United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics

United States at the
2008 Summer Olympics
Flag of the United States
IOC codeUSA
NOCUnited States Olympic Committee
in Beijing
Competitors588 (306 men and 282 women) in 32[2] sports
Flag bearers Lopez Lomong[1] (opening)
Khatuna Lorig (closing)
Medals
Ranked 2nd
Gold
36
Silver
39
Bronze
37
Total
112
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

The United States of America (USA), represented by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. U.S. athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, except the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, which was boycotted by the American team and 65 other countries in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The USOC sent a total of 588 athletes to Beijing (310 men and 286 women), and competed in all Olympic sports except handball.[2][3]

The USOC selected San Jose State University in San Jose, California, as the primary processing center for all Team USA members headed for Beijing 2008.[4] They flew into San Jose via San Jose International Airport or San Francisco International Airport for at least two days of document checks, health examinations, cultural briefings, portrait sittings, uniform fittings, and last-minute workout sessions.[5]

The U.S. did not win the most gold medals for the first time in a Summer Games since 1992, with China being the country that won the most golds (48–36). The United States never led the medal table during the games.[6] However, the U.S. won its most medals ever (112) in a games not held on home soil, had the highest total medal count, and won more silver and bronze medals than any other participating nation.[7] This games also saw a gold medal record for U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 8 golds surpassing Mark Spitz's record of 7 golds in a single Olympic event in 1972.[8] Phelps also surpassed Spitz, Larisa Latynina of the USSR, Paavo Nurmi of Finland, and U.S. sprinter Carl Lewis to become the current record holder for the most Olympic gold medals (14).[9]

The United States also saw milestones in women's swimming. Natalie Coughlin won 6 medals in Beijing, the most for a female Olympic swimmer.[10] Dara Torres, who won 3 silver medals after her eight-year absence, became the oldest Olympic swimmer to win a medal, at age 41.[11]

Gymnast Nastia Liukin became the third U.S. female to win a gold medal in individual all-around event.[12] It was also a successful Olympics for U.S. team-based sports, as men's and women's basketball teams both won gold, as did men's volleyball, men and women's beach volleyball, women's soccer, women's eight in rowing, and the men's and women's 4 × 400 meter-relay teams.[13] The US won silver and bronze medals in several other team events; women's volleyball, softball, baseball, both men's and women's team gymnastics, men's fencing sabre team, women's fencing foil team, and both men's and women's water polo.

Medalists[edit]

Further information: 2008 Summer Olympics medal table

The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the by discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.

* - Indicates the athlete competed in preliminaries but not the final

Won all medals in one event

Won all gold medals in one sport

Won gold medals in both men's and women's events

Archery[edit]

Main article: Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States men's archery team took sixth place at the 2007 World Outdoor Target Championships, earning the nation a full complement of three qualification spots for the Olympic men's competitions. The women's team finished in eleventh place, not qualifying the team. Jennifer Nichols earned a spot via individual qualification in that tournament.[14] Karen Scavotto earned the United States another women's spot by finishing second in the Pan American championship.[15]

The United States announced its Olympic team on May 5, 2008, following a national selection tournament.[16] The women's roster included 2004 Olympian Jennifer Nichols and three-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig, who previously represented the Unified Team (1992) and Georgia (1996 and 2000) at the Olympics.[17] On the men's side, first-time Olympian Brady Ellison joined four-time Olympian Butch Johnson and two-time Olympian Vic Wunderle.

Men
Athlete Event Ranking round Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final / BM
Score Seed Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Brady Ellison Men's individual 664 15  Burnes (CAN) (50)
W 111–89 		 Lyon (CAN) (47)
L 107–113 		Did not advance
Butch Johnson 653 40  Abramov (RUS) (25)
W 109 (26)–109 (25) 		 Im D-H (KOR) (8)
L 106–115 		Did not advance
Vic Wunderle 652 41  Vélez (MEX) (24)
W 106–102 		 di Buò (ITA) (9)
W 108 (19)–108 (17) 		 Im D-H (KOR) (8)
W 113–111 		 Serrano (MEX) (1)
L 106–113 		Did not advance
Brady Ellison
Butch Johnson
Vic Wunderle 		Men's team 1969 10 —  Chinese Taipei (TPE) (7)
L 218–222 		Did not advance
Khatuna Lorig Women's individual 635 26  Arnold (FRA) (39)
W 107–105 		 Williamson (GBR) (7)
W 112–109 		 Rendón (COL) (10)
W 107–95 		 Yun O-H (KOR) (2)
L 105–111 		Did not advance
Jennifer Nichols 637 24  Rochmawati (INA) (41)
W 114–101 		 Hayakawa (JPN) (9)
L 103–105 		Did not advance

Athletics (track and field)[edit]

American David Neville falls at the finish line for the bronze medal as Jeremy Wariner takes second place behind LaShawn Merritt, completing a sweep of the 400 m final.
Main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials were held in Eugene, Oregon, at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field from June 27 through July 6, 2008.[18] Hayward Field had previously hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976 and 1980.

