The United States competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 288 competitors, 274 men and 14 women, took part in 113 events in 18 sports.

Medalists

MedalNameSportEventCharles PaddockAthleticsMen's 100 mAllen WoodringAthleticsMen's 200 mFrank LoomisAthleticsMen's 400 m hurdlesCharles PaddockJackson ScholzLorin MurchisonMorris KirkseyAthleticsMen's 4 × 100 m relayHorace BrownArlie SchardtIvan DresserAthleticsMen's 3000 m team raceRichmond LandonAthleticsMen's high jumpFrank FossAthleticsMen's pole vaultPatrick RyanAthleticsMen's hammer throwPat McDonaldAthleticsMen's 56 lb weight throwUnited States men's national rugby union team RugbyMen's rugby unionFrankie GenaroBoxingMen's flyweightSamuel MosbergBoxingMen's lightweightEddie EaganBoxingMen's light heavyweightLouis KuehnDivingMen's 3 m springboardClarence PinkstonDivingMen's 10 m platformAileen RigginDivingWomen's 3 m springboardJohn B. Kelly Sr.RowingMen's single scullsPaul CostelloJohn B. Kelly Sr.RowingMen's double scullsVirgil JacominiEdwin GravesWilliam JordanEdward MooreAlden SanbornDonald JohnstonVince GallagherClyde KingSherm ClarkRowingMen's eightKarl FrederickLouis HarantMichael KellyAlfred LaneJames H. SnookShootingMen's 30 m team military pistolKarl FrederickShootingMen's 50 m free pistolRaymond BrackenKarl FrederickMichael KellyAlfred LaneJames H. SnookShootingMen's 50 m team free pistolLawrence NuessleinShootingMen's 50 m small bore rifleDennis FentonWillis A. LeeLawrence NuessleinArthur RothrockOliver SchriverShootingMen's 50 m team small bore rifleMorris FisherShootingMen's 300 m free rifle, 3 positionsDennis FentonMorris FisherWillis A. LeeCarl OsburnLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's team free rifleMorris FisherJoseph JacksonWillis A. LeeCarl OsburnLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 300 m team military rifle, proneCarl OsbornShootingMen's 300 m military rifle, standingDennis FentonJoseph JacksonWillis A. LeeOliver SchriverLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 600 m team military rifle, proneJoseph JacksonWillis A. LeeCarl OsburnOliver SchriverLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 300 + 600 m team military rifle, proneMark ArieShootingMen's trapMark ArieHorace BonserJay ClarkForest McNeirFrank TroehFrank WrightShootingMen's team clay pigeonsDuke KahanamokuSwimmingMen's 100 m freestyleNorman RossSwimmingMen's 400 m freestyleNorman RossSwimmingMen's 1500 m freestyleWarren KealohaSwimmingMen's 100 m backstrokeDuke KahanamokuPua KealohaPerry McGillivrayNorman RossSwimmingMen's 4 × 200 m freestyle relayEthelda BleibtreySwimmingWomen's 100 m freestyleEthelda BleibtreySwimmingWomen's 300 m freestyleEthelda BleibtreyIrene GuestFrances SchrothMargaret WoodbridgeSwimmingWomen's 4 × 100 m freestyle relayCharles AckerlyWrestlingMen's featherweightMorris KirkseyAthleticsMen's 100 mCharles PaddockAthleticsMen's 200 mEarl EbyAthleticsMen's 800 mHarold BarronAthleticsMen's 110 m hurdlesJohn NortonAthleticsMen's 400 m hurdlesPatrick FlynnAthleticsMen's 3000 m steeplechaseJoseph PearmanAthleticsMen's 10 km walkCarl JohnsonAthleticsMen's long jumpHarold MullerAthleticsMen's high jumpPatrick RyanAthleticsMen's 56 lb weight throwEverett BradleyAthleticsMen's pentathlonBrutus HamiltonAthleticsMen's decathlonClarence PinkstonDivingMen's 3 m springboardHelen WainwrightDivingWomen's 3 m springboardKen MyersCarl KloseFranz FederschmidtErich FederschmidtSherm ClarkRowingMen's coxed fourRaymond BrackenShootingMen's 30 m military pistolArthur RothrockShootingMen's 50 m small bore rifleThomas BrownWillis A. LeeLawrence NuessleinCarl OsburnLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 300 m team military rifle, standingFrank TroehShootingMen's trapPua KealohaSwimmingMen's 100 m freestyleLudy LangerSwimmingMen's 400 m freestyleRay KegerisSwimmingMen's 100 m backstrokeIrene GuestSwimmingWomen's 100 m freestyleMargaret WoodbridgeSwimmingWomen's 300 m freestyleSam GersonWrestlingMen's featherweightNat PendletonWrestlingMen's heavyweightUnited States men's national ice hockey teamRaymond BonneyAnthony ConroyHerbert DruryEdward FitzgeraldGeorge GeranFrank GoheenJoseph McCormickLawrence McCormickFrank SynottLeon TuckCyril WeidenbornerIce HockeyMen's competitionLawrence ShieldsAthleticsMen's 1500 mFeg MurrayAthleticsMen's 110 m hurdlesAugust DeschAthleticsMen's 400 m hurdlesRichard RemerAthleticsMen's 3 km walkEdwin MyersAthleticsMen's pole vaultHarry LiversedgeAthleticsMen's shot putGus PopeAthleticsMen's discus throwBasil BennettAthleticsMen's hammer throwFrederick ColbergBoxingMen's welterweightLouis BalbachDivingMen's 3 m springboardHarry PriesteDivingMen's 10 m platformThelma PayneDivingWomen's 3 m springboardAlfred LaneShootingMen's 50 m free pistolDennis FentonShootingMen's 50 m small bore rifleLawrence NuessleinShootingMen's 300 m military rifle, standingLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 600 m military rifle, proneThomas BrownWillis A. LeeLawrence NuessleinCarl OsburnLloyd SpoonerShootingMen's 100 m team running deer, single shotsFrank WrightShootingMen's trapBill HarrisSwimmingMen's 100 m freestyleFrances SchrothSwimmingWomen's 100 m freestyleFrances SchrothSwimmingWomen's 300 m freestyleCharley JohnsonWrestlingMen's middleweightWalter MaurerWrestlingMen's light heavyweightFred MeyerWrestlingMen's heavyweightFrancis HoneycuttArthur LyonRobert SearsHenry BreckinridgeHarold RaynerFencingMen's team foilArthur HarrisTerry AllenJohn MontgomeryNelson MargettsPoloMen's competitionTheresa WeldFigure SkatingWomen's singles

