Team USA topped the Rio medal count, and a big chunk of that was thanks to Team DMV. Athletes from the D.C. area raked in several gold, silver and bronze medals for the U.S.
Big names like Katie Ledecky, Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps made headlines and nabbed medals.
Local Swimming Medal Count: 12 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze*
Maryland and Virginia swimmers made a splash at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Bethesda's Katie Ledecky, who made headlines after her races at the 2012 London Games, won four gold medals in Rio, smashed her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle and broke an Olympic record in the 800m freestyle during the preliminary heats. Additionally, Ledecky anchored the silver medal 4x100-meter freestyle relay and the gold medal 4x200-meter freestyle relay. In her last event, Ledecky crushed her own world record in the 800-meter freestyle.
Baltimore native Michael Phelps -- the most decorated Olympian of all time -- claimed five gold medals at his fifth (and final, he told NBC Olympics) Olympic Games. After his 200-meter individual medley win alongside teammate and the event's world record holder Ryan Lochte, Phelps had the chance at two more Rio medals. In his last individual race, Phelps took home silver in the 100-meter butterfly. He ended on a high note Saturday, swimming the fly leg of the gold 4x100-meter medley relay, which set an Olympic Record. Catch his final medal ceremony here.
Aside from the well-known Maryland athletes, four others have added to Team USA's medal count.
Leah Smith, who went to the University of Virginia, swam alongside Ledecky in her record-breaking 400-meter freestyle race and claimed bronze behind Great Britain's Jazmin Carlin with at time of 4:01.92. She also swam the second leg of last Wednesday night's gold-winning 4x200-meter freestyle relay. She was back in the pool with Ledecky Friday night for the final 800-meter freestyle race, where she came in sixth.
Richmond's Townley Haas and Rockville's Jack Conger made their first Olympic appearances in Rio. Haas placed fifth in the 200-meter freestyle final. Together, the two swam in the preliminary 4x200-meter freestyle relay, qualifying the team for finals, where the men won gold. However, Conger did not swim in the final event.
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Chase Kalisz, the 22-year-old Olympian from Bel Air, Maryland, took home a silver medal after his performance in the 400-meter individual medley. Japan's Kosuke Hagino just out touched Kalisz, claiming gold.
[NATL] Day 5: Highlights From the Rio Olympics
Local Track and Field Medal Count: 2 Gold, 2 Bronze
Matthew Centrowitz of Annapolis, Maryland, whose father was a two-time Olympics and coaches at American University, became the first man to win the 1500 meters for the U.S. since 1908. He finished fourth at the 2012 London Games.
Returning to the Games after a hamstring injury at the London Games, LaShawn Merritt of Portsmouth, Virginia brought home a bronze medal in the 400-meter and placed sixth in the 200-meter final.
Merritt then anchored the 4x400-meter relay to gold Saturday. David Verburg, who ran at George Mason University, helped the U.S. men qualify in second Friday.
Virginia Tech graduate Kristi Castlin took bronze Wednesday night after the 100-meter hurdles final. Team USA dominated the medal podium as Brianna Rollins took gold and Nia Ali took silver in the event. The race was the first sweep of an event by American women ever, NBC Olympics reported.
Local Gymnastics Medal Count: 1 Gold
In the Rio Olympic Arena, Virginia Beach native Gabby Douglas -- who became a household name after her accomplishments in the 2012 London Games -- helped the powerhouse Final Five on their quest for another team gold Tuesday.
Local Basketball Medal Count: 2 Gold
Both U.S. basketball teams won gold at the Rio Games.
The men defeated Serbia 96-66 on Sunday to win its third straight Olympic gold medal in men's basketball. Kevin Durant of D.C. led the U.S. with 30 points. Carmelo Anthony of Baltimore also picked up his third gold to go with a bronze, becoming the most decorated man in Olympic basketball history.
The U.S. women's basketball team, featuring Angel McCoughtry of Baltimore, routed Spain 101-72 for its sixth straight Olympic gold medal. The squad is one gold away from tying the U.S. men's basketball team's seven consecutive golds between 1936 and 1968.
Local Boxing Medal Count: 1 Silver
Local Volleyball Medal Count: 1 Bronze
Aaron Russell, from Ellicott City, Maryland, got a bronze medal when the U.S. men's volleyball's team came from behind to win against Russia.
Local Wrestling Medal Count: 2 Gold
Former Our Lady of Good Counsel High School wrestler Kyle Snyder became the youngest ever U.S. athlete to win freestyle gold. The 97-kilogram gold medal match against Khetag Gazyumov, of Azerbaijan, was tightly contested down to the final seconds.
Rockville native Helen Maroulis snagged a gold medal Thursday afternoon in the 53 kilogram category of the women's freestyle final. The Magruder High School graduate, now 24, defeated Saori Yoshida of Japan in the gold medal match.
Local Shooting Medal Count: 1 Gold
Hailing from Springfield, Virginia, 19-year-old Ginny Thrasher won the first gold medal awarded at the Rio Games. The shooting star, who's a rising sophomore at West Virginia University, claimed gold in the 10-meter air rifle final. Thrasher competed again Thursday morning, but did not qualify for the final in the women's 50-meter three-positions rifle competition.
*NBC Washington's medal count includes local athletes who won an Olympic medal. In the official Olympic medal count, relay teams, including the men's and women's 4x200-meter freestyle relays that Haas, Conger, Smith and Ledecky were on, are only counted as one medal for the country.
