Bobby Finke earns silver in 800-meter freestyle
Bobby Finke earned a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle race Tuesday.
Finke rallied to finsih with a time of 7:38.75. Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen held off Finke’s charge and took gold (7:38.19), while Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri claimed bronze (7:39.39).
It was Finke’s third Olympic medal and adds to the U.S. swim team’s haul.
Bobby Finke's valiant comeback comes up just short of gold, but he earns SILVER in the 800m free! 💪
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/WeKAUx0G0e
US men’s soccer team reaches Olympic quarterfinals for first time since 2000
Kevin Paredes scored two goals as the United States advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic men’s soccer tournament for the first time since Sydney 2000 by beating Guinea 3-0 on Tuesday.
Victory in Saint-Etienne ended a 24-year wait for the U.S. to reach the knockout phase and it will play Morocco in the quarterfinals in Paris on Friday.
First-half goals from Djordje Mihailovic and Paredes put the Americans on course for the next round. Paredes sealed the win with his second after the break.
The U.S. advanced in second place behind Group A winner France, which beat New Zealand 3-0.
France plays Argentina in the quarterfinals in a repeat of the World Cup final in 2022. The game is in Bordeaux on Friday.
Simone Biles leads dominant U.S. to gold in Olympic gymnastics team competition
PARIS — Fans at Bercy Arena wore white T-shirts with the Olympic rings printed across the front. Each ring featured a photo of a U.S. gymnast inside. Underneath, there was a single word: “Redemption.”
This felt like more. It was relief. It was a release.
It was gold.
U.S. women pull off dramatic rally to earn first medal in rugby
The U.S. edged Australia 14-12 to earn bronze for its first Olympic medal in rugby sevens, adding to a big statement for the North American teams four years before the Olympics are staged in L.A.
The Australians were leading 12-7 with seconds remaining and deep in U.S. territory. The ball went to Alex Sedrick and she bumped off two tacklers before racing all the way to the other end to score and spark jubilation for the Americans.
The U.S. women reached the Olympic semifinals for the first time and lost to defending champion New Zealand. That made the playoff for a third a case of winning a medal or going home without.
The Americans rushed onto the field to celebrate the 14-12 victory and Ilona Maher, the social media celebrity of these Games, raised both arms up in triumph.
Coco Gauff left in tears after argument with umpire during Olympics loss
PARIS — The scene felt all too familiar to Coco Gauff. An officiating decision she was sure was wrong. A chair umpire who wouldn’t listen. Tears streaming down her cheeks. And, most disappointing of all, a loss, this time at the Paris Olympics.
Even the site was the same: Court Philippe Chatrier was where the reigning U.S. Open champion was eliminated in the third round at the Summer Games by Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Tuesday. That’s also the main stadium used annually for the French Open, where Gauff found herself in a nearly identical dispute over a call while being defeated by eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals last month.
“There’s been multiple times this year where that’s happened to me — where I felt like I always have to be an advocate for myself on the court,” Gauff said afterward, renewing a call for video review to be used in tennis, as it is in many other professional sports.
“I felt that he called it before I hit, and I don’t think the ref disagreed,” she said. “I think he just thought it didn’t affect my swing, which I felt like it did.”
Gauff is one of the biggest stars at the 2024 Paris Games, a 20-year-old from Florida who was seeded No. 2 at the Olympics in singles and was a flag bearer for the United States during the opening ceremony on Friday.
By the time the disputed call happened two games from the end of the match, Gauff was way behind.
She hit a serve and Vekic’s return landed near the baseline. A line judge initially called Vekic’s shot out; Gauff did not keep the ball in play. Chair umpire Jaume Campistol thought Vekic’s shot landed in and awarded her the point, giving her a service break and a 4-2 lead.
Gauff walked over to talk to the official and play was delayed for several minutes.
“I never argue these calls. But he called it out before I hit the ball,” Gauff said to Campistol. “It’s not even a perception; it’s the rules.”
She easily won her first two singles matches, dropping a total of just five games. But her first Olympic singles tournament — she is still in women’s doubles and mixed doubles — ended with a performance that was hardly her best on the hottest day of the Summer Games so far, with the heat rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
“These points are big deals. Usually afterward, they apologize. So it’s kind of frustrating. The ‘Sorry’ doesn’t help you once the match is over,” Gauff said. “I can’t say I would have won the match if I would have won that point.”
Fencer reveals she competed at Paris Games while seven months pregnant
PARIS — Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez revealed she fought at the Paris Olympics while seven months pregnant.
Hafez posted on Instagram that she was “carrying a little Olympian one” hours after she had reached the round of 16 in women’s saber Monday.
The 26-year-old fencer from Cairo upset Elizabeth Tartakovsky of the United States, a former NCAA champion, before losing to Jeon Hayoung of South Korea.
“My baby & I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical & emotional,” Hafez wrote. “The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life & sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it. I’m writing this post to say that pride fills my being for securing my place in the round of 16!”
A former gymnast with a degree in medicine, Hafez is a three-time Olympian who won gold medals in the individual and team saber events at the 2019 African Games. She finished Monday’s competition officially ranked 16th, her best result in any of her three Olympic appearances.
After soggy start, Paris Olympics now burdened by heat wave
PARIS — The 2024 Olympics famously launched with a rain-soaked opening ceremony that drenched athletes and spectators alike. Now, they’re facing the opposite experience Tuesday: a heat wave.