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Men
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Walter Dix[19] 100 m 10.35 3 Q 10.08 2 Q 9.95 2 Q 9.91 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Tyson Gay[19] 10.22 1 Q 10.09 2 Q 10.05 5 Did not advance
Darvis Patton[19] 10.25 2 Q 10.04 2 Q 10.03 4 Q 10.03 8
Shawn Crawford[19] 200 m 20.61 1 Q 20.42 2 Q 20.12 2 Q 19.96 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Walter Dix[19] 20.77 2 Q 20.27 2 Q 20.19 3 Q 19.98 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Wallace Spearmon[19] 20.46 1 Q 20.39 2 Q 20.14 3 Q DSQ
LaShawn Merritt[19] 400 m 44.96 1 Q — 44.12 1 Q 43.75 1st place, gold medalist(s)
David Neville[19] 45.22 2 Q 44.91 2 Q 44.80 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Jeremy Wariner[19] 45.23 1 Q 44.15 1 Q 44.74 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Christian Smith[19] 800 m 1:48.20 4 — Did not advance
Nick Symmonds[19] 1:46.01 1 Q 1:46.96 5 Did not advance
Andrew Wheating[19] 1:47.05 4 Did not advance
Leonel Manzano[19] 1500 m 3:36.67 1 Q — 3:50.33 12 Did not advance
Bernard Lagat[19] 3:41.98 4 Q 3:37.79 6 Did not advance
Lopez Lomong[19] 3:36.70 5 Q 3:41.00 12 Did not advance
Ian Dobson[19] 5000 m 14:05.47 9 — Did not advance
Bernard Lagat[19] 13:39.70 1 Q 13:26.89 9
Matt Tegenkamp[19] 13:37.36 1 Q 13:33.13 13
Abdi Abdirahman[19] 10,000 m — 27:52.53 15
Galen Rupp[19] 27:36.99 13
Jorge Torres[19] 28:13.93 25
David Oliver[19] 110 m hurdles 13.30 1 Q 13.16 1 Q 13.31 1 Q 13.18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
David Payne[19] 13.42 1 Q 13.24 1 Q 13.21 2 Q 13.17 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Terrence Trammell[19] DNF Did not advance
Kerron Clement[19] 400 m hurdles 49.42 1 Q — 48.27 1 Q 47.98 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Bershawn Jackson[19] 49.20 1 Q 48.02 2 Q 48.06 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Angelo Taylor[19] 48.67 1 Q 47.94 1 Q 47.25 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Anthony Famiglietti[19] 3000 m steeplechase 8:17.34 3 Q — 8:31.21 13
Joshua McAdams[19] 8:33.26 9 Did not advance
William Nelson[19] 8:36.66 11 Did not advance
Walter Dix
Leroy Dixon
Tyson Gay
Rodney Martin
Travis Padgett
Darvis Patton 		4 × 100 m relay[19] DNF — Did not advance
Kerron Clement*
LaShawn Merritt
David Neville
Jeremy Wariner
Angelo Taylor
Reggie Witherspoon* 		4 × 400 m relay[19] 2:59.98 1 Q — 2:55.39 OR 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ryan Hall[19] Marathon — 2:12:33 10
Dathan Ritzenhein[19] 2:11:59 9
Brian Sell[19] 2:16:07 22
Kevin Eastler[19] 20 km walk — 1:28:44 43
Philip Dunn[19] 50 km walk — 4:08:32 39
Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Brian Johnson[19] Long jump 7.79 22 Did not advance
Miguel Pate[19] 7.34 38 Did not advance
Trevell Quinley[19] 7.87 19 Did not advance
Kenta Bell[19] Triple jump 16.55 25 Did not advance
Rafeeq Curry[19] 16.88 19 Did not advance
Aarik Wilson[19] 15.97 33 Did not advance
Dusty Jonas[19] High jump 2.20 =26 Did not advance
Andra Manson[19] 2.25 13 Did not advance
Jesse Williams[19] 2.25 =19 Did not advance
Jeff Hartwig[19] Pole vault 5.55 =20 Did not advance
Derek Miles[19] 5.65 =9 q 5.70 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Brad Walker[19] NM — Did not advance
Christian Cantwell[19] Shot put 20.48 4 Q 21.09 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Reese Hoffa[19] 20.41 6 Q 20.53 6
Adam Nelson[19] 20.56 2 Q NM —
Casey Malone[19] Discus throw 61.26 19 Did not advance
Michael Robertson[19] 61.64 16 Did not advance
Ian Waltz[19] 60.02 25 Did not advance
Breaux Greer[19] Javelin throw 73.68 22 Did not advance
Mike Hazle[19] 72.75 25 Did not advance
Leigh Smith[19] 76.55 18 Did not advance
AG Kruger[19] Hammer throw 71.21 27 Did not advance
Combined events – Decathlon
Athlete Event 100 m LJ SP HJ 400 m 110H DT PV JT 1500 m Final Rank
Bryan Clay[19] Result 10.44 7.78 16.27 1.99 48.92 13.94 53.79 5.00 70.97 5:06.59 8791 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Points 989 1005 868 794 865 984 950 910 904 522
