By Corky Siemaszko - NBC News
The swim team ended the United States' medal drought after finishing the first day of Olympic competition without any metal for the first time in nearly 50 years: the swimmers achieved 6 of the 8 medals won on Sunday.
Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland debuted the medal table taking gold and silver respectively in the men's 400 meter individual styles.
The swimmer Chase Kalisz celebrates his victory in the men's 400 meters individual styles in Tokyo-2020.Matthias Schrader / AP
"USA! USA!" Chanted a small group of dedicated colleagues at the Tokyo Aquatic Center, practically empty due to the state of emergency imposed in the Japanese capital to stop the spread of COVID-19 cases and that prevents the presence of fans in the stands.
Asked why it was more exciting, to win his first gold medal or to win the first metal of the United States in these Olympic Games, Kalisz did not want to choose: "Both things are incredible!", He told NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo.
[They gave Mexico its first medal at Tokyo 2020]
"We are Team USA and in the end, United States swimming has a strong history of getting things done when needed," said the swimmer.
"And this is something that we really pride ourselves on and have done consistently since then," he acknowledged.
Swimmers Emma Weyant and Hali Flickinger increased the US medal count by winning silver and bronze respectively in the 400-meter individual women's styles.
The swimming day concluded with Kieran Smith's bronze in the 400-meter freestyle and the bronze of the women's team in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
William Shaner during the men's 10-meter air rifle final Alex Brandon / AP
The United States was also successful outside the Tokyo Aquatic Center.
William Shaner climbed to the top of the podium after winning the men's 10-meter air rifle final.
Jagger Eaton, on his side, took the bronze in skateboarding, a modality that debuted as an Olympic discipline in Tokyo.
[Honduras comes back to defeat Nine Zealand]
This booty left behind a start to competition without medals for the United States delegation, something that had not happened in almost half a century.
"The last time it happened was at the 1972 Olympics in Munich," Olympics historian Bill Mallon tweeted on Saturday.
The American team also did not win any medals on the first day of the winter games that were held in South Korea in 2018.
The predictions suggested that the first medals in Tokyo would come from the archers.
But it was not like that.
[The 46-year-old gymnast and 8 Olympic Games retires]
"I'm still a bit surprised" at the result, Brady Ellison, silver and bronze in Rio-2016, told USA Today.
"We got into that stadium and I shot to the left," he explained.
The United States has dominated the last 6 Summer Olympics, including the most gold medals.
In Rio he won a total of 121 metals, setting a new world record.
Simone Biles during its premiere in Tokyo-2020.Natacha Pisarenko / AP
The second day of competition also marked the long-awaited debut of the women's gymnastics team, captained by Olympic champion Simone Biles and aiming for a third consecutive gold.
However, the group of four women did not have the best of starts and finished in second place in the qualifying round, behind Russia, which achieved a team score of 171,629, more than one point than the Americans.
It is the first time in more than a decade that American women are not leaders at the end of a major test.
Biles topped the overall contest with a total of 57,531 points, but lacked his usual precision.
The 24-year-old made major mistakes in three tests.