That's a lot of work, and if you think that a European 4th best (or worse) has many chances to win a gold medal, I think you will be disappointed by the results

Just shows how incongruous your comparison is. I don't think I'd be disappointed or surprised.

Many Americans are left off their Olympic team because they just barely miss making the top 3. If the U.S. could include another 3 or so in competition with the top 6 Europeans, the competition would be close. I'm not saying the U.S. would overwhelm the EU.