Summer Olympic Games 2024

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📸 1 for the road

Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP U.S. athlete Marcus Christopher soars through the air, with the Luxor Obelisk in the background, during freestyle BMX cycling at the Olympics on Tuesday.

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Simone Biles makes history with second all-around Olympic gymnastics title, 8 years after her first

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles huddled with Sunisa Lee. She looked to her husband Jonathan Owens in the stands. Lost in the moment. And maybe a touch frantic.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-simone-biles-gymnastics-allaround-ee448ffdf28570d3b99da0fa4cbec640?

Olympic swimmer collapses poolside after women's 200-meter race

Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed poolside Friday morning after a qualifying heat of the women's 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics . She was given first aid and then carried off on a stretcher.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3548406405909-olympic-swimmer-collapses-poolside-after-womens-200-meter-race?

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🥇 1 for the road: American gold rush

Simone Biles celebrates her gold medal in the women's gymnastics all-around final. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images The U.S. almost doubled its gold medal total on the team's biggest day in Paris so far. By the numbers: The U.S. now has 37 total medals, more than any other country, and nine golds, second only to China. Yesterday's gold medal winners: Simone Biles — the world's most decorated gymnast — won the all-around event yesterday. Fellow American Suni Lee won bronze. Team USA won its first rowing Olympic gold medal in the men's four class since 1960. The U.S. won its first team fencing Olympic gold in women's foil. Kate Douglass claimed gold in the Women's 200-meter breaststroke. Data: NBC Olympics. Chart: Axios Visuals 🪂 P.S. Tom Cruise will have a starring role — including parachuting and rappelling — in the Paris Games closing ceremony for a handoff to the L.A. 2028 Olympics, TMZ reports.

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! Women's boxing finds itself in the middle of a gender controversy in Paris. Here's everything you need to know. 

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In today's edition: Biles rallies to reclaim gold, Ledecky becomes America's most decorated female Olympian, golf deserves a better format, and more.

 

BILES RALLIES TO RECLAIM GOLD

(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Simone Biles came out on top in Thursday's individual all-around to win her sixth gold medal, the most of any American gymnast. ‌ Two-time champ: Biles is just the third woman to win two all-around golds in gymnastics, and the first since 1968, when it was a much different sport. ‌ This win didn't come easy: Biles typically dominates her competition, but Thursday's final was a nail-biter. After a brutal uneven bar, she sat in third place and was seriously stressing ("I was probably praying to every single god out there," she later admitted). ‌ If she wanted to win gold, the 27-year-old would need to nail her beam and floor routines — which she did. A 14.566 on beam was enough to put her in the lead and a 15.066 on floor, her best event, gave her the win by 1.119 points. The podium: Brazil's Rebecca Andrade took silver, while fellow American Sunisa Lee took bronze. Consider the stories of these three medalists… ‌ Biles endured mental health struggles and a battle with the "twisties" three years ago in Tokyo. Andrade, whose mother cleaned houses to pay for her training, has torn her ACL three times. Lee was diagnosed with two rare kidney diseases last year that nearly derailed her career. ‌ Biles said she realizes she is "in the conversation of the greatest of all athletes." She knows that she was the reason Bercy Arena was packed with celebrities all week. ‌ She owns — and wears — a diamond GOAT necklace, after all. "Some people love it and some people hate it, so it's the best of both worlds," she joked. ‌ Still, deep down, she still sees herself as "Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip." ‌ What's next: Biles can add to her medal tally this weekend with finals in beam, vault and floor (she's heavily favored in the latter two).   Athlete spotlight: Team USA rowing won gold in the men's four on Thursday for the first time since 1960 as Justin Best, Nick Mead, Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan beat out New Zealand (silver) and Great Britain (bronze). ‌ What they're saying: "Crossing that finish line, I was just bawling my eyes out," said Best. "Seeing the flag being raised, I love these guys, I love the United States of America, and I wouldn't want to do it with another group." ‌ A long history: These four young men spent their college years regularly facing off in intercollegiate regattas — Mead at Princeton ('17), Grady at Cornell ('19), Corrigan at Harvard ('19) and Best at Drexel ('19) — and Corrigan and Grady even rowed together as far back as 2014 at the junior world championships. ‌ This exact crew has been rowing together for two years, "a long time for U.S. rowers who typically make boats through yearly selection races and camps," writes Peggy Shinn for Team USA. And now, after just missing out on a medal in Tokyo and taking silver at last year's world championships, they finally got their gold. The last word: "We have a group of four guys who love each other," said Best. "Now we have a physical reminder [the gold medal] of everything that we put in, and we'll have this for the rest of our lives." ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ ⚽️ Benjamin Cremaschi: The 19-year-old midfielder is the youngest member of the USMNT's Olympic squad, which faces Morocco today in the quarters. He's also a rising MLS star with Inter Miami and Lionel Messi is a big fan. 🚴‍♀️ Alise Willoughby: The 33-year-old BMX racer and defending world champion is competing in her fourth Olympics. She took silver in 2016 but still seeks that elusive gold in today's finals. Best of Team USA social: Bam Adebayo tries fencing … Track stars in training … Surfers enjoying their off day ‌ Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop ‌ Follow along at TeamUSA.com and @TeamUSA on social media.   🥇🥈🥉 (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.     The USMNT's quarterfinal match against Morocco takes place today in Paris, where the Americans will seek their first Olympic semifinal berth since 2000. ‌ Featured events: ‌ ⚽️ Men's Soccer: USA vs. Morocco (9am ET, USA); Japan vs. Spain (11am, Peacock); Egypt vs. Paraguay (1pm, Peacock); France vs. Argentina (3pm, Peacock) … Quarterfinals. 🏊 Swimming: Three medal events (2:30pm, NBC) … Men's 50m Freestyle, Women's 200m Backstroke, Men's 200m IM. 👟 Track & Field: Men's 10,000m Final (3:20pm, Peacock) … The first full day of track and field. Medal events: ‌ 🤸‍♀️ Trampoline: Women's (7:50am, Peacock) and Men's Finals (1:50pm, Peacock) 🐎 Equestrian: Jumping Team Final (8am, E!) 🏸 Badminton: Mixed Doubles Final (9am, Peacock) ⛵️ Windsurfing: Men's and Women's Finals (9:30am, Peacock) 🥋 Judo: Women's 78+kg and Men's 100+kg Finals (10am, Peacock) 🏹 Archery: Mixed Team Final (10:24am, Peacock) 🤺 Fencing: Men's Épée Team Final (1:30pm, Peacock) 🎾 Tennis: Mixed Doubles Final (3pm, Peacock) 🚴🏼 BMX Racing: Men's and Women's Finals (3:30pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Badminton, Basketball, 3x3 Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Men's Synchronized 3m Springboard Final (8pm), Women's Track & Field 100m Heats, Women's 200m Backstroke Final and Men's 50m Freestyle Final (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.

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Who is Imane Khelif? Algerian boxer facing gender outcry had modest success before Olympics

VILLEPINTE, France (AP) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has landed in the middle of a divide about gender in sports after her Italian competitor, Angela Carini, pulled out seconds into their bout at the Paris Olympics.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-imane-khelif-boxing-paris-2eb07d442ffb29a61e09911884dcdaa9?

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! Due to technical issues, some of you may not have received yesterday's newsletter. Sorry about that! You can read that edition (and all past editions) here.

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In today's edition: Let the Marchand-Phelps comparisons begin, Grant Fisher's incredible finish, Vincent Hancock spotlight, Sha'Carri goes for gold, and more.

 

LÉON MARCHAND: THE NEXT MICHAEL PHELPS?

(Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

French sensation Léon Marchand continued one of the most dominant Olympics ever on Friday, becoming the fourth swimmer in history with four individual golds in a single Games. ‌ Four golds, four records: Marchand won the 400m IM on Sunday, the 200m breast and 200m fly on Wednesday, and the 200m IM on Friday — all in Olympic record time. In three of the four races, he faced the defending Olympic champion and ended each of their reigns. ‌ What they're saying: "It was insane; incredible. I mean, we're probably seeing something that is similar to Phelps," American rival Carson Foster told Yahoo Sports. "I grew up looking up to Michael, and I still think he's the greatest of all time. But I think Léon, with the track he's on, definitely deserves to be in that conversation." ‌ From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: ‌ Phelps, of course, is Michael, the GOAT on Mount Olympus, the owner of 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold. Marchand, not too long ago, was simply Léon from Toulouse; a week ago, he was still medal-less. He has a long way to go to catch the king of his sport. Some would argue he doesn't yet belong in the same sentence. ‌ But here, at his second Olympics — like Phelps, Marchand went to his first as a teen and came home empty-handed — he won a golden double that Phelps never even attempted. He equaled Phelps' individual medal tally from Athens 2004 in a more disparate array of events. He delighted and inspired a home crowd unlike Phelps ever did. He broke Phelps' Olympic records in both IMs. ‌ So he validated all the comparisons, which have trailed him for a few years now. Perhaps he is not The Next Michael; but he is definitely, for now, the heir to Phelps' throne. ‌ Made in America: Marchand, like other elite foreign swimmers, trained in America to beat Americans. And not just that: he trained with Phelps' former coach and mentor, Bob Bowman, who recruited him to Arizona State in 2021. ‌ As swimmers, they are different, notes Henry: Phelps was physically imposing, while Marchand is far smaller and less powerful. They have different personalities, too — Phelps a combative dog, Marchand more gentle and quiet. But as competitors, they are the same: "Léon joins Michael in that very rare club of people who, when the pressure is higher, they perform better," Bowman said, adding that they "both have a work ethic second to none." What's next: Could Marchand win a fifth individual event in Los Angeles to match Phelps' record for a single Games? ‌ Bowman, when asked, said he'd like to add to his program, mentioning the 200 free, the 100 breast and the 100 butterfly as possibilities — in addition to the 200 breast, 200 fly and both IMs. Phelps' golden repertoire featured the 200 free, the 100 and 200 fly, and the IMs, but never breaststroke. The last word: "He's gonna be here for a long time. He's gonna make a lot of noise," said Phelps, who watched along in the arena or from NBC's Paris studios, where he cheered for Marchand as if he were his own teammate. Greatness recognizes greatness. ‌ What to watch: Marchand could win one more medal tomorrow — a team medal this time — in the men's 4x100 medley relay. ‌ I highly recommend reading Henry's full story. He's a fantastic writer and I've been in awe of his work here in Paris. This guy is at La Défense Arena every night, tracking down swimmers for interviews and writing thousands of words (on deadline!) that always deliver.   Team USA is proudly funded by family, friends and fans like you. When you give to the Team USA Fund, 100% of your donation goes to athletes and the programming that supports them. (Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports) Athlete spotlight: Vincent Hancock is, quite simply, the most dominant skeet shooter in Olympic history. The three-time gold medalist is favored to win his fourth today; no other Olympian has won more than one. ‌ A phenom from the start: The Florida native, 35, began shooting competitively at age 11 and won his first of seven world titles in 2005 at age 16. ‌ That same year, the Army began aggressively recruiting Hancock to join their Marksmanship Unit, and he spent the entire summer before his senior year of high school in boot camp. He ultimately became a sergeant and spent more than six years in either active duty or reserves as both a shooter and instructor. He remains an instructor to this day as a civilian, and views that work as the most important part of his legacy. "These kids are learning gun safety, how to work as a team and, for many of them, it's about gaining self-confidence," he told Team USA. Skeet shooting, explained: One of two Olympic shooting disciplines that uses a shotgun (along with trap), skeet shooters take aim at 25 moving targets per round that are released into the air at different heights from eight different positions. In three rounds during Friday's qualifiers, Hancock didn't miss, going a perfect 75-for-75. ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ 💪 Ryan Crouser: The shot put world record holder and two-time defending gold medalist wasn't sure he'd be able to make it to Paris due to injuries. But he won at U.S. trials and today can become the first-ever three-time Olympic champ. 🏄 Caroline Marks: Marks fell just short of the podium in Tokyo as a teenager. Now, at 22, the defending World Surf League champion is the only American (man or woman) in the semifinals and could be an Olympic medalist by this evening. Best of Team USA social: Steph Curry hangs out with the table tennis team … Suni Lee shows off her gold medal … "Go Team USA!" — from America's National Parks   🥇🥈🥉 (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   WATCHLIST: THE WORLD'S FASTEST WOMAN Richardson at the start line of her 100m heat. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) The title of world's fastest woman is on the line today in Paris, where Sha'Carri Richardson can become the first American woman to win gold in the 100m dash since Gail Devers in 1996. ‌ A heavy favorite: Even before Jamaica's Shericka Jackson dropped out of the race, Richardson was the favorite given her time at U.S. trials was the world's fastest this year (10.71 seconds). She'll race in the semifinal at 1:50pm ET before the final at 3:20pm. ‌ Featured events: ‌ 👟 Track & Field: Five medal events … Men's Shot Put (1:35pm, Peacock), Women's Triple Jump (2:20pm, Peacock), Mixed 4x400m Relay (2:55pm, USA), Women's 100m (3:20pm, USA), Men's Decathlon 1500m (3:45pm, USA). ⚽️ Women's Soccer: USA vs. Japan (9am, USA); Spain vs. Colombia (11am, Peacock); Canada vs. Germany (1pm, Peacock); France vs. Brazil (3pm, Peacock) … Quarterfinals. 🏊 Swimming: Four medal events (2:30pm, NBC) … Men's 100m Butterfly, Women's 200m IM, Women's 800m Freestyle and Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay. 🤸‍♀️ Gymnastics: Men's Floor Final (9:30am, E!); Women's Vault Final (10:20am, NBC); Men's Pommel Horse Final (11:10am, Peacock) … Keep an eye out for Stephen Nedoroscik, the bespectacled hero of the USA's bronze in the team event, in the pommel horse final. 🏄 Surfing: Men's (3:30pm, Peacock) and Women's Finals (4:30pm) … After yet another delay due to surf conditions, they'll try again to crown a champion. 🏀 Men's Basketball: USA vs. Puerto Rico (11:15am, NBC) … Group stage finale. 🎾 Tennis: China's Qinwen Zheng vs. Croatia's Donna Vekić (10am, Peacock) … Women's Singles Final. Medal events: ‌ 🏓 Table Tennis: Women's Singles Finals (7:30am, Peacock) 🏹 Archery: Women's Finals (8:30am, Peacock) 🏸 Badminton: Women's Doubles Finals (9am, Peacock) 🎯 Shooting: Men's Skeet Final (9:30am, Peacock) 🥋 Judo: Mixed Team Finals (10am, Peacock) 🤺 Fencing: Women's Sabre Team Finals (1pm, E!) Non-medal events: Beach Volleyball, 3x3 Basketball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Volleyball, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Men's Shot Put Final and Women's 100m Butterly Final (8pm), Women's Gymnastics Vault Final and Women's Track & Field 100m Final (9pm).   CARINI APOLOGIZES TO KHELIF, IS "SAD" ABOUT CONTROVERSY Khelif (L) and Carini in the ring. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images) The Italian boxer who after 46 seconds abandoned her bout against Algeria's Imane Khelif says she regrets not shaking Khelif's hand before leaving the ring and is "sad" about the gender controversy that has engulfed the Games. ‌ "It wasn't something I intended to do," Carini told Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke." Carini added that if she and Khelif met again, she would “embrace her." ‌ "All this controversy makes me sad," Carini told the Italian paper. "If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision." ‌ More from Yahoo Sports… ‌ Ben Fowlkes: Khelif gender controversy is a reminder of the times ‌ To the culture warriors with only a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It doesn't matter that Khelif has been a woman all her life, or that she's been boxing in women's competitions for years, or that she hails from a country where gender transition isn't even an option. ‌ Dan Wetzel: IOC leaving questions unanswered has created a wildfire of speculation ‌ There will be no solution here that satisfies everyone, especially when the topic is such a political winner for various factions on all sides of the argument around the world. Still, the IOC should have seen all of this coming and been prepared with more information than they admit they have. ‌ Coming up: Khelif will box Hungary's Anna Luca Homori in the Women's 66kg quarterfinal today (11am ET).   lightning round Wilson during the men's 400 meter final at U.S. Trials back in June. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 The Quincy Wilson mystery: The 16-year-old phenom is the youngest male track & field Olympian in U.S. history, but it's unclear when he will make his debut in Paris. ‌ 🎾 This should be good: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will meet in Sunday's men's singles final after cruising through the semifinals. This will be their seventh head-to-head match, with the two superstars having split the first six meetings. ‌ 🤓 Nerding out: American swimmer Kate Douglass and her professor at the University of Virginia, Dr. Ken Ono, have refined a system to use mathematics, physics and technology to swim faster. ‌ 🙏 Scary scene: Tamara Potocká collapsed poolside following a women's 200m IM qualifying heat and was stretchered out of the arena. She reportedly suffered an asthma attack and was being monitored Friday at a local hospital.

