The U.S. men’s 4x100m free relay team won gold Monday in the most riveting, record-breaking, thrilling, mind-blowing relay imaginable. Considered an underdog in the race, the American team squeezed out a world record of 3:08.24 and received a gold medal (the second for Michael Phelps in these Olympic Games). Despite a smack-talking French team’s confidence before the race, Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak won the adrenaline charged relay and had the final word.

The U.S. Women’s gymnastics team had a tough qualifying round. Anchored by 16 year old Shawn Johnson, they were plagued with injuries and falls throughout the day. Two members of the team (Samantha Peszek and Chellsie Memmel) were deemed injured only minutes before they were supposed to take the floor. Nastia Lukin, the 18 year old powerhouse daughter of a former Olympian gymnast took a nice spill backwards after a rough landing on uneven bars. Chellsie Memmel fell off altogether after missing a catch on bars. Alicia Sacramone had too much speed and landed with both feet out of bounds during the floor exercise, eliminating her from being able to compete for individual gold in that event. Bridget Sloan also jumped out of bounds on floor, and with Peszek unable to compete in floor because of her ankle, all four scores were counted. Despite it all, the girls rebounded with some killer vaults and above average scores and still qualified in second just below China as a team. China has a definite advantage by getting to go last, knowing exactly the scores they need to win the gold, but these American girls are a team that can make history, and I believe that they will! Plus, Johnson and Lukin finished 1-2 in the individual standings and will move on to Friday’s all-around final.

photo: GETTY

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