Summer Olympic Games 2024

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?? Bonjour! Team USA has chosen Katie Ledecky (swimming) and Nick Mead (rowing) to carry the American flag during Sunday's closing ceremony.

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In today's edition: U.S. survives Serbia scare, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is in a league of her own, Kristen Faulkner spotlight, breaking makes its debut, and more.

 

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Team USA survived a scare on Thursday, erasing a 17-point deficit to beat Serbia, 95-91, and advance to tomorrow's gold medal game against host nation France. ‌ A finish for the ages: The Americans trailed by 13 points entering the fourth quarter. That's when they turned it on — playing off each other beautifully, barely running plays and ultimately pulling away from Nikola Jokić and his fellow Serbs. ‌ From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel: ‌ LeBron, Steph and KD, a generation of otherworldly talent. They own eight MVPs and 10 NBA titles between them. All the victories. All the buzzer-beaters. All the Game 7s, sometimes even against each other. ‌ And yet, in the end, there was this. James is 39, Curry 36 and Durant 35, and it is quite possible that when it is all said and done in their legendary careers, what transpired here in a wild, overwrought Bercy Arena in the semifinals of the Olympics will go down as one of their favorite, if not most prideful memories. ‌ The Olympics used to be a three-week vacation where you showed up, showed out and left with gold. Now, it's a rock fight that tests even the greatest of the greats.

(Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

What they're saying: "That was special," said Curry, who finished with a game-high 36 points (12-19 FG, 9-14 3PT). "This is the most fun I've had in a very long time." ‌ "I'm 39 years old," said James, who had a triple-double (16-12-10). "I don't know how many opportunities and moments I'm going to get like this, to be able to compete for something big." "Everybody in here is going to remember this night for the rest of their lives," said Durant, who was clutch down the stretch. "We showed how together we were in that fourth quarter." The last word: "It's one of the greatest basketball games I've ever been a part of," added head coach Steve Kerr. "I'm really humbled to have been a part of this game." ‌ Further reading: Curry for President! Steph saves Team USA   Athlete spotlight: Kristen Faulkner is the first American woman to win gold in multiple disciplines at the same Olympics, winning both the individual road race and the team pursuit on the track. Not bad for someone who took up cycling just seven years ago. ‌ Historic double: On Sunday, Faulkner pulled off a stunning upset for Team USA's first road race gold since 1984 (men or women) despite only earning a spot in the race as a replacement. On Wednesday, she helped the U.S. win its first team pursuit gold since the event debuted in 2012. ‌ From rower, to VC, to cycling champ: Faulkner grew up in the tiny fishing community of Homer, Alaska, and rowed competitively at Harvard before graduating in 2016 and moving to New York City to begin a finance career. ‌ In 2017, while working at a venture capital firm, she took a beginner's cycling class in Central Park and immediately got hooked, waking up at 5am to bike through the park each day before work. By 2020 she'd joined a professional cycling team and was still working part-time as a VC (while racing abroad in Europe!) until 2021, when she left the corporate world to focus on cycling full time. Get this: Faulkner is so new to cycling that her parents had never seen her race in a velodrome (indoor cycling track) until this week in Paris. ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ ? Raven Saunders: The "masked shot putter" uses the pronouns they and them and brings a distinctive style to every meet. The 28-year-old Ole Miss grad and three-time Olympian won silver in Tokyo and goes for gold today. ? Rai Benjamin: No one has run the 400m hurdles faster this year than the 27-year-old New York native, who's looking for gold today after taking silver in Tokyo. His biggest competition? Norway's Karsten Warholm, the world record holder who beat him in Tokyo. Best of Team USA social: Women's volleyball advances to the final ... Soccer stars love track … Sha'Carri's anchor leg ‌ Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop   ??? (Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   Featured events: ‌ ? Track & Field: Women's 4x100m Relay Final (1:30pm, NBC); Men's 4x100m Relay Final (1:45pm, NBC); Women's 400m Final (2pm, NBC); Women's 10,000m Final (3pm, NBC); Men's 400m Hurdles Final (3:45pm, NBC) ? Women's Basketball: USA vs. Australia (11:30am, NBC); France vs. Belgium (3pm, Peacock) … Semifinals. ? Breaking: Women's Final (2pm, E!) … Qualifiers begin at 10am. ?‍♂️ Men's Water Polo: USA vs. Serbia (8:35am, Peacock); Hungary vs. Croatia (1:35pm, Peacock) … Semifinals. Medal events: ‌ ? Canoe Sprint: Men's Double 500m Final and Single 1000m Final (7:20am, E!) ? Women's Field Hockey: Argentina vs. Belgium for Bronze (8am, Peacock); Netherlands vs. China for Gold (2pm, Peacock) ?️ Rhythmic Gymnastics: Individual All-Around Final (8:30am, Peacock) ? Diving: Women's 3m Springboard Final (9am, NBC) ⚽️ Soccer: Spain vs. Germany for Women's Bronze (9am, USA); Spain vs. France for Men's Gold (12pm, USA) ? Table Tennis: China vs. Sweden for Men's Team Gold (9am, Peacock) ?️ Weightlifting: Men's 89kg (9am, Peacock); Women's 71kg (1:30pm, Peacock) ? Men's Volleyball: USA vs. Italy for Bronze (10am, Peacock) ?‍♂️ Track Cycling: Men's Sprint and Women's Madison Finals (12pm, Peacock) ? Wrestling: Men's 57kg, Men's 86kg and Women's 57kg Finals (12:15pm, Peacock) ? Track & Field: Women's Shot Put Final (1:35pm, Peacock); Men's Triple Jump Final (2:15pm, Peacock); Women's Heptathlon 800m Final (2:25pm, NBC) ? Taekwondo: Women's 67kg and Men's 80kg Finals (2:15pm, Peacock) ? Beach Volleyball: Women's Bronze Medal Match (3pm, USA) and Gold Medal Match (4:30pm, NBC) ? Boxing: Men's Welterweight (3:30pm, Peacock); Women's Flyweight (3:45pm, Peacock); Men's Heavyweight (4:30pm, Peacock) Non-medal events: Artistic Swimming, Handball, Modern Pentathlon. ‌ Primetime (NBC): Women's 3m Springboard Final and Women's Beach Volleyball Gold Medal Match (8pm), Women's Shot Put Final, Women's 400m Final, Men's 400m Hurdles Final and Women's Breaking Final (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.   LIGHTNING ROUND (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images) ?? 100 years later: Netherlands beat Germany in Thursday's men's field hockey final at Stade Yves du Manoir, best known as the site of the 1924 Olympics and the "Chariots of Fire" races. ‌ ? World record, bronze medal: American speed climber Sam Watson climbed a 49-foot overhanging wall in 4.74 seconds, a new world record, but had to settle for bronze. ‌ ?? Phogat says farewell: India's Vinesh Phogat retired from wrestling one day after she was disqualified from the women's 50kg gold medal match for failing the weigh-in by 100 grams (roughly the weight of two eggs).

