U.S. Drifts Back to the Pack in Olympic Medal Count

The Americans dominated the podium in 2012 and 2016 but took a step back after a long, hard year.

TOKYO — The Summer Games forced Olympians to prepare for dastardly heat and pandemic protocols that added stress and complicated the normal rigors of the run-up. The Americans’ efforts have produced results that might be the envy of the world but have fallen short of their recent lofty standards. The U.S. Olympic team is in danger of losing the gold medal race for the first time in a Summer Olympics since 2008.