Most of France is under a heat warning Tuesday, with temperatures in Paris and surrounding areas expected to climb to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, the national weather agency said. Air conditioning is far less common in homes, shops and restaurants than in the United States and some other countries.
The heat was expected to be even worse in the south, including the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille that is hosting competitions like soccer and sailing. It was as hot as 104 in parts of southern France on Monday and temperatures were expected to be that high again Tuesday.
Back-to-back record global heat was seen last week as climate change makes extreme weather more frequent and intense. Paris 2024 organizers have aimed to cut the event’s carbon footprint, among them turning to an underfloor cooling system and insulation instead of air conditioning at the Olympic village where athletes are staying. Some countries, like the U.S., brought their own.
A handful of water misters were set up at La Concorde urban park, the venue that includes skateboarding and BMX freestyle cycling, and people were already dunking their heads on a warm Monday or cooling off with ice cream.
Equestrian teams have a system to keep their horses cool between competitions held in the regal gardens of the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, spraying their horses with cool water and keeping them in the shade after riding the course.
Meet Team USA gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik: A new hero in glasses
PARIS — Not all heroes wear capes.
This one wears glasses.
Stephen Nedoroscik’s clutch pommel horse routine during Monday’s team final clinched the United States’ first Olympic medal since 2008 and, in the process, launched a thousand internet memes.
OUR ROMAN EMPIRE. 🙌 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/09aD42sLdZ
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2024
The bespectacled Olympic bronze medalist has been compared to Clark Kent, a Ken whose job is “horse,” and Steve Rogers before and after being injected with the super serum that turned him into Captain America.
A pommel horse specialist, Nedoroscik cheered on his teammates for two hours during a tense competition at Bercy Arena, carried bags and got water. NBC flashed a countdown clock to his performance. Then on the final routine of the final rotation, he stepped up for a 38-second performance that helped the team make history.
Ryan Murphy learns ‘it’s a girl,’ earns his third 100-meter backstroke Olympic medal
PARIS — Ryan Murphy did something Monday that hasn’t been done for half a century, swimming to a medal in the men’s 100-meter backstroke during a third consecutive Olympics.
But that was only the second-best news he got on the third night of competition at the Paris Games. Because as he was standing near the medal stand, he spotted his pregnant wife in the stands. And she had a message for him.
“I saw Bridget holding up a sign that said ‘Ryan, It’s a Girl’,” he said. “That was a great way to find out. That really lit me up and brought this night to another level.”
Men’s Olympic triathlon postponed amid Seine River water quality concerns
The men’s Olympic triathlon planned for Tuesday has been postponed over concerns about water quality in Paris’ Seine River, where the swimming portion of the race was supposed to take place.
Organizers said they will try to hold the men’s triathlon Wednesday instead. The women’s competition is also scheduled on Wednesday, but both are subject to water tests. A risk of storms in the forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings could complicate rescheduling the events.
Heavy rains generally cause levels of E. coli and other bacteria in the Seine to rise. Paris experienced a downpour during the Olympic opening ceremony Friday, with rain continuing into Saturday. The swimming portion of training events meant to let the triathletes familiarize themselves with the course was canceled on Sunday and Monday because of concerns over water quality.
The decision to postpone the men’s triathlon followed a meeting early Tuesday morning that included the sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials.
Paris Olympics TV schedule: Tuesday’s listings
Tuesday’s live TV broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. Paris 1 Extra and Paris 2 Extra are temporary channels available on most cable and satellite packages.
All times Pacific.
MULTIPLE SPORTS
1 a.m.-7:10 a.m.— Water polo, volleyball and more | Paris Extra 1
1 a.m. 9:20 a.m. — Judo, boxing, shooting, table tennis and more | Paris Extra 2
7:10 a.m.-2 p.m. — Soccer, basketball, handball, field hockey and more | Paris Extra 1
9:20 a.m.-2 p.m. — Archery, fencing, badminton and more | Paris Extra 2
1:15 p.m.-2 p.m. — Men’s 3X3 basketball and more (delay) | NBC
8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. — “Primetime in Paris”: Gymnastics, swimming, surfing and more (replay) | NBC
ARCHERY
5:45 a.m. — Women’s and men’s individual eliminations| E!
BADMINTON
Group play
3:45 a.m. — Singles and doubles | E!
Nyjah Huston content he avenged Tokyo flop by earning bronze in Paris street skate
PARIS — It took Nyjah Huston all of three seconds to fall on his first run at these 2024 Summer Olympics. Scrambling to his feet, he landed a couple of tricks, then fell again. The look on his face said it all.
No. Not again.
As one of the iconic figures in competitive skateboarding, the six-time world champion had faltered at the Tokyo Games three years ago, missing the same trick over and over to finish seventh.
Nearing 30 and no longer the best skater on the U.S. team — that honor arguably goes to Jagger Eaton — Huston came to Paris looking for some measure of redemption in the men’s street competition.
U.S. women’s basketball delivers dominant win over Japan
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — A’ja Wilson scored 24 points and Breanna Stewart added 22 to help the U.S. beat Japan 102-76 on Monday night in the Olympic opener for both teams.
The Americans now have a 56-game Olympic winning streak that dates to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The last of those victories before Monday also came against Japan when the two teams played for the gold medal in the Tokyo Games three years ago. The U.S. came away with a 90-75 win for its seventh straight gold medal.
Now Monday’s victory tipped off the run to keep that streak going.
A'ja Wilson is too fast, too strong and TOO GOOD.