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One Extraordinary (Olympic) Photo: Francisco Seco captures unusual image at rhythmic gymnastics

PARIS (AP) — Francisco Seco takes a closer look at his photo of Bulgarian Stiliana Nikolova performing in the rhythmic gymnastics competition:

https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-photos-9352d4630d61ea4f4cab7513cd422b78?

Sha’Carri Richardson chases down 2 competitors in rain to end her first Olympics with a relay gold

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Sha’Carri Richardson has navigated plenty of roadblocks in her pursuit of Olympic glory. Some self-imposed. Some not.

https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-shacarri-richardson-relay-315c7dfa6dfa41a5c1e92a0ec2a13d56?

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? Ballin' for gold

Team USA's A'ja Wilson shoots between two Australian players today in the Olympics semifinal. Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images The U.S. men's and women's basketball teams will both be competing for gold this weekend. The men, led by NBA All-Stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, will square off against Team France at 3:30pm ET tomorrow. The women's team, which features Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi, A'ja Wilson and a host of WNBA All-Stars, will play either Belgium or France at 9:30am ET Sunday. ? The women's team is chasing its eighth — eighth! — consecutive gold medal.

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?? Bonjour! Two of America's most popular teams — men's hoops and women's soccer — go for gold today.

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In today's edition: The USWNT's new "Big Three," Grant Fisher spotlight, Khelif wins gold, "Layers of the Games," and more.

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THE USWNT'S NEW "BIG THREE"

L-R: Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith. (Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)

