 400 m
*
Men's 400 m hurdles
Won all gold medals in one sport
*
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
(2 gold)
*
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
(2 gold)
Won gold medals in both men's and women's events
*
100 m backstroke
*
4 × 400 meter relay
Archery
The United States men's archery team took sixth place at the
2007 World Outdoor Target Championships, earning the nation a full complement of three qualification spots for the Olympic men's competitions. The women's team finished in eleventh place, not qualifying the team.
Jennifer Nichols
Jennifer L. Nichols Hardy (born October 4, 1983) is an archer from the United States.
She was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Nichols started archery when she was twelve years old and at fifteen she won the National Youth Archery Competition.
200 ...
earned a spot via individual qualification in that tournament.
Karen Scavotto earned the United States another women's spot by finishing second in the
Pan American championship A Pan American Championship is a top level international sports competition between athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs in the Americas. Typically these championships are recurring, the most ...
.
The United States announced its Olympic team on May 5, 2008, following a national selection tournament. The women's roster included 2004 Olympian
Jennifer Nichols
Jennifer L. Nichols Hardy (born October 4, 1983) is an archer from the United States.
She was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Nichols started archery when she was twelve years old and at fifteen she won the National Youth Archery Competition.
200 ...
and three-time Olympian
Khatuna Lorig
Khatuna Lorig (; born January 1, 1974, as Khatuna Kvrivishvili, ka, ხათუნა ქვრივიშვილი) is a Georgian archer who immigrated to the United States.
She has used at least 3 different last names while competing ...
, who previously represented the Unified Team (1992) and Georgia (1996 and 2000) at the Olympics. On the men's side, first-time Olympian
Brady Ellison
Brady Ellison (born October 27, 1988) is an American archer who competes in recurve archery. He is currently a Resident Athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. He holds the record for the longest conti ...
joined four-time Olympian
Butch Johnson
Richard Andrew "Butch" Johnson (born August 30, 1955 in Worcester, Massachusetts) is an archer from Woodstock, Connecticut in the United States. He has competed in the Summer Olympics five times, and was a part of the gold medal U.S. team at th ...
and two-time Olympian
Vic Wunderle
Victor Steven "Vic" Wunderle (born March 4, 1976 in Lincoln, Illinois) is an archer from the United States.
Personal
Wunderle was raised in Mason City, Illinois and is the son of the famous archery coach Terry Wunderle. His passion for archery ...
.
;Men
Athletics (track and field)
The 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials were held in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.
As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...
, at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
's
Hayward Field
Hayward Field is a track and field stadium in the northwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. It has been the home of the university's track and field teams since 1921, and was the on-campus ho ...
from June 27 through July 6, 2008. Hayward Field had previously hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976 and 1980.
;Men
;Track & road events
;Field events
;Combined events –
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...
;Women
;Track & road events
;Field events
;Combined events –
Heptathlon
A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hept ...
* The athlete who finished in second place,
Lyudmila Blonska
Lyudmyla Leonidivna Blonska, née Shevchuk ( uk, Людмила Леонідівна Блонська (Шевчук)), sometimes known as Lyudmila Blonskaya, (born November 9, 1977) is a Ukrainian former heptathlete, pentathlete, and long jumper. ...
of the
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, tested positive for a banned substance. On August 22, Blonska was stripped of her medal and Hyleas Fountain was upgraded to silver.
Badminton
The United States was represented in four out of the five badminton events: men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles and women's doubles. The U.S. had qualified a mixed doubles team, but the
Badminton World Federation
The Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was founded in 1934 as the International Badminton Federation (IBF) with nine member ...
rescinded the slot. No American has ever medaled in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992, although
Howard Bach
Howard Bach (born February 22, 1979) is a Vietnamese-American male badminton player from the United States. He was the 2005 world champion in the men's doubles with Tony Gunawan.
Early life
He was born in Vietnam, Howard Bach came to the U.S ...
and
Bob Malaythong
Khan "Bob" Malaythong (born 10 April 1981 in Vientiane, Laos) is an Americans, American badminton player. He qualified for the U.S. badminton team as a doubles competitor at the Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics.
Malayt ...
became the first Americans to reach the quarter-finals.
Baseball
The United States earned a qualification spot in baseball by placing in the top two at the 2006 Americas Olympic Qualifying Event. This marked the return of the
United States national baseball team
The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball to ...
to the Olympics after not qualifying in 2004; the United States had appeared in all three of the official baseball tournaments, and nearly all of the exhibition and demonstration events, before then.
The American team sought its second gold medal in the sport, but finished winning the bronze.
Baseball was open only to male amateurs in 1992 and 1996. As a result, the Americans and other nations where professional baseball is developed relied on collegiate players, while Cubans used their most experienced veterans, who technically were considered amateurs as they nominally held other jobs, but in fact trained full-time. In 2000, pros were admitted, but the MLB refused to release its players in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and the situation changed only a little: the Cubans still used their best players, while the Americans started using minor leaguers. The IOC cited the absence of the best players as the main reason for baseball being dropped from the Olympic program.