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 29, 2024
📺 @NBCOlympics & @peacock#ParisOlympics
pic.twitter.com/ByhzyGFBlS
U.S. women’s rugby advances, earns shot at first Olympic medal
The charismatic U.S. women’s rugby team is on the cusp of its first Olympic medal.
After falling behind Great Britain 7-0, the Americans rallied to earn a 17-7 win and clinch a spot in the semifinals. The U.S. is now two wins away from gold and one win away from a bronze finish.
The win over Great Britain avenged a painful loss, with the Brits previously knocking the Americans out during the Tokyo Olympics.
Nick Itkin takes bronze in men’s individual foil
Nick Itkin, a Los Angeles native, rallied to reach the top four and eventually won the bronze in men’s individual foil Monday during the Paris Olympics.
Itkin, who won two national titles at Notre Dame, defeated Japan’s Kazuki Iimura 15-12 to clinch his medal.
Itkin was fired up when he won in sudden death over Italy’s Guillaume Bianchi to earn a spot in the final four.
ALL THE EMOTION. 😤
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) July 29, 2024
American foil fencer Nick Itkin was AMPED after winning in sudden death to advance to the final four! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/GjNg56ZHU7
How the U.S. men’s gymnastics team won its first medal since 2008
PARIS — Frederick Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda and Asher Hong stood shoulder to shoulder. Their arms were draped across each other’s backs in a tight line as Stephen Nedoroscik mounted the pommel horse.
When Nedoroscik’s feet touched the mat again, they were all Olympic medalists.
The United States ended a 16-year Olympic medal drought, claiming bronze in the team final on Monday in Bercy Arena. Japan overcame a shocking fall from reigning Olympic all-around champion Hashimoto Daiki on pommel horse to edge out China, which suffered three falls on high bar in the final rotation.
Nedoroscik had waited two hours to perform his single routine of the day. The pommel horse specialist didn’t look fazed, working through efficiently and sending his teammates into a euphoric celebration when he landed his dismount. He raised both fists in the air and wrapped coach Sam Mikulak in a hug. Mikulak lifted Nedoroscik in the air.
Japan’s Yuto Horigome wins gold again in skateboard street; Americans are second and third
PARIS — Japan’s Yuto Horigome is a back-to-back Olympic gold medalist in men’s street skateboarding after scoring a nearly perfect 97.08 on his fifth and final trick Monday to pass Americans Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston.
Horigome finished just 0.1 points ahead of Eaton, who after a brilliant showing settled for silver. Huston took home the bronze three years after a disappointing seventh-place finish in Tokyo, where skateboarding made its Olympic debut.
The 25-year-old Horigome came up empty on his second, third and fourth tricks, then stunned the crowd on his final attempt. Hutson and Eaton each wiped out in his fifth chance, making Horigome an Olympic champion again.
Nyjah Huston is the Michael Jordan of skateboarding, but he flopped in Tokyo. No longer a gold-medal favorite can he find redemption at the Paris Olympics?
Snoop Dogg, who has quickly become one of the celebrity faces of the Paris Games, was in attendance and gave Huston some support. Huston nailed his second run with a Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg song playing on the speakers around La Concorde Urban Park.
It did not turn out to be a winning anthem for the U.S. skateboarder, however, after Horigome’s final jump flipped the script at nearly the last minute.
This competition had been scheduled for Saturday, but the same rain that soaked the opening ceremony down the Seine River — then much more overnight and into the morning — caused it to be postponed. It was one of a handful of outdoor events affected over the weekend before skies cleared.
As expected, Simone Biles will compete in all events at Olympic team finals
PARIS — A calf injury isn’t going to slow down Simone Biles.
As anticipated, the American gymnastics star is in the lineup for all four events during Tuesday night’s Olympic team finals.
Hezly Rivera, the youngest member of the entire U.S. Olympic delegation, will not compete in the team final. The 16-year-old was chosen for her expertise on the uneven parallel bars and the balance beam but looked nervous on beam in qualifying. She settled down to finish with a hit routine on bars, but she was the only U.S. gymnast to not make an event final.
Jade Carey will only compete in the vault after falling to qualify in the floor exercise on Sunday. She told Olympics.com she was feeling under the weather all week. She’s the reigning Olympic floor champ.
Simone Biles appears to injure her lower left leg, but the American gymnast still puts in a strong enough performance to lead all-around qualifications.
Biles tweaked her left calf while warming up for the floor exercise during qualifying. She retreated briefly to have the calf taped but then returned and posted the top scores on floor and vault on her way to topping the all-around.
Last week, U.S. team leaders had considered holding Biles out of the uneven bars in team finals to give her a small break during the Games. Instead, Biles will be part of every event during the finals, when three gymnasts from each country compete and all three scores count.
The Americans are heavily favored to win gold after finishing runner-up to Russia in Tokyo three years ago.
The U.S. lineup for the team final:
Vault: Jordan Chiles, Carey, Biles
Uneven bars: Chiles, Biles, Suni Lee
Balance beam: Chiles, Lee, Biles
Floor exercise: Lee, Chiles, Biles
U.S. and Japanese figure skaters will finally get their 2022 medals in Paris
PARIS — U.S. and Japanese figure skaters finally have a date at the Paris Olympics next week to get their Beijing Winter Games medals — exactly 2½ years after they earned them in a team event upended by a Russian doping case.
A presentation ceremony for skating’s team event from February 2022 will be held Aug. 7 in Paris, the International Olympic Committee said Monday.