New USWNT coach Emma Hayes left veteran Alex Morgan off the Olympics roster and handed the attacking keys to Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson — a difficult decision that now looks genius. ‌ Triple threat: Prior to Hayes' arrival in May, Smith (who turns 24 today), Rodman (22) and Swanson (26) had never started a game together. In Paris, they've started all five matches and scored nine of the USWNT's 11 Olympic goals en route to today's gold medal match vs. Brazil (11am ET, NBC). ‌ What they're saying: "They're like the Big Three," midfielder Sam Coffey said, "but they're all Michael Jordan." ‌ From Yahoo Sports' Henry Bushnell: ‌ As a newly minted trio, they've been in search of a nickname. One fan bestowed Rodman with a sign that dubbed them "The Holy Trinity" — but that doesn't work, because it's her first name. ‌ Christen Press, a former USWNT star, coined "Triple Trouble," and Smith likes that one. Swanson initially sounded puzzled by it, but when informed of the source, she said: "Then yeah. If Press said it, of course." ‌ Her word to describe playing alongside Smith and Rodman, however, was even simpler: "Fun." Smith agreed: "I mean, it's so fun." ‌ They have all been playing with a joy that was noticeably, painfully absent last summer at the World Cup in New Zealand. ‌ Swanson attributed it to "the fluidity between all players in the front line, the midfield," which is "super special." ‌ It's a departure from the Vlatko Andonovski days, when Morgan was always through the middle, and Smith almost always left of center or wide left. ‌ Now, under Hayes, the USWNT has often been building in a 3-1-4-2 shape, with Smith and Swanson up front, Rose Lavelle playing off them, and Rodman wide right — but none of that is set in stone. ‌ "We're all so dynamic," Smith said. "We all love to play a similar game. And we like to go in transition, but we're also learning we can play, we can possess the ball, and we can combine." ‌ Girma shoutout: While the attacking trio has gotten much of the attention, defender Naomi Girma has been arguably the USWNT's most important player in Paris. "Look, she's the best defender I've ever seen," said Hayes. "Ever."   PHOTOS OF THE DAY (Michael Steele/Getty Images) ? Sha'Carri wins first gold: The U.S. came back to win gold in the women's 4x100m relay behind Sha'Carri Richardson's blistering anchor leg and a series of clean handoffs between 200m gold medalist Gabby Thomas, 100m bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry. L-R: Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King, Christian Coleman and Fred Kerley after their failed 4x100m relay. (Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ?? Canada wins, USA stumbles (again): Canada won its first men's 4x100m relay gold since 1996 as the U.S. men failed to medal for the fifth straight Olympics due to yet another fumbled baton pass. Jewell Loyd takes it to the rim. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo) ?? USA 85, Australia 64: The U.S. women dominated the Opals to advance to Sunday's final against France, where they'll have a chance to win their eighth straight gold medal. (Carl Recine/Getty Images) ?? Spain's golden summer continues: Less than a month after winning Euro 2024, the Spanish men won gold for the first time since 1992 with a 5-3 victory over France — the highest-scoring soccer final in Olympic history. ‌ Day 14 recap: More from Friday   Athlete spotlight: Grant Fisher, who already provided one of Team USA's signature moments on the track, seeks his second medal of these Games in today's 5,000m final. ‌ Rare company: The 27-year-old used an unbelievable finish in last week's 10,000m final to win bronze and become just the second American medalist in the event since 1964. Today, he can become the second American medalist since 1964 in the 5,000m, too. ‌ Looking back to move forward: Fisher, who was born in Canada but raised in Michigan, decided last fall to hire his old high school coach, Mike Scannell, to train him for the Olympics. ‌ Scannell had helped mold Fisher into one of the country's top young runners (he was the seventh American high schooler ever to break the four-minute mile), and after missing the podium in both events in Tokyo, Fisher felt the best change was a return to the familiar. "The joy I had working with Mike in high school is still there now," Fisher told NYT. "The joy of having someone who's as invested in your journey as you are." Race preview: The field is more open than expected after Ugandans Joshua Cheptegei (WR holder) and Jacob Kiplimo (third-fastest time this year) withdrew. But watch out for reigning world champion Jakob Ingebrtisen and Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet, who has the world's fastest time this year. ‌ More athletes in action: ‌ ? Shelby McEwen: Growing up in Mississippi, he used to flip off trucks, haystacks and trees. Now, the 28-year-old is among the gold medal favorites in today's long jump final. ? Bryce Hoppel: The 26-year-old Texas native and five-time All-American at Kansas was the lone American to make today's 800m final. Best of Team USA social: USA House celebrates Rai Benjamin's gold … Milestone moments … Winning mindset in the relay ‌ Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop ‌ Follow along at TeamUSA.com and @TeamUSA on social media.   ??? (Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   WATCHLIST: USA VS. FRANCE FOR GOLD (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports) The United States and France play for men's basketball gold today (3:30pm ET, NBC) in a rematch of the finals in Tokyo. ‌ Tantalizing matchup: It's the four-time defending Olympic champs vs. the hometown heroes, who will have the support of the crowd as they seek their first gold medal. ‌ Featured events: ‌ ⚽️ Women's Soccer: USWNT vs. Brazil for Gold (11am, NBC) ? Track & Field: Men's 800m (1:05pm, NBC); Women's 100m Hurdles (1:35pm, NBC); Men's 5000m (1:50pm, NBC); Women's 1500m (2:15pm, NBC); Men's 4x400m Relay (3pm, NBC); Women's 4x400m Relay (3:14pm, NBC) ? Breaking: Men's Final (2pm, E!) … Qualifiers begin at 10am. Medal events: ‌ ? Volleyball: France vs. Poland for Men's Gold (7am, NBC); Brazil vs. Turkey for Women's Bronze (11:15am, CNBC) ? Canoe Sprint: Men's Kayak Single 1000m Finals and Women's Canoe Single 200m Finals (7am, CNBC) ?️ Rhythmic Gymnastics: Group All-Around Final (8am, CNBC) ? Diving: Men's 10m Platform Final (9am, NBC) ?‍♀️ Women's Handball: Norway vs. France for Gold (9am, USA) ? Women's Table Tennis: China vs. Japan for Team Gold (9am, Peacock) ?‍♀️ Women's Water Polo: Australia vs. Spain for Gold (9:35am, Peacock) ?️ Weightlifting: Women's 81kg (10am, Peacock); Men's 102+kg (2:30pm, Peacock) ? Modern Pentathlon: Men's Final (11:30am, Peacock) ?‍♂️ Track Cycling: Men's Madison Final (11:59am, Peacock) ? Wrestling: Men's Freestyle 74kg, Men's Freestyle 125kg, Women's Freestyle 62kg (12:15pm, Peacock) ? Artistic Swimming: Duet Free Routine Final (1:30pm, Peacock) ? Track & Field: Men's High Jump (1pm, Peacock); Women's Javelin (1:30pm, Peacock) ? Taekwondo: Men's 80+kg and Women's 67+kg (1:30pm, Peacock) ? Beach Volleyball: Men's Bronze (3pm, USA) and Gold Medal Matches (4:30pm, USA) ? Boxing: Men's and Women's Featherweight (3:30pm, CNBC); Women's Middleweight and Men's Super Heavyweight (4:30pm, Peacock) Primetime (NBC): Men's 10m Platform Final (8pm), Men's Basketball Gold Medal Game, Women's 1500m Final, Men's and Women's 4x400m Relay Finals and Men's Breaking Final (9pm). ‌ For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock. Sign up here.   KHELIF WINS GOLD, DISMISSES CRITICS (Richard Pelham/Getty Images) Algeria's Imane Khelif defeated China's Liu Yang by unanimous decision on Friday to win the women's 66kg division. ‌ What she's saying: A gold medal hanging around her neck, Khelif directly addressed the controversy over her gender that had enveloped her during the Olympics, made her a culture war wedge issue around the globe, and left her subjected to vicious online hate. ‌ "As for whether I qualify or not, or whether I am a woman or not, I am fully qualified to take part in this competition," Khelif said. "I am a woman like any other woman," she continued. "I was born a woman. I've lived as a woman. I've competed as a woman. There is no doubt about that." She also dismissed her critics: "They are enemies of my success. That is what I call them. That also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks." ‌ Keep reading.     LAYERS OF THE GAMES (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Earlier this week, we went "Behind the Lens" with Getty Images photographer Hector Vivas, the man behind the "Layers of the Games" project. Here's some more of his work. ‌ Above: The jumping individual final at Château de Versailles. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Above: Gymnasts compete on floor during the women's all-around final at Bercy Arena. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Above: The men's 100m preliminary round (Heat 5) at Stade de France. (Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Above: A group stage match between Paraguay and Mali at Parc des Princes.