;Summary
;Team roster and tournament statistics
USA Baseball named its Olympic roster on July 16, 2008.
The Olympic team was made up of professionals not on a
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
25-man roster at the time of the tournament, because the MLB once again refused to take an Olympic break. The IOC named that as one of the reasons for removing baseball from the program.
Manager:
Davey Johnson
David Allen Johnson (born January 30, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played as a second baseman from through , most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dynasty that won four American League ...
,
Bob Watson
Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, coach and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984, most prominently as a member of ...
(General Manager)
Coaches:
Marcel Lachemann
Marcel Ernest Lachemann (born June 13, 1941) is an American professional baseball executive and a former player, manager and pitching coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). As a player, he was a relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics.
Career
...
– Pitching Coach,
Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder and afterwards served as a coach and front office executive. He also played in the Nippon Profe ...
– Hitting Coach,
Rick Eckstein – 3rd Base Coach,
Dick Cooke – Auxiliary Coach,
Rolando de Armas – Auxiliary Coach.
;Group stage
All times are
China Standard Time
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00 (eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time), even though the country spans almost five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called ''Beijing Tim ...
(
UTC+8
UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00.
With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
)
;Preliminary round summary
The top four teams advanced to the semifinal round.
;Semifinal
;Bronze medal match
Basketball
The United States earned qualification spots for both men's and women's basketball by winning the
FIBA Americas Championship 2007
The 2007 FIBA Americas Championships later known as the FIBA AmeriCup (or The Tournament of the Americas), was a basketball tournament held at Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas, from August 22, to September 2. It was the thirteenth staging of the ...
and the
FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2007.
The women's team successfully defended their 2004 Olympic championship against Australia in the gold medal game for the third consecutive Olympics. The victory allowed
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. She is currently the head coach for Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando Magic broadcasts on F ...
to join former teammate
Teresa Edwards
Teresa Edwards (born July 19, 1964) is an American former women's basketball player and four time Olympic gold medalist.
In 2000, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine placed her as 22nd of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the 20th Century". She ...
as the only basketball players to win four Olympic gold medals. After a disappointing third-place finish in Athens, the men's team adopted the name "Redeem Team." In the gold medal match, they beat
2006 FIBA World Champion Spain to give the U.S. its first gold medal in men's international competition in eight years.
;Summary
Men's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
----
----
----
----
;Quarterfinals
;Semifinals
;Gold medal match
Women's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
----
----
----
----
;Quarterfinals
;Semifinals
;Gold medal match
Boxing
The United States qualified nine boxers for the Olympic boxing tournament. Five boxers (Yanez, Warren, Russell, Williams and Andrade) earned their spots at the 2007 World Championships. Ali, Molina and Wilder qualified at the first American qualifying tournament.
Estrada was the last American boxer to qualify, doing so at the second American tournament.
The United States did not qualify in
light heavyweight
Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...
or
super heavyweight
Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and competitive bodybuilding.
Boxing
In amateur boxing, the super heavyweight division is a weight class division for fighters weighing in excess of 91 kilograms (200 pounds). Introduced for th ...
classes.
The U.S. boxing team suffered several early setbacks from which it never recovered. Alternate
Boyd Melson
Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson (born October 16, 1981) is a retired American light middleweight boxer.
As an amateur, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship gold medal in the weight class, and was a three-time United States Army ch ...
withdrew with an injury. Before they arrived in Beijing, U.S. boxers were reportedly unhappy with training methods, coaching, and travel restrictions.
On August 8, 2008, two-time national champion and
bantamweight
Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is .
The name for the class is derived from Ba ...
boxer
Gary Russell Jr. forcibly withdrew from the Olympics after collapsing before his weigh-in.
Under
International Amateur Boxing Federation rules, the U.S. was not permitted to select another boxer to take his place. Reigning
flyweight
Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb).
Professional boxing
The flyweight division was the last of bo ...
world champion
Raushee Warren, America's best hope for gold, lost his opening bout to
Lee Ok-Sung
Lee Ok-Sung (born February 7, 1981 in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea) is a South Korean amateur boxer best known for winning the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships in the men's flyweight division.
Career
Lee is relatively tall for a f ...
of
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. In the end, the U.S. left Beijing with one bronze won by
Deontay Wilder
Deontay Leshun Wilder (; born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He held the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, making 10 successful defenses. By winning the title, Wilder became the first American world heavyweight ch ...
, its worst performance in Olympic history. The U.S. had previously won a single silver in 1948 and no medals in 1908 and 1980, when it did not send a boxing team. On September 5, 2008, Dan Campbell, the national director of coaching for USA Boxing, resigned.
[
]
Canoeing
Slalom
The Augsburg World Cup event on July 6 served as the final selection event for the Canoe-Kayak Slalom team. The United States qualified in all four slalom events and sent five people to compete in the slalom races.
