One of the most spotted individuals at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be Dawn Staley. With her camera on, the 2018 National Coach of the Year didn’t miss an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Olympics beyond the basketball roster. She was seen with Tom Brady, Sha’Carri Richardson, and numerous more. But getting a meetup isn’t the reason for Staley to brag.

Instead, it’s the Olympic wins. In a recent episode of A Touch More, Dawn Staley joined hosts Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe to discuss a range of topics around the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It’s great seeing everyone go through the hardship of losing, although I’ve never really felt that in Olympic games, to winning on the platform and just seeing everything in between,” she replied when asked about her experience at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Well, she’s right. Every time Dawn Staley has entered the Olympic turf, she has returned with a gold medal around her neck. Whether as a player or a coach, she ensures to stand atop the podium. To date, she has entered the Olympics as a player three times—in 1996, 2000, and 2004. After that, Staley transitioned to assistant coach for the American national team in 2006.

This paved her path to serve as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Olympics in 2016. Head coach Geno Auriemma, with Staley’s help, led the women’s basketball roster to claim their sixth straight gold medal then. Fast forward to 2020, Staley finally achieved what she had been vying for—her enlistment as Team USA head coach. In 2020, Staley added another illustrious gold medal to her list as a coach. The 2024 Paris Olympics might have been the closest she has come to losing, something she wishes not for 2028.

Dawn Staley on edge with everyone else

On August 11th, Team USA witnessed one of the most competitive matches at the Olympics. Despite having seven Olympic gold medals under their belt, Team USA struggled each minute on the court to claim victory. At one point, France was leading by 10 points. Even in the last few seconds, French-American power forward Gabby Williams hit a shot from the three-point line, ready to crash the hopes of millions on the other end.

However, she missed, as her foot was on the line. Despite this, she led France to a razor-thin 67-66 loss in the 2024 Paris Olympics finals. Had she succeeded in her attempt, the game would have gone to overtime. Still, Team USA was formidable. While France excelled offensively, Team USA kept a tight check on the defensive side.

“The world is catching up to us, as you can see. France played their hearts out. They laid it on the line in front of their home crowd, and that’s what happens. I hope in 2028, it’s not this close,” Staley told Paul Finebaum. It was clear that France went toe-to-toe with Team USA, but the Americans secured their consecutive gold medal win. Well, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is still a mystery, but one thing is clear its going to be very, very exciting!

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.