The U.S. and Japan placed second and third behind Russia, but no team skating medals were awarded in Beijing because Russian teenage star Kamila Valieva within hours was implicated in a doping case that took almost two years to resolve.
The U.S. skaters formally became Olympic champions after Russian appeals seeking to regain the title were dismissed last week by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The medals will be awarded beneath the Eiffel Tower at the Champions Park site where VIPs watched the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
Valieva was disqualified from the Beijing Olympics and banned for four years by a CAS panel of judges in January.
The latest round of Russian appeals challenged how the International Skating Union amended the Beijing result after the January ruling. That left the Russians in third place and Canada fourth.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the bronze medals would also be presented in Paris. A Canadian appeal claiming the bronze is currently being judged by CAS, which held a hearing on July 22.
Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston top qualifying in men’s street skateboarding
PARIS — Americans Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston were the top qualifiers in the preliminary round of men’s street skateboarding at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
Eaton nailed his second run while Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” played on speakers around La Concorde Urban Park and picked up trick scores of 92.65 and 93.86 to finish first of the 24 skateboarders in the competition. The Arizona native won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Huston was a narrow second after a flawless run that, along with his two best tricks, all scored in the 90s. He tapped his skateboard against the ramp and yelled, “Let’s go!” after essentially sealing his place in the final later Monday.
Japan’s Sora Shirai and Yuto Horigome, the defending gold medalist, were third and fourth. Making his Olympic debut, 14-year-old Japan skateboarder Ginwoo Onodera did not qualify, nor did the third U.S. skateboarder, Chris Joslin, who had an off day.
Argentina’s Matias Dell Olio, Kelvin Hoefler, Canada’s Cordano Russell and Slovakia’s Richard Tury also qualified. Tury’s final trick bumped France fan favorite Vincent Milou out of the top eight.
Where the Paris Olympics medal count stands
Here’s a look at where the Paris Olympics medal count stands as of 1 a.m. PDT Tuesday:
Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal in what might have been the final match between the rivals
PARIS — Novak Djokovic dominated rival Rafael Nadal at the start, then held off a comeback attempt to win 6-1, 6-4 at the Paris Olympics in the second round Monday, the 60th — and likely last — head-to-head matchup between the two tennis greats.
Djokovic claimed 10 of the initial 11 games, with Nadal nowhere near the skilled and ever-hustling version of himself that won a record 14 French Open trophies on the same red clay at Roland Garros that is hosting Summer Games matches. Instead, Nadal was diminished, showing every bit of his 38 years, and looking like someone who might be ready to head into retirement after playing only sparingly the last two seasons because of a series of injuries, including hip surgery.
Then, suddenly, the indefatigable Nadal got going, making a push to turn this contest competitive, which surely no one — least of all Djokovic — found too surprising. Nadal captured four consecutive games in the second set, including a forehand winner to break to make it 4-all. He raised his left fist, drawing roars from a packed Court Philippe Chatrier crowd that repeatedly tried to encourage him with chants of “Ra-fa! Ra-fa!”
And that’s when Djokovic regained control. He broke right back, pointing to his left ear while walking to the sideline as if to taunt Nadal’s supporters and ask, “Where are your cheers now?” Djokovic then served out the victory.
Telecommunication lines in France damaged by vandalism
PARIS — The French government says multiple telecommunications lines have been hit by acts of vandalism, affecting fiber optic lines and fixed and mobile phone lines as cities around France are hosting events for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The scale of the impact is unclear, as is whether it has affected any Olympic activities. The vandalism came after arson attacks hit train networks around France on Friday, hours before the Olympics opening ceremony.
Marina Ferrari, secretary of state in charge of digital affairs, posted on X on Monday that damage in several regions overnight affected communications networks. She said that led to reduced access to fiber optic lines and fixed and mobile telephone lines.
Paris 2024 Olympics organizers would not immediately comment.
A French police official said at least six of France’s administrative departments were affected, which include the region around the Mediterranean city of Marseille, a host of Olympic soccer and sailing competitions.
Telecom operators Bouygues and Free confirmed their services were affected. French media reports said lines operated by provider SFR also were hit. The parent company of Free said its teams were working to restore services.
Free said Monday that an “incident effecting multiple networks is in progress in 11 departments,” including in Marseille.
“All our teams have been mobilized to resolve the situation,” Free said in a statement.
A national investigation is underway into last week’s train sabotage, which disrupted travel for nearly a million passengers in France as well as people in London and in other neighboring countries. Train traffic had largely resumed by Monday.
China moves a step closer to gold sweep in diving
PARIS — With Tom Daley out of the way, China is another step closer to an unprecedented sweep at the Olympic diving pool.
Lian Junjie and Yang Hao breezed to gold in the 10-meter synchronized platform event Monday to give the Big Red Machine its second straight gold medal of the Paris Games.
The three-time reigning world champions finished with a whopping 490.35 points, receiving several perfect 10s from the judges and no marks lower than 8.0. They nailed their final dive, forward 4½ somersaults in the tuck position, to clinch the gold.
Before the final marks were even posted — all 9.0s and 9.5s — the Chinese coaches were hugging and celebrating. Fans waved Chinese flags in the stands at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in suburban Saint-Denis.
China, which has dominated the sport in the post-Greg Louganis era, is trying to become the first country to claim every diving gold medal since synchro was added in 2000, doubling the program from four to eight events.
Since that expansion, China has won 40 of 50 golds, including seven of eight at each of the last two Summer Games.