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🏅 Chart to go: Olympic winnings

Data: CNBC. Chart: Rahul Mukherjee/Axios Olympic athletes compete for glory, their country ... and maybe, at times, a tidy sum of money. Hong Kong and Singapore pay the highest cash bonuses to winners, Axios' Hope King writes from a CNBC analysis. Countries with some of the largest teams — including the U.S., which has the most (592) — have smaller purses. 📺 What to watch today: U.S. women's soccer faces Japan in the quarterfinal at 9 a.m. ET ... Simone Biles competes in the vault at 10:20 a.m. ET ... Katie Ledecky goes for record gold in the 800m freestyle at 2:30 p.m. ET ... Sha'Carri Richardson in the 100m final at 3:20 p.m. ET.

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz take the court soon in a battle for gold. I'll be covering it live! Follow along here.

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In today's edition: Ledecky and Hancock pull off rare four-peats, Julien Alfred wins gold for Saint Lucia, Noah Lyles spotlight, Anthony "MJ" Edwards, and more.

 

LEDECKY, HANCOCK JOIN FOUR-PEAT CLUB

(Yahoo Sports)

Team USA's Katie Ledecky and Vincent Hancock made Olympic history on Saturday, becoming the sixth and seventh athletes to win four gold medals in the same individual event. ‌ The four-peat club: ‌ 🇺🇸 Ledecky: 800m freestyle (2012-24) 🇺🇸 Hancock: Shooting (2008-24) 🇨🇺 Mijaín López: Wrestling (2008-20) 🇺🇸 Michael Phelps: 200m IM (2004-16) 🇺🇸 Carl Lewis: Long Jump (1984-96) 🇺🇸 Al Oerter: Discus Throw (1956-68) 🇩🇰 Paul Elvstrøm: Sailing (1948-60) Wild stat: How dominant is Hancock? He has four golds in skeet shooting; no other Olympian has more than one.

Hancock celebrates on the podium. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Looking ahead: Ledecky is already eyeing an unprecedented five-peat at LA 2028, writes Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell. ‌ She'll be 31 by the time the Summer Olympics arrive on home soil for the first time in her life. She has every intention of being there. ‌ "I've been consistent over these last few months, and last few years, in saying that I would love to compete in LA," she said Wednesday. "And that hasn't changed." ‌ Three days later, and some 20 minutes after the four-peat, she was asked specifically about a five-peat. "I'd love to," she said.   PHOTOS OF THE DAY (Stefan Matzke/Getty Images) 🇱🇨 Gold for Saint Lucia: Julien Alfred upset Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100m to win Saint Lucia's first-ever medal. Watch her country celebrate: This is what it's all about! (Julian Finney/Getty Images) 🐐 Seventh gold: Simone Biles delivered her signature double backflip in pike position (called the Biles II) to win gold in vault, her seventh Olympic gold medal and third in Paris. (Marc Atkins/Getty Images) ⚽️ Rodman saves the day: Trinity Rodman scored an epic goal in the 107th minute to lift the USWNT past Japan, 1-0, and into the semifinals. They'll play Germany on Monday. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 New world record: The U.S. team of Ryan Murphy (back), Nic Fink (breast), Gretchen Walsh (fly) and Torri Huske (free) won the 4x100m mixed medley relay in world-record time (3:37.43). What a race! ‌ Day 8 recap: More from Saturday   Team USA is proudly funded by family, friends and fans like you. When you give to the Team USA Fund, 100% of your donation goes to athletes and the programming that supports them. Donate today. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports) Athlete spotlight: The world's fastest man will be crowned today at Stade de France, where Noah Lyles can become the first American man to win gold in the 100m dash since Justin Gatlin in 2004. ‌ A long journey: The 27-year-old Florida native is among the favorites today, a testament to his hard work and perseverance after struggling three years ago in his Olympics debut. ‌ Lyles failed to even qualify for the 100m in Tokyo (seventh at U.S. trials) and settled for bronze in the 200m — his best event — as he publicly struggled with depression coming out of the pandemic. But he captured the golden triple at last year's world championships (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay) and is brimming with confidence in Paris, where he'll run in the semis at 2:05pm ET and the final at 3:50pm. Matchup to watch: Lyles' biggest competition is Jamaica's Kishane Thompson, whose 9.77 in June is the fastest time in the world this year (Lyles ran a personal-best 9.83 about two weeks ago). A win for Thompson would make him the only Jamaican man not named Usain Bolt to claim the title of world's fastest man. ‌ The last word: Lyles surprisingly finished second in his heat on Saturday, but to say he isn't worried about that result would be an understatement: "To be honest, I think I'm more excited now that I didn't win that heat. I'm pretty scared for everybody else right now." ‌ Pre-race reading: Noah Lyles has a plan to upstage even the great Usain Bolt ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ 👟 Vashti Cunningham: The 26-year-old high jumper seeks her first medal today after finishing 13th in Rio and sixth in Tokyo. If that last name sounds familiar, there's a reason: Her father is former NFL superstar Randall Cunningham. 🏹 Brady Ellison: The most decorated American archer in Olympic history (two silver, two bronze) has accomplished just about everything in this sport except win gold. He can change that today in the men's individual competition, his final event at his fifth Summer Games. Best of Team USA social: Behind the scenes with skateboarders … Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone interview‌ … USA House watching Ledecky win gold   🥇🥈🥉 (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Team USA won 18 medals on Saturday (five gold, six silver, seven bronze), their highest single-day haul since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. ‌ Full medal count.   WATCHLIST: DJOKOVIC VS. ALCARAZ Alcaraz and Djokovic after last month's Wimbledon final. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz face off today for Olympic gold, just three weeks after the young Spaniard defeated the all-time great Serbian in the Wimbledon final. ‌ Featured events: ‌ 🎾 Tennis: Djokovic vs. Alcaraz (~8am ET, Peacock) … Women's Doubles Final (~10am, Peacock). 👟 Track & Field: Men's 100m Final (3:50pm, NBC) … Women's High Jump Final (1:55pm, NBC), Men's Hammer Final (2:30pm, NBC). 🏊 Swimming: Four medal events (12:30pm, NBC) … Women's 50m Freestyle, Men's 1500m Freestyle, Men's 4x100m Medley Relay, Women's 4x100m Medley Relay. 🤸 Gymnastics: Men's Rings Final (9am, NBC); Women's Uneven Bars Final (9:40am, NBC); Men's Vault Final (10:24am, NBC) ⛳️ Men's Golf: Final Round (7am, Golf) 🏀 Women's Basketball: USA vs. Germany (11:15am, USA) Medal events: ‌ 🏓 Table Tennis: Men's Singles Finals (7:30am, Peacock/USA) 🚴‍♀️ Cycling: Women's Road Race (8am, CNBC) 🏹 Archery: Men's Individual Finals (8:30am, Peacock) 🏸 Badminton: Men's Doubles Finals (9am, Peacock) 🎯 Shooting: Women's Skeet Final (9:30am, Peacock) Non-medal events: 3x3 Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Boxing, Canoe Slalom, Handball, Hockey, Sailing, Volleyball, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Men's Vault Final (7pm), Women's 800m Semifinals (8pm), Women's Uneven Bars Final, Men's 100m Final, Men's and Women's 4x100m Medley Relay Final (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.   Star of the night: Edwards scored a game-high 26 points (11-15 FG) in Team USA's 104-83 win over Puerto Rico, dazzling with breakaway dunks and sharpshooting threes. ‌ What's next: Team USA is one of three teams that emerged from group play undefeated, joining Canada and Germany. They play Brazil in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.   🇳🇱 Must-see finish: Femke Bol ran an anchor leg for the ages to help the Netherlands stun Team USA in the mixed 4x400m relay. ‌ 🥊 Khelif moves on: Algeria's Imane Khelif, the boxer at the center of a gender controversy, defeated Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori to advance to the women's 66kg semifinals. ‌ 💪 Three-peat: American Ryan Crouser became the first man to win three straight Olympic shot put gold medals, while teammate Joe Kovacs claimed his third straight silver. ‌ 🇳🇴 Rooth shocks the world: Markus Rooth came out of nowhere to win gold in the decathlon. It's Norway’s first medal in Paris and their first decathlon gold since 1920.

