In the team competition, each player on the three-member team plays twice, split between four singles matches and one doubles match. Each match consists of five games, which go to 11 points.

Chen Wang (New York, N.Y.) set the tone early in the championship match versus Canada, winning the first individual match against Canada’s Judy Long in three games (14-12, 11-8, 11-5). Next was three-time Olympian Jun Gao (Gaithersburg, Md.), who won three games to zero over Mo Zhang (11-4, 11-4, 11-4).

In the doubles match, Gao and Tawny Banh (San Gabriel, Calif.) took on Long and Chris Xu. In the U.S. Team’s only weak point of the match, Gao and Banh fell in the first game 9-11. They came back strong, winning the next three 11-3, 11-9, 11-3, winning the doubles match and securing the gold medal.

“We wanted to beat them three straight,” said Banh, who has now won seven Pan American medals. “We did it! The first match was the critical one, so when Chen won that, I felt we had it. Canada has great players; our team just played better today. This medal is the most special because this is probably my last Pan American Games.”

The U.S. women’s table tennis players have gathered quite the collection of Pan American medals through the years. In addition to her 2007 team gold won Tuesday, Jun won two golds in 2003 (singles, doubles) and two golds in 1999 (singles, team). Banh now has seven medals after Tuesday’s win, having also won two medals in 2003 (silver-doubles, bronze-singles), one in 1999 (gold-team) and two in 1995 (silver-team, bronze-doubles). Wang is competing in her first Pan American Games this week in Rio.

Gao summarized it best: “We all played very well today. Our team spirit was great.”

The table tennis competition continues Wednesday with the first round of the singles tournament.