Trey Hardee[19] Result 10.52 7.72 13.49 2.05 47.75 14.20 44.35 NM DNS DNF
Points 970 990 697 850 921 949 737 0
Tom Pappas[19] Result 11.12 7.41 DNS DNF
Points 834 913
American Allyson Felix crosses the finish line for a first-place finish in the second 200 m semifinal.
Women
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Torri Edwards[19] 100 m 11.26 1 Q 11.31 1 Q 11.18 2 Q 11.20 8
Muna Lee[19] 11.33 1 Q 11.08 2 Q 11.06 2 Q 11.07 5
Lauryn Williams[19] 11.38 2 Q 11.07 2 Q 11.10 3 Q 11.03 4
Allyson Felix[19] 200 m 23.02 1 Q 22.74 2 Q 22.33 1 Q 21.93 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Marshevet Hooker[19] 23.07 1 Q 22.76 3 Q 22.50 2 Q 22.34 5
Muna Lee[19] 22.71 1 Q 22.83 2 Q 22.29 3 Q 22.01 4
Sanya Richards[19] 400 m 50.54 1 Q — 49.90 1 Q 49.93 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
DeeDee Trotter[19] 51.41 4 Q 51.87 7 Did not advance
Mary Wineberg[19] 51.46 2 Q 51.13 5 Did advance
Hazel Clark[19] 800 m 2:01.59 5 — Did advance
Alice Schmidt[19] 2:02.33 6 Did not advance
Nicole Teter[19] DNF Did not advance
Erin Donohue[19] 1500 m 4:16.05 8 — Did not advance
Shannon Rowbury[19] 4:03.89 4 Q 4:03.58 7
Christin Wurth-Thomas[19] 4:09.70 8 Did not advance
Shalane Flanagan[19] 5000 m 14:59.69 6 Q — 15:50.80 10
Kara Goucher[19] 15:00.98 7 Q 15:49.39 9
Jennifer Rhines[19] 15:15.12 6 Q 16:34.63 14
Amy Yoder Begley[19] 10,000 m — 32:38.28 26
Shalane Flanagan[19] 30:22.22 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Kara Goucher[19] 30:55.16 10
Damu Cherry[19] 100 m hurdles 12.92 3 Q — 12.62 1 Q 12.65 4
Dawn Harper[19] 12.73 2 Q 12.66 2 Q 12.54 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Lolo Jones[19] 12.71 1 Q 12.43 1 Q 12.72 7
Queen Harrison[19] 400 m hurdles 55.96 4 Q — 55.88 7 Did not advance
Sheena Tosta[19] 56.12 5 Q 54.07 1 Q 53.70 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Tiffany Williams[19] 55.51 1 Q 54.99 3 Q 57.55 8
Lindsey Anderson[19] 3000 m steeplechase 9:36.81 8 — Did not advance
Jennifer Barringer[19] 9:29.20 3 Q 9:22.26 9
Anna Willard[19] 9:28.52 6 Q 9:25.63 10
Torri Edwards
Muna Lee
Mechelle Lewis
LaShauntea Moore
Angela Williams
Lauryn Williams 		4 × 100 m relay[19] DSQ — Did not advance
Allyson Felix
Natasha Hastings
Monique Henderson
Sanya Richards
Mary Wineberg 		4 × 400 m relay[19] 3:33.45 1 Q — 3:18.54 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Deena Kastor[19] Marathon — DNF
Magdalena Lewy Boulet[19] DNF
Blake Russell[19] 2:33:13 27
Joanne Dow[19] 20 km walk — 1:34.15 31
Field events
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Funmi Jimoh[19] Long jump 6.61 =9 q 6.29 12
Brittney Reese[19] 6.87 1 Q 6.76 5
Grace Upshaw[19] 6.68 6 Q 6.58 8
Shani Marks[19] Triple jump 13.44 28 Did not advance
Erica McLain[19] 13.52 26 Did not advance
Amy Acuff[19] High jump 1.89 =19 Did not advance
Sharon Day[19] 1.85 =24 Did not advance
Chaunte Howard[19] 1.93 =8 q 1.99 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Erica Bartolina[19] Pole vault NM — Did not advance
April Steiner Bennett[19] 4.50 =6 q 4.55 8
Jennifer Stuczynski[19] 4.50 =2 q 4.80 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Jillian Camarena[19] Shot put 18.51 12 Q 18.24 12
Michelle Carter[19] 18.49 13 Q 17.74 15
Kristin Heaston[19] 17.34 23 Did not advance
Suzy Powell-Roos[19] Discus throw 58.02 26 Did not advance
Aretha Thurmond[19] 61.90 6 Q 59.80 10
Stephanie Brown Trafton[19] 62.77 1 Q 64.74 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Kim Kreiner[19] Javelin throw 55.13 38 Did not advance
Kara Patterson[19] 54.39 41 Did not advance
Amber Campbell[19] Hammer throw 67.86 21 Did not advance
Jessica Cosby[19] NM — Did not advance
Loree Smith[19] 63.60 39 Did not advance
Combined events – Heptathlon
Athlete Event 100H HJ SP 200 m LJ JT 800 m Final Rank
Hyleas Fountain[19] Result 12.78 1.89 13.36 23.21 6.38 41.93 2:15.45 6619 2nd place, silver medalist(s)*
Points 1158 1093 751 1058 1058 704 886
Jacquelyn Johnson[19] Result 13.22 1.77 11.82 24.74 5.88 DNS DNF
Points 1091 941 649 911 911
Diana Pickler[19] Result 14.28 DNS DNF
Points 939