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? Comeback stories

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Paris Olympics were a stage for epic comeback stories for athletes, the businesses that support them — and even the Games themselves, Ina and Sara report. Why it matters: Fans love feel-good victories so much (especially in an iconic setting), they're tuning into the Games at an unprecedented rate. Team USA athletes with redemption stories more valuable than gold: Simone Biles won four medals, including the gymnastics team and individual all-around golds — marking a dramatic return to dominance after withdrawing from the Games in Tokyo. Her teammate, Sunisa Lee, came back from kidney disease to win team gold and bronze medals in the all-around and uneven bars. Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey overcame adversities of their own, all of which led Team USA to dub its Paris journey "the redemption tour." Sha'Carri Richardson won the silver medal in the women's 100 meters and gold in the 4x100 relay — an especially sweet victory for the sprinter after being denied a spot at the last Olympics for failing a marijuana test. The U.S. women's soccer team defeated Brazil today, capturing the team's first Olympic gold since 2012. Brittney Griner returned to international basketball competition after spending 10 months in Russian captivity — and welcoming a baby just days before the Games began. The U.S. women's basketball team has advanced to Sunday's gold medal game. ? NBC enjoyed its own redemption story, breathing a sigh of relief with rebounded TV ratings in its first post-pandemic Games that stand in stark contrast to Tokyo's empty stands and masked athletes. ? International stories also captured global attention: Imane Khelif of Algeria won the gold medal in the 66-kilogram (145-pound) boxing tournament amid vicious attacks amid questions about her gender. The tiny island of St. Lucia won its first gold medal, thanks to Julien Alfred, who defeated Richardson in the 100 meters. Thea LaFond won gold in triple jump for Dominica — an island that doesn't even have its own track. ?? The Games are also a redemption story for France, which faced skepticism from the world about everything from security to pollution in the Seine — and for the Olympics themselves, which have dealt with manifold crises in recent years, including Zika in Rio in 2016 and COVID in Tokyo and Beijing. Read on.   Bumpy road to equality   Data: IOC. Chart: Axios Visuals This year's Games appear more inclusive than ever on TV. But women are still fighting for certain rights behind the scenes, Sara writes. Elite athletes globally still earn less than men. In the U.S., President Biden signed a federal law last year to ensure Team USA women get the same pay and benefits as men in the same sport. ? French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla was told by the French government she couldn't participate in the opening ceremony if she wore a hijab. She and the government eventually compromised, and Sounkamba wore a baseball cap to ride down the Seine with the French team.   Gender parity — but not equity     Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   The Paris Games made history as the first in which an equal number of women and men participated. But parity isn't equity — a fact that's also been on full display, Ina writes. Even with no transgender women competing at the Paris Olympics, the questioning of athletes' gender triggered major controversy: Boxers Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting endured global online abuse, and questions about whether they should be competing. Both received strong support from the International Olympic Committee and their home countries, as well as from fans in Paris. Each earned medals in Paris. Rugby player Ilona Maher — who helped lead Team USA to a surprising bronze, and drew much attention to the sport — also faced gender-based attacks. Maher and Khelif are flipping the conversation back on critics, saying this kind of bullying is toxic and dangerous: "It can destroy people — it can kill people's thoughts, spirit and mind," Khelif told SNTV. "It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying." "I get the comments of being called a man, being called too masculine, because I have muscles," Maher told TIME. "I know that it's from very sad, insecure people online. But I know they're saying it to other girls as well. And that's what I don't like." The big picture.

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? Women get gold

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The majority of Team USA medals awarded so far during this summer's Olympic Games have gone to women, Sara writes. Medal count: 115 total medals, ♀️ 63 women, ♂️ 46 men, 7 mixed. Women have received more than twice as many golds (23) as men (11). Women have won medals across many outdoor events, including cycling, shooting and rugby. But the biggest wins so far have been indoors. Some standouts: ?‍♀️ Gymnastics: Simone Biles: 3 gold, 1 silver. Sunisa Lee: 1 gold, 2 bronze. Jordan Chiles: 1 gold, 1 bronze — at least for now. ?‍♀️ Swimming: Katie Ledecky: 2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze. Kate Douglass: 2 gold, 2 silver. Torri Huske: 3 gold, 2 silver. ? Fencing: Lee Kiefer: 3 gold. ? Track: Sha'Carri Richardson: 1 gold, 1 silver.   AI changes the Games     Photo illustration: Allie Carl/Axios. Photo: Christian Liewig/Corbis via Getty Images   AI was on full display at the Games — the risks and the rewards, Ina writes. A number of professional and amateur sports use AI — particularly machine learning — to help sort and categorize footage and offer areas for improvement. Why it matters: AI holds huge potential for helping teams and athletes gain insights into their performance and adjust their training accordingly. ?Reality check: AI is expensive, prompting fears it'll benefit rich countries that already dominate the medal count. The bottom line: That's one of the risks that prompted the IOC to develop its Olympic AI Agenda, outlining its vision for the technology. Keep reading ...

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?? Bonjour! They're taking Jordan Chiles' bronze medal away. I’m so mad.

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In today's edition: USA men's hoops and women's soccer both win gold, Closing Ceremony preview, U.S. men and women sweep 4x400m relay, and more.

 

YES, CHEF! CURRY LIFTS USA TO ANOTHER GOLD

(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Well, I guess we all know what it's like to be a Warriors fan now. ‌ The best shooter to ever live: Steph Curry went nuclear against France on Saturday night at Bercy Arena, scoring 12 of his 24 points in the final three minutes — and hitting perhaps the greatest shot in Olympics history — to lift Team USA to a 98-87 victory and their fifth straight gold medal. ‌ After a slow start in Paris, Curry shined bright when it mattered most, scoring 60 points over his final two games while making 17 of his 26 three-point attempts. Kevin Durant added 15 points in Saturday's gold medal game, while LeBron James filled the box score once again, totaling 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Victor Wembanyama was brilliant for France, scoring a game-high 26 points while doing a little bit of everything. Reminder: He's only 19 years old. What they're saying: "It wasn't easy, but damn, I'm excited man," said Curry after winning his first gold medal. "This is everything that I wanted it to be and more."

