While the U.S. women’s national soccer team was securing one of the biggest team-sports wins of the 2012 Summer Olympics on Thursday, another team of American women — the U.S. women’s water polo squad — earned the nation’s first gold medal in the pool in their event.

The U.S. topped Spain, 8-5, in the gold medal match on Thursday, scoring four goals in a four-minute stretch in the second quarter to go up for good. They held Spain to just five scores on 28 shots.

Maggie Steffens, only 19 years old, scored five goals on five shots and added an assist to lead the U.S. to its first gold, and third medal overall, in women’s water polo. The U.S. women missed the medal stand when the sport made its Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000; in the three competitions since, the program has gone from bronze in Athens to silver in Beijing to gold in London.

The only other gold medal for the U.S. in water polo came from the men’s team — in 1904, when only American teams competed in the event.

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On a rollicking night when England’s sporting cathedral swelled with their relentlessness, the USA women’s soccer team didn’t simply gain revenge.

They clutched it. They wore it. They owned it.

One goal bounced from Carli Lloyd’s head as she flew, and another soared off her orange-booted right foot as she sprinted. Countless stops soaked through Abby Wambach’s headband as she muscled through every minute. All but one attack died at the end of the long green sleeves of Hope Solo, her leaping saves occasionally knocking the ball halfway to France.

It was redemption for nearly two hours and then, after a 2-1 victory over Japan on Thursday in the Olympic gold-medal game here, it was exhausted relief. A year after blowing two leads in losing to Japan in the World Cup championship game, the USA women’s soccer team was once again the best on the planet, and they wept at the power of it all.
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Lolo Jones finished fourth in her race on Tuesday. Though the U.S. won silver and bronze in the 100m hurdles, the “Today” show chose to bring Jones on the set Wednesday morning.

After saying she was “crushed” by the result of the final, she broke down in tears during the interview when asked about “all she’s been dealing with,” including an unflattering write-up about Jones in the New York Times.

“I think it was crazy just because it was two days before I competed, and then the fact that it was from a U.S. media,” Jones told Savannah Guthrie before fighting back tears. “They should be supporting our U.S. Olympic athletes and instead they just ripped me to shreds. I just thought that that was crazy because I worked six days a week, every day, for four years for a 12-second race and the fact that they just tore me apart, which is heartbreaking.

“They didn’t even do their research, calling me the Anna Kournikova of track. I have the American record. I am the American record holder indoors, I have two world indoor titles. Just because I don’t boast about these things, I don’t think I should be ripped apart by media. I laid it out there, fought hard for my country and it’s just a shame that I have to deal with so much backlash when I’m already so brokenhearted as it is.”

Jones is right that the New York Times went too far in the article. She is a more accomplished athlete than it gave her credit for. However, it is not the job of the media to support athletes. It is the job of the media to cover the sport, both good and bad. She had no problem posing for magazine covers and doing interviews to promote herself before the Olympics. She can’t be angry now when she has less than golden results.

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Sanya Richards-Ross already knows she’ll head home to the United States with at least one gold medal — the one she won in the 400 meters.

And Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s luggage will be a little heavier on her way back to Jamaica, thanks to her Olympic title in the 100.

Nothing wrong with wanting to add something extra from the 200 meters on Wednesday night, too, even if Richards-Ross insists she isn’t stressing out about finishing first in another track final at the London Games.

“This is gravy. Definitely gravy. I don’t feel any pressure when I come out here. This is just a lot of fun for me,” Richards-Ross said after running hard to the end and outleaning Fraser-Pryce to win their 200 semifinal heat in 22.30 seconds on Tuesday night, setting up a showdown for the gold.

“I really, really want to grab a medal,” Richards-Ross added, “but either way, I’m still an Olympic champion.”

Call this race the bonus round.

An impressive field will line up to decide the 200, including two-time defending champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica, two-time runner-up Allyson Felix of the U.S., and 100 silver medalist Carmelita Jeter of the U.S.

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For the first time in the history of the Olympics, women boxers will be a part of the 2012 London Olympics. And India’s golden girl, MC Mary Kom, a five-time World Champion title holder, is ready to face the big challenge.

“To be participating in the Olympics is a matter of great pride,” says Mary, adding, “The introduction of women’s boxing in the Olympics has opened up new opportunities for young women boxers all over the globe. And though I’ve won the World Championship title five times, this will be a great chance to for me to prove myself.”

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