After failing to medal on Day 1 of the Tokyo Olympics for the first time in the Summer Games since 1972, the United States struck back on Day 2 to reignite the Americans' quest for the overall title. Team USA won a whopping ten medals on the second day, four of which were golds.
The Americans made history with a record six medals on the first night of swimming competition at the Tokyo Olympics. It is the first time in Olympic history that Team USA walked away with six out of the 12 medals on offer on the opening night of swimming events.
Kalisz wins gold in record night for USA Swimming
Chase Kalisz got the ball rolling with a fantastic swim in the men's 400m individual medley final. Kalisz took control of the race in the breaststroke section of the medley, surging from second into first place. The 27-year-old never looked back, keeping his opponents at bay during the freestyle to win the Americans' first gold medal of the Games with a time of 4:09.42.
Coming in second was fellow American Jay Litherland, who took home the silver medal. The medals kept pouring in for Team USA as Olympic debutant Kieran Smith took the bronze in the men's 400m freestyle.
Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger then grabbed silver and bronze, respectively, in the women's 400m individual medley, finishing behind hometown favorite Yui Ohashi, who grabbed an unexpected gold medal for the host nation. The Americans ended their night in the pool with a bronze in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay. Their performances helped them become the first American women to medal in the Tokyo Games.
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Shaner, Kiefer, and Zolotic capture gold medals for Team USA
Joining Kalisz in the gold medal front was William Shaner, who won the men's 10m air rifle competition. The 20-year-old set a new Olympic record with a stunning 251.6 score in the final. Shaner needed every bit of that score as he just edged past China's Lihao Sheng by 0.7 points in the final round to become the youngest American man to win a rifle event in the Summer Games.
The sport of fencing also delivered for the United States on Day 2, with Lee Kiefer capturing a stunning gold medal. She defeated ROC's Inna Derglazova 15-13 in the final to become the first American to win gold in fencing's individual foil discipline. It is just the third gold medal for Team USA in fencing in the Olympics, with Mariel Zagunis bringing home the gold in the saber events in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Games.
Anastasija Zolotic also made history in taekwondo as she became the first American woman to win gold in the sport. She defeated Russia's Tatiana Minina, 25-17, in the under 57 kg bout at Makuhari Messe Hall. The 18-year-old got off to a fast start in the opening round and managed to hold on in the third and final round with strategic strikes to seal the biggest win of her young career.
Team USA also managed to reach the podium places in skateboarding's Olympic debut, with Jagger Eaton capturing the bronze medal in the men's street discipline at Ariake Urban Sports Park. Teammate Nyjah Houston entered the event as the favorite but struggled with the hot conditions as he finished a disappointing seventh.
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