* The athlete who finished in second place, Lyudmila Blonska of the Ukraine, tested positive for a banned substance.[20] On August 22, Blonska was stripped of her medal and Hyleas Fountain was upgraded to silver.

Badminton[edit]

Main article: Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States was represented in four out of the five badminton events: men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles and women's doubles. The U.S. had qualified a mixed doubles team, but the Badminton World Federation rescinded the slot.[21] No American has ever medaled in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992, although Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong became the first Americans to reach the quarter-finals.[22]

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
Raju Rai Men's singles Bye  Lång (FIN)
L 9–21, 16–21 		Did not advance
Howard Bach
Bob Malaythong 		Men's doubles —  C Dednam /
R Dednam (RSA)
W 21–10, 21–16 		 Cai Y /
Fu Hf (CHN)
L 9–21, 10–21 		Did not advance
Eva Lee Women's singles  Rice (CAN)
L 15–21, 21–19, 19–21 		Did not advance
Eva Lee
Mesinee Mangkalakiri 		Women's doubles —  Jiang Ym /
Li Yj (SIN)
L 12–21, 12–21 		Did not advance

Baseball[edit]

Main article: Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States earned a qualification spot in baseball by placing in the top two at the 2006 Americas Olympic Qualifying Event.[23] This marked the return of the United States national baseball team to the Olympics after not qualifying in 2004; the United States had appeared in all three of the official baseball tournaments, and nearly all of the exhibition and demonstration events, before then.[24][25] The American team sought its second gold medal in the sport, but finished winning the bronze.[24]

Baseball was open only to male amateurs in 1992 and 1996. As a result, the Americans and other nations where professional baseball is developed relied on collegiate players, while Cubans used their most experienced veterans, who technically were considered amateurs as they nominally held other jobs, but in fact trained full-time. In 2000, pros were admitted, but the MLB refused to release its players in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and the situation changed only a little: the Cubans still used their best players, while the Americans started using minor leaguers. The IOC cited the absence of the best players as the main reason for baseball being dropped from the Olympic program.[26][27]

Summary
Team Event Preliminary round Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
United States men Men's tournament  South Korea
L 7–8 		 Netherlands
W 7–0 		 Cuba
L 4–5 		 Canada
W 5–4 		 China
W 9–1 		 Chinese Taipei
W 4–2 		 Japan
W 4–2 		3 Q  Cuba
L 2–10 		Bronze medal final
 Japan
W 8–4 		3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Team roster and tournament statistics
See also: Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Team squads

USA Baseball named its Olympic roster on July 16, 2008.[24] The Olympic team was made up of professionals not on a Major League Baseball 25-man roster at the time of the tournament, because the MLB once again refused to take an Olympic break. The IOC named that as one of the reasons for removing baseball from the program.

Manager: Davey Johnson, Bob Watson (General Manager)

Coaches: Marcel Lachemann – Pitching Coach, Reggie Smith – Hitting Coach, Rick Eckstein – 3rd Base Coach, Dick Cooke – Auxiliary Coach, Rolando de Armas – Auxiliary Coach.