(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Tournament MVP: James won MVP after leading all players in virtually every meaningful category… at age 39. There are no words left to describe his greatness. ‌ From Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel: ‌ One day another country is going to beat the United States again. Perhaps it will be France as Wembanyama continues to develop as an elite player. ‌ His potential remains enormous, maybe even higher now than ever. But not tonight, Steph Curry said. Not yet. ‌ Game notes: ‌ Team nickname: "There's the Dream Team, the Redeem Team. What's this team?" LeBron’s answer: "The Avengers." Olympic legends: Durant is the first men's basketball player to win four gold medals and James is the first to win gold in three different decades. Unsung hero: "Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player," Steve Kerr said postgame. "Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that." Amazing post: Tyrese Haliburton, who didn't play much in Paris, posted a selfie with his gold medal and captioned it: "When you ain't do nun on the group project and still get an A." So great. All-Tournament Teams (per FIBA) ‌ First Team: Dennis Schröder (Germany), Curry (USA), James (USA), Wembanyama (France), Nikola Jokić (Serbia) Second Team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada), Bogdan Bogdanović (Serbia), Franz Wagner (Germany), Guerschon Yabusele (France), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) NBA countdown: 72 days until the 2024-25 season tips off on October 22. In the immortal words of Bart Scott: "Can’t wait!"   PHOTOS OF THE DAY (Carl Recine/Getty Images) ?? Back on top: The USWNT beat Brazil, 1-0, behind Mallory Swanson's second-half strike to win their first Olympic gold since 2012. They've now won nine major tournaments (five Olympics, four World Cups), which is more than all other teams combined (eight). The U.S. women were particularly dominant, winning their relay by over four seconds. (Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images) ?? 4x400m relay sweep: The U.S. men and women both took gold in the 4x400m relay to close out the track & field program with 34 medals and 14 golds, both of which are their most at a single Olympics since 1984. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) ⛳️ Welcome to the Hall of Fame: New Zealand's Lydia Ko (-10), who came to Paris one win shy of qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, took gold by two strokes at Le Golf National. She now has one bronze (Tokyo), one silver (Rio) and one gold. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images) ? Fastest 800m final ever: Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyoni took gold in a historically fast 800m final, running the third-best time ever (1:41:19) to beat Canada's Marco Arop by 0.01 seconds. ‌ Day 15 recap: More from Saturday   Athlete spotlight: Olivia Reeves made history this week, becoming the first American woman to win weightlifting gold since 2000, the first year women's weightlifting was an Olympic sport. ‌ Golden Girl: Reeves, 21, lifted 258 pounds in the snatch to set an Olympic record for the 71kg (157 pounds) division and become the youngest American weightlifter to win gold since 1956. ‌ Reeves, a senior at UT-Chattanooga, began lifting as a fourth grader at the CrossFit gym her parents owned. "She's on track to be the best U.S. weightlifter in women's history," former Olympian Cara Heads Slaughter told NPR. Resurgent program: Team USA entered Paris having won just eight weightlifting medals since 1968. But this year's team signals a program on the rise. ‌ Reeves was joined by Hampton Morris, 20, who took bronze on Wednesday to become the first American man to win an Olympic weightlifting medal in 40 years. That makes these the first Summer Games ever in which a U.S. man and woman both won weightlifting medals. Best of Team USA social: Volleyball players receive letters from loved ones … Steph had the whole world talking … New USWNT era, same gold habits ‌ Team USA: News | Athletes | Shop ‌ Follow along at TeamUSA.com and @TeamUSA on social media.   ??? (Yahoo Sports) Full medal count.   WATCHLIST: USA VS. FRANCE FOR GOLD, AGAIN (Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images) Today, it's the women's turn to play France for basketball gold (9:30am ET, NBC) as the Americans seek their eighth straight gold medal. ‌ More to watch: Just six other gold medals are up for grabs today in Paris, and matches have either started or start very soon. ‌ ? Women's Volleyball: USA vs. Italy for Gold (7am, NBC) ? Men's Handball: Germany vs. Denmark for Gold (7:30am, USA) ?‍♂️ Track Cycling: Women's Sprint, Women's Omnium and Men's Keirin (7:15am, Peacock) ?‍♂️ Men's Water Polo: Serbia vs. Croatia for Gold (8am, Peacock) Closing Ceremony: The Games will officially conclude with the Closing Ceremony at Stade de France (3pm, NBC). As is tradition, the ceremony will include a handover from one Olympic Games to the next, with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass accepting the Olympic Torch in preparation for LA 2028. ‌ Five-time Grammy winner H.E.R. will sing the Star-Spangled Banner, while Los Angeles natives Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and the Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform live from L.A. Plus, Tom Cruise will reportedly perform a stunt from the roof of the stadium before the broadcast cuts to a pre-taped segment of him skydiving to the Hollywood sign. For a complete schedule, click here. Every event streams live on Peacock.

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Gender tensions at Olympics aren't new

Left: 18-year-old Helen Stephens won every race she ran, including the 100 meters at the 1936 Olympics. Right: The cover of Michael Waters' "The Other Olympians." Images: Library of Congress, Macmillan

PARIS — With all the noise made about Imane Khelif at the Paris Olympics, it's easy to imagine that gender controversy is a new thing. But, as author Michael Waters points out, battles over gender are as old as the modern Olympics themselves, Axios' Ina Fried writes. "You can actually draw a line from what we're seeing today all the way back to the early 20th century," says Waters, whose new book, "The Other Olympians," explores some of the earliest gender bending and gender policing at the games. Waters harkens back to 1936, when American sprinter Helen Stephens won gold and was criticized for her deep voice and large biceps. Waters says that from the beginning of women's sports, there was a push "to promote this specific notion of femininity and especially white femininity." "The anxieties we see today are really traced back to just that fixation on the bodies of women athletes," he said. Between the lines: Tests to determine chromosomes, hormone levels and other biological factors are all imperfect. Any attempt to neatly divide the sexes inevitably collides with a biology that includes intersex athletes, whose bodies are more complicated than traditionally male or female. "We've learned and then, if you look at today, seemingly unlearned those lessons over and over," Waters told Axios. Transgender women, he said, went from being able to participate in the Olympics so long as they reduced their testosterone below certain levels, to being all but banned. More of Ina's coverage.

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? Curry's flurry

Team USA's Steph Curry shoots over France's Victor Wembanyama in Paris yesterday. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Steph Curry had only five 3-pointers in his first four games of the Paris Olympics combined. And then came the medal round, AP's Tim Reynolds writes. The NBA's all-time 3-point king found his stroke, making 17 3-pointers in the last two games, against Serbia and France, to help lead the U.S. to its fifth consecutive gold medal with a 98-87 win. The last four of those 3-pointers came in the final 2:46 of the gold-medal game — an unforgettable display. Watch the video. Photo: Garrett W. Ellwood/NBA via Getty Images Above: LeBron James dunks in Paris yesterday. Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters Above: The Team USA women's 4x400-meter relay team — Alexis Holmes, Gabrielle Thomas, Shamier Little and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone — celebrates gold in Saint-Denis, France, yesterday.

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American gymnast Jordan Chiles lost her bronze medal on floor exercise. What happened?

