USA's 8th Straight Olympic Gold in Women’s Basketball

On Sunday afternoon, the USA women’s basketball team solidified their status as the most dominant Olympic team by narrowly defeating France 67-66 to win their eighth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Games.

In a thrilling final held at the Bercy Arena, the Americans overcame a double-digit deficit in the third quarter to extend their record of 61 straight Olympic victories, a streak that began in 1992. This achievement set a new record for the longest Olympic gold medal streak in a traditional team sport, surpassing the previous record of seven consecutive golds held by the USA men’s basketball team from 1936 to 1968.

A’ja Wilson led the USA with 21 points, and the game was decided by a last-second shot from Gabby Williams, who missed a three-pointer that could have sent the game into overtime. France’s ability to keep the score close was impressive, considering only two teams have managed to stay within single digits of the USA during their record streak.

Wilson, who earned her second Olympic gold, praised the team's resilience. "We were just resilient in what we needed to do," she said. "Our defense settled in, and we started feeling it together."

This matchup between the USA and France was a rematch of the 2012 London Games gold medal game, which the USA won by 36 points. This game was much tighter, with the USA struggling to maintain a consistent performance throughout the tournament. They shot poorly from three-point range, making only two of 12 attempts, and had 19 turnovers. The first half ended with the score tied at 25.

France surged to a 35-25 lead to start the third quarter, causing the Bercy Arena to erupt. However, the Americans quickly closed the gap with contributions from Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu, eventually taking the lead on a lay-up by Napheesa Collier.

Despite their efforts, France was ultimately undone by critical mistakes, including a crucial missed three-pointer by Williams with just seconds remaining.

With this victory, Diana Taurasi secured her sixth Olympic gold medal, the most by any athlete in team sports. Plum and Jackie Young became the first players to win Olympic gold medals in both 3x3 and 5x5 basketball.

The USA women’s team has now won eight consecutive Olympic golds and six of the last seven World Cups, with their only defeat in this span occurring in the 2006 World Cup semi-final against Russia.

Sunday’s game also marked the first time in Olympic history that both the men's and women’s gold medals were contested between the same two nations.