Sprint
The United States qualified in three out of twelve flatwater events and sent two people – one man and one woman – to compete in the flatwater sprint events at the 2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
. The U.S. has not medaled in Olympic flatwater canoe and kayak racing since 1992.
Qualification Legend: QS = Qualify to semi-final; QF = Qualify directly to final
Cycling
Most of the United States’ cycling squad was announced on July 1, 2008. The team sent competitors in all four disciplines – BMX, mountain biking, road racing and track racing. The final three members of the team were announced on July 10.
Road
;Men
;Women
Track
;Sprint
;Pursuit
;Keirin
;Omnium
Mountain biking
BMX
Diving
The United States finalized its nomination process for the Olympic diving squad on July 7, 2008. For the first time since 1996, the U.S. diving team qualified for all individual and synchronized events. It became a major power in the Olympics from 1904 to 2000, winning 47 of 90 gold medals, but left out of the medals for the second consecutive Olympics.
;Men
;Women
Equestrian
On July 15, 2008, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) named the rider/horse combinations for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The horses were shipped to England on July 17, placed under quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
on July 22, 2008, and shipped to Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
for the Olympic Games on July 30, 2008. Before the start of the games, Heidi White-Carty and her horse Northern Spy withdrew from the U.S. eventing team because of a veterinary issue. Karen O'Connor
Karen Lende O'Connor (born February 17, 1958) is an American equestrian who competes in three-day eventing. Although she did not come from a family of equestrians, her interest in horses started at an early age, and she received her first hor ...
and her horse Mandiba took their place on the team.
The U.S. successfully defended its gold medal from Athens in the team jumping competition.
;Dressage
;Eventing
# - Indicates that points do not count in team total
* Phillip Dutton qualified for the final show jumping event round on 68.2 faults (sixteenth place) and jumped a clear round to move up to twelfth place, but was disqualified because weighted boots worn by his horse exceeded the maximum limit.
;Jumping
* Will Simpson received a qualifying score, but the US already had three other riders in the individual final.
Fencing
The 2008 United States Olympic Fencing Team was announced on June 11, 2008. After the 1904 Olympics, the United States did not win an Olympic fencing gold medal until 2004. But on the first full day of Olympic competition, Mariel Zagunis
Mariel Leigh Zagunis (born March 3, 1985) is an American sabre fencer. She is a two-time Olympic champion in the individual sabre ( 2004 and 2008) and the first American to win a gold medal in Olympic fencing. She was Team USA flag bearer in t ...
, Sada Jacobson
Sada Molly Jacobson (born February 14, 1983) is an American Olympic fencer. She is the 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist in women's sabre (one of three Olympic medals), the 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist in women's ...
and Becca Ward swept the fencing event in women's individual saber; it was the first American sweep of an Olympic fencing event since 1904. The U.S. left Beijing with a total of six medals.
;Men
;Women
Field hockey
For the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, the United States sent a women's field hockey team to the Olympics. The team was announced on July 3 and consisted of 16 women. The men's team failed to qualify for the Beijing games.
;Summary
Women's tournament
;Roster:
;Group play
----
----
----
----
;7th place match
Soccer (football)
The United States earned spots in Beijing for both men's and women's soccer by advancing to the finals of the CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football,, ; french: Confédération de football d'Amérique du Nord, d'Amérique centrale et des Caraïbes, . Dutch uses the English name. abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typese ...
Pre-Olympic Tournaments in March
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...
and April 2008. For the Olympic tournament, the full women's national team and the men's under-23 team (including three players over the age of 23, as per FIFA regulations) participated. The 18-player roster for the 2008 U.S. Olympic women's soccer team was announced on June 23, 2008. In the final match before the Olympics on July 16, the women's team lost leading scorer Abby Wambach after she broke her left leg in a collision with Brazilian defender Andréia Rosa. Lauren Cheney
Lauren may be a given name or surname.The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurentius.
...
, originally selected as an alternate, replaced Wambach on the roster. The 18-player roster for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men's Soccer Team was announced on July 17, 2008. After aggravating a hamstring injury, defender Nathan Sturgis
Nathan Radford Sturgis (born July 6, 1987) is an American former soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.
Career
Youth and college
Sturgis attended Nease High School, played club soccer with the First Coast ...
was replaced by midfielder Dax McCarty
Michael Dax McCarty (born April 30, 1987) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
Early career
McCarty was raised in Winter Park, Florida and attended Winter Park High School. During his ...
on the Olympic roster July 24, 2008.
Despite playing without Wambach and an early first-round loss to Norway, the women's soccer team successfully defended their 2004 gold medal against Brazil in overtime; it was the third gold medal overall for the United States in women's soccer. The team had lost its previous match against Brazil 4–0 in the semifinals of the 2007 Women's World Cup
The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, the fifth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, was an international association football competition for women held in China from 10 to 30 September 2007. Originally, China was to host the 2003 edition, but t ...