Triathlon training called off again because of Seine water quality concerns
PARIS — Concerns about the water quality in the Seine River led officials to call off the swimming portion of an Olympic triathlon training session for a second straight day Monday.
Organizers overseeing the event at the Paris Games are optimistic that triathletes will be able to swim in the city’s famed waterway when the competition starts Tuesday.
The sport’s governing body, World Triathlon, its medical team and city officials are banking on sunny weather and higher temperatures to bring the bacteria levels below the necessary limits to stage the swim portion of the race, which also includes biking and running.
World Triathlon made the decision to cancel the swim workout early Monday following a meeting over water quality in the Seine, which is closely linked to the weather. Rain deluged Friday’s opening ceremony and showers persisted Saturday, forcing some tennis matches and the skateboarding competition to be canceled.
The representatives for Paris 2024 and the triathlon international federation said tests conducted in the Seine on Sunday showed water quality levels leading into the training session that “did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held.” The delegation blamed the recent rain.
French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra told French news channel CNEWS on Monday that officials are “absolutely serene about all of this.” The plans they put in place to control bacteria levels in the river have been effective, but the weather is beyond their control, she said.
The recent rain contributed to the water quality concerns, but she said she believed things would improve.
“I am confident in the fact that we will be able to be there tomorrow for the men’s triathlon event,” she said.
Paris Olympics TV schedule: Monday’s listings
Monday’s live TV broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. Paris 1 Extra and Paris 2 Extra are temporary channels available on most cable and satellite packages.
All times Pacific.
MULTIPLE SPORTS
1 a.m. — Badminton, volleyball, handball, table tennis| Paris Extra 1
1 a.m. — Judo, boxing | Paris Extra 2
2 a.m.-3:15 a.m. — Diving and rowing | E!
6:30 a.m. — Water polo, rugby sevens | USA
7:20 a.m.-1 p.m. — Basketball, volleyball, water polo, field hockey | Paris Extra 1
9:20 a.m.-1 p.m. — Fencing, field hockey, table tennis and more | Paris Extra 2
10:45 a.m.-11:45 a.m. — Rowing and shooting | USA
8 p.m. — “Primetime in Paris”: Swimming, gymnastics, diving and more | NBC
ARCHERY
10 a.m. — Men’s team, bronze and gold finals (delay) | USA
U.S. women’s soccer rolls past Germany, builds momentum
MARSEILLE, France — Sophia Smith scored a pair of goals to help the United States beat Germany 4-1 and advance to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics on Sunday night.
Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for the Americans, who defeated Zambia 3-0 in the opener.
The Americans are playing their first major tournament under new coach Emma Hayes, who took over the U.S. team in late May.
Hayes is tasked with leading the Americans as they seek to distance themselves from the disappointment of last summer’s Women’s World Cup, when they crashed out in the round of 16.
Amid reports Canada’s national soccer teams have secretly filmed their opponents, it’s fair to wonder if their recent rise is fueled by cheating.
The United States is the winningest team in the Olympics, with four gold medals. The Americans won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Games under former coach Vlatko Andonovski, who resigned following the World Cup.
Smith started for the United States after leaving the opener in the first half with what appeared to be an ankle injury.
Ten minutes into the match, Smith struck a cross from Trinity Rodman that sailed past German goalkeeper Katrin-Ann Berger.
Giulia Gwinn equalized in the 22nd minute with a low, bouncing shot from well outside the penalty area that eluded diving U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.
The Yurchenko double pike has become Simone Biles’ signature move in the vault, a gravity-defying, six-second burst that has added to her legend.
Swanson put the United States back in front in the 26th. Berger punched out an attempt from distance by Smith, but Swanson picked up the rebound for a goal. It was Swanson’s third goal of the Olympics.
Swanson is the second player to score three goals in the group at an Olympics, joining Abby Wambach in 2012.
Smith scored her second in the 44th minute on a high-arcing shot that hit the far post and caromed into the goal.
Williams, a substitute, added the final goal in the 89th minute and fans in Marseille chanted “USA! USA!” as time ran down.
U.S. defender Tierna Davidson left the match with an injury and was replaced by Emily Sonnett.
Alexandra Popp left in the 76th minute with what appeared to be a right leg injury. It was a blow to Germany, which was already playing without midfielder Lena Oberdorf (knee).
The United States plays Australia in Marseille to conclude group play. Germany, which defeated Australia in its Olympic opener 3-0, plays Zambia in Saint-Etienne.
Canada wins
Vanessa Gilles scored in the 12th minute of stoppage time against France to keep alive Canada’s hopes of advancing.
Canada looked to be heading out of the tournament before its final Group A match when the game was tied 1-1 in Saint-Etienne.
A six-point deduction for the drone-spying scandal meant only a win would be enough to give the defending Olympic champion any chance of advancing.
Gilles converted via the post from close range to seal the comeback win after Jordyn Huitema’s shot was saved.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto had put France ahead in the 42nd and Jessie Fleming evened the match in the 58th to give the Canadians hope.
The win still leaves Canada on zero points despite back-to-back wins because of the sanctions by FIFA. Canada was looking into an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the ruling.
American Lee Kiefer clinches her second consecutive foil gold medal
PARIS — If France isn’t exactly the birthplace of fencing, it’s close — this country’s passion for swordplay dates back to King Charles IX in the 16th century.
But on Sunday evening at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was two Americans who claimed possession of the sport, charging into the finals of the women’s foil competition at the storied Grand Palais.
And it was defending champion Lee Kiefer who made history.
