Since 1896, the USA has taken home 1061 gold medals from all the Summer Olympic Games. And, there is a staggering number of silver and bronze medals as well! The country has been much more successful than so many others in many of the Olympic sporting events. However, there are some sports where no American has won a medal. In this blog, let’s take a glimpse at badminton and other Olympic sports never won by the USA.
USA’s Performance in Badminton at the Olympics
The USA has had a particularly tough time winning a few of the Summer Olympic sporting events. The extent of success of both the men’s and women’s teams in the Summer Olympics has only been limited. This holds true for badminton too.
There is one major reason why badminton is not popular in the USA. It is because badminton is considered a backyard sport in the country. Among the many Olympic badminton tournaments held, the country has just managed to reach the quarter-finals of a tournament. And, this was in the Beijing Games of 2008, where the men’s doubles team consisting of Bob Malaythong and Howard Bach reached the eighth round.
The USA has won 1061 gold medals in the Olympics.
- A. True
- B. False
Now, you know all about “Badminton at the Olympics: USA’s record.”
Other Olympic Sports Besides Badminton That the USA Has Never Won
Apart from badminton, there are other sports where the USA has not been hugely successful. Let’s take a peek at some of them.
Table Tennis
Table Tennis was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1988. However, the USA has not won any medals in this sport so far. In the Beijing Olympics, Chen Wang was able to reach the quarter-finals in the women’s singles category. By doing so, she created history in Olympic table tennis.
Trampoline
The sport involves a lot of precision and balance. It was introduced in the Sydney Games of 2000 and is one of the Olympic sports never won by the USA. In the men’s trampoline event of 2000, Belarus, China, and New Zealand won the gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
This is yet another sport where the USA has not won any medals yet. Rhythmic gymnastics involves dance-like movements with certain accessories, such as balls, clubs, or ribbons. In 1984, it made its debut as an individual event in the Olympics. Later, in 1996, it was introduced as a team event. As in table tennis and trampoline, other countries have been pretty victorious in rhythmic gymnastics, whereas the USA still lags behind. We will wait till the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be conducted in Paris, to see how the country performs in this sport.
We have now discussed all the other Olympic sports besides badminton that the USA has never won. To recollect what we have discussed, answer the Quiz on this page.