.
;Summary
Men's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
----
----
Women's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
----
----
;Quarterfinals
;Semifinals
;Gold medal game
Gymnastics
Artistic
The United States qualified a full complement of six men and six women in artistic gymnastics. Two members of the U.S. men's gymnastics team, Paul Hamm
Paul Elbert Hamm (born September 24, 1982 in Washburn, Wisconsin) is a retired United States, American artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. He is the 2004 Olympic Games, 2004 Olympic all-around champion, a three-time Gymnastics at the Summer Ol ...
and Jonathan Horton
Jonathan Alan Horton (born December 31, 1985) is a former American artistic gymnast. He is the 2008 Olympic silver medalist on high bar, the 2010 World all-around bronze medalist, a two-time Olympian, a two-time U.S. National All-Around Champ ...
, were named at the conclusion of the Olympic Trials. The rest of the team was announced on Sunday, June 22. Because of the injury of his hand and shoulder, Paul Hamm withdrew from the Olympic team on July 28, 2008, and was replaced by alternate Raj Bhavsar
Stephen Raj Bhavsar (born September 7, 1980) is an American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the 2001 and 2003 World Championships U.S. team. He earned a bronze medal as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. He was originally an alternat ...
. Additionally, Morgan Hamm
Morgan Carl Hamm (born September 24, 1982 in Washburn, Wisconsin) is an American artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast. He is an Olympic silver medalist in the Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's artistic team all-around, team compet ...
withdrew from competition on August 7 because of an ankle injury, being replaced by Alexander Artemev
Alexander Vladimirovich "Sasha" Artemev (russian: Александр Владимирович "Саша" Артемьев, be, Аляксандр Уладзіміравіч Арцем'еў; born August 29, 1985) is a retired American artistic g ...
.
Two members of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, Shawn Johnson
Shawn Johnson East (born Shawn Machel Johnson; January 19, 1992) is an American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and team, all-around and floor exercise silver medalist. Johnson is also the 2007 al ...
and Nastia Liukin
Anastasia "Nastia" Liukin (; russian: Анастасия Валерьевна Люкина ; born October 30, 1989) is a Russian-born American former artistic gymnast. She is the 2008 Olympic All-Around champion, a five-time Olympic medalist, ...
, were named at the end of the Olympic Trials on June 22. The remaining members were not named at the Trials, although Chellsie Memmel
Chellsie Marie Memmel (born June 23, 1988) is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2005 world all-around champion (the third American woman, after Kim Zmeskal and Shannon Miller, to win that title) and the 2003 world champion on the uneven ...
, Samantha Peszek
Samantha Nicole Peszek (born December 14, 1991) is an American former artistic gymnast. She was a member of the U.S. women's gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics, which won silver.
Following her elite gymnastics career, Peszek competed ...
and Alicia Sacramone
Alicia Marie Sacramone Quinn (; born December 3, 1987) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She won a silver medal with the United States team at the 2008 Summer Olympics and is the 2005 World Champion on floor exercise and the 2010 World Ch ...
were projected to be on the team. This left one spot vacant. The complete team was not announced until the conclusion of the women's selection camp at the Karolyi Camp near Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, on July 17.
;Men
;Team
;Individual finals
;Women
;Team
* Due to injury, Chellsie Memmel and Samantha Peszek could only compete on the uneven bars.
** Only two gymnasts per country may advance to a final.
;Individual finals
Trampoline
Two trampolinists competed for the United States in Beijing. Chris Estrada became the first U.S. male in trampoline. Additionally, the United States had representatives in both men's and women's events for the first time. The U.S. has yet to have an athlete advance past the qualification stage.
Judo
USA Judo announced their 2008 U.S. Olympic Team on June 18, 2008, following trials at the Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.
History
The facility was fi ...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. Seven men and three women represented the United States in Judo. On August 13, 2008, Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women ...
became the ninth American athlete and the first American woman to win a medal in Olympic Judo.
;Men
;Women
Modern pentathlon
Sheila Taormina, Margaux Isaksen
Margaux Isaksen (born October 7, 1991) is a modern pentathlete from the United States who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, ...
and Eli Bremer
Robert Eli Bremer (born May 31, 1978) is an American modern pentathlete and politician who competed for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He finished 22nd overall in the modern pentathlon event. After retiring as ...
were nominated to the pentathlon team after the U.S. was allocated three invitations by the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne
The ''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne'' ( en, International Modern Pentathlon Union), commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its hea ...
(UIPM), modern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...
's world governing body. On the second allocation, both Sam Sacksen and Dennis Bowsher
Dennis Bowsher (born April 7, 1983) is an American modern pentathlete. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi- ...
were offered bids by the UIPM. Since one man was already on the squad, only one other slot was available. The U.S. used World Cup rankings to determine who would be on the squad and who would be named alternate. Bowsher appealed the decision but his claim was denied.
