In just 81 days, Emma Hayes took the USWNT back to glory. While the team was happy to win their first Olympic gold in 12 years, Hayes received no medals. Now there has been chatter about whether coaches should receive medals at the Olympics for years, but nothing has changed on that front. While the Olympics may not recognize coaches for their guidance, the players never forget!

Back in 2008, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee introduced this cool alternative for coaches – the Order of Ikkos! This shiny piece of recognition is given by Team USA athletes who have bagged medals to honor a coach or mentor who played a huge role in their success.

If you have still not guessed it yet, that’s exactly what Emma Hayes just received from her players! The former Chelsea boss proudly shared a picture of her new medal hanging with her other hard-earned bling on Instagram and captioned it simply: “It’s finally up.” How awesome is that?

It is a medal that carries huge significance. It is named after Ikkos of Tarentum, who was the very first Olympic coach ever recorded in Ancient Greece. There have been some pretty special moments when this medal has been handed out—like when Michael Phelps surprised his mom with one. And then there’s USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, who gave her husband Nic Taylor this medal too. But an Olympic medalist is allowed to present only one Order of Ikkos.

The Order of Ikkos is usually presented in a ceremony at Team USA House, which is a location exclusively for US athletes to rest while the Games are going on. Now, just like the Olympic medals are carefully crafted and unique to each season, so are the Order of Ikkos medals. Sure, it might not be an Olympic gold, but Emma Hayes doesn’t seem to mind at all.

Emma Hayes fulfilled her father’s biggest dream! Olympic glory!

For the manager, coaching USWNT to Olympic glory was not just about her career. It was so much more than that. It was about her late dad, Sid, who always dreamed of seeing his daughter coach an Olympic team.

But you know what’s interesting? In 2012, when Hayes was on a two-year sabbatical from soccer, she sat in front of the television, contemplating her future in the sport. Beside her sat her father, and they were watching the very team she coaches now. She watched the USWNT defeat the reigning world champions Japan 2-1 in front of an 80,203 audience at Wembley Stadium.

In the next 12 years that followed, Hayes won 16 major titles. But last November, when she received a call to become the new head coach for USWNT ahead of the Olympics, she grabbed the opportunity.

Right before the 2024 Paris Olympics started, she said, “Personally for me, this is such an honor. I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a little girl. To be leading the United States team out to our first Olympic Games together is something I don’t think I can put into words.”

Unfortunately, her father died before he could witness her Olympic success. He passed away in September 2023.

As Emma Hayes stepped into her new role at USWNT, people still had doubts about her. She was coming in with just about two months left for the Olympics. But guess what? The 47-year-old proved all those naysayers wrong! That’s gotta feel even sweeter than any trophy out there, don’t you think?