The Olympics are over and the United States dominated the medal count, winning more gold, silver and bronze medals than any other country. The U.S's 113 total was 25 more than second-place China. That includes a good showing for former UConn Huskies, who combined to win seven golds and a bronze (Gabby Williams, for France).
Including the seven who took home gold medals, there have now been 12 former Huskies with Olympic gold medals. The overwhelming majority of those came in women's basketball, where Team USA has won seven consecutive golds, but there's a new hero on the pitch for our friends to the north with Connecticut ties as well. In order of how many golds they've won, here are the former Huskies to take home gold:
5 gold medals - Sue Bird & Diana Taurasi: The inseparable duo made history in Tokyo, becoming the first basketball players (men or women) to win five gold medals. Both debuting in Athens in 2004, the pair have been the mainstays through 2008, 2012, 2016 and now 2020. Bird said early on in Tokyo that this would be her final Games, Taurasi wasn't as committal. In a postgame interview she said "See you in Paris", host of the 2024 Games, but surely she wasn't serious... right?
3 gold medals - Tina Charles: Charles' dominant return to the WNBA after missing 2020 was enough to get her on the roster for Tokyo, and she winds up with a third gold medal. The 32-year-old averaged 5.4 points per game off the bench for Team USA, after she was a much larger piece of the puzzle in Rio and London (10.0 PPG). She now has the second-most Olympic gold medals of anyone in UConn history.
If we're being technical, another Husky has three golds, kind of. Coaches at the Olympics don't receive medals for the athletes' performances, but if they did then Geno Auriemma would have three medals himself. He was, of course, the head coach for the 2012 and 2016 Games, and was also an assistant at the 2000 Sydney Games under Nell Fortner.
2 gold medals - Swin Cash, Maya Moore & Breanna Stewart: Cash won Olympic gold in 2004 and, after missing out on the team in 2008, made her final appearance in London 2012. Moore was a teammate of Cash's in London, then won another gold in Rio as she averaged 12 PPG, and it looks like her international career is over as she continues to step away from basketball in her efforts to fight for criminal justice reform.
Then there's Stewart, who just won her second gold medal and was named MVP of the tournament, while still just 26 years old. If she stays healthy, there's no reason she can't tie Bird and Taurasi with five gold medals by the time she's done. In 11 years she'd only be 37, and with her and A'ja Wilson the two clear best players in the world, Team USA is an overwhelming favorite to win gold in 2024 and 2028. They probably will be in 2032 as well... and would a 41-year-old Stewie be playing in 2036?
1 gold medal - Napheesa Collier, Stefanie Dolson, Asjha Jones, Stephanie Labbé, Rebecca Lobo & Kara Wolters: For Lobo (1996), Wolters (2000) and Jones (2004), their Olympic experiences helped jumpstart the current U.S. dynasty as all three came off the bench to help the Americans win gold. Collier did the same in Tokyo, playing just 12 minutes in the entire tournament, but earning her first gold medal. It should also be noted that, while she doesn't get an actual medal, Jennifer Rizzotti was an assistant on Team USA in Tokyo.
As for Dolson, she won the inaugural 3x3 basketball gold medal with Team USA in Tokyo, finishing second on the team in scoring. Katie Lou Samuelson was supposed to be on that team with Dolson, but unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the Games began.
And then Stephanie Labbé became the first non-women's basketball player to win Olympic gold, and she did it in style. The starting goalkeeper for Team Canada, Labbé stopped two penalties in the quarterfinal round to lead the Canadians past Brazil. Then after notching a clean sheet in the semifinal upset of Team USA, she did it again in the gold medal match, stopping a couple of penalties against Sweden to help Canada win its first women's soccer gold medal.