US athletes returned home from the Olympics this year with a lot of equipment.

The US women’s basketball team won its eighth consecutive gold medal – the US men also took home gold in basketball. In swimming, the US won silver or gold in all seven relays. In track and field, Team USA took home a whopping 34 medals.

In total, Texas athletes won 41 medals. If the Lone Star State were considered a country, it would be in seventh place.

History is also being made on the soccer field. The US women managed to get some real revenge after their early exit from the World Cup last summer. The US women’s national team won gold at the Olympic Games, relegating Brazil to first place.

Linda Hamilton, who played for the U.S. women’s soccer team the year it won the first Women’s World Cup in 1991, said it felt “like home” to watch the team at the Olympics.

“It was like watching them come back and catch their breath. Of course there was the disappointment of the 2023 World Cup, when we were knocked out earlier than ever before. I think it was an important moment for this team to show that they are not on a downward spiral. That we can have a low point, but then we have to come back,” said Hamilton. “So that was the next world event. It was games against full national teams and I thought our team played better than they have in probably five years.”

The team has a new coach, Emma Hayes, who joined the program just a few games before the Olympics after finishing her season with the Chelsea women’s team in the United Kingdom.

“The fact that she actually won the gold medal game was only her 10th game as coach of the team,” Hamilton said. “Before the Olympics, she had only played four games.”

Hayes was criticized for not making many substitutions throughout the tournament, but Hamilton said that may have been partly because she was so new.

“I think she wanted to create some continuity, give the team some continuity between themselves,” Hamilton said. “We played six games and 16 days. So that’s an incredibly tough schedule with a very small squad. So, yeah, does it look like we were tired and maybe she could have used some substitutes differently? Possibly. But it’s hard to say when she won gold.

… I feel like she did what she had to do with the players. They did what they had to do. And even though there were some lapses at times, to be fair, it’s a super-talented group. So they’ve been given a chance to figure it out.”

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Hamilton said she remembered several players as the tournament’s most valuable players.

“Alyssa Naeher is obviously an absolute threat in goal and you can’t do anything against her, so I think she was a big factor,” Hamilton said. “I was really, really impressed with Korbin Albert. I thought she was one of our best midfielders throughout the tournament and as a young player.”

And of course it’s easy to like the three forwards of Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman. I just don’t know how a team has enough defenders to counter all that talent. So I think those three as a group and individually have been incredibly impressive scoring goals.”

Looking ahead, the team’s performance points to a bright future for the program, Hamilton said.

“I have high hopes that this young team, despite their inexperience, will win one of the biggest soccer tournaments in the world,” she said. “I think the future is very, very bright for the United States. And I really like the mix of veterans and young players that Emma has selected. And I suspect that we will continue to see some veterans continue and new young players come in.”

I really think this group has some real momentum now, so I think it’s going to be a really positive experience for us going forward.”