Where are Pennsylvania’s Olympians from? Use these maps and check out the medal count
The Summer Olympics brought more than 10,000 athletes from across the world to Paris to compete for gold on the global stage. With just a few days to go until the closing ceremony Aug. 11, the United States’ almost 600 athletes have combined to bring home more than 80 Olympic medals.
Historically, U.S. Olympic athletes have performed the best at swimming, shooting and track and field events, which have produced more gold medals than any other sport or event. Basketball is another dominant sport for the U.S., whose men’s team has won a gold medal in 16 of the 19 Olympic basketball tournaments in which it has participated. The U.S. women’s basketball team, meanwhile, has won nine of the last 10 tournaments dating back to 1984.
Here’s a look at the top 15 sports and events for the U.S. at the Summer Games since the modern Olympics began in Greece in 1896.
So far, the U.S. has racked up 86 total medals at the Paris Games as of Wednesday morning, 26 more than any other nation. China’s gold medal tally (22) trails the U.S. (24) with a few days of competition left. The U.S. has more silver medals (31) and bronze medals (31) than any other nation.
Olympians come from almost every state in the U.S. this year. However, Colorado, Vermont and Hawaii have the largest share of Olympians compared to their populations.
So, where are Olympians from in your state? Click on a dot to see which U.S. Olympians are from your neck of the woods.
A bit on Pennsylvania’s Olympians
Joe Kovacs, a Bethlehem native, claimed his third consecutive Olympic silver medal in the shot put over the weekend. Kovacs finished just behind U.S. teammate Ryan Crouser, who claimed Olympic gold for the third straight Games.
WNBA star and Harrisburg native Alyssa Thomas is on track to contend for Olympic gold with the U.S. women’s basketball team, which defeated Germany over the weekend to extend its Olympic win streak to 58 straight games. Thomas, a first-time Olympian, will help the U.S. contend for an eighth straight gold medal as the team enters the knockout round with a matchup against Nigeria Wednesday.
Several Pennsylvania wrestlers will hit the mats and vie for a place on the podium over the next few days. Chief among them are Spencer Lee and Zain Retherford, who respectively hail from Murrysville and Brenton. Lee, a three-time national champion from the University of Iowa, will wrestle at 57 kilograms in men’s freestyle in Paris, while Retherford, a three-time national champion from Penn State and a former world champion, will wrestle at 65 kilograms after cutting some weight. Both are making their Olympic debuts in Paris this summer.
A large group of current and former Penn State student-athletes represent the U.S. and a few other nations at the Paris Games. Perhaps no other Nittany Lion dominated headlines quite like gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, whose “Clark Kent” persona captivated audiences as he twice won bronze for himself and Team USA on the pommel horse. His performance helped secure the first Olympic team medal for U.S. men’s gymnastics since 2008.
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