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🏅 Parting shots

Ryan Crouser competes in the shot put final yesterday. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images American throwers finished first and second in the men's shot put final for the third Olympic Games in a row last night, Axios' Ina Fried writes from Paris. Ryan Crouser won gold, and Joe Kovacs took silver. Katie Ledecky competes in the women's 800m final. Photo: Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images Katie Ledecky won her ninth gold medal in the women's 800m final yesterday, making her the most decorated female Olympian in U.S. history.

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Banned governing body that’s fueling outcry on Olympic boxers has Russian ties and troubled history

The allegations that Olympic boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting failed an eligibility test for the women's competition have been made by only the International Boxing Association. That's also the only governing body that has ever been completely banished from the Olympics. Read more.   Sha’Carri Richardson’s comeback halted by Julien Alfred, who brings 1st Olympic medal to St. Lucia SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — There were small signs for anyone willing to look that the sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson might not quite match the person she has become. https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-shacarri-richardson-ff5a0ae1c44fab2a54a032cab138c1cc?

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Who is Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who went viral at the 2024 Olympics?

CHATEAUROUX, France (AP) — Turkish pistol shooter Yusuf Dikec has gone viral on social media for his seemingly casual attitude while shooting his way to a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-yusuf-dikec-turkish-shooter-a7890124304080a48e7ee4294004d306?

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🇺🇸 World's fastest man

Noah Lyles crosses the finish line first — it's the torso that counts — to win gold yesterday in the men's 100-meter sprint. Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images Team USA's Noah Lyles won the men's 100-meter final yesterday by five-thousandths of a second — 0.005 of one tick of the clock — in a race for the ages. Why it matters: He's the first American crowned the world's fastest man in 20 years. Noah Lyles celebrates after winning gold. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Reuters 🔭 Zoom out: For perspective, the blink of an eye takes, on average, 0.1 second. That was 20 times longer than the gap between Lyles and Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. When the sprinters crossed the finish line, the word "Photo" popped up next to the names of Lyles, Thompson and five others in the eight-man field. Lyles walked over to the Jamaican and said: "I think you got the Olympics, dog." Photo: Omega ⏱️ Photo-finish tech ... PARIS — When judges needed to determine who won yesterday's Olympic 100-meter race, they drew on fancy new technology — a camera from Omega that shoots 40,000 frames per second, Axios' Ina Fried reports. Why it matters: Omega, the official Olympics timekeeper for decades, is constantly looking for new ways to help measure athletes' performance. How it works: For the Paris games, Omega added new tech in a range of sports, including the faster photo finish camera used for track and other races. The new camera takes four times as many pictures per second. It also adds higher resolution — perfect for tough calls such as the one that took place last night. The camera is focused on 5 mm at the finish. But by taking so many pictures, the system can recreate a full picture of whose body crossed first. Watch the race ... Keep reading.

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! I'm still pinching myself after watching Novak Djokovic and Noah Lyles win gold yesterday. The Olympics are unreal.

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In today's edition: Lyles wins gold in photo finish, Djokovic tops Alcaraz, USA swimming keeps 120-year streak alive, the high school that won't stop producing Olympians, $1 million Yahoo Fantasy sweepstakes, and more.

 

LYLES WINS 100M GOLD IN PHOTO FINISH

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Noah Lyles ran a personal-best 9.79 to win 100-meter gold on Sunday in a thrilling photo finish, becoming the first American to earn the title of "World's Fastest Man" since Justin Gatlin in 2004. ‌ How close was the finish? Lyles (9.784) beat Jamaica's Kishane Thompson (9.789) by 0.005 seconds (five one thousandths of a second), which is quicker than the time it takes to blink. Fellow American Fred Kerley (9.81) wasn't far behind in third.

(Screenshot: NBC)

What they're saying: The finish was so tight that even Lyles, perhaps the most confident athlete in Paris, thought he lost. Here's the boisterous Virginia sprinter after the race: ‌ "I'ma be honest, I was shocked. I thought I got out-leaned, truly. Me and Kishane were right next to each other and I was like, 'I'ma have to swallow my pride on this one'… And I said, 'I think you had that one.' And then my name came up and I was like, 'Oh shoot, I'm incredible.'"

(Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

Head-to-head: Lyles tied for having the slowest reaction time in the field and was tied for last at the 50-meter mark — which is typically how his races go — but his incredible closing speed lifted him to victory at the very end. Here are the 10-meter splits for Lyles (🇺🇸) and Thompson (🇯🇲😞 ‌ 10m: 🇺🇸 1.95 | 🇯🇲 1.90 20m: 🇺🇸 2.98 | 🇯🇲 2.93 30m: 🇺🇸 3.90 | 🇯🇲 3.84 40m: 🇺🇸 4.76 | 🇯🇲 4.72 50m: 🇺🇸 5.61 | 🇯🇲 5.56 60m: 🇺🇸 6.44 | 🇯🇲 6.41 70m: 🇺🇸 7.26 | 🇯🇲 7.24 80m: 🇺🇸 8.09 | 🇯🇲 8.07 90m: 🇺🇸 8.93 | 🇯🇲 8.92 100m: 🇺🇸 9.784 | 🇯🇲 9.789 It wasn't just the podium that was close: The entire race was separated by 0.12 seconds, making it the closest 100m final since at least 1968, the first year results included hundredths of a second. South Africa's Akani Simbine lost to Lyles by 0.03 seconds — and didn't medal. ‌ Wild stat: Jamaica's Oblique Seville finished last with a time of 9.91. That would have earned him a medal in three 100m finals this century (bronze in 2016 and 2008; silver in 2000), and would have won gold in every 100m men's final prior to 1996. ‌ The finish, explained… I had a few people ask me why Thompson didn't win if his foot crossed the line first (as seen in this slow-mo replay). The answer: The torso is the body part that has to cross the finish line for official timing registration. ‌ 🎥 Watch: The best race analysis I've seen (via BBC)   Athlete spotlight: Evy Leibfarth will try to win her second medal of these Games today in Kayak Cross, a must-see event that's making its Olympics debut. ‌ So good, so young: Leibfarth, 20, won her first major medals as a 15-year-old at the 2019 Pan Am Games. Now, the rising senior at Davidson College is already a two-time Olympian after competing in Kayak Singles and Canoe Slalom three years ago in Tokyo. ‌ She stunned the field last week in Canoe Slalom, winning bronze despite advancing out of the semifinals with the slowest time of the 12 finalists. Today she'll get back in the water for the Kayak Cross quarterfinals at 9:40am ET, hoping to reach the finals a little over an hour later. So, what is Kayak Cross? The new Olympic sport is what happens when you mix roller derby and bumper cars with a kayaking obstacle course. ‌ Four racers begin on a 15-foot-high platform before plunging into the water to complete a no-holds-barred race to the finish. There are eight gates to navigate, contact is very much allowed, and at one point the racers must do a full barrel roll, flipping their kayaks upside down to get under what's best described as a Limbo pole. More athletes in action: ‌ 👟 Sam Kendricks: The 2016 pole vault bronze medalist was forced to withdraw in Tokyo after testing positive for COVID-19. After setting the U.S. trials record back in June, he'll get another shot at a medal in today's final. 🏀 Hailey Van Lith: The former Louisville and LSU star, now at TCU, is the only college player on any of Team USA's four basketball teams in Paris. Her 3x3 squad reeled off five straight wins to reach today's semifinals; one more gets them into the gold medal match. Best of Team USA social: Suni Lee takes bronze on the uneven bars … USA on the podium for its final swimming gold … Domination in the sand   🥇🥈🥉 (Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   Simone Biles has already won three golds in Paris (team, individual all-around, vault). After failing to medal in beam earlier today, she'll try to win her fourth gold in floor exercise, which is probably her best event. ‌ Featured events: ‌ 🤸 Gymnastics: Women's Floor Final (8:20am, Peacock) 👟 Track & Field: Men's Pole Vault Final (1pm, Peacock), Women's Discus Final (2:30pm, NBC), Women's 5000m Final (3:15pm, NBC), Women's 800m Final (3:47pm, NBC) 🏀 3x3 Basketball: Men's and Women's Bronze (3pm, Peacock) and Gold Medal Games (4pm, NBC) … The USA women are in the semifinals at 11:30am. 🏄 Surfing: Men's and Women's Finals (3:30pm, Peacock) … After yet another delay, they'll try again to complete the surfing competition. ⚽️ Men's Soccer: Spain vs. Morocco (12pm, E!); France vs. Egypt (3:30pm, USA) … Semifinals. Medal events: ‌ 🏸 Badminton: Men's Singles Finals (8:30am, Peacock) 🎯 Shooting: Skeet Mixed Team Finals (9am, USA) 🛶 Canoe Slalom: Men's and Women's Kayak Cross Finals (10:55am, USA) 🚴‍♀️ Track Cycling: Women's Team Sprint Finals (1:50pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Artistic Swimming, Beach Volleyball, Diving, Equestrian, Hockey, Sailing, Sport Climbing, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo, Wrestling. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Women's Balance Beam Final, Men's Track & Field 200m Heats, Women's Floor Exercise Final and Women's Track & Field 800m Final (8pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.     📸 1 for the road   Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images An underwater camera captures members of France's artistic swimming team during today's competition.

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It was oddly quiet at the Olympics balance beam final, and Simone Biles says the gymnasts noticed

PARIS (AP) — An unusually quiet arena may have played a factor in a shaky balance beam final for Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee and a handful of other event finalists Monday.

https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-beam-final-quiet-5180e143b98128546069bbc7378f18ef?

 

🤸‍♀️ 1 for the road: Amazing Olympic moment

Photo: Elsa/Getty Images Team USA's Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bow to gold-medal winner Rebeca Andrade of Brazil on the podium yesterday.

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! We told you kayak cross was a must-see event, and we were not lying.

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In today's edition: The Olympic spirit on full display, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone spotlight, the Olympic sport that's "almost impossible," GIF of the day, and more.

 

Athlete spotlight: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone became a superstar three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics. Now, she's one of the faces of Team USA and can inch closer to capturing her second straight 400m hurdles gold in today's semifinal.

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An overwhelming favorite: The New Jersey native hasn't lost a 400m hurdles race since 2019 and she's held the world record since 2021, most recently breaking her own mark at U.S. trials in June. Her time that day (50.65 seconds) would have beaten four of the nine finalists in the open 400m at trials — the race without 10 hurdles.

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• Despite being just 24, McLaughlin-Levrone is already a three-time Olympian, having reached the semifinals in Rio at 17 before winning two golds in Tokyo (400m hurdles, 4x400m relay).
• She enters today's semifinal (2:15pm ET) after winning her heat by a comically-wide margin of 1.66 seconds.

The challenger: If anyone can give McLaughlin-Levrone a race, it's Dutch sprinter Femke Bol, who already delivered an iconic performance in Paris to win gold in the mixed 4x400m relay. She and McLaughlin-Levrone are the only women who've ever broken 51 seconds in the 400m hurdles, and they've combined to run the seven fastest times ever.

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More athletes in action:

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• 👟 Yared Nuguse, Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler: All three are in today's much-anticipated 1500m final. Nuguse is the American record holder, Hocker finished sixth in Tokyo and Kessler is the first American man since 1976 to qualify for the Olympic 1500m and 800m.
• ⛵️ Erika Reineke: The Laser Radial specialist (a solo sailing discipline) tried and failed to make the Olympic team three times before finally winning at this year's U.S. trials. Now 30, the four-time All-American at Boston College gets her medal shot in today's final.

