Road To Rio: Quest For A 6th Straight Gold Medal Firmly In USA’s Sights


NEW YORK, NY — It’s real now.

After years of preparation and with the roster officially being announced as part of the 100 Days Countdown to Rio, the USA’s historic quest for a sixth straight gold medal is starting to become tangible.

“Being 100 days out kind of makes it real,” said Maya Moore, who is looking for her second gold this summer. “It’s not just this idea of the 2016 Olympics, it’s like ‘wow, we are really getting close.’ Just being together like we have been for the last day, running around doing some things off the court around the Olympics, that make us more excited and anxious to get going together.”

Excitement was in the air on Wednesday in New York City as the 2016 U.S Olympic Women’s Basketball Team was unveiled live on NBC in the morning.

From there, eight members of the team participated in a number of different activities for fans and media right in Times Square.

They met other Olympians.

They were greeted by the First Lady, Michelle Obama.

They held a basketball clinic with kids in attendance.

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And, of course, they took selfies.

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Even for the seasoned vets like Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird, who along with Diana Taurasi will be vying for a fourth gold medal, a monumental day like this is still significant.

“Because of the WNBA season, we don’t necessarily get to participate in these events. I can’t really remember a time when we did,” Bird said. “So, to have the team named on this day, a hundred days out, in Times Square, the First Lady, all the other athletes, it’s pretty cool. There’s definitely a buzz and a vibe here that WNBA players — just by nature of our season — we don’t always get to feel.”