Three years after her unexpected gold at the Tokyo Games, the top-seeded Kiefer continued to dominate the event with a record second title, defeating ninth-seeded Lauren Scruggs 15-6.
Canada’s rise in soccer suddenly looks suspicious amid Olympic spying scandal
PARIS — So now we know what fueled Canadian soccer’s rise from pretender to global contender. It wasn’t just grit, camaraderie and good coaching that got the country into the men’s World Cup for the first this century and earned its women’s team three straight trips to the Olympic medal stand.
There reportedly were drones involved as well.
Last week the women’s national team was caught spying on New Zealand in advance of the two countries Olympic opener and the damage that has done to Canadian soccer two years before the World Cup returns to North America could be devastating. The country’s soccer federation and FIFA have both launched investigations, with federation CEO Kevin Blue saying he fears cheating may have become a “long-term, deeply embedded systemic” part of the national team’s culture.
This all blew up last week when Joseph Lombardi, an analyst with the Canadian women’s team, was stopped by French police after he retrieved a drone that had been flying over the New Zealand team’s training. Canada’s Olympic committee quickly moved to control the damage in the hope of keeping the scandal from growing larger.
It was a plan that failed miserably.
Torri Huske wins gold in Paris after falling short in Tokyo
American Torri Huske found redemption in the pool and teammate Gretchen Walsh earned her first individual Olympic medal Sunday.
Huske held off Walsh to win the women’s 100 meter butterfly with a time of 55.59. Walsh finished with a mark of 55.63.
Huske narrowly missed a top-three finish in the event during the Tokyo Olympics and was overcome with emotion when she saw she won gold.
“I feel like I’m in shock right now. I don’t know how to process it,” Huske told an NBC reporter after the win. “... It’s really surreal. I just missed the podium last time by a hundredth, so ... I’m so grateful right now.”
Kevin Durant and LeBron James lead U.S. past Serbia in Olympic opener
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — LeBron James made his Olympic return after a 12-year absence. Kevin Durant played for the first time this summer.
And the two most-experienced Olympians on this U.S. team opened the Paris Games — not to mention a bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal for the Americans — with a near-perfect show.
Durant made his first eight shots on the way to 23 points in less than 17 minutes, James added 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Saturday.
South Sudan stuns Puerto Rico in basketball for first Olympic victory
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — As South Sudan players jogged onto the court on Sunday amid cheers from fans waving the flag of their home nation, Nuni Omot slowed, stopped and pressed his hand to the Paris 2024 logo embossed across the surface.
He and his teammates were officially Olympians. Less than two hours later, they were celebrating their country’s first ever Olympic win.
Carlik Jones scored 19 points and South Sudan rallied in the second half to beat Puerto Rico 90-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams on Sunday.
“We’re not a secret anymore,” South Sudan coach Royal Ivey said afterward.
Women’s gymnastics and swimming are among the many events at the Paris Olympics that will be on television Sunday.
It was the latest milestone for South Sudan, which is playing in its first Olympics after qualifying as Africa’s top finisher in last year’s World Cup. Marial Shayok added 15 points for South Sudan, which will next meet the U.S. on Tuesday. Omot chipped in 12 points and six rebounds.
It was the culmination of a morning that began with officials playing the wrong national anthem for South Sudan before tipoff. But Omot said it only inspired them to play their best basketball.
“It gave us fuel. It gave us fuel to the fire,” Omot said. “Obviously, we felt disrespected when that happened. ... I feel like for us we’ve got to continue to show the world what we’re capable of.”
From the NBA to the beach: Chase Budinger is eager to ‘shock the world’ on Olympic stage
PARIS — Although Chase Budinger is exhausted from a two-hour practice, he accepts warmly when a young fan approaches for a photo on the boardwalk near the Hermosa Beach volleyball courts. The boy had watched the final hour of Budinger’s practice with partner Miles Evans from a nearby patio and waited for the perfect moment to take a photo with one of the top beach volleyball players in the world.
Craning his neck to look up at the 6-foot-7 Budinger, the boy thanks him for the snapshot.
“And you played in the NBA too, right?” he asks.
Budinger smiles in the affirmative. Sometimes he even forgets about his first career.
Simone Biles shows her grit, overcoming apparent leg injury in impressive Paris start
PARIS — A hush fell over Bercy Arena as Simone Biles stood at the end of the vault runway. A closeup shot on the big screen showed Biles’ chalked-up feet on the pastel blue carpet. Her left ankle was heavily taped.
Then, six seconds later, Biles suspended all worries. She nailed her eponymous vault and led the United States into the team final while also dominating all-around qualifying.
With the world waiting to see what she would do in her return to the Olympic stage after a dramatic withdrawal three years ago, Biles towered over the competition. She drew a standing ovation after her first routine, soaked up the atmosphere of a sold-out arena as she waved to fans and left the competition as the all-around leader. Her total of 59.566 was more than three points ahead of the next-closest competitor after two of five subdivisions.
How Jordan Chiles can ‘change the game’ with her Olympic Beyoncé routine
PARIS — She hasn’t even saluted for her first Olympic routine in Bercy Arena, but Jordan Chiles already has something better than a gold medal.
Beyoncé’s platinum record.
Eleven days before Chiles was set to compete in her second Olympic Games, Beyoncé sent a signed copy of her album “Cowboy Carter” to the 23-year-old whose floor routine is set to a compilation of the superstar’s songs. Posting a photo of the gift on Instagram, Chiles was stunned.