On the men's team, U.S. Olympic Training Center residents Eli Bremer and Sam Sacksen both made their Olympic modern pentathlon debuts. They struggled early, with disappointing scores in shooting (10 m air pistol) and fencing (épée one touch). For the women's team, 16-year-old Margaux Isaksen joined Sheila Taormina, the first woman to appear in the Olympics in three different sports. Like the men, Isaksen and Toarmina started off slowly, failing to rank higher than 24th in either shooting or fencing. Taormina, however, finished strongly, taking first place in riding (show jumping) and setting a modern pentathlon Olympic record in swimming (200 m freestyle). The U.S. did not medal in modern pentathlon.
Rowing
Thirteen crews represented the United States at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
;Men
;Women
Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage
Sailing
The United States qualified in all 11 Olympic sailing classes and sent 18 athletes to the races in Qingdao, China. Laser Radial sailor Anna Tunnicliffe
Anna Tunnicliffe Tobias (born October 17, 1982) is an American sailor and CrossFit competitor. In 2008 she won an Olympic gold medal in the Laser Radial single handed sailing class. In 2009 and 2011, she won the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Laser ...
and Finn sailor Zach Railey became the first American sailors to win Olympic medals in their respective classes since 1992.
;Men
;Women
;Open
M = Medal race; EL = Eliminated – did not advance into the medal race; CAN = Race cancelled; DNF = Did not finish; DSQ = Disqualified; OCS = On course side
On the course side is an expression used in sailboat racing to indicate that a boat was on the wrong side of the starting line when the starting signal was given. According to the Sailing Instructions valid for a specific racing event, being on th ...
; BFD = Black flag disqualification
Shooting
;Men
* Jason Turner originally finished fourth, behind Kim Jong Su of North Korea. On August 15, 2008, the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
announced Kim had tested positive for the banned substance propranolol
Propranolol, sold under the brand name Inderal among others, is a medication of the beta blocker class. It is used to treat high blood pressure, a number of types of irregular heart rate, thyrotoxicosis, capillary hemangiomas, performance anx ...
and thus stripped of his medals from the 2008 Summer Olympics. As a result, Turner was moved up to bronze in 10 m air pistol.
;Women
Softball
The team roster for USA Softball was released on March 28, 2008. It included a fifteen-person team roster and a replacement roster of three players. The United States brought an impressive softball record to Beijing, winning every Olympic and world title since 1982. Prior to Beijing, it had a record of 106–10 in World Championships and 32–4 in the Olympics.[ It had won all three Olympic gold medals in softball, and outscored opponents 51–1 in Athens.
But at the Beijing Olympics, the United States lost to Japan 3–1 (after winning 7-0 in the round-robin) in the gold medal game. Japanese pitcher ]Yukiko Ueno
is a Japanese,
(in Japanese). ''Japan Softball League''. Retrieved July 31, 2021. medal-winning had an outstanding performance after pitching 21 innings the day before. Following the surprise loss, the top three teams spelled "2016" using softballs in front of home plate in the hopes of Olympic reinstatement.
;Summary
;Roster
* Monica Abbott
Monica Cecilia Abbott (born July 28, 1985) is an American professional softball player. Abbott was an All-American pitcher for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in college before starting a professional career in the NPF and in the Japan Softball ...
* Laura Berg
Laura Kay Berg (born January 6, 1975) is an American college softball head coach for Oregon State and a former collegiate four-time All-American and Olympian. She played for the Fresno State Bulldogs from 1994–98, where she won the 1998 W ...
* Crystl Bustos
* Andrea Duran
Andrea Jane Duran (born April 12, 1984) is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympic Games, Olympian, professional four-time All-Star softball player. She played college softball at the University of California, Los Angeles ...
* Jennie Finch
Jennie Lynn Finch Daigle (born September 3, 1980) is an American former softball player. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball team from 1999 to 2002, where she won the 2001 Women's College World Series and was named collegiate All-Americ ...
* Tairia Flowers
Tairia Mims Flowers (born January 9, 1981) is an African-American former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, softball player and current head coach at Loyola Marymount. She played college softball as a third basemen for the UCL ...
* Vicky Galindo
Victoria Noel Galindo-Piatt (born December 22, 1983), commonly known as Vicky Galindo, is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, three-time professional All-Star, softball player and current head coach at West Va ...
* Lovieanne Jung
Lovieanne Jung (born January 11, 1980) is a Filipino-American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired softball player. She began her college softball career at Fresno State as a second baseman, then transferre ...
* Kelly Kretschman
Kelly Sue Kretschman (born August 26, 1979) is an American former nine-time professional All-Star softball outfielder and current head coach for the USSSA Pride of the Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). Kretschman played college softball at A ...
* Lauren Lappin
Lauren Elizabeth Lappin (born June 26, 1984) is an American former collegiate All-American and medal-winning Olympian, professional All-Star softball player and current assistant coach for Arizona. She played college softball at Stanford and ...
