Olympic Roundup: Team USA Takes the Medal Count Lead Thanks to Swimming Dominance

Americans took the medal lead Monday at the 2016 Summer Olympics as they won two gold medals as well as six medals in four finals. Here's a look at the most important stories out of the Olympics for marketers: Medal Count: Swimmers Put Team USA on Top Coming out of the Olympics' opening weekend tied with China for most golds, Team USA surged ahead on Monday thanks largely to the incredible performance of swimmers including several first-time Olympians. (SB Nation) At the end of Monday, here's how the medal count leaderboard was looking: 1. United States: 19 2. China: 13 3. Australia: 7 4. Italy: 9 5. Japan: 10 Team USA Continues to Rule the Pool Michael Phelps on Monday qualified for the final in the men's 200-meter butterfly for the fifth consecutive Olympics. In addition, a U.S. gold medal streak for the 100-meter backstroke that dates back to the 1996 Atlanta Games continued with Ryan Murphy, an Olympic rookie, reaching a new Olympic record. (NBC News) Lilly King Defeats Russian Rival Who Dodged Doping Suspension American Lilly King won the gold in the 100-meter breaststroke Monday, holding off Russia's Yulia Efimova. Efimova, who faced a 16-month suspension and then again tested positive for meldonium, appealed the decision and won. King had been openly critical of Efimova and had even shaken her finger at the camera to mock Efimova's "No. 1" gesture to the crowd. (ESPN) Kohei Uchimura Leads Japan to Gymnastics Gold, Dethroning China Japan and China have long had a rivalry when it comes to Olympics gymnastics. On Monday, Japan, whose team includes Kohei Uchimura, the world's best gymnast, beat Russia and China. (The New York Times) Leslie Jones Joins NBC Olympics as a Contributor Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones is going to Rio. Jones had been providing play-by-plays as she recorded herself watching events on her TV and laptop, but now she is joining NBC Olympics as an official contributor. (Adweek) Why Ralph Lauren's Team USA Uniforms Are Such a Marketing Coup When Team USA released a photo on Twitter last week of its 2016 Summer Olympics uniforms, some said the Navy blazer, closed over the red, blue and white-striped crew neck beneath, designed by Ralph Lauren, looked like the Russian Federation's flag. However, scoring the contract to design the team's uniforms is one of the best gigs a brand can get, and there are 21 countries who use those colors. (Adweek) Here Are the 11 Olympic Sports That Viewers Are Most Excited to Watch Data from Mindshare shows that 75 percent of polled adults plan on watching the Rio Games. The sports people are most likely to watch are: gymnastics, swimming, other water sports (diving, rowing, etc…), track and field, volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis, combat sports, weightlifting and rugby. (Adweek) Nike's Latest Ad Stars Chris Mosier, the First Transgender Athlete on a U.S. National Team Nike rolled out a new 30-second spot Monday night featuring Chris Mosier, the first transgender athlete to make a U.S. national team. The spot, created by Widen + Kennedy in Portland, is part of the brand's series highlighting "everyday athletes and the champion athletes who regularly push their limits." (Adweek)

Brand Marketing

Olympic Roundup: Team USA Takes the Medal Count Lead Thanks to Swimming Dominance

Lilly King and Ryan Murphy win gold

Tim Sohn

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Tim Sohn