Batting
No. Player Pos GP AB R H HR RBI TB BB SO SB OBP SLG BA
2 Jason Donald SS 8 21 4 8 1 5 12 5 3 1 .536 .571 .381
3 Jayson Nix 2B 3 14 3 3 1 1 7 1 4 0 .267 .500 .214
6 Lou Marson C 5 13 3 4 0 0 4 3 3 0 .438 .308 .308
7 John Gall LF 8 33 5 8 1 5 15 2 7 0 .286 .455 .242
10 Mike Hessman 3B 5 22 2 2 1 1 5 0 11 0 .091 .227 .091
14 Nate Schierholtz CF 9 37 7 8 1 6 15 2 9 0 .275 .405 .216
17 Matthew Brown 1B 9 32 4 9 2 10 18 6 8 2 .390 .563 .281
18 Brian Barden SS 9 34 8 9 1 5 15 4 9 1 .342 .441 .265
19 Taylor Teagarden C 5 16 2 3 0 4 5 4 8 0 .381 .313 .188
24 Dexter Fowler PR 9 28 5 7 0 2 12 2 4 0 .300 .429 .250
26 Terry Tiffee DH 9 37 4 12 0 5 18 2 6 0 .341 .486 .324
44 Matthew LaPorta RF 6 19 3 3 2 4 9 3 8 0 .333 .474 .158
Team totals 9 306 50 76 10 48 135 34 80 4 .333 .441 .248

Pos – Position; GP – Games played; AB – At Bat; R – Runs; H – Hits; HR – Home Runs; RBI – Runs Batted In; TB – Total Bases; BB – Base On Balls; SO – Strikeouts; SB – Stolen Bases; OBP – On-Base Percentage; SLG – Slugging Percentage; BA – Batting Average

Pitching
No. Player GP GS W L SV IP H R HR SO BB ERA
15 Brandon Knight 2 2 1 0 0 10.2 13 8 2 7 4 6.75
21 Mike Koplove 4 0 0 0 0 5.1 0 0 0 6 1 0.00
29 Stephen Strasburg 2 2 1 1 0 11 7 3 1 16 1 1.64
30 Trevor Cahill 2 2 0 0 0 8 6 2 0 5 5 2.25
34 Jake Arrieta 1 1 1 0 0 6 2 0 0 7 2 0.00
35 Casey Weathers 3 0 0 0 1 3 3 2 0 5 1 0.00
37 Jeff Stevens 4 0 1 2 0 4 6 7 1 2 1 9.00
39 Kevin Jepsen 4 0 0 0 1 5.2 3 0 0 5 2 0.00
40 Brett Anderson 2 2 1 0 0 12.2 13 8 2 10 3 4.98
45 Brian Duensing 4 0 1 0 0 7.2 3 1 1 5 2 1.17
47 Jeremy Cummings 2 0 0 0 0 5 3 1 1 2 0 1.80
49 Blaine Neal 3 0 0 0 0 3.2 5 4 2 2 0 7.38
Team totals 9 9 6 3 2 82.2 64 36 10 72 22 3.05

GP – Games played; GS – Games Started; W – Wins; L – Losses; SV – Saves; IP – Innings Pitched; H – Hits; R – Runs; HR – Home Runs; SO – Strikeouts; BB – Base On Balls; ERA – Earned Run Average

Group stage

All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8)

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 United States 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 3 7 12 1
 South Korea 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 2 8 9 1
WP: Suk Min Yoon (1–0)   LP: Jeff Stevens (0–1)
Home runs:
USA: Nate Schierholtz (1), Mike Hessman (1)
KOR: Dae-Ho Lee (1)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 United States 0 1 0 4 0 0 1 1 - 7 10 0
 Netherlands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 1 0
WP: Stephen Strasburg (1–0)   LP: Shairon Martis (0–1)
Home runs:
USA: Matt Brown (1), Matt Laporta (1)
NED: None
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
 Cuba 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 5 10 0
 United States 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 6 0
WP: Pedro Luis Lazo (1–0)   LP: Jeff Stevens (0–2)
Home runs:
CUB: Alfredo Despaigne (2)
USA: Jayson Nix (1)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 Canada 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 10 1
 United States 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 0 5 9 1
WP: Brian Duensing (1–0)   LP: Chris Reitsma (0–1)
Home runs:
CAN: None
USA: Brian Barden (1)
China vs USA baseball on August 18, 2008.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 China 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 4 1
 United States 1 0 0 0 3 1 4 0 X 9 9 0
WP: Jake Arrieta (1–0)   LP: Chenhao Li (0–1)
Home runs:
CHN: Yang Yang (1)
USA: None
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 Chinese Taipei 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 5 0
 United States 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 X 4 10 2
WP: Brandon Knight (1–0)   LP: Wen-Hsiung Hsu (0–1)   Sv: Kevin Jepsen (1)
Home runs:
TPE: Chih-Sheng Lin (1)
USA: John Gall (1)
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
 United States 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 5 0
 Japan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 0
WP: Jeff Stevens (1–2)   LP: Hitoki Iwase (0–2)   Sv: Casey Weathers (1)
Preliminary round summary

The top four teams advanced to the semifinal round.

