The U.S. national team won its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal after defeating France 67-66 in a thrilling final at Bercy Arena on Sunday, August 11.

With this victory, the United States became the best dynasty in team sports at the Olympics. They are the first team to win eight consecutive Olympic gold medals regardless of gender or sport. The gold medal game was the 61st consecutive Olympic victory for the U.S. team. Diana Taurasi was the first team athlete to ever win six Olympic gold medals.

But the victory was anything but easy. France was ahead by as many as 10 points. It was a defensive game in which the USA shot 34 percent and France 32 percent. On the last shot of the game, France’s Gabby Williams made a long-range shot that was only good enough for two because her foot was on the line. Had she shot from the three-point line, the game would have gone into overtime.

Cheryl Reeve, coach of the US team, said the key to the victory was defense because it is the trademark of both teams.

“It’s the identity of France. It’s our identity too. That’s why there was such a tough exchange. Neither team could really play to their offensive identity. It’s all about the players making plays. That’s what happened in this game,” Reeve told NBC.

A’ja Wilson had 21 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. She was all over the court and played more than 33 minutes.

“I’m so proud of the resilience of my team. We could have collapsed. We could have collapsed many times. But we did it. I’m so blessed to be able to say I won gold medals twice,” Wilson told NBC after the game.

Earlier, Australia hit Belgium 85-81 to get bronze.