TOKYO, Japan — Sue Bird capped off her unblemished 17-year Olympics run with a record fifth gold medal. All she and longtime U.S. teammate Diana Taurasi have done on the international stage is win and now stand alone with five gold medals — the first basketball players ever to accomplish that feat — after a 90-75 win over Japan on Sunday at the Tokyo Games.
The U.S. has now won the last seven Olympic gold medals matching the country’s men’s program for the most ever in a row. The men did it from 1936-68.
"I mean, I couldn't have asked for a better ending," said Bird after the game. "I feel so proud that I've been able to wear this uniform as long as I have."
Bird, 40, is the oldest Olympic gold medalist in basketball, and one of the most decorated athletes in Seattle sports history.
Drafted to the Seattle Storm in 2002, Bird has led the team to four WNBA championships. She also holds four World Championship gold medals, as well as one bronze, and is now a five-time Olympic gold medalist.
Entering the Tokyo games, and now as it concludes, Bird is the most decorated FIBA World Cup athlete in history, male or female.
Bird got engaged to her partner, and Seattle soccer star, Megan Rapinoe, in 2020. The couple became the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue in 2018.
Rapinoe was on the sidelines during Bird’s gold medal game.
“I was determined to come watch this game, no matter what,” said Rapinoe.
When asked what inspires Rapinoe about Bird?
“I mean, everything,” laughed Rapinoe. “Just the way she goes about her business, the person that she is, the leader that she is… She plays with a sense of joy… She makes everyone better on and off the court,” Rapinoe continued.
Rapinoe and Bird shared a sweet moment after Bird's Olympic win.