Team G W L RS RA WIN% GB Tiebreaker
 South Korea 7 7 0 41 22 1.000 - -
 Cuba 7 6 1 52 23 .857 1 -
 United States 7 5 2 40 22 .714 2 -
 Japan 7 4 3 30 14 .571 3 -
 Chinese Taipei 7 2 5 29 33 .286 5 1–0
 Canada 7 2 5 29 20 .286 5 0–1
 Netherlands 7 1 6 9 50 .143 6 1–0
 China 7 1 6 14 60 .143 6 0–1
Semifinal
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 United States 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 6 2
 Cuba 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 6 X 10 14 2
WP: Norge Luis Vera (2–0)   LP: Stephen Strasburg (1–1)   Sv: Pedro Luis Lazo (2)
Home runs:
USA: None
CUB: Alfredo Despaigne (3), Frederich Cepeda (2), Alexei Bell (1), Ariel Pestano (2)
Bronze medal match
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
 Japan 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 6 1
 United States 0 1 3 0 4 0 0 0 X 8 9 0
WP: Brett Anderson (1–0)   LP: Kenshin Kawakami (0–1)
Home runs:
JPN: Masahiro Araki (1), Norichika Aoki (1)
USA: Matt LaPorta (2), Matt Brown (2), Jason Donald (1)

Basketball[edit]

Main article: Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States earned qualification spots for both men's and women's basketball by winning the FIBA Americas Championship 2007 and the FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2007.[28]

The women's team successfully defended their 2004 Olympic championship against Australia in the gold medal game for the third consecutive Olympics. The victory allowed Lisa Leslie to join former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players to win four Olympic gold medals.[29] After a disappointing third-place finish in Athens, the men's team adopted the name "Redeem Team."[30] In the gold medal match, they beat 2006 FIBA World Champion Spain to give the U.S. its first gold medal in men's international competition in eight years.[31]

Summary
Team Event Group stage Quarterfinal Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Opposition
Score 		Rank
United States men Men's tournament  China
W 101–70 		 Angola
W 97–76 		 Greece
W 92–69 		 Spain
W 119–82 		 Germany
W 106–57 		1 Q  Australia
W 116–85 		 Argentina
W 101–81 		 Spain
W 118–107 		1st place, gold medalist(s)
United States women Women's tournament  Czech Republic
W 97–57 		 China
W 108–63 		 Mali
W 97–41 		 Spain
W 93–55 		 New Zealand
W 96–60 		1 Q  South Korea
W 104–60 		 Russia
W 67–52 		 Australia
W 92–65 		1st place, gold medalist(s)

Men's tournament[edit]

Main article: 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team
Roster

The following is the United States roster in the men's basketball tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[32]

