20 Things We Learned About Team USA Last Week

Sam Mikulak (C) prepares for his meet with member's of the U.S. men's gymnastics team at U.S. Gymnastics Championships on Aug. 18, 2018 in Boston.

World teams were named in basketball, gymnastics and weightlifting. One world team continued its unbeaten streak. A gold medalist got engaged. Two other medalists were selected for a Hall of Fame. And, of course, much, much more. Get caught up on what you missed.

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1.  Who's on the roster? Olympic medalist and world champion Sarah Robles, world medalist Harrison Maurus, world medalist Mattie Rogers, Olympian Jenny Arthur, junior and youth world champion CJ Cummings, and 15 other talented athletes.

2. Amber Neben has overcome spinal meningitis, meningitis, a broken hip, cracked ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Yet she's still going strong. Two years ago the road cyclist won her second world title and became the second-oldest woman to win the time trial gold medal. At 43, she's aiming for a third.

3. Every Tuesday, we’re getting you ready for the next Olympic Games. In this past week’s edition of #Tokyo2020Tuesday, we talk about the history of the Japanese sport of judo. Japan still dominates the all-time medal count, but Team USA has some momentum. In 2012, the U.S. judo team gained its first gold medal and repeated in 2016. 2020, here we come!

4. The future is bright for USA Surfing. Caitlin Simmers is one of the top surfers in the world, and she is only 12 years old. She scored three perfect 10s for the first time in history at this year’s National Scholastic Surfing Association’s nationals, and there’s no sign that she’s slowing down.

5. Congratulations to six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller and two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht! The two will be been inducted into the U.S Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

6. Ice dancers Maia and Alex Shibutanis came to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to host the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Assembly Awards Dinner, and honestly, this better be the first of many hosting opportunities.

7. Last week also saw the United States Olympic Committee announce its plans to increase the payout for Paralympic medals to match that of Olympic medals, beginning retroactively with the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

"I’m thrilled that we’ve brought parity and equality to our Operation Gold program and we're eager to continue to build on Team USA’s success in PyeongChang," said USOC CEO Sarah Hirshland

8. The reaction from Team USA was immediate.

9. The rivalry between the University of North Carolina and Duke is one that has existed for ages, and it has a Team USA twist. The UNC women’s field hockey team is currently ranked number one in the country and Duke number four – and there are three members of Team USA between the two. Get ready as the major star power collides multiple times this season.

10. This next news had us jumping for joy (corny, we know). The U.S. jumping team won the world equestrian title for the first time in 32 years, and in doing so, it also qualified for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020!

11. 2018 Olympic figure skating medalist Bradie Tennell kicked off the new season with a gold-medal finish at the Autumn Classic. She not only won the gold, but also finished with a personal best. Next up is the beginning of grand prix competition at Skate America in October.

12. The U.S. Para-equestrian team has not medaled at an Olympic Games since 2004, but it's looking like that could change come 2020. The U.S. team won four world medals this weekend, which marked the first in the program's history.

13. USA Gymnastics is heading to worlds, and now we know which men will be there representing the red, white and blue. San Mikulak, Yul Moldauer, Akash Modi, Colin Van Wicklen and Alec Yoder will travel to worlds in Doha, Qatar. It's a big opportunity for the men's team, as Mikulak is the only member of the selected team who has prior Olympic experience.

14. USA Swimming’s Missy Franklin now has five golds and a diamond. She announced her engagement to former fellow swimmer Hayes Johnson over the weekend. Franklin won four golds at the Olympic Games London 2012 and added another at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

15. Whether it's on the beach or on the court, the men's team or the women's, it seems like no one can stop USA Volleyball. The U.S. men's indoor volleyball team is currently 8-0 and onto the third round of FIVB World Championship. The men haven't won the tournament since 1986, so keep a lookout.

16. Tiger Woods is BACK! He won the PGA Tour Championship for his first tournament win in five years.

17. And the Internet responded accordingly to the return of one of the greatest golfers of all time.

18. The U.S. women’s basketball team is rolling. Led by Olympic gold medalists Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart, the team is 2-0 so far in the the FIBA Women’s World Cup.

19. This is Bird’s fifth World Cup, so she understands that there is going to be a learning curve as the women get used to working as a team.

20. The Concacaf tournament (and World Cup qualification) is right around the corner for the U.S. women's soccer team. Are you ready?