30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events

28. Carmelo Anthony

No disrespect to Carmelo Anthony, but he’s hardly one of the most dominant individual athletes in Olympic history. So while his name might seem out-of-place here, it really isn’t, because he represents something larger than himself as a player: he’s the only member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team who was also on the 2012 and 2008 gold-winning rosters, which makes him the de facto representative of modern-day Team USA basketball.

And let’s face it: modern-day Team USA basketball is, by definition, dominant. The No. 1-ranked squad in the world hasn’t lost an international contest in 10 years, and remain heavy favorites to capture their third straight gold medal despite the absence of superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant. It would be a major upset if the Americans even broke more than a mild sweat dispatching their foreign adversaries on the way back to the top of the medal podium they’ve owned for decades now.

Of course, we all know it can happen – just ask Melo, who was on the 2004 team in Athens that choked its way to a bronze medal. He knows that nothing is guaranteed in sports, even for goliaths like the Americans.

That said, don’t hold your breath waiting for another colossal upset or underwhelming finish in Rio. This year’s squad might be younger and more inexperienced than recent incarnations, but that just means they’re all the hungrier to get their first taste of Olympic glory.

Next: 27. Claudia Pechstein