Olympic medal recap for athletes from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The 2024 Paris Olympics have come to a close, and our athletes from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware made their mark on the world stage. Now, let's take a look at how they fared and whether they returned home with some new hardware.
Team USA Basketball
Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, New Jersey's Bam Adebayo and Philadelphia native Kahleah Copper are coming home as world champions after helping their respective teams win gold in basketball. For the fifth consecutive Summer Games, Team USA Men's Basketball Team won gold thanks to several late-game three-pointers from Steph Curry against France. Embiid scored 19 points to help close out the semifinal game against Serbia to secure the 95-91 victory. The 2023 NBA MVP is now the first Sixer to win a gold medal.
Team USA Women's Basketball team clinched the gold medal with a nail-biting 67-66 victory over France. The game was tight from start to finish, but it was the heroics of Philadelphia's Kahleah Copper in the final seconds that sealed the win. With only 5 seconds remaining in the game, The Phoenix Sun's All-Star made two clutch free throws, finishing the game with 12 points off the bench. This victory marks the 8th consecutive gold medal for the USA Women's team.
Team USA Track and Field
USA's track and field team took home 34 total medals, but few were as impressive as the gold medal performances from New Jersey's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. The 25-year-old broke her own world record for the sixth time in the 400-meter hurdles on August 8, with a time of 50.37. It was only days later when the now 4-time gold medalist helped the women's 4x400m relay win gold in dominating fashion.
Discus thrower Valarie Allman added to the gold medal count with a throw of 69.50 meters or 228 feet. Before living in Colorado, Allman was raised in Hershey, Pa. This is the second gold medal for the two-time Olympic champion.
Bethlehem, Pa. native Joe Kovacs won silver in shot put with a throw of 22.15 m or a little over 72 feet. The three-time Olympian now has 3 silver medals.
Team USA Swimming
New Jersey native Nic Fink was on a mission this summer after coming home empty-handed at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Fink, 31, won gold in the 4x100m mixed medley relay, then snagged 2 silver medals in the 100m breaststroke and in the 4x100m medley relay.
In his first Olympic games, Jack Alexy won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay and silver in the 4x100m medley relay with Fink.
Team USA Rowing
Chester County natives Nick Mead and Justin Best along with Pittsburgh's Michael Grady didn't disappoint. The trio lead Team USA's four-man rowing team to gold. This marks the first time Team USA won gold in this event since 1960 in Rome.
Mead was additionally honored by being one of the flagbearers at the closing ceremony along with Katie Ledecky.
Team USA Rugby
The USA Women's Rugby team made history by clinching their first-ever medal in this event. USA upset Australia 14-12 to secure a bronze medal. Philadelphia standout Ariana Ramsey contributed significantly to this historic victory. Ramsey, a two-time Olympian, now proudly wears her first medal.
Team USA Fencing
In fencing, the U.S. women's team foil emerged victorious with a gold medal performance. New Jersey's Jackie Dubrovich and Philadelphia's Maia Weintraub, rounded out the team of four to secure USA's first gold in the event and only the second medal in the event after winning silver in the 2008 Summer Games.
Team USA Golf
Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 golfer, continues to build an extraordinary career, adding an Olympic gold medal to his list of achievements. The New Jersey native shot an impressive 9-under in the men's individual stroke play to secure gold. Scheffler, 28, has made history as the first golfer to be ranked number one and become an Olympic champion in the same year.
Team USA Archery
Lancaster's finest, Casey Kaufhold made her second Olympic outing a memorable one by winning her first medal. Kaufhold, 20, won bronze in the recurve mixed team event with Bradley Ellison with a win over India.
Team USA Gymnastics
New Jersey's Hezly Rivera made her Olympic debut a memorable one, contributing to the U.S. women's gymnastics team's gold medal victory. Although she didn't compete in the team finals, Rivera's debut marks a promising start to her Olympic career.
Team USA Wrestling
First-time Olympian Spencer Lee, hailing from Murrysville, Pa. made an impressive debut by capturing a silver medal in the men's 57kg wrestling category. The 25-year-old, known for being a three-time NCAA Champion and a three-time PIAA State Champion, lost a hard-fought gold medal match against Japan.
Team USA Triathlon
Morgan Pearson, a two-time Olympian from New Vernon, New Jersey, added another silver medal to his Olympic career in the triathlon mixed relay. Pearson contributed to a show-stopping comeback from Team USA.