* Caitlin Lowe
Caitlin Faith Lowe-Nagy (born February 6, 1985) is the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats softball team. Lowe is a former collegiate four-time first team All-American and medal winning Olympian. She played college softball for Arizona and led h ...
* Jessica Mendoza
Jessica Ofelia Mendoza (born November 11, 1980) is an American sportscaster and former softball player. Currently, she serves as a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's coverage of Major League Baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers coverage on ...
* Stacey Nuveman
* Cat Osterman
Catherine Leigh Osterman (born April 16, 1983) is a retired American softball player. Osterman pitched on the United States women's national softball team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and silver medal at the 2008 and 2020 Su ...
* Natasha Watley
Natasha Renee Watley (born November 27, 1981) is an American, former collegiate four-time first-team All-American, two-time medal winning Olympic Games, Olympian, retired seven-time pro All-Star softball player. Watley played college softball at ...
Head Coach
* Mike Candrea
John Michael Candrea (born August 29, 1955) is the former head softball coach at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He was the head coach of the United States women's national softball team in 2004, when Team USA won a gold medal, and ...
Assistant Coaches
* Chuck D'Arcy
Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to:
People
Arts and entertainment
* Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet
* Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer
* ...
* Karen Jonhs
* John Rittman
John Richard Rittman (born October 5, 1963) is an American college softball coach, serving as the inaugural head coach of the Clemson Tigers softball team. He previously served as head coach at Stanford and an assistant with USA Softball, Kansas ...
Replacement roster
* Lisa Fernandez
Lisa Maria Fernandez (born February 22, 1971) is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with T ...
* Alicia Hollowell
* Jenny Topping
Jenny Louise Topping (born May 30, 1980) is an American, former collegiate four-time first team All-American, medal winning Olympian, retired professional All-Star softball player. Topping played college softball at Washington and Cal State Fu ...
;Group stage All times are China Standard Time
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00 (eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time), even though the country spans almost five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called ''Beijing Tim ...
(UTC+8
UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00.
With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
)
The top four teams will advance to the semifinal round.
Final group standings
;Semifinal
;Gold medal game
Official Olympic softball schedule
Swimming
The United States Olympic Team Trials in Swimming were held on June 29 – July 6 in Omaha
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
, Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
. The U.S. sent two people in each individual discipline and up to six people for the 4x100 freestyle relays and 4x200 freestyle relays. On August 1, Jessica Hardy
Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry (born March 12, 1987) is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley r ...
, who had qualified in the 100 meter breaststroke and the 50 meter freestyle, withdrew from the Olympic team after failing an anti-doping test at the national trials. Hardy opted to pull out instead of contesting the test results at the Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
.
The U.S. left Beijing with 31 swimming medals: 12 gold, 9 silver and 10 bronze. This surpassed the 28 medals won by the swimming team in Athens. In the process, the U.S. broke ten swimming world records and twenty-four American records. The American performance in swimming was highlighted by Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold me ...
, who won a total of eight gold medals, surpassing Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
's 36-year-old single Games record of seven gold medals. Phelps also surpassed Spitz, Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (russian: link=yes, Лариса Семёновна Латынина, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a former Soviet artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 individual Olympic medals and ...
of the USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
, Paavo Nurmi
Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finnish middle-distance and long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" or the "Phantom Finn", as he dominated distance running in the 1920s. Nurmi set 22 official world r ...
of Finland, and American sprinter Carl Lewis
Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. His career spanned from 1979 to 1996, ...
to become the current record holder for the most Olympic gold medals (fourteen). All three men's relay teams set world records, and an additional six individual world records were set by Phelps, Ryan Lochte
Ryan Steven Lochte ( ; born August 3, 1984) is an American professional swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. Along with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson, he is the second-most decorated swimmer in Olympic history measured by to ...
and Aaron Peirsol
Aaron Wells Peirsol (born July 23, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer and backstroke specialist who is a former world champion and world record-holder. He is a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist (five gold, two si ...
.
The United States also saw milestones in women's swimming. Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall (born August 23, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstro ...
won six medals, more than any other female swimmer in Beijing., and the most for any American female athlete in a single Olympics. Rebecca Soni
Rebecca Soni (born March 18, 1987) is an American former competition swimmer and breaststroke specialist who is a six-time Olympic medalist. She is a former world record-holder in the 100-meter breaststroke (short and long course) and the 200- ...
set a world record in the 200 meter breaststroke. Dara Torres
Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American former competitive swimmer, who is a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Gam ...
, who won 3 silver medals after her eight-year absence, became the oldest Olympic swimmer to win a medal, at age 41.
* Qualifiers for the latter rounds of swimming events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.
