By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The weekend brought excellent results for Team GB, as they collected medals and moved ahead of China into second place in the number of gold medals won during this Olympics and remaining behind only the United States. On Sunday alone the Team GB won five gold medals in tennis, gold, gymnastics and cycling.
“What a day it has been. Gold medals galore for the Brits, our most successful day at an away Games in history. We end the day second in the medal table with fifteen golds, sixteen silvers and seven bronze medals – B.E.A.UTIFUL!” exhorted the Team GB webpage Sunday night.
Calling it the ‘most successful day ever at a foreign Games’ the Team GB press team followed minute-by-minute the four hours of Andy Murray’s grueling struggle against Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro, 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The weekend was also not too bad for Team USA with winning its 1000 gold Summer Olympic medal on Saturday with a victory by the women’s 4X100 meter relay swim team, including first Afro-American Gold winner, Simone Manuel. Another Simone, this time, Biles, lived up to the title ‘the greatest overall female gymnast ever’ on Sunday by winning the vault competition.
Not only is Biles the first U.S. gymnast to win the gold medal in women’s vault, she’s also the first U.S. gymnast to win three golds at an Olympic Games. And she is seeking another two this week, on the balance beam on Monday and floor exercise on Tuesday.
Overall Team USA had 69 medals at the end of Sunday, 26 being gold, 21 silver and 22 bronze. Although in the number of gold Great Britain is listed as second, in the number of overall medals, GB remains in third, with thirty eight medals behind the U.S. and China (45).