Medalists

The following U.S. competitors won medals at the games. In the by discipline sections below, medalists' names are bolded.

• • Indicates the athlete competed in preliminaries but not the final

Won all medals in one event

• Women's sabre
• Men's 400 m
• Men's 400 m hurdles Won all gold medals in one sport
• Basketball (2 gold)
• Beach volleyball (2 gold) Won gold medals in both men's and women's events
• 100 m backstroke
• 4 × 400 meter relay

Archery

Main article: Archery at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States men's archery team took sixth place at the 2007 World Outdoor Target Championships, earning the nation a full complement of three qualification spots for the Olympic men's competitions. The women's team finished in eleventh place, not qualifying the team. Jennifer Nichols earned a spot via individual qualification in that tournament. Karen Scavotto earned the United States another women's spot by finishing second in the Pan American championship.

The United States announced its Olympic team on May 5, 2008, following a national selection tournament. The women's roster included 2004 Olympian Jennifer Nichols and three-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig, who previously represented the Unified Team (1992) and Georgia (1996 and 2000) at the Olympics. On the men's side, first-time Olympian Brady Ellison joined four-time Olympian Butch Johnson and two-time Olympian Vic Wunderle.

;Men

Athletics (track and field)

Main article: Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials were held in Eugene, Oregon, at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field from June 27 through July 6, 2008. Hayward Field had previously hosted the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1972, 1976 and 1980.

;Key

• Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
• Q = Qualified for the next round
• q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
• NR = National record
• N/A = Round not applicable for the event
• Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round}}

;Men ;Track & road events

;Field events

;Combined events – Decathlon

;Women ;Track & road events

;Field events

;Combined events – Heptathlon

• The athlete who finished in second place, Lyudmila Blonska of Ukraine, tested positive for a banned substance. On August 22, Blonska was stripped of her medal and Hyleas Fountain was upgraded to silver.

Badminton

Main article: Badminton at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States was represented in four out of the five badminton events: men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles and women's doubles. The U.S. had qualified a mixed doubles team, but the Badminton World Federation rescinded the slot. No American has ever medaled in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992, although Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong became the first Americans to reach the quarter-finals.

Baseball

Main article: Baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States earned a qualification spot in baseball by placing in the top two at the 2006 Americas Olympic Qualifying Event. This marked the return of the United States national baseball team to the Olympics after not qualifying in 2004; the United States had appeared in all three of the official baseball tournaments, and nearly all of the exhibition and demonstration events, before then. The American team sought its second gold medal in the sport, but finished winning the bronze.

Baseball was open only to male amateurs in 1992 and 1996. As a result, the Americans and other nations where professional baseball is developed relied on collegiate players, while Cubans used their most experienced veterans, who technically were considered amateurs as they nominally held other jobs, but in fact trained full-time. In 2000, pros were admitted, but the MLB refused to release its players in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and the situation changed only a little: the Cubans still used their best players, while the Americans started using minor leaguers. The IOC cited the absence of the best players as the main reason for baseball being dropped from the Olympic program.

;Summary

;Team roster and tournament statistics USA Baseball named its Olympic roster on July 16, 2008. The Olympic team was made up of professionals not on a Major League Baseball 25-man roster at the time of the tournament, because the MLB once again refused to take an Olympic break. The IOC named that as one of the reasons for removing baseball from the program.

Manager: Davey Johnson, Bob Watson (General Manager)

Coaches: Marcel Lachemann – Pitching Coach, Reggie Smith – Hitting Coach, Rick Eckstein – 3rd Base Coach, Dick Cooke – Auxiliary Coach, Rolando de Armas – Auxiliary Coach.

Pos – Position; GP – Games played; AB – At Bat; R – Runs; H – Hits; HR – Home Runs; RBI – Runs Batted In; TB – Total Bases; BB – Base On Balls; SO – Strikeouts; SB – Stolen Bases; OBP – On-Base Percentage; SLG – Slugging Percentage; BA – Batting Average

GP – Games played; GS – Games Started; W – Wins; L – Losses; SV – Saves; IP – Innings Pitched; H – Hits; R – Runs; HR – Home Runs; SO – Strikeouts; BB – Base On Balls; ERA – Earned Run Average

;Group stage All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8) |}} |}} |}} |}}

|}} |}} |}} ;Preliminary round summary The top four teams advanced to the semifinal round.

