South Carolina alum Natasha Hastings, WBB coach Dawn Staley celebrate Olympic gold in Rio

As the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero begin to wind down (the closing ceremony is tomorrow night!), track and field, along with basketball, take center stage as the final medals are handed out in those events. While the Gamecocks haven’t figured into the count as much as other schools have (UGA), two of their own will be bringing home gold.

This afternoon, the United States women’s basketball team, with Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley as part of the staff, dropped Spain 101-72 to win their sixth straight gold and ninth overall. The U.S. came in as a heavy favorite and was barely challenged throughout the tournament.

For Staley, it is her fifth Olympic gold medal - three as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and two as an assistant (2008, 2016).

Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Meanwhile, in the women’s 4x400 relay, Natasha Hastings and the United States won gold for the sixth straight time. Hastings, the former Gamecocks track and field standout, was part of the 2008 4x400 team that took home gold in Beijing.

We also can’t forget about Sabrina D’Angelo, whose Canadian women’s soccer team won bronze a few days ago by virtue of their 2-1 win over Brazil. D’Angelo was in net in a group stage win over Zimbabwe early in the tournament.

Congratulations to these ladies for their hard work over the past few weeks!