Incredible Gold-Medal Streaks on the Line in Rio

The South Korean women's archery team will go for its eighth straight gold medal in Rio.

Um, what?

To even compete in multiple Olympics is incredible. To win gold at all is incredible, to win three in a row even more so. So, for a team or individual to take home three or more consecutive golds, there might not even be a word for that.  

Needless to say, it's a rare combination of longevity and brilliance that leads to such Olympic gold medal streaks. 

Several teams and athletes are sitting on back-to-back golds and will go for their third straight in Rio, but even fewer will go for their fourth or greater consecutive win.

Keep an eye on these gold medal streaks in August. History is on the line.

Medal information courtesy of Sports Reference/Olympic Sports. 

There are several notable examples of teams or individuals going for their third consecutive gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Rio, including (but not necessarily limited to):

• U.S. men's basketball
• Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay events
• American shooter Vincent Hancock
• New Zealand shot putter Valerie Adams
• Dutch women's field hockey team
• German men's field hockey team
• U.S. women's eights rowing crew
• Chinese table tennis teams, men and women 

Going for: Four straight

American beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings will return to the Olympic Games in Rio without her familiar partner, Misty May-Treanor. Together, the two won three consecutive gold medals dating back to 2004 in Athens.

Walsh will go for her fourth alongside new partner April Ross. In July, the pair took silver at the FIVB Gstaad Major in Switzerland, losing to Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca of Brazil.

According to Avery Stone of USA Today, if the duo is able to achieve gold despite its slight underdog status, Walsh would become the "first beach volleyball player to win four consecutive gold medals since the sport made its Olympic debut in 1996."

Going for: Four straight

Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho has won Olympic gold in the women's middleweight freestyle category every year it has been a part of the Olympics since 2004.

And her overall dominance is just unreal. According to BBC Sport, Icho lost her first match since 2003 when Orkhon Purevdorj of Mongolia defeated her in January. That streak lasted 189 matches and 13 years.

On the loss, Japan national team director Kazuhito Sakae said, per BBC Sport, "There's enough time to put things right. I'm relieved it wasn't the Olympics. I believe she can win her fourth-straight Olympic title."

Going for: Four straight

Like Icho, Japanese wrestler Saori Yoshida has also won the past three Olympic gold medals. Her dominance has come in the lightweight freestyle category.

According to the Associated Press (via nbcolympics.com), Yoshida is the "most decorated athlete in the history of freestyle wrestling."

In 2015, Yoshida reflected on the 2012 Olympics in London. Per Olympic.org, she said, "London was the Olympics that I was most nervous about. From coming into the venue and stepping on to the mat, people were supporting with 'Saori' banners and waving the Japanese flag, so even though it was London, I felt much more like fighting at home that way, which was really inspiring."

Going for: Four straight

The U.S. women's soccer team has won three consecutive Olympic gold medals. The streak started in Athens in 2004 and could continue and expand to four golds if the U.S. women can bring it home in Rio.

The roster will consist of seven Olympic gold medalists as well as 14 players from the 2015 World Cup title team. Big names Carli Lloyd, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan will all be there.

Lloyd—World Cup hat trick hero—said, per the Associated Press (via USA Today), "There is nothing I want more than to win again. I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. I know there are loads of people out there saying that no team that has won a World Cup has gone on to win in the Olympics. I would love nothing more than to prove them wrong. It would be another dream come true."

Going for: Four straight

No surprise here that Michael Phelps made the list.

The American swimming legend will compete in his fifth Olympic Games in Rio—already an incredible achievement. He has won 18 Olympic gold medals in total, including those famous eight in Beijing in 2008.

There are two individual events, however, that Phelps has won in three straight Olympics, dating back to Athens in 2004: the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley. He will compete in those events along with the 200-meter butterfly in Rio.

Phelps has also been part of the 4x100-meter medley relay team that has won three straight Olympic golds, but TBD on if he'll swim as part of a relay team in Rio, according to Jake Lourim of the Baltimore Sun.

Phelps has also won at least three gold medals at the past three Olympic Games. Streaks on streaks.

(Maybe) Going for: Five straight

The Russian synchronized swimming team has dominated the Summer Olympics, winning gold every year since 2000 in Sydney.

In 2012, Zhang Xiaolei, coach of the silver medal Chinese team, said, "We are still some distance from Russia. They will be our targets in the future for a long while. Maybe gold will be our long-term aim. Russia is our motivation," per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

And yet, this one comes with a caveat. Due to a report from the World Anti-Doping Agency that found compelling evidence of state-sponsored doping in Russia, it's possible all Russian athletes could be banned from competition in Rio. 

In addition, 68 Russian track and field athletes lost an appeal to overturn their ban—a move Patrick Reevell of ABC News wrote "potentially removes the last major legal obstacle" to banning the entire Russian contingent. 

Stay tuned. 

Going for: Six straight

Yes, the U.S. men's basketball team has won two straight golds, but the women have won five. They will shoot for their sixth consecutive Summer Olympic gold in Rio.

The team is coached by the legendary Geno Auriemma of UConn, and the roster includes WNBA stars and three-time Olympic champions Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings and Diana Taurasi.  

According to the Associated Press (via nbcolympics.com), the U.S. team has won 41 straight games in Olympic competition throughout their incredible medal streak, dating all the way back to 1992. In that time, they have won by an average margin of almost 30 points per game.

Bird said, per the AP, "Training time is always our biggest challenge. When you get to the medal rounds it's one and done, but we have a lot of experience in those games and look to continue our recent success."

Going for: Six straight

The Team USA women have won five straight gold medals in the 4x400-meter relay event dating back to Atlanta in 1996.

Allyson Felix was part of two of those teams—in 2008 and 2012—and she won the 400-meter qualifying event in early July with a time of 49.68 seconds.

Francena McCorory—who was part of four straight 4x400 gold medal performances at either the Olympics or outdoor world championships—failed to qualify in the individual 400-meter event, but she was added to the pool of runners who can compete for a relay spot, according to teamusa.org.

Going for: Eight straight

The women's South Korean Olympic archery team has won an astonishing seven straight gold medals at the Summer Olympic Games, dating all the way back to Seoul in 1988.  

Archer and 2012 individual gold medalist Ki Bo-bae said, per Reuters (via the Indian Express):

Previous Korean archery teams have left a legacy with their great achievements and for many South Koreans when they think of the Olympics they remember how successful our archers have been. So there is a bit of pressure weighing on our shoulders in that regard. But we have to think positive and the only way to overcome that pressure is through training.