Team USA reached 100 medals at the Summer Olympics in Rio on Thursday, keeping the nation atop the medal count. Here's what marketers need to know about the last 24 hours of the Olympics:
United States Adds 5 Golds, Hits 100 Total Medals
On Thursday, the U.S. won seven more medals in Rio, reaching 100 medals in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. This is the 10th time the team will have earned at least 100 total medals in the history of the Summer Olympics. (SB Nation)
Here's the total medal leaderboard as it stood going into Friday, according to NBC Olympics:
United States: 100
China: 58
Great Britain: 56
Russia: 44
Japan: 36
As Lochte's Robbery Story Evaporates, Teammates Finally Head Home
Brazilian police Thursday said U.S. Olympian Ryan Lochte's allegations that he and teammates Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen were robbed at gunpoint are not true and that they were instead covering up for a drunken brawl with a security guard. On Wednesday, Conger and Bentz were taken off a plane and detained, but now they have been allowed to go home. (USA Today)
Reports: U.S. Swimmer Jimmy Feigen to Pay $11,000 to Leave Brazil
U.S. Olympic swimmer Jimmy Feigen, also allegedly involved in the fabricated robbery story, will donate approximately $11,000 to a Brazilian charity today, according to media reports. After making the payment, Feigen will be allowed to leave the country. (USA Today)
Usain Bolt Cements His Legacy Among the Greats in Sports History
On Thursday, Jamaican track star Usain Bolt won the gold for the 200-meter sprint, his eighth Olympic gold medal. "The fact I came here and executed what I wanted to is a brilliant feeling," he told BBC Sport. (BBC)
Bolt Has Strengthened His Social Brand by Bringing Levity to Live Action
Usain Bolt is known as a showman, making victory poses, and this year he is known for his smiles. This has become his stamp of triumph and has set social media on fire. (Adweek)
Ashton Eaton Ties Olympic Record With 2nd Decathlon Gold
U.S. decathlete Ashton Eaton is now one of only three people in Olympic history to win consecutive golds in the grueling, 10-part event. He joins the ranks of track legends Bob Mathias and Daley Thompson. (NBC Olympics)
Despite Big News and Huge U.S. Wins, NBC's Ratings Continued to Slip Wednesday
Wednesday was packed full of highlights in Rio, including Usain Bolt advancing to the men's 200-meter final and the U.S. sweeping the podium in the women's 100-meter hurdles. However, only 20.7 million total viewers tuned into NBC's prime-time broadcast, 14 percent fewer than Tuesday night. (Adweek)
Who Is Elena Delle Donne?
Elena Delle Donne is part of the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team. The native of Delaware is part of a team that hasn't lost an Olympic matchup since 1992, though much of the attention on Delle Donne lately has centered on her personal life, with the 2013 WNBA Rookie of the Year telling Vogue in an Aug. 4 article that she's engaged to friend Amanda Clifton. (Adweek)