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United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...
(USA), represented by the
United States Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) for the United States. It was founded in 1895 and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado ...
(USOC), competed at the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. U.S. athletes have competed in every
Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The 1896 Summer Olympics, inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, ...
in the modern era, except the
1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...
in Moscow, which was boycotted by the American team and 65 other countries in protest of the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by are ...
. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing (310 men and 286 women), and competed in all
Olympic sports Olympic sports are sports that are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2024 Summer Olympics included 32 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented at the Internation ...
except
handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor 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 thr ...
. The USOC selected
San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...
in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
, as the primary processing center for all Team USA members headed for Beijing 2008. They flew into San Jose via San Jose International Airport or San Francisco International Airport 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 edition of the 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 Lists of Olympic medalists#Medalist with most medals by Olympiad, most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympi ...
'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, ...
. Phelps also surpassed Spitz,
Larisa Latynina Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 List of multiple Olympic medalists, individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Sovie ...
of the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
,
Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finland, Finnish middle-distance running, middle-distance and long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" because he dominated distance running in th ...
of Finland, and U.S. sprinter Carl Lewis to become the current record holder for the most 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 World record progre ...
won 6 medals in Beijing, the most for a female Olympic swimmer. Dara Torres, 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" Valeryevna Liukin (; ; born October 30, 1989) is an Americans, American former artistic gymnast. She is the Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Olympic Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic ind ...
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's 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 (appro ...
(2 gold) *
Beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each 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 o ...
(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 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. 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 and three-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig, 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 joined four-time Olympian Butch Johnson and two-time Olympian Vic Wunderle. ;Men


Athletics (track and field)

