The summer games of the 31st Olympiad have wrapped up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 11,303 athletes from 207 recognized nations or organizations competed in 306 different events across 28 different sports. While Cascadia is not (yet) a recognized nation participating in the Olympics, 103 Cascadian athletes competed in these summer games, almost all of which represented team Canada or team USA.
Thanks to Reddit user SeattleDave0, you can read a full overview of how team Cascadia did. In this article, we’ll highlight Cascadia’s medalists and medal total compared to other recognized nations.
Cascadian Gold Medals
Ashton Eaton – Track & Field
Event: Decathlon – “World’s Greatest Athlete”
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Portland, OR
Nathan Adrian – Swimming
Events: 4×100 Freestyle Relay, 4×100 Medley Relay
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Bremerton, WA
Kristin Armstrong – Cycling
Event: Time Trial
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Boise, ID (born in Memphis, TN)
Sue Bird – Basketball
Event: Team Tournament
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Seattle, WA (born in Syosset, NY)
Matthew Centrowitz, Jr. – Track & Field
Event: 1,500m
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Eugene, OR (born in Beltsville, MD)
Ryan Crouser – Track & Field
Event: Shot Put
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Boring, OR
Cascadian Silver Medalists
Paul Chelimo – Track & Field
Event: 5,000m
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Beaverton, OR (born in Iten, KEN)
Lindsay Jennerich & Patricia Obee – Rowing
Event: Lightweight Double Sculls
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometown (both): Victoria, BC
Travis Stevens – Judo
Event: 81kg
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Cascadian Bronze Medalists
Nathan Adrian – Swimming
Events: 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Bremerton, WA
Hilary Caldwell – Swimming
Event: 200m Backstroke
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometown: White Rock, BC (born in London, ON)
Jasmin Glaesser, Georgia Simmerling, & Laura Brown – Cycling
Event: Team Pursuit
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometown (all): Vancouver, BC (Glaesser born in Paderborn, GER; Brown born in Calgary, AB)
Kimberly Hill & Courtney Thompson – Indoor Volleyball
Event: Team Tournament
Recognized Team: USA
Hometowns: Portland, OR & Kent, WA (born in Bellevue, WA)
Kayla Moleschi – Rugby
Event: Team Tournament
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometown: Williams Lake, BC
Catharine Pendrel – Cycling
Event: Mountain Bike Cross Country
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometown: Kamloops, BC (born in Fredericton, NB)
Galen Rupp – Track & Field
Event: Marathon
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Portland, OR
Sophie Schmidt & Christine Sinclair – Soccer
Event: Team Tournament
Recognized Team: CAN
Hometowns: Abbotsford, BC (born in Winnipeg, MB) & Burnaby, BC
Mariel Zagunis – Fencing
Event: Team Sabre
Recognized Team: USA
Hometown: Portland, OR
Cascadian Medal Count
Cascadian athletes earned 7 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals for a total of 20 medals won. If we were to attribute medals to a hypothetical recognized Cascadian team, using only medals from individuals or from teams which were entirely Cascadian, Cascadia would have earned 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals for a total of 12 medals won. This would have put Cascadia in 22nd place in terms of total medals.
For a hypothetical nation of just over 18 million people, which would be ranked about 62nd in the world, we’re already punching above our weight. Imagine what a united Cascadian Olympic team with a dedicated organization could do.
One day, we’ll see the Doug Flag rise slowly while our anthem plays and our athletes celebrate victory. But, for now, we cheer on our fellow Cascadians regardless of which team they play for and congratulate this year’s medalists.
On to PyeongChang 2018!
Interested in learning more about Cascadia? You can buy your copy of Towards Cascadia today:
Towards Cascadia 