Best of Team USA social: Gabby Thomas blows away the field … Steph Curry chats with Katie Ledecky … Team USA House goes all-in on basketball theme

 

🥇🥈🥉

(Gregory Hodge/Yahoo Sports)

Full medal count.   Two of Team USA's most popular teams play knockout games today, with the USWNT facing Germany in the semifinals and U.S. men's hoops facing Brazil in the quarterfinals. ‌ Featured events: ‌ ⚽️ Women's Soccer: USA vs. Germany (11:45am, USA); Brazil vs. Spain (3pm, Peacock) 🏀 Men's Basketball: USA vs. Brazil (3:15pm, USA) … Other quarterfinals today include Serbia vs. Australia (8:30am, USA) and France vs. Canada (12:15pm, E!). 👟 Track & Field: Men's 1500m Final (2:50pm, NBC); Women's 200m Final (3:40pm, NBC) Medal events: ‌ ⛵️ Sailing: Women's (8:45am, Peacock) and Men's Dinghy Finals (9:45am, Peacock) 🌊 Diving: Women's 10m Platform Final (9am, NBC) 🛹 Skateboarding: Women's Park Final (11:30am, E!) 👟 Track & Field: Women's Hammer Final (2pm, Peacock); Men's Long Jump Final (2:15pm, Peacock); Women's 3000m Steeplechase Final (3:15pm, NBC) 🤼 Wrestling: Men's Greco-Roman 60kg (1:30pm, Peacock); Men's Greco-Roman 130kg (2pm, Peacock); Women's Freestyle 68kg (2:50pm, Peacock) 🚴‍♂️ Men's Track Cycling: Team Sprint Finals (2pm, Peacock) 🥊 Boxing: Women's 60kg Final (5pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Artistic Swimming, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Handball, Hockey, Sport Climbing, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Women's Diving 10m Platform Final and Men's 400m Semifinals (8pm), Women's 400m Hurdles Semifinals and 200m Finals (9pm).   SPORT CLIMBING IS "ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE" (Julian Finney/Getty Images) Sport climbing is underway in Paris, where the event looks a bit different than it did when it made its Olympics debut three years ago. ‌ Three disciplines: Bouldering, lead and speed climbing were all combined into a single medal event in Tokyo. This time, speed was separated into its own event (bouldering and lead are still combined) to more accurately reflect who's best in the disparate specialties. ‌ Bouldering: Athletes navigate a 4.5-meter wall (~15 feet) without ropes, earning points for completing four obstacles. It combines strength and problem-solving, with competitors actually getting more time to study the wall (eight minutes) than climb it (five). Lead: Athletes get six minutes to study a partially inverted 15-meter wall (~50 feet), then they're put into isolation while they wait. Once it's their turn, they have six minutes to climb as high as they can. Speed: A head-to-head race up a 15-meter wall (~50 feet), which elite men can do in under six seconds and elite women can do in under seven seconds. What they're saying: "For somebody watching at home, the thing to remember is that what these competitors are doing is almost impossible," says Alex Honnold, the world-famous "Free Solo" climber. "I wouldn't even be able to get past the starting holds on a lot of [these]." ‌ Athletes to watch: Team USA's Sam Watson, who was once "so unathletic that he got cut from a fifth-grade track team," set the speed climbing world record twice on the same day back in April (4.85 seconds then 4.79 seconds). Poland's Aleksandra Mirosław has broken the women's speed world record 10 times since 2021, including twice in Monday's qualifiers (6.21, then 6.06). ‌ Schedule: Men's speed and women's combined qualifiers are today, and the program ends with the men's and women's combined finals on Friday and Saturday.   lightning round (Giphy) 🥈 GIF of the day: China's Zhou Yaqin (silver in beam) reacts after seeing Italy's Alice D'Amato (gold) and Manila Esposito (bronze) biting their medals while posing for the camera. Too good. ‌ 🇵🇭 Seems like a pretty good deal: Filipino gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo will receive quite the haul for earning a gold medal. Among his winnings: a fully furnished house, 13 million in cash (~$225,000 USD), a lifetime supply of ramen and free colonoscopies for life. ‌ ⚽️ All-European final: France beat Egypt, 3-1, and Spain beat Morocco, 2-1, to set up an All-European men's soccer final between two football-obsessed nations. ‌ 💪 The wrestler who never loses: Amit Elor, the 20-year-old wrestling phenom who hasn't lost in five years, might be Team USA's most dominant athlete. The back-to-back world champion demolished her opponents on Monday and is on the verge of winning gold.

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Romanian PM to boycott Olympics’ closing ceremony after ‘scandalous situation’ in gymnastics ruling

PARIS (AP) — Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Tuesday that he will boycott the Paris Olympics ’ closing ceremony due to a “scandalous situation” that cost a Romanian gymnast a bronze medal.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-gymnastics-inquiry-ef431dcbb3f0bef17fef05b7e78c3bf9?

 

📸 1,000 words

Photo: Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images Gabrielle Thomas competes in the women's 200m today, winning her first gold medal.

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Claire Michel, Olympic triathlete who fell ill after swim in Seine River, says a virus made her sick

PARIS (AP) — A Belgian triathlete who fell ill, causing her team to withdraw from the mixed relay event at the Paris Olympics, said blood tests showed it was a virus that made her sick.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-seine-water-quality-triathlon-6a5bbed0ab542a45314ebb21a2ac1840?

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! I ate Chipotle for dinner and can confirm that it tastes just as good in France as it does back home. In fact, the guac may be better.

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In today's edition: Hoops heaven, a 1500m final for the ages, Nelly Korda spotlight, "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images, and more.

 

HOOPS HEAVEN

From breakfast with Giannis to a nightcap with LeBron, Tuesday was perhaps the greatest day of basketball that has ever been played in a single location.

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From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel:

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Maybe Bercy Arena — mostly known for hosting tennis and handball tournaments — is an unlikely host for such a moment, but welcome to the quarterfinals of Olympic basketball, a 13-hour frenzy of hoops like has never before been seen.

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Nothing against some great state high school tournament or the Final Four or even Rucker Park, but Tuesday was like the first day of March Madness at some sub-regional site only with packed crowds of over 15,000 for all four games; not swaths of empty seats because one team's boosters are out to dinner.

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And these games just happened to feature the very best players in the world playing the most skilled and sophisticated basketball imaginable.

Oh, and there were no television timeouts so the games took about two hours to play. This was pure hoops.

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Fourteen 2024 NBA All-Stars were in action, including six players who have won 13 of the last 16 MVP awards. Not to mention Victor Wembanyama was on the court, too.

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The Canada-France game felt like it was being played inside Cameron Indoor — or Old Trafford — with the host nation being spirited on by banging drums, songs and chants.

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Scoreboard:

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• Germany 76, Greece 63
• Serbia 95, Australia 90
• France 82, Canada 73
• USA 122, Brazil 87

What's next: France will play Germany in tomorrow's first semifinal, followed by USA-Serbia in a matchup of the two most recent NBA MVPs (Joel Embiid vs. Nikola Jokić).

 

Athlete spotlight: The women's golf tournament is underway at Le Golf National, where world No. 1 Nelly Korda seeks her second straight gold medal.

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Pure domination: After a T16 to begin the year, the 26-year-old rattled off five straight victories, including a major, to tie the LPGA record for most consecutive starts won. Then, after a measly T7 in her next event, she won again for her sixth victory in seven starts.

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• The Florida native's run was so dominant that her lead in the world golf rankings over No. 2 Lilia Vu was greater than Vu's lead over the last of the 1,620 players on the list.
• Korda's dominance has faded as of late, but she's still the favorite in Paris. "Golf is a funny game," she said Monday. "Sometimes you feel on top of the world and in a matter of seconds, you just feel like you're on the bottom of the sea."

Other golfers to watch… Team USA's Korda (No. 1), Vu (No. 2) and Rose Zhang (No. 9) are joined by six other top-10 players: South Korea's Amy Yang (No. 3) and Jin Young Ko (No. 4), China's Ruoning Yin (No. 5), Australia's Hannah Green (No. 6), France's Céline Boutier (No. 7) and Japan's Yuka Saso (No. 10).

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More athletes in action:

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• 👟 Quincy Hall: American men won 400m gold in seven straight Olympics from 1984 to 2008, but they've managed just one bronze medal since. Hall, one of three Team USA runners in today's final, has the best chance of ending that drought.
• 🛹 Tate Carew: The world's top-ranked skateboarder makes his Olympic debut in today's park final, where the 19-year-old will try to dethrone world No. 2 and defending gold medalist Keegan Palmer of Australia.