;Men
* Competed in the heats only
;Women
* Competed in the heats only
Synchronized swimming
One of the first sports in which the U.S. qualified for Beijing and formalized its Olympic roster was synchronized swimming. Berths in the duet and team events were secured at the 2007 Pan American Games. After winning both duet and team bronze medals in Athens, the U.S. failed to win a medal for the second time since synchronized swimming became an Olympic sport in 1984.
*Team captain
Table tennis
The United States qualified for the women's team competition, 3 places in women's singles, and 1 place in men's singles. Gao Jun
Gao Jun (; born January 25, 1969) is a Chinese American table tennis player.
Biography
Gao Jun was born in Baoding, Hebei province of China. She now resides in Southern California. She is the owner of California Table Tennis club in Rosemead, ...
and Wang Chen automatically qualified in women's singles by being in the top 20 International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for all national table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the p ...
(ITTF) world rankings. Yao "Crystal" Huang took the third and final North American women's spot by winning at the North American Trials in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, qualifying an American women's team in the process. David Zhuang secured the only American spot in men's singles at the North American Trials.
The entire American team was composed of Chinese-born athletes. This included Gao Jun, doubles silver medalist for China at the 1992 Olympics, who competed as an American for the third time. Although she failed to obtain a medal, Wang Chen became the first American player to advance to the quarter-finals in Olympic table tennis history after defeating 2004 Olympic bronze medalist Kim Kyung-Ah. The fifth-place performance by the women's team was also the best finish for U.S in this sport.[
;Singles
;Team
]
Taekwondo
The United States sent the maximum of four athletes to compete in taekwondo; the team was announced after the final phase of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials for taekwondo on April 5, 2008. Diana, Mark and Steven López became the first trio from the same family to compete for the United States since 1904. All three of them won medals: one silver and two bronze. Steven López, a defending two-time Olympic gold medalist, lost his only match in six years after a controversial point deduction in the quarterfinals.
Tennis
The United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...
(USTA) formally announced the American Olympic team for tennis on June 26, 2008. Because of a nagging knee injury, Lindsay Davenport
Lindsay Ann Davenport Leach (born June 8, 1976) is an American former professional tennis player. Davenport was ranked singles world No. 1 for a total of 98 weeks, and was the year-end singles world No. 1 four times (1998, 2001, 2004, and 2005) ...
withdrew from the women's singles competition on August 8, 2008, although she still played in women's doubles.[ In a last-minute decision, ]Jill Craybas
Jill N. Craybas (born July 4, 1974) is an American former professional tennis player.
From the 2000 US Open to the 2011 US Open, Craybas competed in 45 consecutive Grand Slam main draws; her best result coming in the 2005 Wimbledon Championship ...
was selected to participate in her first Olympics at age 34.
After losing all eight previous matches against Roger Federer
Roger Federer (; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at No. 1, world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, in ...
, James Blake defeated him in a surprise upset in the quarterfinals of men's singles. But Federer went on to beat the top-ranked American twins Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
and Mike Bryan
Michael Carl Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former doubles world No. 1 tennis player. With his twin brother Bob, he was the world's top doubles player for more than nine years, first achieving the top ranking in Septemb ...
in the doubles semifinals. Blake finished in fourth place after losing the bronze medal match to Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl, Новак Ђоковић, translit=Novak Đoković, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 373 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 ...
, while the Bryan twins won a bronze medal by defeating Arnaud Clément
Arnaud Clément (; born 17 December 1977) is a French former professional tennis player and Davis Cup captain. Clément reached the final of the 2001 Australian Open and achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 10 in April of that year. Par ...
and Michaël Llodra
Michaël Llodra (; born 18 May 1980) is a French former professional tennis player. He was a successful doubles player with three Grand Slam championships and an Olympic silver medal, and has also had success in singles, winning five career titl ...
. Venus Williams
Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She is ...
, 2008 Wimbledon
The 2008 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament played on grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London in the United Kingdom. It was the 122nd edition of the Wimbledon Championships and were held fro ...
champion, and her sister Serena were both upset in the quarterfinals of women's singles. However, they went on to win the gold in doubles over Anabel Medina Garrigues
Ana Isabel Medina Garrigues (, ; born 31 July 1982) is a Spanish tennis coach and former professional player.
As a player she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 16 in 2020, and won 11 singles and 28 doubles titles, including the 2008 ...
and Virginia Ruano Pascual
Virginia Ruano Pascual (; born 21 September 1973) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. She had moderate success in singles, winning three career Women's Tennis Association (WTA) titles as well as reaching two Grand Slam quarterfinals ...
, and in improving the sisters' Olympic record to 10–0.
;Men
;Women
Triathlon
From September 2007 to April 2008, the U.S. held three selection events, with the top American man and woman securing a place on the U.S. Olympic team. The U.S. qualified the maximum of three women and three men in Olympic triathlon, following the Vancouver BG Triathlon World Championships in June 2008 and the world rankings released by the International Triathlon Union
World Triathlon, previously known as the International Triathlon Union (ITU), is the international governing body for the multi-sport disciplines of triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and other nonstandard variations. World Triathlon hosts the top ...