Background: voyage to Antwerp Beginning July 26, 1920, a majority of the U.S. Olympic contingent destined for the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, endured a troubled transatlantic journey aboard Princess Matoika. The voyage and the events on board, later called the "Mutiny of the Matoika", were still being discussed in the popular press years later. The Matoika was a last-minute substitute for another ship and, according to the athletes, did not have adequate accommodations or training facilities on board.Findling and Pelle, p. 56. The conditions on the Princess Matoika were terrible, as the hold reeked of formaldehyde from the dead bodies of the recently deceased American World War I soldiers, and there was no place to train. Furthermore, the athletes were dissatisfied with the quality of food and huge numbers of rats present on the ship. Near the end of the voyage, the athletes published a list of grievances and demands and distributed copies of the document to the United States Secretary of War, the American Olympic Committee members, and the press. Among these were the demands for better accommodations in Antwerp, cabin passage home, and railroad fare from New York to their home cities. The incident received wide coverage in American newspapers at the time.

Aquatics

Diving

Fourteen divers, seven men and seven women, represented the United States in 1920. It was the nation's fourth appearance in the sport; the United States was the only nation to have competed at each Olympic diving contest to that point. The Americans won their first gold medals in the sport since 1904, winning championships in three of the five diving events in 1920. The team swept both the men's and women's springboard events (though only Americans competed in the women's springboard), and added a gold and a bronze in the men's platform. Pinkston was the only diver from any nation in 1920 to win multiple medals.

Men

Ranks given are within the semifinal group.

DiverEventSemifinalsFinalPointsScoreRankPointsScoreRank Louis Balbach 3 m springboard 8 630.80 2 Q 15 649.50 10 m platform 17 409.15 3 Q 28 424.00 6 Richard Beauchamp Plain high dive 23 135.0 6 did not advance Louis Kuehn 3 m springboard 7 628.15 1 Q 10 675.40 Frank Mullen Plain high dive 27 144.0 6 did not advance Clarence Pinkston 3 m springboard 8 622.70 2 Q 11 655.30 10 m platform 10 443.00 2 Q 7 503.30 Harry Prieste 10 m platform 17 441.80 3 Q 16 468.65 Plain high dive 18 149.5 4 did not advance Clyde Swendsen 10 m platform 26 414.80 6 did not advance Plain high dive 25 148.0 5 did not advance

Women

Ranks given are within the semifinal group.