“Congrats to you Queen,” the note written in silver ink read. “I always watch you with pride and admiration! Thank you for repping us.”
Chiles is representing Queen Bey’s music on the biggest sports stage as she competes in her second Olympic Games beginning Sunday at Bercy Arena. The UCLA star who won two individual NCAA championships will be a key factor in the United States’ hope to regain the gold medal after taking silver in Tokyo.
Australian cyclist undergoes abdominal surgery after crash
PARIS — Australian cyclist Lucas Plapp underwent abdominal surgery overnight at a Paris hospital following a hard crash on rain-slicked roads during the Olympic time trial on Saturday, the Australian team said.
AusCycling, Australia’s cycling governing body, confirmed the procedure early Sunday. No other details were available.
Plapp was among the last riders to start on the 32.4-kilometer (20-mile) course and was laying down a medal-worthy ride at the first time check, trailing then-leader and eventual bronze medalist Wout van Aert by just two seconds. But when Plapp reached a technical portion of the course, his bike slid out from under him and he crashed hard onto the pavement.
AusCycling said Plapp was conscious and moving afterward. He was lifted into the team vehicle and taken to the hospital for precautionary scans, and later he required the abdominal procedure.
“Plapp slid under a barrier fence shortly after passing the first checkpoint approximately 14 kilometers into the 32-kilometer course,” AusCycling said. “His parents and an Australian team doctor were at the hospital with him.”
The 23-year-old Plapp, who won bronze at the Tokyo Games as part of the Australian pursuit team, is the reigning national time trial and road race champion. He was supposed to ride alongside Simon Clarke in support of teammate Michael Matthews in the Olympic road race next Saturday.
Concerns over Seine water quality grow ahead of triathlon
PARIS — Concerns over the water quality of Paris’ Seine River have continued into the 2024 Olympics, with a pre-race triathlon event there canceled Sunday.
Organizers said they nixed the swimming leg of the triathlon familiarization scheduled for Sunday morning after a meeting about water quality among authorities tasked with carrying out water quality tests. That included representatives of World Triathlon, as well as city and regional authorities.
Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century in big part due to poor water quality. Organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for these Games, and the government has said the river would be clean enough to hold events, including the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming event.
Daily water quality tests in early June indicated unsafe levels of E. coli bacteria, followed by recent improvements. Parisian Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a famous dip in the river less than two weeks before Olympic events were set to start, fulfilling a promise to show that the long-polluted waterway was clean enough to host swimming competitions.
Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.
Beach volleyball competition opens in shadow of Eiffel Tower
The first full day of competition delivered on expectations, with an evening women’s beach volleyball match between the U.S. and Canada unfolding in the shadow of the illuminated Eiffel Tower.
The Paris Games were always going to be known for events unfolding next to historic monuments. Beach volleyball’s view will be hard to beat.
Times photographer Wally Skalij captured the scene as the first full day of competition closed.
Ousted Naomi Osaka says ‘I guess I need to learn how to win again’
PARIS — Naomi Osaka smiled as she spoke to reporters after a 7-5, 6-3 first-round loss to Angelique Kerber at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night, disappointed in the result but hopeful she eventually will return to being the once-dominant player who earned four Grand Slam titles and reached No. 1 in the rankings.
“I guess I need to learn how to win again. Maybe that’s something I forgot how to do,” Osaka said. “Maybe I have to keep playing matches against really good players to relearn that.”
She was hoping for a better showing than she had at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago in her native Japan. She was supposed to be one of the big stars and received the honor of lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony.
But Osaka lost in the third round there and said she felt a burden to perform well in front of her home fans. She was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father, and the family moved to the United States when Osaka was 3.
“I felt more pressure in Tokyo,” the 26-year-old Osaka said. “I honestly felt like I could have done better today.”
She turned her left leg awkwardly at 4-3 in the second set and said she was given medication to help. But Osaka didn’t win another game against Kerber.
Asked how her leg was feeling afterward, Osaka said: “I don’t know, because I took a painkiller, so when it wears off, I’ll let you know. It felt like I hyperextended (it) a little bit. I felt a pinch while I was playing, but I hope I’m still pretty young, so maybe it won’t be that bad.”
Kerber, a silver medalist in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, has said she will retire after competing for Germany at these Summer Games.
“To win a match like this against Naomi, who is such a great champion — that means a lot, especially because it’s my last tournament. It shows me that I can still beat the top players,” Kerber said. “I just tried to enjoy every moment. I’m just looking forward to having another dance.”
Canada tops Giannis and Greece
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Canada was tested, then held on to get its first Olympic win in 24 years.
RJ Barrett scored 23 points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 21 and Canada survived a big effort from Giannis Antetokounmpo to beat Greece 86-79 in the Paris Olympics opener for both teams in Group A play on Saturday night.
Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 34 points for Greece. Dillon Brooks scored 14 for Canada.
Even though Antetokounmpo had the big night, Barrett lauded the waves of defenders Canada threw his way.
“That’s why you have the word ‘team,’” Barrett said. “It’s not one guy. It’s all of us, all together. Everybody has their part to do. Playing Giannis is not an easy task.”
Canada led by as many as 16 and never trailed, though Greece made matters very interesting in the final moments. Vasilis Toilopoulos scored with 1:15 remaining to get Greece within four and a Canada turnover on the next possession led to a dunk by Antetokounmpo to cut the lead to 80-78.
But Gilgeous-Alexander got a high-arching shot over Antetokounmpo’s outstretched arm to kiss off the glass for a score with 42.8 seconds left, restoring the four-point edge, and Canada would escape.