The International Olympic Committee ordered Chiles’ medal be reallocated to Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided an appeal from Chiles’ coach that vaulted her onto the podium. Here’s how the scoring controversy has played out. Read more.   Police arrest a man climbing the Eiffel Tower, prompting an evacuation hours before closing ceremony PARIS (AP) — French police evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony Sunday. https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-eiffel-tower-climber-1adeab420a778c7a99656af9b7d0e204? Jordan Chiles has been stripped of a gymnastics bronze medal, but the USOPC says it will appeal PARIS (AP) — U.S. Olympic officials are appealing a court ruling that resulted in American gymnast Jordan Chiles being asked to return the bronze medal she won in the Paris Olympics floor exercise. https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-gymnastics-jordan-chiles-d246c9d544faf9dfb44185ae3661e869?

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Paris closes the Olympics, and Los Angeles turns to Tom Cruise for its 2028 mission

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Setting out to prove that topping Paris isn’t mission impossible, Los Angeles rolled out a skydiving Tom Cruise, Grammy winner Billie Eilish and other stars on Sunday as it took over Olympic hosting duties from the French capital, which closed out its 2024 Games just as they started — with joy and panache.

https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-closing-ceremony-b1786f8e9ae6c5e2b709cf0b2cf6bb52?

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Paris Olympics

 

After an exciting two-and-a-half weeks of competition, the Summer Olympics wrapped up on Sunday with a grand closing ceremony at the Stade de France. The celebration boasted an array of music, a parade of nations and even Tom Cruise rappelling from the roof. It was a fitting Hollywood finish as the Games were formally handed to 2028 host Los Angeles. Also on Sunday, the US women's basketball team survived a scare and beat host nation France, 67-66. The victory sealed a US tie with China for most gold medals at the 2024 Games. Meanwhile, a saga is unfolding around American gymnast Jordan Chiles' floor exercise bronze medal. US Olympic officials say they will appeal a ruling that stripped her of the medal and dropped her to fifth place.

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?? Bonjour! Paris 2024 was the best Olympics ever. I'm going to miss this wonderful city. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

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In today's edition: Tallying up all the medals, Diana Taurasi makes history, the venues that should host LA 2028, and more.

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THE FINAL MEDAL TALLY

(J'Kel Anderson/Yahoo Sports)

For the first time in Summer Olympics history, there was a tie atop the gold medal leaderboard as the U.S. and China both won 40 events in Paris. ‌ Medal breakdown: Team USA's 126 total medals far outpaced China's 91, and were their most since winning a staggering 174 in 1984. ‌ ?? USA: More than half of Team USA's 40 golds came in athletics (14) and swimming (8). They also won three each in artistic gymnastics and cycling, two each in basketball, fencing and wrestling, and one each in soccer, golf, rowing, shooting, surfing and weightlifting. ?? China: They're the first nation to sweep all eight diving events, and took five each in table tennis, shooting and weightlifting. They also took three in boxing, two each in swimming, artistic gymnastics, artistic swimming, badminton and canoeing, and one each in athletics, cycling, tennis and rhythmic gymnastics. Notes: ‌ Gold medal top 10: USA (40), China (40), Japan (20), Australia (18), France (16), Netherlands (15), Great Britain (14), South Korea (13), Italy (12), Germany (12). Winningest athletes: Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei led all athletes with six medals, while five other swimmers tied for second with five medals each: France's Léon Marchand, USA's Torri Huske and Regan Smith, and Australia's Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan. First-time medalists: Saint Lucia (women's 100m gold and 200m silver), Dominica (women's triple jump gold), Albania (two men's boxing bronzes), Cape Verde (men's boxing bronze) and the Refugee Olympic Team (women's boxing bronze) won their first medals in Paris. Top fourth-place finishers: Italy led all nations in just missing out on the podium, with 26 fourth-place finishes. Team USA was second, with 22, coming that close to extending their already massive lead in the total medal count. Fear the tree: Stanford finished with 39 medals, which puts the Cardinal behind only seven countries. Full list of winners: 91 National Olympic Committees, plus the Refugee Olympic Team, won a medal across 329 medal events in 32 sports.   Athlete spotlight: Diana Taurasi won her sixth gold medal on Sunday, making her the most decorated team sport athlete in Olympics history. ‌ A legendary career: The best way to sum up the six-time Olympian's greatness and longevity? Of the 61 consecutive Olympic basketball games won by Team USA, Taurasi has been part of 44. ‌ On top of her six golds, the WNBA's all-time scoring leader has won three NCAA titles, three WNBA titles, three FIBA World Cups and six EuroLeague titles — all this century. "She's one of the greatest competitors that women's basketball has ever seen," Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve told Yahoo Sports. Must-see video: Taurasi family in tears after final Olympics ‌ Plus: Check out Team USA's Instagram for all kinds of highlights from the Closing Ceremony.

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? Final medal tally

Data: NBC Olympics; Chart: Axios Visuals ?? The U.S. won the most medals in Paris — 126 of them, to be exact. ?? China had 91 total. The U.S. and China tied for the most gold medals, with 40 each.

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?? Bonjour! Here's a look back at the magic that was Paris 2024. Hope you enjoy! We'll be taking a few days off to recharge — see you next week.   ‌Let's sports…

DAY 1: USA AND CHINA EARN FIRST GOLDS The U.S. men's 4x100m free relay team, from L-R: Caeleb Dressel, Hunter Armstrong, Chris Guiliano and Jack Alexy. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images) The U.S. won their first gold medal on the first full day of competition (Sat. July 27), winning the men's 4x100m freestyle relay. China also won their first gold that day in air rifle, and the two nations ultimately ended up with 40 golds each — the first time in Summer Olympics history there was a tie at the top. ‌ More from Day 1: ‌ "Race of the Century": Australia's Ariarne Titmus successfully defended her 400m freestyle gold medal against Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh (silver) and American legend Katie Ledecky (bronze). France stuns Fiji: The host nation beat two-time defending champion Fiji in the Men's Rugby Sevens Final, handing them their first ever loss in the event (17-1). "Nadalcaraz" opens with a win: The dream doubles pairing of Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal won their opener. They ended up losing in the quarters. Day 1 recap