Best of Team USA social: Gold medalist Gabby Thomas soaks it all in … Hocker and Nuguse make history … Americans try to speak French

 

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(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)

Full medal count.   Team USA are heavy favorites in today's women's basketball quarterfinal against Nigeria — the first African basketball team (men or women) to reach the Olympic knockout rounds. ‌ Featured events: ‌ 🏀 Women's Basketball: USA vs. Nigeria (3:30pm ET, USA) … Other quarterfinals include Spain vs. Belgium (8:30am, Peacock) and Germany vs. France (12pm, Peacock) 👟 Track & Field: Men's 110m Hurdles Semifinals (1pm, NBC); Men's 200m Semifinals (2pm, NBC); Men's 400m Final (3:20pm, NBC) 🏐 Men's Volleyball: USA vs. Poland (10am, NBC); Italy vs. France (2pm, Peacock) … Semifinals. 🛹 Skateboarding: Men's Park Final (11:30am, USA) Medal events: ‌ ⛵️ Sailing: Mixed Multihull Final (8:43am, Peacock); Mixed Dinghy Final (9:43am, Peacock) 🏋️ Weightlifting: Men's 61kg (9am, Peacock) 🚴🏼 Track Cycling: Men's and Women's Team Pursuit Finals (12:20pm, E!) 👟 Track & Field: Women's Pole Vault Final (12:15pm, Peacock); Men's Discus Final (2:25pm, NBC); Men's 3000m Steeplechase Final (3:43pm, NBC) 🤼 Wrestling: Men's 77kg and 97kg Greco-Roman Final and Women's 50kg Freestyle Final (12:15pm, Peacock) 🌊 Artistic Swimming: Team Acrobatic Routine (1:40pm, E!) 🥋 Taekwondo: Women's 49kg and Men's 58kg Finals (2pm, Peacock) 🥊 Boxing: Men's Middleweight and Lightweight Finals (4:30pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Diving, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Table Tennis, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Men's 100m Hurdles Semifinals and Men's Diving Springboard Semifinals (8pm), Men's 400m Hurdles Semifinals and Women's Pole Vault Final (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock.

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Sex eligibility rules for female athletes are complex and legally difficult. Here’s how they work Women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics has highlighted the complexity of drafting and enforcing sex eligibility rules for women’s sports and how athletes like Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan are left vulnerable in the fallout. Read more.

Things to know: When eligibility for women’s events has come into question, it often has been a legally difficult process for sports bodies that have risked exposing athletes to humiliation and abuse. In the 1960s, the Olympics used degrading visual tests intended to verify the sex of athletes.   Testosterone levels — not XY chromosomes, which is the pattern typically seen in men — are the key criterion of eligibility in Olympic events where the sport’s governing body has framed and approved rules.   That’s because some women, assigned female at birth and identifying as women, have conditions called differences of sex development, or DSD, that involves an XY chromosome pattern or natural testosterone higher than the typical female range. Some sports officials say that gives them an unfair advantage over other women in sports, but the science is inconclusive.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Russian disinformation slams Paris and amplifies Khelif debate to undermine the Olympics   Romanians appeal gymnast’s score after inquiry drama in floor exercise final at Olympics   AP PHOTOS: Olympic highlights from Day 12 of the Paris Games

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Olympic breaking, explained

By Analis Bailey

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

The new Olympic sport of breaking debuts on Friday and Saturday, and hip-hop culture will be on full display. Why it matters: For the first time in Olympic history, 32 breakers (16 B-boys and 16 B-girls) will compete in one-on-one battles. Each country has four breakers, and Team USA includes Victor Montalvo, Jeffrey Louis, Sunny Choi, and Logan Edra. Originating during the 1970s in the Bronx, breaking pulls from a variety of urban dance styles and techniques. What they're saying: Team USA B-boy Montalvo says it's important to remember the sport's roots in hip-hop, graffiti, and DJ/MC cultures. "A lot of people talk about how breaking is losing its essence over the years. I feel like it's up to the newer generation to dig into the roots and bring that essence back into the dance." How it's judged

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🇫🇷 Bonjour! 12 days down, four more to go.

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In today's edition: Quincy Hall's epic 400m finish, U.S. women's hoops advances, Jordan Larson spotlight, figure skaters finally get their gold medals, and more.

 

