Gator Dominance Continues in 2020 Olympic Games

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will come to a close this weekend, Team USA has just about run away with the lead. With over 90 medals, no other country is coming close to what the United States has accomplished. It is important to note that this would not have been able to happen without the help of numerous University of Florida athletes. UF leads all collegiate programs with seven gold medals, which is a part of their 14 total.

Swimming

To say that Caeleb Dressel and Bobby Finke dominated would be an understatement. The two are responsible for seven gold medals and made a name for themselves the past couple of weeks. Dressel won gold in the 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, and 4x100m medley relay while Finke had come from behind wins in the 1500m freestyle and 800m freestyle.

After his victories in Tokyo, Finke spoke with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb.

“Coming in, I wasn’t even expecting a medal. To come out of this with two medals and two golds means the world, it’s a massive dream come true.”

Kieran Smith and Natalie Hinds tacked on a pair of bronze medals to strengthen UF’s medal count in the pool.

Track and Field

Grant Holloway, favorite to win the 100m hurdles, picked up a silver medal in the race. Nevertheless, still a great accomplishment for the 2019 USTFCCCA National Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.

#USA's Grant Holloway wins silver in the men's 110m hurdles!@WorldAthletics #Athletics @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/Oc5gDRDWyo

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) August 5, 2021

Taylor Manson won a bronze medal in the 4x400m mixed relay as well.

Softball

After winning their first five games, the US Olympic squad fell short in the gold medal game 2-0 against Japan to receive a silver medal. Former Gators Michelle Moultrie, Aubree Munro, and Kelsey Stewart were big pieces that helped the United States get as far as they did.

https://twitter.com/USASoftballWNT/status/1420050665296973827

Upcoming

Former Gator catcher and starter for Team USA, Mark Kolozsvary, will take on Japan in the gold medal game Saturday morning.

Former Gators Adriana Leon and Deanne Rose of Team Canada won gold medals by beating Sweden in the gold-medal match of the Olympic soccer tournament on Friday.  In all, quite a haul for current and former UF athletes at the Tokyo Olympics!