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DAY 2: HOMETOWN HERO (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) Léon Marchand, the 22-year-old face of the Paris Games, lived up to the hype in his first event, setting an Olympic record to win the 400m IM by nearly six seconds. He'd go on to win four golds; only 15 countries won more. ‌ More from Day 2: ‌ Coco matches Venus: Coco Gauff, 20, became the youngest American woman to win a singles match at the Olympics since Venus Williams in 2000. Strong start for U.S. men's hoops: Team USA beat Serbia in their opener, 110-84, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant combined to shoot 17-22 from the field for 44 points. Simone and Suni advance: Simone Biles and Suni Lee qualified for the individual all-around final, marking the first time in Olympics history that two former champs would compete in that event. Day 2 recap

DAY 3: PHOTO OF THE CENTURY (Jerome Brouillet/AFP via Getty Images) Brazil's Gabriel Medina recorded the highest single wave score in Olympic history (9.90), and Jerome Brouillet captured him exiting the wave in one of the coolest photos ever taken. ‌ More from Day 3: ‌ USA takes bronze: Bespectacled hero Stephen Nedoroscik nailed his pommel horse routine to help the men's gymnastics team win their first medal since 2008. Please go watch this celebration. Sports! Novak beats Rafa: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal, 6-1, 6-4, in their 60th and perhaps final meeting to take a 31-29 lead in their head-to-head rivalry. Teen phenom: 17-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, who'd already won silver in the "Race of the Century," took her first of three gold medals in Paris (200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM). Day 3 recap

DAY 4: "F AROUND AND FIND OUT" L-R: Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Hezly Rivera and Simone Biles. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) Team USA won team gymnastics gold, joining the 1996, 2012 and 2016 teams. During their press conference, they gave themselves a NSFW nickname — "F.A.A.F.O" — in a viral video filmed by some guy named Kendall Baker. ‌ More from Day 4: ‌ 3,000 medals: Team USA won its 3,000th medal (Summer and Winter combined). No other country has won more than 1,500. Rugby walk-off: The U.S. women's rugby sevens team won bronze in spectacular fashion, taking it the length of the field for a game-winning score as time expired. Back in the quarters: The USMNT blanked Guinea, 3-0, to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time since 2000. Day 4 recap

DAY 5: QUEEN OF THE 1500 (Sarah Stier/Getty Images) Katie Ledecky destroyed the field by more than 10 seconds in the 1500m freestyle final for her first gold. By the time she left Paris, she'd have 14 medals (9 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze), making her the most decorated American female Olympian of all time. ‌ More from Day 5: ‌ Marchand's double: Before this year, no one had ever won a medal in butterfly and breaststroke at the same Games. France's Léon Marchand did it in the span of 116 minutes, and both medals were gold. A star is born: Turkey's Yusuf Dikeç went viral for having the most casual shooting stance you've ever seen for a silver medal-winning Olympian. By the end of the Games, other athletes mimicked his stance to celebrate their own victories. Canada advances: The Canadian women's soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals despite being docked six points for their drone-spying scandal. Day 5 recap

DAY 6: THE FIGHT THAT SPARKED A CULTURE WAR (Richard Pelham/Getty Images) Italy's Angela Carini quit 46 seconds into her bout against Algeria's Imane Khelif. The moment sparked a culture war and became one of the biggest stories of the Olympics. ‌ More from Day 6: ‌ Biles rallies to reclaim gold: Simone Biles took gold in the women's individual all-around, rebounding from a brutal performance on bars to win her sixth gymnastics gold, an American record. Back on top: Team USA rowing won gold in the men's four for the first time since 1960 behind the crew of Justin Best, Nick Mead, Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan. Andy says farewell: Andy Murray, the only man to win two singles golds, played the final match of his career in a doubles loss to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul. Day 6 recap

DAY 7: FISHER MAKES HISTORY (Michael Steele/Getty Images) Grant Fisher took bronze in the 10,000m final with an unbelievable finish, becoming the second American to medal in the event since 1964. The top 13 finishers all broke the Olympic record in a historically fast race, which was won by Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei. ‌ More from Day 7: ‌ Four golds, four records: Léon Marchand became the fourth swimmer ever with four individual golds in a single Olympics — and he set the Olympic record in all four (200m IM, 400m IM, 200m breast, 200m fly). Teddy's four-peat: France's Teddy Riner, who opened the Games by lighting the Olympic Torch, became the first man to win four gold medals in judo. USMNT fizzles: The U.S. men's soccer team lost 4-0 to Morocco in the quarterfinals, extending their 120-year Olympic medal drought. Day 7 recap

DAY 8: LEDECKY, HANCOCK JOIN FOUR-PEAT CLUB (Xavier Laine/Getty Images) Team USA's Katie Ledecky (800m freestyle) and Vincent Hancock (skeet shooting) became just the sixth and seventh athletes in history to win four gold medals in the same individual event. ‌ More from Day 8: ‌ What a comeback! Femke Bol led the Netherlands to gold in the mixed 4x400m relay with a stunning anchor leg after taking the baton in fourth place. St. Lucia's on the board: Julien Alfred won the women's 100m final for St. Lucia's first-ever Olympic medal. Crouser's 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. Day 8 recap

DAY 9: LYLES WINS GOLD IN PHOTO FINISH (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images) Noah Lyles won 100-meter gold 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 it? Lyles (9.784) beat Jamaica's Kishane Thompson (9.789) by five one thousandths of a second, which is less time than it takes to blink. ‌ More from Day 9: ‌ Djokovic finishes the job: Novak Djokovic finally won gold in an epic match against Carlos Alcaraz, becoming the fifth player to complete the career golden slam. Scottie is inevitable: Scottie Scheffler shot a final-round 62 to win gold by a stroke over Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood and continue his incredible 2024 season. Finke sets record, extends streak: Bobby Finke set a world record in the 1500m freestyle to win Team USA's first men's individual swimming gold in Paris, extending a streak that dates back to 1904. Day 9 recap