QUINCY HALL'S GOT THAT DOG IN HIM

Hall crosses the finish line, in first by four-hundredths of a second. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Team USA's Quincy Hall unleashed a stunning comeback on Wednesday to win 400m gold. If you haven't seen the epic finish, please go watch it now. ‌ As good as it gets: The 400m is widely considered the most painful event in track because it's basically a really long sprint. You can go all out in the 200m, and the race is over in ~20 seconds. And in longer races, you can pace yourself. But in the 400m, you have to give everything you've got for a full lap, even as your body is screaming for you to stop. ‌ As a result, the last 100 meters of this race is all heart and willpower. Your legs are giving out, your energy reserves are tapped, and the lactic acid buildup is burning. You're left with one simple question: "Do you got that dog in you?" Hall, who entered the final stretch in fourth place, answered that question with a resounding yes. "You can't outrun a dog," he said after finishing in 43.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever. "A dog is going to chase you forever." From Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg: ‌ Arms pumping, legs churning, face twisted in a grimace, Quincy Hall kept coming even when he appeared hopelessly far behind. Hall was a distant fourth place in the Olympic 400 meters final and he was running out of purple track between him and the finish line. ‌ With 50 meters to go, he charged past fading former Olympic champion Kirani James. With 40 meters to go, he ran down Jereem Richards like the Trinidadian's shoes were made of cement. Only pre-race favorite Matthew Hudson-Smith of Great Britain remained ahead of him, and Hall was reeling him in too. ‌ As Hall ran, he said to himself, "Get home, son." He thought about all those grueling practices running by himself. He thought about putting himself through junior college. He thought about his two brothers who died young, his mom and his two young daughters. ‌ The bottom line: Sports are at their best when they provide a canvas for athletes to make a statement. Hall did just that at Stade de France, using those closing seconds on that track to tell the world, "This is who I am. This is what I'm made of. This is what I went through to get here." ‌ "This is 18 years in the making, man," Hall's brother, Milton, told Fox 4 Kansas City. "Ms. Iecia [Quincy’s mom] and Quincy Hall been through it all to make it, man. God is good." "He did it for his best friend, Brandon. He did it for his man, Rasheed. He did it for his uncle Tony. He did it for everybody, man. This is a blessing… Quincy, I love you!" Want to see what pure joy looks like? Watch Milton's full interview.   PHOTOS OF THE DAY (Marvin Ibo Guengoer/GES Sportfoto/Getty Images) 🏀 USA 88, Nigeria 74: Michael Phelps was among the many famous faces who had a front row seat to the U.S. women's basketball team's 59th straight Olympic victory. They'll face Australia in Friday's semifinals. (Lars Baron/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 The weight is over: Hampton Morris took bronze in the men's 61kg final, becoming the first American man to win an Olympic weightlifting medal since 1984. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 🥇 Two in a row: Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali became the first man since 1936 to win two straight golds in the 3,000m steeplechase, which saw Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma take a hard fall on the last lap. He was hospitalized but has since been discharged. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) 🩱 'Smooth Criminals' take silver: The U.S. artistic swimming team, which went viral earlier this week for their upside-down underwater moonwalk set to "Smooth Criminal," took silver for their first Olympic medal since 2004. ‌ Day 12 recap: More from Wednesday   Athlete spotlight: Jordan Larson wasn't supposed to return for a fourth Olympics. But after leading the U.S. to their first women's volleyball gold medal in Tokyo, the captain couldn't resist coming back for one last ride in Paris, where she'll play in today's semifinal. ‌ Hat trick of medals: The Nebraska native won silver in London and bronze in Rio before finally breaking through with gold in Tokyo, where she hammered home the championship-winning point and was named MVP. ‌ She retired from the national team after that milestone victory, but last spring decided to rejoin the squad for a gold medal defense. At 37, Larson is the second-oldest women's volleyball player in U.S. Olympic history; but on the court she's second-to-none: "To my mind, Jordan is the best who's ever played for the USA women's team,” says coach Karch Kiraly. Hometown hero: If Nebraska is the volleyball capital of America, then Larson is the closest thing the U.S. has to volleyball royalty. She was a three-time All-American and 2006 national champion with the Cornhuskers, returned there last fall as an assistant coach and is a founding athlete for LOVB Omaha, one of six teams in the new pro league launching soon. ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ 👟 Grant Holloway: The Virginia native is the three-time defending 110m hurdles world champion and has the fastest time in the world this year. He settled for silver after getting upset in Tokyo, but hopes to win his first gold in today's final. 🌊 Carson Tyler: The 20-year-old diver is a rising senior at Indiana, where he's a three-time national champion. He's got his work cut out for him in today's 3m springboard final, where a pair of Chinese athletes appear to be heavy favorites. Best of Team USA social: Biles reacts to Olympic medal moments … The high jump world record is insane ‌ Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop ‌ Follow along at TeamUSA.com and @TeamUSA on social media.   🥇🥈🥉 (Gregory Hodge/Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   WATCHLIST: LYLES GOES FOR THE DOUBLE Lyles during Wednesday's semifinal. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) Noah Lyles will try to etch his name in the history books today in the 200m final, where he could become the 10th man to achieve the Olympic 100m-200m golden double. ‌ Featured events: ‌ 👟 Track & Field: Men's 200m Final (2:30pm ET, NBC); Women's 400m Hurdles Final (3:25pm, NBC); Men's 110m Hurdles Final (3:45pm, NBC) 🏀 Men's Basketball: France vs. Germany (11:30am, USA); USA vs. Serbia (3pm, USA) … Semifinals. 🏐 Women's Volleyball: USA vs. Brazil (10am, NBC); Italy vs. Turkey (2pm, Peacock) … Semifinals. 🤽‍♀️ Women's Water Polo: Spain vs. Netherlands (8:30am, USA); USA vs. Australia (1:30pm, USA) … Semifinals. Medal events: ‌ 🛶 Canoe Sprint: Men's and Women's Finals (7:30am, Peacock) 🌊 Diving: Men's 3m Springboard Final (9am, Peacock) 🏋️ Weightlifting: Women's 59kg (9am, Peacock); Men's 73kg (1:30pm, Peacock) ⛵️ Sailing: Men's Kite Final (10:40am, Peacock) and Women's Kite Final (11:40am, Peacock) 🏑 Men's Field Hockey: India vs. Spain for Bronze (8am, Peacock); Germany vs. Netherlands for Gold (1pm, Peacock) ⚽️ Men's Soccer: Egypt vs. Morocco for Bronze. (11am, Peacock) 🚴‍♂️ Track Cycling: Women's Keirin Final (1:11pm, Peacock); Men's Omnium Final (1:27pm, Peacock) 🤼 Wrestling: Men's 87kg Greco-Roman and Women's 53kg Freestyle (1:30pm, Peacock) 👟 Track & Field: Women's Long Jump Final (2pm, Peacock); Men's Javelin Final (2:25pm, Peacock) 🥋 Taekwondo: Men's 68kg and Women's 57kg Finals (1:30pm, Peacock) 🥊 Boxing: Men's Flyweight and Women's Bantamweight Finals (4:30pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Beach Volleyball, Golf, Handball, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Water Polo. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Men's 3m Springboard Final (8pm), Women's Long Jump, Men's 200m, Women's 400m Hurdles and Men's 110m Hurdles Finals (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.   THE OLYMPICS' MOST ECLECTIC EVENT The Château de Versailles hosts the modern pentathlon. (Paris 2024) The Olympics' most eclectic event is underway in Paris, with 72 athletes beginning the modern pentathlon. ‌ "The ideal, complete athlete": Inspired by its ancient counterpart, this event was meant to "[test] a man's moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete," said modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin. ‌ The original event featured a foot race, javelin toss, discus throw, long jump and wrestling. The modern version, introduced in 1912, features fencing, equestrian, swimming and a shooting-running hybrid contest called laser run. How it works: Today is just fencing preliminaries, but tomorrow's semifinals will see the 36 men and 36 women compete in all five disciplines during a two-hour window. ‌ Equestrian is the first and most challenging event, as competitors must navigate 15 jumps over 12 obstacles with a randomly-assigned horse. They have just 20 minutes to get acquainted with the horse, which is definitely not enough time. Then comes fencing (one-touch épée bouts) and swimming (200m freestyle) before concluding with the laser run — a 3,000-meter race that includes four stops along the way in which athletes shoot at targets with laser pistols. Looking ahead: If that equestrian portion sounds untenable, you're not alone: It's being replaced in 2028 with an obstacle course akin to what you see on "American Ninja Warrior."   lightning round (Michael Reaves/Getty Images) ⛸️ Figure skaters get their gold: Two years after competing in Beijing, nine American figure skaters finally got their gold medals following the disqualification of Team Russia for doping. ‌ 🇷🇴 Romania files appeal: Romania has appealed the results of the gymnastics floor routine on behalf of Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, who appears to have been incorrectly penalized for stepping out of bounds. ‌ 🚨 Detained, then released: Australian field hockey player Tom Craig was taken into custody in Paris for allegedly purchasing cocaine. He's since been released. ‌ 🛹 A win for the old guys: Most Olympic skateboarders are in their teens or 20s. Great Britain's Andy Macdonald is 51. "People were like, 'Are you going for the gold?'" he said after his run in prelims. "I'm like, if they give gold medals for having the most fun, I've got it wrapped up."

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COVID-stricken Noah Lyles collapses after getting bronze, one of 8 US medals at Olympic track

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — The first sign of trouble Thursday night came when Noah Lyles started rounding the curve in the Olympic final of the 200 meters — the sprint that has always been his best race.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-track-lyles-mclaughlinlevrone-b89ca589f221a2006af6cba1bc779912?

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What's going on with Noah Lyles' COVID test

U.S. track and field Olympian Noah Lyles tested positive for COVID-19, he said in a post-race interview on Thursday with NBC News.

https://www.axios.com/2024/08/08/noah-lyles-covid-final-olympics-bronze?

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🏅 Bye-bye, Olympics

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

The Paris Olympics conclude this weekend and there are places around the city to watch the closing ceremony. Catch up quick: Local athlete Katie Ledecky won four medals (two gold, one silver and one bronze) during the Games. Kevin Durant will play with Team USA next in the gold medal game at 3:30pm ET Saturday. Virginia's Noah Lyles won gold in the men's 100-meter final. Here are three places to watch the closing ceremony, which airs at 3pm on NBC: 🍻 Wunder Garten will have a big screen set up in the Noma beer garden. 🍹 Shaw's Tavern (complete with Olympic-themed cocktails for $12) 🍿 Select AMC theaters around the DMV

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American sport climber Sam Watson leaves Paris Olympics with world record but without gold medal

LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Sam Watson leaves the Paris Games with another world record in speed sport climbing but without the Olympic gold medal.

https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-sam-watson-sport-climbing-554ed11f8fc5f6c005d420eeb92b2bfd?