;Semifinal |}}

;Bronze medal match |}}

Basketball

Main article: Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States earned qualification spots for both men's and women's basketball by winning the FIBA Americas Championship 2007 and the FIBA Americas Championship for Women 2007.

The women's team successfully defended their 2004 Olympic championship against Australia in the gold medal game for the third consecutive Olympics. The victory allowed Lisa Leslie to join former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players to win four Olympic gold medals. After a disappointing third-place finish in Athens, the men's team adopted the name "Redeem Team". In the gold medal match, they beat 2006 FIBA World Champion Spain to give the U.S. its first gold medal in men's international competition in eight years.

;Summary

Men's tournament

Main article: 2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team

;Roster

;Group play

;Quarterfinals

;Semifinals

;Gold medal match

Women's tournament

Main article: Basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

;Roster

;Group play

;Quarterfinals

;Semifinals

;Gold medal match

Boxing

Main article: Boxing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States qualified nine boxers for the Olympic boxing tournament. Five boxers (Yanez, Warren, Russell, Williams and Andrade) earned their spots at the 2007 World Championships. Ali, Molina and Wilder qualified at the first American qualifying tournament. Estrada was the last American boxer to qualify, doing so at the second American tournament. The United States did not qualify in light heavyweight or super heavyweight classes.

The U.S. boxing team suffered several early setbacks from which it never recovered. Alternate Boyd Melson withdrew with an injury. Before they arrived in Beijing, U.S. boxers were reportedly unhappy with training methods, coaching, and travel restrictions. On August 8, 2008, two-time national champion and bantamweight boxer Gary Russell Jr. forcibly withdrew from the Olympics after collapsing before his weigh-in. Under International Amateur Boxing Federation rules, the U.S. was not permitted to select another boxer to take his place. Reigning flyweight world champion Raushee Warren, America's best hope for gold, lost his opening bout to Lee Ok-Sung of South Korea. In the end, the U.S. left Beijing with one bronze won by Deontay Wilder, its worst performance in Olympic history. The U.S. had previously won a single silver in 1948 and no medals in 1908 and 1980, when it did not send a boxing team. On September 5, 2008, Dan Campbell, the national director of coaching for USA Boxing, resigned.

Canoeing

Main article: Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Slalom

The Augsburg World Cup event on July 6 served as the final selection event for the Canoe-Kayak Slalom team. The United States qualified in all four slalom events and sent five people to compete in the slalom races.

Sprint

The United States qualified in three out of twelve flatwater events and sent two people – one man and one woman – to compete in the flatwater sprint events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The U.S. has not medaled in Olympic flatwater canoe and kayak racing since 1992.

Qualification Legend: QS = Qualify to semi-final; QF = Qualify directly to final

Cycling

Main article: Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Most of the United States' cycling squad was announced on July 1, 2008. The team sent competitors in all four disciplines – BMX, mountain biking, road racing and track racing. The final three members of the team were announced on July 10.

Road

;Men

;Women

Track

;Sprint

;Pursuit

;Keirin

;Omnium

Mountain biking

BMX

Diving

Main article: Diving at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States finalized its nomination process for the Olympic diving squad on July 7, 2008. For the first time since 1996, the U.S. diving team qualified for all individual and synchronized events. It became a major power in the Olympics from 1904 to 2000, winning 47 of 90 gold medals, but left out of the medals for the second consecutive Olympics.

;Men

;Women

Equestrian

Main article: Equestrian at the 2008 Summer Olympics

On July 15, 2008, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) named the rider/horse combinations for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. The horses were shipped to England on July 17, placed under quarantine on July 22, 2008, and shipped to Hong Kong for the Olympic Games on July 30, 2008. Before the start of the games, Heidi White-Carty and her horse Northern Spy withdrew from the U.S. eventing team because of a veterinary issue. Karen O'Connor and her horse Mandiba took their place on the team.

