In which disciplines has Team USA never won an Olympic medal?

Boasting an impressive haul of 1,229 gold medals at summer Olympics, and 3,105 medals in total, Team USA dwarf their nearest rivals the Soviet Union, Germany and China by a significant margin. The US team also hold the record for the most silver (1,000) and bronze (876) medals won.

Despite the incredible success, you may be surprised to learn that the country with a population of over 333 million hasn’t picked up a podium place in every discipline but there are a few sports that have eluded them thus far. Could the 2024 Paris Games provide a chance to change that?

The sports that Team USA have no Olympic medals

Badminton

The racket sport has been controlled by China since its Olympic bow in 1992 with the Asian country taking 47 of a possible 121 medals, winning 20 of a possible 39 gold medals. Only six other nations have picked up a gold medal in this time.

Table Tennis

Another sport with no US medals dominated by the Chinese. China has won a staggering 32 out of 37 gold medals in the sport since its introduction at Seoul 1988 with only three other countries, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Sweden, ever winning gold.

The rules were even changed in London 2012 to prevent China taking all three medal places as they did in Beijing 2008. Of the total medals won in the event, 60 of the 115 have gone to the Chinese.

Handball

Traditionally a sport dominated by European nations (including the Soviet Union/Russia), only two of 78 medals have ever been won by a country outside of the continent: a silver medal for South Korea in 1988 and a bronze for China in 2021.

The highest position achieved by the men was 6th in 1936 but since then they have never finished higher than 9th. For the women, the highest position attained was 5th in 1984.

Rhythmic gymnastics

Rhythmic gymnastics first appeared at the Olympics in 1984 as an individual competition, expanding to include a team event in 1996. Like handball above, European countries have maintained a stranglehold on the sport, with only China, Canada, and Israel breaking through from other continents to secure medals across ten Olympic Games.

For the United States, the pinnacle has been an 11th place finish achieved by Valerie Zimring during the 1984 Los Angeles Games (which were boycotted), Laura Zeng at the 2016 Rio Games, and the U.S. team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Trampoline gymnastics

Since its debut in 2000, trampoline gymnastics – which is making its seventh Olympic appearance in Paris – the U.S. has not reached the podium, winning none of the 36 medals available. These have been split across ten countries.

The top finishes for American competitors in trampoline have been sixth place, achieved by Savannah Vinsant in 2012 and Nicole Ahsinger in 2020.