DiverEventSemifinalsFinalPointsScoreRankPointsScoreRank Aileen Allen 3 m springboard N/A 20 489.9 4 Betty Grimes 10 m platform 13 156.0 2 Q 30 133.5 6 Alice Lord 10 m platform 35 118.5 7 did not advance Helen Meany 10 m platform 23 145.0 5 did not advance Thelma Payne 3 m springboard N/A 12 534.1 Aileen Riggin 3 m springboard N/A 9 539.9 10 m platform 15 155.5 2 Q 20 157.0 5 Helen Wainwright 3 m springboard N/A 9 534.8

Swimming

Twenty-two swimmers, sixteen men and six women, represented the United States in 1920. It was the nation's sixth appearance in the sport; the United States was the only nation to have competed in every Olympic swimming edition to that point. The Americans took eight of the ten gold medals, along with five silvers and three bronzes. This gave the team more than half of the available medals—16 out of 30; more than three times the next-best country. Eleven different Americans finished with at least one medal. Furthermore, the United States set five new world records and tied another.

On the men's side, Kahanamoku set a new Olympic record in the quarterfinals of the 100 free, then tied the world record twice in the semis and the final as the Americans swept the medals in that event. Ross took a pair of gold medals in the other two freestyle events. Kegeris briefly took the Olympic record in the 100 metre backstroke semifinals before Warren Kealoha broke the world record in the second semifinal; Kealoha took gold and Kegeris silver in the final. The relay team also set a world record in winning the gold medal.

On the women's side, Schroth, like Kegeris, briefly held an Olympic record in the 100 free before Bleibtrey broke the world record in a later semifinal. Bleibtrey bettered her own new record, leading the American women to a sweep of the medals in that event. Bleibtrey took her second world record and second gold medal in the 300 free, as the Americans swept that event as well. Her third gold medal and third world record came as part of the 4x100 free relay team along with Schroth, Guest, and Woodbridge.

Ranks given are within the heat.

Men

SwimmerEventQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalResultRankResultRankResultRank Eugene Bolden 1500 m free 23:41.2 2 Q 23:26.4 3 q 24:04.3 5 Bill Harris 100 m free 1:04.4 1 Q 1:04.2 2 Q 1:03.0 400 m free 5:57.8 1 Q 5:36.0 3 did not advance Jack Howell 200 m breast 3:09.8 1 Q 3:10.8 1 Q Unknown 4 400 m breast 6:57.0 1 Q 6:51.4 3 q 6:51.0 4 Duke Kahanamoku 100 m free 1:01.8 OR 1 Q 1:01.4 =WR 1 Q 1:01.4 =WR Fred Kahele 400 m free 5:37.4 2 Q 5:35.8 2 Q Unknown 4 1500 m free 23:41.6 2 Q 23:23.0 2 Q 23:59.1 4 Pua Kealoha 100 m free 1:02.0 1 Q 1:02.4 1 Q 1:02.6 Warren Kealoha 100 m back N/A 1:14.8 WR 1 Q 1:15.2 Ray Kegeris 100 m back N/A 1:17.8 OR 1 Q 1:16.8 Harold Kruger 100 m back N/A 1:19.0 2 Q Unknown 5 Ludy Langer 400 m free 5:41.1 1 Q 5:29.2 2 Q 5:29.0 1500 m free 24:28.8 1 Q Unknown 4 did not advance Mike McDermott 200 m breast 3:16.4 2 Q Unknown 4 did not advance 400 m breast 7:12.8 3 q 7:13.2 3 did not advance Perry McGillivray 100 m back N/A 1:20.4 3 q 1:19.4 4 Charles Quinby 400 m breast Unknown 4 did not advance Norman Ross 100 m free 1:04.2 1 Q 1:04.8 1 Q Disqualified 400 m free 6:16.2 1 Q 5:33.8 1 Q 5:26.8 1500 m free 24:08.2 1 Q 23:12.0 1 Q 22:23.2 Stephen Ruddy 200 m breast Unknown 4 did not advance 400 m breast 7:13.0 3 did not advance Herbert Taylor 200 m breast Unknown 4 did not advance Duke KahanamokuPua KealohaPerry McGillivrayNorman Ross 4 × 200 m free relay N/A 10:20.4 1 Q 10:04.4 WR

Women