United States men's national basketball team – 2008 Summer Olympics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
F 4 Carlos Boozer 26 – (1981-11-20)November 20, 1981 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Utah Jazz United States
G 5 Jason Kidd 35 – (1973-03-23)March 23, 1973 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Dallas Mavericks United States
F 6 LeBron James 23 – (1984-12-30)December 30, 1984 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Cleveland Cavaliers United States
G 7 Deron Williams 24 – (1984-06-26)June 26, 1984 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Utah Jazz United States
G 8 Michael Redd 28 – (1979-08-24)August 24, 1979 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Milwaukee Bucks United States
G 9 Dwyane Wade 26 – (1982-01-17)January 17, 1982 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Miami Heat United States
G 10 Kobe Bryant (C) 29 – (1978-08-23)August 23, 1978 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Los Angeles Lakers United States
C 11 Dwight Howard 22 – (1985-12-08)December 8, 1985 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Orlando Magic United States
F/C 12 Chris Bosh 24 – (1984-03-24)March 24, 1984 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) Toronto Raptors Canada
G 13 Chris Paul 23 – (1985-05-06)May 6, 1985 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) New Orleans Hornets United States
F 14 Tayshaun Prince 28 – (1980-02-28)February 28, 1980 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Detroit Pistons United States
F 15 Carmelo Anthony 24 – (1984-05-29)May 29, 1984 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Denver Nuggets United States
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on August 9, 2008
Group play
Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  United States 5 5 0 515 354 +161 10 Quarterfinals
2  Spain 5 4 1 418 369 +49 9
3  Greece 5 3 2 415 375 +40 8
4  China (H) 5 2 3 366 400 −34 7
5  Germany 5 1 4 330 390 −60 6
6  Angola 5 0 5 321 477 −156 5
Source: FIBA archive
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal average; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
(H) Hosts
10 August 2008
22:15
United States  101–70  China
Scoring by quarter: 20–16, 29–21, 25–11, 27–22
Pts: Wade 19
Rebs: Bosh 8
Asts: Paul 6		 Pts: Yao 13
Rebs: Yao 10
Asts: Chen, Liu, Zhu, Sun 2
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Carl Jungebrand (FIN)
12 August 2008
20:00
Angola  76–97  United States
Scoring by quarter: 18–29, 19–26, 16–26, 23–16
Pts: Morais 24
Rebs: Gomes 8
Asts: Costa, Ambrosio 2		 Pts: Wade 19
Rebs: Anthony 6
Asts: James 5
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Pablo Estévez (ARG)
14 August 2008
20:00
United States  92–69  Greece
Scoring by quarter: 20–16, 31–16, 23–22, 18–15
Pts: Bryant, Bosh 18
Rebs: James, Howard, Anthony 6
Asts: James 6		 Pts: Papaloukas 15
Rebs: Fotsis, Papaloukas 8
Asts: Diamantidis 3
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Romualdas Brazauskas (LTU)
16 August 2008
22:15
Spain  82–119  United States
Scoring by quarter: 22–31, 23–30, 18–25, 19–33
Pts: Reyes 19
Rebs: Reyes 8
Asts: Fernández, Rubio 3		 Pts: James 18
Rebs: Bosh 7
Asts: James, Paul 8
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Romualdas Brazauskas (LTU)
18 August 2008
20:00
United States  106–57  Germany
Scoring by quarter: 31–12, 22–17, 30–17, 23–11
Pts: Howard 22
Rebs: Howard 10
Asts: Williams 5		 Pts: Nowitzki 14
Rebs: Nowitzki 8
Asts: Hamann, Jagla 2
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Juan Carlos Arteaga (ESP)
Quarterfinals
20 August 2008
20:00
United States  116–85  Australia
Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 30–19, 34–18, 27–24
Scoring by half: 55–43, 61–42
Pts: Bryant 25
Rebs: James 9
Asts: James, Paul, Wade, Williams 3		 Pts: Mills 20
Rebs: Worthington 6
Asts: Newley 3
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Juan Carlos Arteaga (ESP)
Semifinals
22 August 2008
22:00
Argentina  81–101  United States
Scoring by quarter: 11–30, 29–19, 24–29, 17–23
Scoring by half: 40–49, 41–52
Pts: Scola 28
Rebs: Scola 11
Asts: Prigioni 3		 Pts: Anthony 21
Rebs: Bosh 10
Asts: Kidd 7
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Luigi Lamonica (ITA)
Gold medal match
24 August 2008
14:00
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Spain  107–118  United States 1st place, gold medalist(s)
Scoring by quarter: 31–38, 30–31, 21–22, 25–27
Scoring by half: 61–69, 46–49
Pts: Fernández 22
Rebs: Reyes 7
Asts: Navarro 4		 Pts: Wade 27
Rebs: Bosh 7
Asts: Bryant 6
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Romualdas Brazauskas (LTU), Pablo Estévez (ARG), Carl Jungebrand (FIN)

Women's tournament[edit]

Main article: Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament
Roster

The following is the United States roster in the women's basketball tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics.[33]