The U.S. successfully defended its gold medal from Athens in the team jumping competition.

;Dressage

;Eventing

- Indicates that points do not count in team total

• Phillip Dutton qualified for the final show jumping event round on 68.2 faults (sixteenth place) and jumped a clear round to move up to twelfth place, but was disqualified because weighted boots worn by his horse exceeded the maximum limit.

;Jumping

• Will Simpson received a qualifying score, but the US already had three other riders in the individual final.

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 United States Olympic Fencing Team was announced on June 11, 2008. After the 1904 Olympics, the United States did not win an Olympic fencing gold medal until 2004. But on the first full day of Olympic competition, Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson and Becca Ward swept the fencing event in women's individual saber; it was the first American sweep of an Olympic fencing event since 1904. The U.S. left Beijing with a total of six medals.

;Men

;Women

Field hockey

Main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics

For the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics, the United States sent a women's field hockey team to the Olympics. The team was announced on July 3 and consisted of 16 women. The men's team failed to qualify for the Beijing games.

;Summary

Women's tournament

Main article: Field hockey at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

;Roster:

;Group play

;7th place match

Soccer (football)

Main article: Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics

The United States earned spots in Beijing for both men's and women's soccer by advancing to the finals of the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournaments in March and April 2008. For the Olympic tournament, the full women's national team and the men's under-23 team (including three players over the age of 23, as per FIFA regulations) participated. The 18-player roster for the 2008 U.S. Olympic women's soccer team was announced on June 23, 2008. In the final match before the Olympics on July 16, the women's team lost leading scorer Abby Wambach after she broke her left leg in a collision with Brazilian defender Andréia Rosa. Lauren Cheney, originally selected as an alternate, replaced Wambach on the roster. The 18-player roster for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men's Soccer Team was announced on July 17, 2008. After aggravating a hamstring injury, defender Nathan Sturgis was replaced by midfielder Dax McCarty on the Olympic roster July 24, 2008.

Despite playing without Wambach and an early first-round loss to Norway, the women's soccer team successfully defended their 2004 gold medal against Brazil in overtime; it was the third gold medal overall for the United States in women's soccer. The team had lost its previous match against Brazil 4–0 in the semifinals of the 2007 Women's World Cup.

;Summary

Men's tournament

Main article: Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament

;Roster

;Group play

Women's tournament

Main article: Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament

;Roster ;Group play

;Quarterfinals ;Semifinals ;Gold medal game

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Artistic

The United States qualified a full complement of six men and six women in artistic gymnastics. Two members of the U.S. men's gymnastics team, Paul Hamm and Jonathan Horton, were named at the conclusion of the Olympic Trials. The rest of the team was announced on Sunday, June 22. Because of the injury of his hand and shoulder, Paul Hamm withdrew from the Olympic team on July 28, 2008, and was replaced by alternate Raj Bhavsar. Additionally, Morgan Hamm withdrew from competition on August 7 because of an ankle injury, being replaced by Alexander Artemev.

Two members of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin, were named at the end of the Olympic Trials on June 22. The remaining members were not named at the Trials, although Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek and Alicia Sacramone were projected to be on the team. This left one spot vacant. The complete team was not announced until the conclusion of the women's selection camp at the Karolyi Camp near Houston, Texas, on July 17.

;Men ;Team

;Individual finals

;Women ;Team

• Due to injury, Chellsie Memmel and Samantha Peszek could only compete on the uneven bars.

** Only two gymnasts per country may advance to a final.

;Individual finals

Trampoline

Two trampolinists competed for the United States in Beijing. Chris Estrada became the first U.S. male in trampoline. Additionally, the United States had representatives in both men's and women's events for the first time. The U.S. has yet to have an athlete advance past the qualification stage.

Judo

Main article: Judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics

USA Judo announced their 2008 U.S. Olympic Team on June 18, 2008, following trials at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven men and three women represented the United States in Judo. On August 13, 2008, Ronda Rousey became the ninth American athlete and the first American woman to win a medal in Olympic Judo.

;Men

;Women