Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabrielle Thomas, Twanisha Terry, and Melissa Jefferson won gold in the women’s 4x100m relay. Noah Lyles posed with his gold medal after winning the men’s 100m sprint, and Rai Benjamin won gold in the men’s 400m hurdles.
The Paris Olympics ended last week with both the USA and China winning 40 gold medals each, but the USA took the top spot because of the strong performance of their athletics team. If the U.S. track and field team were a separate country, they would have finished eighth in the medal rankings with 14 golds and 34 medals overall.
With the next Olympics in the USA in four years, does this success put more pressure on USA Track and Field to do even better at LA 2028?
“We like pressure. We noticed a rise in performance starting with the World Championship in Eugene. The medals won in Paris set a high standard, but it gives our athletes something to work towards,” says Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track and Field since May 2012, in an interview with The Indian Express.
Siegel says that for major events like the Olympics and World Championships, USATF aims for about 27 medals, with a range of 25 to 30 being a solid benchmark.
“Our lowest performance was at Beijing 2008 with 19 medals. We aim to stay around 25 to 30 medals,” Siegel explains.At the top level, small differences can make a big impact. While athletes get much of the credit, federations like USATF also contribute significantly. So, what makes USATF different from other federations?
A major factor is their attitude. Even though USATF is the leading medal-winning governing body worldwide, it constantly monitors and learns from other nations and athletes.