. Americans have medaled once since triathlon was added to the Olympic program in 2000: a bronze in Athens.
Volleyball
Beach
Image:George W Bush with Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.jpg, President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
poses with Todd Rogers
Todd Jonathan Rogers (born September 30, 1973) is an American professional beach volleyball player who is an Olympic and FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship gold medalist. He and his former partner, Phil Dalhausser, were the 2007, 2008, 200 ...
and Phil Dalhausser
Philip "Phil" Peter Dalhausser (born January 26, 1980) is a Swiss-born American professional beach volleyball player, playing as a blocker. He and his former playing partner, Todd Rogers, were the 2007 AVP Tour and FIVB world champions.
Dalha ...
during a practice session in Beijing.
Image:George_W._Bush,_Misty_May-Treanor_and_Kerri_Walsh.jpg, President George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
poses with Misty May-Treanor
Misty Elizabeth May-Treanor (; née May; born July 30, 1977) is a retired American professional beach volleyball player. She is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and , was the most successful female beach volleyball player having won 112 tour ...
and Kerri Walsh
Kerri Lee Walsh Jennings (born August 15, 1978) is an American professional beach volleyball player, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and a one-time Olympic bronze medalist. She is the beach volleyball leader in career victories as of 2016 ha ...
during a practice session in Beijing.
Indoor
The United States was one of nine NOCs that managed to qualify a team in both then men's and the women's tournaments. The men's team won all their matches in the tournament, and earned the gold medal. The women's team won all group matches but one, and qualified to the final round, where they continued the winning streak until losing the gold medal match, ending the tournament with the silver medal.
;Summary
Men's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
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;Quarterfinal
;Semifinal
;Gold medal match
Women's tournament
;Roster
;Group play
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;Quarterfinal
;Semifinal
;Gold medal match
Water polo
United States participated in both the men's and women's tournaments. Both teams won the silver medal.
;Summary
Men's tournament
The United States men's water polo team qualified for Beijing by winning the 2007 Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
tournament, held July 21–26 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
. The 13-man Olympic roster was set by U.S. head coach Terry Schroeder
Terry Alan Schroeder, DC (born October 9, 1958) is an American former water polo player who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics, in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Schroeder is a chiropractor, practicing in Agoura Hil ...
on June 30. For the first time since 1988, the American men reached the finals of the water polo tournament. They won the silver after a loss to the two-time defending gold medalists from Hungary.
;Roster
;Group play
All times are China Standard Time
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00 (eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time), even though the country spans almost five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called ''Beijing Tim ...
(UTC+8
UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00.
With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
).
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;Semifinal
;Final
Women's tournament
The United States women's water polo team qualified for Beijing by winning the 2007 Pan American Games tournament, held July 14–20 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The U.S. Olympic roster of 13 was named by head coach Guy Baker
Guy Baker was the head coach for the United States women's national water polo team competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. He is now the Director Of Olympic Development of USA Water Polo. Baker had guided the team to a silver medal in the 2 ...
on June 30. In Beijing, the American women won their second silver medal in the last three Olympics. The U.S. also became the only nation to medal in all three Olympics featuring women's water polo.
;Roster
;Group play
All times are China Standard Time
The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00 (eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time), even though the country spans almost five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called ''Beijing Tim ...
(UTC+8
UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00.
With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
).
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;Semifinal
;Final
Weightlifting
The USA Weightlifting trials were held on May 25 in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. The initial team included seven competitors and two alternates. Casey Burgener was originally selected to lift at the +105 kg event after the USOC reported that the International Weightlifting Federation
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), headquartered in Lausanne, is the international governing body for the sport of Olympic weightlifting. The IWF was founded in 1905, and has 192 Member Federations. The IWF President is Mohammed H ...
offered the United States a third men's Olympic slot. The third slot never materialized, and the United States was not placed on the start list for the +105 event. The best U.S. hope for a weightlifting medal was expected to be Melanie Roach, who set a new American record and finished in sixth place.
;Men
;Women
Wrestling
The United States qualified in all weight classes except the 60 kg men's Greco-Roman. A total of sixteen wrestlers represented the U.S. in Beijing, winning three medals: two bronze and one gold. Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to h ...
became the youngest wrestler ever to win Olympic gold, aged 21. His record was broken by Kyle Snyder in 2016.
;Men's freestyle
;Men's Greco-Roman
;Women's freestyle
See also
*United States at the 2007 Pan American Games
The United States competed at the 15th Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The USA delegation was formed of 595 athletes, and was the second largest delegation in the competition, right after the Brazilian delegation. The USA delegatio ...
*United States at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. A total of 213 U.S. competitors took part in 18 sports; the only 2 sports Americans did not compete in were soccer 5-a-side and 7-a-side. The Americ ...
References
External links
Official website of the United States Olympic Committee and Team USA
NBC Olympics coverage
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...