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials were held in
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
, at the
University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
's Hayward Field 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 consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄ ...
;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 ἑπτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a hep ...
* The athlete who finished in second place, Lyudmila Blonska of
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, 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, aka BWF, is the international governing body for the sport of badminton approved by the International Olympic Committee. It was founded on 5 July 1934 as the International Badminton Federation with nine member ...
rescinded the slot. No American has ever medaled in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992, although Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong 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, also known as Team USA, represents the United States in international level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The United S ...
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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
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,
Bob Watson Robert José Watson (April 10, 1946May 14, 2020) was an American professional baseball player, Coach (baseball), coach and General manager (baseball), general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from ...
(General Manager) Coaches: Marcel Lachemann – Pitching Coach, Reggie Smith – 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 UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
( UTC+8) ;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 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 formerly the head coach for Triplets (basketball), Triplets in the BIG3 professional basketball league, as well as a studio analyst for Orlando ...
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 is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...
or
super heavyweight Super heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and bodybuilding, 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). Int ...
classes. The U.S. boxing team suffered several early setbacks from which it never recovered. Alternate Boyd Melson 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 and weightlifting. 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 ...
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 up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...
world champion Raushee Warren, America's best hope for gold, lost his opening bout to Lee Ok-Sung of
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
. In the end, the U.S. left Beijing with one bronze won by Deontay Wilder, 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 officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
. 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 The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF or US Equestrian) is the national Sport governing body, governing body for most Equestrianism, equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917, as the Association of American Hor ...
(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 bee ...
on July 22, 2008, and shipped to
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
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 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, Sada Jacobson 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, abbreviated as CONCACAF ( ; typeset for branding purposes since 2018 as Concacaf), is one of FIFA's six continental governing bodies for association football. Its 4 ...
Pre-Olympic Tournaments in
March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
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 Mary Abigail Wambach (born June 2, 1980) is an American retired Association football, soccer player, coach, and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on ...
after she broke her left leg in a collision with Brazilian defender Andréia Rosa. Lauren Cheney, 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 was replaced by midfielder Dax McCarty 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. ;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 and Jonathan Horton, 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. Additionally, Morgan Hamm withdrew from competition on August 7 because of an ankle injury, being replaced by Alexander Artemev. 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 Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Olympic Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's balance beam, balance be ...
and
Nastia Liukin Anastasia "Nastia" Valeryevna Liukin (; ; born October 30, 1989) is an Americans, American former artistic gymnast. She is the Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Olympic Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic ind ...
, 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 uneve ...
, Samantha Peszek and Alicia Sacramone 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, 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 first ...
in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. Seven men and three women represented the United States in Judo. On August 13, 2008, Ronda Rousey 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 and Eli Bremer were nominated to the pentathlon team after the U.S. was allocated three invitations by the
Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne The International Modern Pentathlon Union (''Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne),'' commonly known by the acronym UIPM, has been the international governing body of modern pentathlon since its foundation in London in 1948. Its headquar ...
(UIPM),
modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Summer Olympics, Olympic multisport that consists of five events: fencing (one-touch épée followed by direct elimination), freestyle swimming, obstacle course racing, Laser pistol (sport), laser pistol shooting, and ...
's world governing body. On the second allocation, both Sam Sacksen and Dennis Bowsher 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 The United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers (OPTCs) are two campuses created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as training facilities for its Olympic Games, Olympic and Paralympic athletes. They are located i ...
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 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; 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; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
announced Kim had tested positive for the banned substance
propranolol Propranolol is a medication of the beta blocker class. It is used to treat hypertension, high blood pressure, some types of cardiac dysrhythmia, irregular heart rate, thyrotoxicosis, capillary hemangiomas, akathisia, performance anxiety, and ...
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 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 * Laura Berg * Crystl Bustos * Andrea Duran * Jennie Finch * Tairia Flowers * Vicky Galindo * Lovieanne Jung * Kelly Kretschman * Lauren Lappin * Caitlin Lowe * Jessica Mendoza * Stacey Nuveman * Cat Osterman * Natasha Watley Head coach * Mike Candrea Assistant coaches * Chuck D'Arcy * Karen Jonhs * John Rittman Replacement roster *
Lisa Fernandez Lisa Maria Fernandez (born February 22, 1971) is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA Bruins softball, UCLA. She is also the general manager of the Talons for the inaugural 2025 season of the Athletes Unlim ...
* Alicia Hollowell * Jenny Topping ;Group stage All times are
China Standard Time The time in China follows a single standard UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
( UTC+8)
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 List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
,
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
. 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, 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; , TAS) is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland, and its courts are located in New York City, Sy ...
. 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 Lists of Olympic medalists#Medalist with most medals by Olympiad, most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympi ...
's 36-year-old single Games record of seven gold medals. Phelps also surpassed Spitz,
Larisa Latynina Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (, née Diriy, Дирий; born 27 December 1934) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 List of multiple Olympic medalists, individual Olympic medals and four team medals for the Sovie ...
of the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
,
Paavo Nurmi Paavo Johannes Nurmi (; 13 June 1897 – 2 October 1973) was a Finland, Finnish middle-distance running, middle-distance and long-distance running, long-distance runner. He was called the "Flying Finn" because he dominated distance running in th ...
of Finland, and American sprinter Carl Lewis 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 and Aaron Peirsol. 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 World record progre ...
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 set a world record in the 200 meter breaststroke. Dara Torres, 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 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 Sport governing body, governing body for all national table tennis associations that use ITTF-approved sponge table tennis rackets. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regula ...
(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 cit ...
, 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 tenn ...
(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. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 98 weeks (including as the year-end No. 1 four ...
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 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 as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
, 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 and
Mike Bryan Michael Carl Bryan (born April 29, 1978) is an American former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all time, Bryan was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's doubles for a record 506 weeks ...
in the doubles semifinals. Blake finished in fourth place after losing the bronze medal match to
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
, 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 singles ranking of world No. 10 in April 2001. He ...
and
Michaël Llodra Michaël Llodra (; born 18 May 1980) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the world No. 3 in men's doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), winning 26 career doubles titles, including three majors and ...
.
Venus Williams Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American inactive tennis player. She has been ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association, WTA for 11 wee ...
, 2008 Wimbledon 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 2009, 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 WTA Tour titles as well as reaching two major quarterfinals and a top-30 ranking, but she had ...
, 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. It is recognised as the inte ...
. 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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
poses with Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser 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 and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
poses with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh 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 ---- ---- ---- ---- ;Quarterfinal ;Semifinal ;Gold medal match


Women's tournament

;Roster ;Group play ---- ---- ---- ---- ;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, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...
tournament, held July 21–26 in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...
. The 13-man Olympic roster was set by U.S. head coach Terry Schroeder 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 UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
( UTC+8). ---- ---- ---- ---- ;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 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 UTC offset, time offset of UTC+08:00, where Beijing is located, even though the country spans five geographical time zones. It is the largest sovereign nation in the world that officially observes only ...
( UTC+8). ---- ---- ;Semifinal ;Final


Weightlifting

The USA Weightlifting trials were held on May 25 in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. 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 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 became the youngest wrestler ever to win Olympic gold, aged 21. His record was broken by Kyle Snyder in 2016. Daniel Cormier had to withdraw after health issues, forfeiting his weight class. Men Women


See also

* United States at the 2007 Pan American Games * United States at the 2008 Summer Paralympics


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
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Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...