Fewer medals, more heart for US at a most unusual Olympics

FILE - In this July 14, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles walks to her gate for her flight to the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo as United Airlines employees wave flags during a send-off event for the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team at the San Francisco International Airport. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman -- which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform -- entails much more than meets the eye. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Kara Winger, of the United States of America, center, arrives to the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Kara Winger, of the United States of America, and Steven Da Costa, of France, carry their country's flags during the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Kara Winger, of United States, competes in qualifications for the women's javelin throw at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Players from the United States pose after winning the gold medal in women's volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Simone Biles, of the United States, poses wearing her bronze medal from balance beam competition during artistic gymnastics at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Kara Winger, of the United States of America, center, and other flags are carried in during the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)