Team USA continues to have more 2016 medals (84) than any other country at the Summer Olympics in Rio, and the country quickly broke its one-day gold drought. Here's what marketers need to know about the last 24 hours of the Olympics:
Two Golds for Team USA on Tuesday
U.S. Olympic athletes didn't win any gold medals on Monday, but that changed on Tuesday, when Christian Taylor took the gold for the triple jump and gymnastics phenom Simone Biles earned her fourth gold medal, this time for the women's floor exercise. (SB Nation)
Here's the medal leaderboard as it stood going into Wednesday, according to NBC Olympics:
United States: 84
China: 51
Great Britain: 50
Russia: 38
France: 29
Kerri Walsh Jennings Denied Gold After 3 Consecutive Olympic Wins
Three-time gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings, along with her partner April Ross, was defeated by Brazil in Olympic beach volleyball on Tuesday, sending the duo to a third-place matchup today. "We could squash that team, and I say that with all the respect in the world," Walsh Jennings said. "But they outplayed us in every way." (Fox Sports)
True Sportsmanship on Display in Women's 5,000-Meter Race
U.S. runner Abbey D'Agostino won kudos around the world for her humanity and sportsmanship when she tumbled on the track over New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin, who had fallen in front of D'Agostino. The American, though injured, turned around to help Hamblin to her feet. Then D'Agostino completed the race despite her injury. "I've never met this girl before, and isn't that just so amazing?" Hamblin said. "Such an amazing moment regardless of the race and the result on the board, that's a moment that you'll never, ever forget for the rest of your life." (Runner's World)
After colliding, @abbey_dags (#USA) & @NikkiHamblin (#NZL) show true #Olympic spirit. https://t.co/LJf9pvPIbVhttps://t.co/HTfixzxCVS
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) August 16, 2016
Omar McLeod Wins Jamaica's First 110-Meter Hurdles Gold
Omar McLeod of Jamaica earned the country's first Olympic gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles on Tuesday. Dimitri Bascou of France won the bronze, the first time France has won a medal in the event since 1996. (NBC)
Jenny Simpson Wins U.S. Its First Olympic Medal in History of Women's 1,500-Meter Race
Tuesday Jenny Simpson of Team USA won the bronze in the women's 1500-meter race. This is the first time the U.S. is bringing home a medal in this Olympic event. (The Huffington Post)
How Usain Bolt's Victorious Grin Helped the Olympian Race Past Everyone on Social Media
There were many memorable moments at the Rio games on Monday, and an analysis of the social data showed that Usain Bolt receiving his medal as fastest man in the world was one of the four highlights (402,947 retweets, comments and likes during the medal presentation). (Adweek)
French Pole Vaulter Apologizes for Comparing Hostile Crowd to Nazi Germany
Silver medalist Renaud Lavillenie was booed and jeered when he competed with Brazilian vaulter Thiago da Silva, who was in the lead and eventually won gold. While IOC leaders chastised fans online for their behavior, Lavillenie only made his situation worse by comparing his treatment to how black U.S. runner Jesse Owens was treated in Nazi Germany at the 1936 Olympics. On Tuesday, he apologized for the comparison. (USA Today)
Who Is Tiffany Alvord?
Next-generation commentator Tiffany Alvord dreamed of becoming an Olympian one day. The singer-songwriter, who has 3 million subscribers on YouTube and said gymnastics was her "first passion before music," is part of a team of millennial influencers that NBC has signed on during the Olympic Games. (Adweek)
Broadcast Ratings Fell on Monday as Team USA Struggled
NBC's ratings took a significant hit Monday compared to the previous Monday, and no U.S. Olympians won gold medals that night. 24.3 million prime-time viewers tuned in to the network, and 25.5 million watched when counting TV, digital and mobile. (Adweek)
Olympian Shaunae Miller's Finish-Line Dive Creates Yet Another Golden Meme
It didn't take long for memes to start circulating on social media of Bahamanian runner Shaunae Miller after the Olympic athlete literally dove to victory. Memes included everything from legendary Olympic diver Greg Louganis to Slip 'N Slides. (CNET)