Almost 600 Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Team USA convened on McDonough arena Sept. 29 night for the 2016 Team USA awards to honor the accomplishments of the athletes after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The Women’s gymnastic team, swimmer Simone Manuel, sprinter LaShawn Merritt, beach volleyball player April Ross, and soccer player Ali Krieger were among the attendees. Secretary of State John Kerry and former and current Georgetown men’s basketball Head Coaches John Thompson, Jr. and John Thompson III were among the award presenters.
Swimmer Katie Ledecky, a D.C. native who won the award for Female Athlete of the Olympic Games, said she was excited to see all her teammates from Team USA back in the District.
“It’s great to be home,” Ledecky told the Voice after the show. “It’s fun to celebrate the whole Olympic team’s accomplishments this summer here in D.C.”
Former Georgetown swimmer Michelle Konkoly (COL ‘15) won two gold medals at the Paralympic Games, setting both a world record and paralympic record in Rio, and presented the award for Male Paralympic Athlete of the Games.
“It’s so great to see my Hoya family and Team USA family in one place,” she said during the show. In 2011, years before competing in Rio, Konkoly had been temporarily paralyzed after falling from her fifth-floor window in Village C West her freshman year.
Swimmer Brad Snyder won the award Konkoly presented and spoke about how the support he received from his coaches, family, and others close to him contributed to his success.
Women’s water polo coach Adam Krikorian explained the symbolic importance of the games after winning the Coach of the Games award. “The Olympics is one of the greatest displays of world peace,” he said. “I think it’s important we don’t forget about that.”
Team USA’s performance in Rio was one of its most successful of all time. The U.S. took home the top honors in the Olympics topping the medal count with 121 appearances on the podium. The Paralympics also brought great success for Team USA, which came in fourth with its 115 medal count.
The Team USA Awards, created in 1974 as the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year awards, allows Olympic and Paralympic athletes to celebrate these accomplishments after the games.
Additionally, the show also honored athletes past and present who were not in attendance. Twenty three-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, who won the Male Athlete of the Olympic Games, appeared on video to accept the award and congratulated his Team USA teammates.
Muhammad Ali was also honored with the first ever Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award. Ali’s wife accepted on the late boxer’s behalf and spoke about how the spirit of competition at the Olympics embodied her husband’s values.
Ali won gold in the 1960 Olympic games in Rome – his first time out of the country his wife said – and he gained international fame as result of the accomplishment.
Owens’ granddaughter and great grandson presented the award. Owens won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, countering Hitler’s pro-Aryan propaganda. However, after the games, Owens and 17 other black athletes were not invited to the White House to be honored for their accomplishments.
Some relatives of these athletes were in attendance at the event and invited to the current Team USA’s trip to the White House Thursday.
The show will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network on Oct. 4.
Contributing: Danielle Hewitt