DAY 10: GOLD MEDAL IN SPORTSMANSHIP (Elsa/Getty Images) As maddening as it is that they're taking away Jordan Chiles' bronze medal in floor, they can't take away one of the lasting images of the Paris Olympics: Chiles and Simone Biles bowing down to Brazilian gold medalist Rebeca Andrade. ‌ More from Day 10: ‌ Mondo breaks his record, again: Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record (6.25 meters) for the eighth time since 2020 to win his second straight Olympic gold. Surfing finale: After multiple delays due to surf conditions, the competition finally ended with Team USA's Caroline Marks and France's Kauli Vaast, a Tahiti native surfing on his local break, taking gold. What a shot! Worthy de Jong drained a walk-off shot from distance to lift Netherlands to gold in 3x3 basketball. Day 10 recap

DAY 11: THE BEST 1500M EVER (Michael Steele/Getty Images) The 1500m final, billed as a race between Great Britain's Josh Kerr and Norway's Jakob Ingebritsen, turned into the Cole Hocker show in an electric sprint to the finish. He charged past the favorites to become the fourth American man ever to win 1500m gold. ‌ More from Day 11: ‌ Historic five-peat: Cuban wrestler Mijaín López became the first Olympian to win gold in the same individual event five times and retired after his victory. The wrestler who never loses: Amit Elor, 20, became the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold. Hardly a surprise given she's never lost a match in five years of senior competition. Hoops heaven: Team USA, France, Germany and Serbia advanced to the men's semifinals during perhaps the greatest day of basketball that has ever been played in a single location. Day 11 recap

DAY 12: YOU CAN'T OUTRUN A DOG (Christian Petersen/Getty Images) American Quincy Hall unleashed a stunning comeback to win 400m gold in 43.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest time ever. "You can't outrun a dog," he said. "A dog is going to chase you forever." ‌ More from Day 12: ‌ Faulkner makes history: Kristen Faulkner, who'd already pulled off a surprise victory in road cycling, added team pursuit gold to her medal haul, becoming the first American woman to win gold in multiple disciplines at the same Olympics. The weight is over: 20-year-old weightlifter Hampton Morris took bronze in the men's 61kg division, becoming the first American man to win an Olympic weightlifting medal since 1984. 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. Day 12 recap

DAY 13: A LEAGUE OF HER OWN (Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images) Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smashed her own world record in the 400m hurdles (50.37 seconds) to take gold by a comically-wide margin of 1.5 seconds. Her time was so fast that she would have qualified for the 400m final — the race without 10 hurdles. ‌ More from Day 13: ‌ Phew! The U.S. erased a 17-point deficit to beat Serbia, 95-91, behind huge games from Steph Curry (36 points, 9-14 3PT) and LeBron James (16 pts, 12 reb, 10 ast). Botswana's first gold: Letsile Tebogo upset Americans Kenny Bednarek (silver) and Noah Lyles (bronze) in the 200m final to win Botswana's first-ever Olympic gold. World record, bronze medal: American speed climber Sam Watson climbed a 49-foot overhanging wall in 4.74 seconds, a new world record, but settled for bronze. Day 13 recap

DAY 14: SHA'CARRI'S FIRST GOLD (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) Sha'Carri Richardson won her first gold medal thanks to a blistering anchor leg in the women's 4x100m relay after a series of clean handoffs between Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry. Speaking of clean handoffs, the less said about the U.S. men's 4x100m relay, the better. ‌ More from Day 14: ‌ Khelif wins gold: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won gold and dismissed her critics, calling them "enemies of my success." Spain's golden summer: Less than a month after winning Euro 2024, the Spanish men won gold for the first time since 1992 with a 5-3 victory over France. Breaking's biggest star: Australia's Rachael Gunn, aka B-girl Raygun, didn't score a single point but her viral routine was the talk of the internet as breaking made its Olympic debut. Day 14 recap

DAY 15: YES, CHEF! (Jamie Squire/Getty Images) Steph Curry, the greatest shooter to ever live, scored 12 of his 24 points in the final three minutes to lift Team USA to basketball gold, while 39-year-old LeBron James won MVP. What a tournament. What a moment in time. ‌ More from Day 15: ‌ Back on top: The USWNT beat Brazil, 1-0, to win their first Olympic gold since 2012 and ninth major tournament (five Olympics, four World Cups), which is more than all other teams combined (eight). 4x400m relay sweep: The U.S. men and women both took gold in the 4x400m relay to close out the track & field program with 34 medals and 14 golds, their most at a single Olympics since 1984. Welcome to the Hall of Fame: New Zealand's Lydia Ko (-10), who came to Paris one win shy of qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame, took gold by two strokes at Le Golf National. Day 15 recap

DAY 16: EIGHT STRAIGHT (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) The U.S. women's basketball team won its eighth consecutive gold medal by the narrowest of margins, erasing a 10-point second-half deficit against France to win 67-66. Of the USA's 61 straight Olympic victories, this was just the third by single digits. ‌ More from Day 16: ‌ Hassan's historic treble: Dutch runner Sifan Hassan won gold in the marathon after having already claimed bronze in both the 5,000m and 10,000m. She's the first woman to medal in those three events in at the same Olympics. Back on the podium: The U.S. men's water polo team, whose 10 medals rank second all-time, won bronze to return to the podium for the first time since 2008. Au revoir, Paris: The greatest Olympics in recent memory — and certainly one of the best ever — came to an end with a star-studded Closing Ceremony. Day 16 recap

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For NBC, Paris Olympics delivered gold

If there were medals for the overall level of public interest in the Olympic games, Paris 2024 would be a strong contender for the podium.

https://www.axios.com/2024/08/12/olympics-2024-nbc-viewership-ratings

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An interesting tid-bid about the Olympics that I just came across today!!

The Seventh-day Adventist Church Participates in the Protestant Chaplaincy for the 2024 Olympic Games

The Adventist chaplaincy will play a crucial role for athletes seeking spiritual support.

https://adventist.news/news/the-seventh-day-adventist-church-participates-in-the-protestant-chaplaincy-for-the-2024-olympic-games

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Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu presented Olympic bronze medal first awarded to American Jordan Chiles

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received her Olympic bronze medal during a ceremony in the capital Bucharest on Friday that marked the conclusion of a swirl of controversy after the medal was first awarded to U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles but later revoked.

https://apnews.com/article/romanian-gymnast-bronze-medal-chiles-3cec6ec6344b8d4ecc91270916b0d357?