Coming out of the weekend, Team USA continues to have more 2016 medals (69) than any other country at the Summer Olympics in Rio. Here's what marketers need to know about the last 24 hours of the Olympics:
Medal Count: Team USA Leads, but Great Britain Surges
With nearly twice as many golds as the two countries tied for second (26 to China and Great Britain's 15), Team USA continues to dominate the Rio leaderboard. All told, the U.S. has 69 medals, with China coming in second at 45. But it's Great Britain who put on the best show this weekend, adding an astounding five golds and three silvers and vaulting up the chart. (SB Nation)
Here's the total medal leaderboard as it stood going into Monday:
United States: 69
China: 45
Great Britain: 38
Russia: 30
Japan: 26
Usain Bolt Remains the Fastest Man Alive
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is still the fastest man on the planet. Bolt defeated American Justin Gatlin Sunday in the 100-meter dash Olympic final, marking the famed sprinter's third consecutive 100-meter gold since 2008. (BBC)
Simone Biles Continues Her World Domination With Third Gold Medal
U.S. gymnast Simone Biles continued her winning streak on Sunday, earning her third gold medal—this time for the vault, her signature event. Biles is the first American woman to get the gold on vault. (The Huffington Post)
Gabby Douglas Calls Social Media Critics 'Hurtful' After Ending Olympic Career
U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas teared up after finishing her last routine of her Olympic career. Douglas faced much criticism on social media during the Rio games, with negative comments ranging from her appearance to her performance. "I tried to stay off the internet because there's just so much negativity," she said. "Either it was about my hair or my hand not over my heart [on the medal podium] or I look depressed. ... It was hurtful. It was hurtful. It was. It's been kind of a lot to deal with," she said. (ESPN)
U.S. Men's Basketball Hangs on, Defeating France
Sunday U.S. men's basketball defeated France in a nail-biting 100-97 showdown. The U.S. is now the top seed in Group A, with a 5-0 record. (USA Today)
Russia's Darya Klishina Has Ban Overturned
Russian Darya Klishina will compete in the women's long jump Tuesday after winning an appeal of her Olympic ban. Klishina was initially stopped after allegations Russia ran a state-sponsored doping program. (BBC)
NBC's Tape-Delayed Olympic Coverage Not Keeping Up With Times
NBC viewers are frustrated by recorded and delayed Olympic games broadcasts. Rio is just one hour ahead of the Eastern time zone, and some are wondering why they have to wait until night time to watch afternoon competitions. (The Seattle Times)
Heineken Says Olympic Sponsorship is Too Crowded to Be Valuable
Heineken, the world's third-largest brewer, told the International Olympic Committee it doesn't differentiate sponsorships enough to let bigger sponsors stand out. "You can't see the difference between a global sponsor and a local one," said Hans Erik Tuijt, head of global sponsorship at Heineken. (New Zealand Herald)
Getty Uses Underwater Robots and VR to Create Images That Stand Out
Getty is using a plethora of camera technology to shoot different angles at the Rio Olympics. The stock photo agency is using underwater cameras for swimming coverage, overhead robot cameras to cover gymnastics and 360-degree cameras for immersive photography to be used for virtual reality. (Recode)
Amid Ad Backlash, Innovation Proves Its Worth
Social media tracking firm Networked Insights looked at 81,000 consumer conversations about the Olympics online and found that 11 percent focused on complaints that broadcasts had too many commercials. From 2012 to 2016, consumers have less of a tolerance for invasive advertising, and brands are focusing more on precise ad targeting and cross-platform capabilities. (MediaPost)