USA women’s basketball capture seventh straight Olympic gold with win over Japan as France claim Bronze

TOKYO (Japan) - The United States kept its dream dynasty alive at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with the women’s basketball team once again capturing gold in commanding fashion, winning 90-75 over Japan.

While Japan played a beautiful brand of dribble, pass and shoot basketball to earn their country's first shot at an Olympic medal in the event, the USA relied on an even better basketball bellwether: feed the post and let the skill and size of America’s towering frontcourt pairings do the rest.

The rest they did, as the USA wrote themselves into the record books with their seventh consecutive gold medal at the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament. 

France completed the podium by downing continental rival Serbia, 91-76, in Saturday’s bronze medal matchup.  

Rewriting Record Books

For the American women, they have not lost a women's basketball game at the Olympics since a Semi-Finals defeat to the Unified Team at Barcelona 1992. The Americans leave Japan with their consecutive win streak now at 55 games strong and counting.  

With Sunday’s performance, the American players have now matched the all-time best Olympic gold medal-winning run. The USA men’s basketball teams won the sport’s first seven Olympic titles, from Berlin 1936 to Mexico City 1968, before losing to the Soviet Union in the 1972 Gold Medal Game. 

Two American basketball legends - Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi - also etched their names into the basketball record books by becoming the first two players to win five Olympic golds. 

Adding to the notes of record, Tokyo 2020 marks the first time either Puerto Rico or Belgium had participated in the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament.  

Final Standings at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games 

Gold: United States Silver: Japan Bronze: France 4: Serbia 5: China 6: Spain 7: Belgium 8: Australia 9: Canada 10: Korea 11: Nigeria 12: Puerto Rico [/unordered]

FIBA