United States women's national basketball team – 2008 Summer Olympics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
F 5 Seimone Augustus 24 – (1984-04-30)April 30, 1984 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Minnesota Lynx United States
G 6 Sue Bird 27 – (1980-10-16)October 16, 1980 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Seattle Storm United States
F 10 Tamika Catchings 29 – (1979-07-21)July 21, 1979 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Indiana Fever United States
C 13 Sylvia Fowles 23 – (1985-06-10)June 10, 1985 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Chicago Sky United States
G 7 Kara Lawson 27 – (1981-02-14)February 14, 1981 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sacramento Monarchs United States
C 9 Lisa Leslie 36 – (1972-07-07)July 7, 1972 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Los Angeles Sparks United States
F 8 DeLisha Milton-Jones 33 – (1974-09-11)September 11, 1974 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Los Angeles Sparks United States
G/F 15 Candace Parker 22 – (1986-04-19)April 19, 1986 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Los Angeles Sparks United States
G 4 Cappie Pondexter 25 – (1983-01-07)January 7, 1983 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Phoenix Mercury United States
G 14 Katie Smith 34 – (1974-06-04)June 4, 1974 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Detroit Shock United States
G/F 12 Diana Taurasi 26 – (1982-06-11)June 11, 1982 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Phoenix Mercury United States
F 11 Tina Thompson 33 – (1975-02-10)February 10, 1975 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Houston Comets United States
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on August 9, 2008
Group play
Pos Team
 Pld W L PF PA PD Pts Qualification
1  United States 5 5 0 491 276 +215 10 Quarterfinals
2  China (H) 5 4 1 358 346 +12 9
3  Spain 5 3 2 357 324 +33 8
4  Czech Republic 5 2 3 346 356 −10 7
5  New Zealand 5 1 4 320 423 −103 6
6  Mali 5 0 5 255 402 −147 5
Source: FIBA archive
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head points difference; 4) head-to-head number of points scored.
(H) Hosts
9 August 2008
20:00
Czech Republic  57–97  United States
Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 14–27, 13–26, 13–22
Pts: Veselá 8
Rebs: Veselá 9
Asts: Machová 4		 Pts: Pondexter 12
Rebs: Fowles 14
Asts: Lawson 3
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Michael Aylen (AUS)
11 August 2008
20:00
China  63–108  United States
Scoring by quarter: 11–33, 16–28, 19–20, 17–27
Pts: Miao 16
Rebs: Bian, Liu, Sui 4
Asts: Miao, Shao 3		 Pts: Thompson 27
Rebs: Leslie 10
Asts: Lawson, Pondexter 5
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Romualdas Brazauskas (LTU)
13 August 2008
22:15
Mali  41–97  United States
Scoring by quarter: 12–24, 16–27, 5–25, 9–21
Pts: Sininta 13
Rebs: Sissoko 7
Asts: Bagayoko 3		 Pts: Leslie 16
Rebs: Fowles 6
Asts: Lawson 7
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Maogong Yang (CHN)
15 August 2008
20:00
United States  93–55  Spain
Scoring by quarter: 22–17, 17–17, 23–10, 31–11
Pts: Thompson 17
Rebs: Leslie 11
Asts: Lawson, Leslie, Parker 2		 Pts: Valdemoro 17
Rebs: Nicholls 5
Asts: Martínez 2
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Fabio Facchini (ITA)
17 August 2008
22:15
New Zealand  60–96  United States
Scoring by quarter: 18–23, 6–27, 18–25, 18–21
Pts: Marino 17
Rebs: Harmon 7
Asts: Marino 17		 Pts: Thompson 15
Rebs: Leslie, Fowles 6
Asts: Taurasi 5
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Luigi Lamonica (ITA)
Quarterfinals
19 August 2008
20:00
United States  104–60  South Korea
Scoring by quarter: 25–21, 26–9, 26–9, 27–21
Pts: Fowles 26
Rebs: Fowles 14
Asts: Augustus 3		 Pts: Kim 14
Rebs: Kim 5
Asts: Park 7
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Stephen Seibel (USA)
Semifinals
21 August 2008
20:00
Russia  52–67  United States
Scoring by quarter: 16–13, 16–20, 8–15, 12–19
Pts: Stepanova 14
Rebs: Korstin 8
Asts: Six-way tie 1		 Pts: Taurasi 21
Rebs: Fowles 10
Asts: Smith 3
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Cristiano Maranho (BRA)
Gold medal match
23 August 2008
22:00
1st place, gold medalist(s) United States  92–65  Australia 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Scoring by quarter: 22–15, 25–15, 22–24, 23–11
Pts: Lawson 15
Rebs: Leslie 7
Asts: Thompson 4		 Pts: Jackson 20
Rebs: Jackson 10
Asts: Grima 2
Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing
Attendance: 11,083
Referees: Nikolaos Zavlanos (GRE)

Boxing[edit]

Main article: Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States qualified nine boxers for the Olympic boxing tournament. Five boxers (Yanez, Warren, Russell, Williams and Andrade) earned their spots at the 2007 World Championships.[34] Ali, Molina and Wilder qualified at the first American qualifying tournament.[35] Estrada was the last American boxer to qualify, doing so at the second American tournament.[36] The United States did not qualify in light heavyweight or super heavyweight classes.

The U.S. boxing team suffered several early setbacks from which it never recovered. Alternate Boyd Melson withdrew with an injury.[37] Before they arrived in Beijing, U.S. boxers were reportedly unhappy with training methods, coaching, and travel restrictions.[38] On August 8, 2008, two-time national champion and bantamweight boxer Gary Russell Jr. forcibly withdrew from the Olympics after collapsing before his weigh-in.[39] Under International Amateur Boxing Federation rules, the U.S. was not permitted to select another boxer to take his place. Reigning flyweight world champion Raushee Warren, America's best hope for gold, lost his opening bout to Lee Ok-Sung of South Korea.[40] In the end, the U.S. left Beijing with one bronze won by Deontay Wilder, its worst performance in Olympic history.[41] The U.S. had previously won a single silver in 1948 and no medals in 1908 and 1980, when it did not send a boxing team. On September 5, 2008, Dan Campbell, the national director of coaching for USA Boxing, resigned.[38]