“They’re a really good team so that’s going to happen,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “They’re not going to quit, obviously. So we expected that. We expected we’d make our run and they’d have a little more juice and make their run. For us it was just about weathering the storms, and kind of sticking to our game plan throughout the runs. Basketball is a game of ups and downs. We just try to weather the other teams’ better than they weather yours.”
There were 52 fouls called in the game resulting in 64 free throws — 32 for each team.
It was Canada’s first Olympic men’s basketball win since 2000 at Sydney. The Canadians hadn’t made an Olympic tournament since — but earned this spot after a run to the bronze medal at the World Cup last summer in the Philippines.
U.S. men’s soccer beats New Zealand to hold off possible elimination
MARSEILLE, France — Djordje Mihailovic converted a penalty as the United States pounced early in a 4-1 victory over New Zealand on Saturday to stave off possible elimination at the Olympics.
A loss in Marseille could have ended the Americans’ chance to advance to the knockout round in just their second Olympic appearance. The U.S. had lost to France in its Group A opener.
Mihailovic calmly hit the penalty in the eighth minute after Nathan Harriel was brought down in the box by Matthew Garbett.
Four minutes later, senior player Walker Zimmerman made it 2-0 when he poked in a goal in a scramble in front of the net following a free kick.
Gianluca Busio scored on a rebound at the half-hour mark and celebrated by dancing with teammate Kevin Paredes. Paxton Aaronson added a fourth goal in the 58th.
New Zealand avoided the shutout with Jesse Randall’s late goal.
New Zealand’s 2-1 opening victory over Guinea had put the team in a strong position to advance. The OlyWhites, as they are known, started the day second in the group to France.
The United States is set to play Guinea in its final group match Tuesday in Saint-Etienne. New Zealand plays France in Marseille.
Caleb Dressel helps U.S. win freestyle relay, Americans’ first gold in Paris
The U.S. men won the 4x100-meter freestyle relay with a strong anchor leg by Caeleb Dressel on Saturday, clinching the first American gold medal of the Paris Olympics.
It also was Dressel’s eighth gold medal of his career.
The victory broke up Australia’s run of wins in the pool on Saturday.
Australia holds off U.S. women in 4x100 meter freestyle relay
Australia continued its dominant start in the pool on Saturday.
Simone Manuel delivered a spirited push on the final leg and edged China, but the U.S. finished second behind the rival Austalians in the women’s 4x100 meter freestyle relay.
The Australians finished in a time of 3:28.92, while Americans posted a 3:30.20 finish. China’s time was 3:30.30.
FIFA strips Canada points, bans coaches for one year after scandal
FIFA deducted six points from Canada in the Paris Olympics women’s soccer tournament and banned three coaches for one year each on Saturday in a drone-spying scandal.
The stunning swath of punishments includes a 200,000 Swiss franc ($226,000) fine for the Canadian soccer federation in a case that has spiraled at the Summer Games. Two assistant coaches were caught using drones to spy on opponent New Zealand’s practices before their opening game Wednesday.
Head coach Bev Priestman, who led Canada to the Olympic title in Tokyo in 2021, already was suspended by the national soccer federation, then removed from the Olympic tournament.
Priestman and her two assistants implicated in the case, Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander, are now banned from all soccer for one year.
FIFA fast-tracked its own disciplinary process by asking its appeals judges to handle the case.
FIFA judges found Priestman and her two assistants “were each found responsible for offensive behavior and violation of the principles of fair play.”
The Canadian federation was held responsible for not ensuring its staff complied with tournament rules.
The coaches and the Canadian federation now can challenge their sanctions at the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s special Olympic court in Paris. That tribunal is set up for urgent hearings and verdicts at the Olympics.
The 38-year-old Priestman is from England and was hired in 2020 to coach the Canada team. She is under contract through the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
She had stepped aside from the defending champion’s Olympic opener against New Zealand on Wednesday after the scandal was revealed. Canadian officials suspect the spying has been systemic over years.
Her two staffers were sent home for allegedly using a drone to spy on New Zealand in training. Canada won the game 2-1 with interim coach Andy Spence in charge.
Victor Wembanyama wows as France wins men’s basketball opener
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Victor Wembanyama walked out to a star’s welcome for his Olympic debut. He made sure to give France’s fans plenty to cheer about.
Wembanyama marked his start of the Paris Games with all the dunks, defense and other eye-popping plays that have made the 20-year-old appointment viewing during his young basketball career.
Wemby connects from beyond the arc 🎯👽
— NBA (@NBA) July 27, 2024
📺 CNBC and Peacock
pic.twitter.com/BcwReQB7p2
More important for France, it added up to a victory for the host nation.
Wembanyama had 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks to help France overcome an early deficit and hold off Brazil 78-66 to open the group stage at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
Nicolas Batum added 19 points for France, which was showered with chants of “Le Bleus!” to join Germany as winners in Group B on the opening day of the tournament in Lille.
France next plays Japan, which lost Saturday to Germany, on Tuesday. Brazil has Germany next.
Victor Wembanyama THROWS IT DOWN with authority! 🤯🔥
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 27, 2024
📺 CNBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/mRnlN5A3VP
U.S. women’s water polo draws celebrities as it rolls to a win
Jenna Flynn scored four goals for the U.S. as it beat Greece 15-6 to open play at the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
Check out some of Wally Skalij’s pictures from the event:
Chloe Dygert takes bronze after crash in cycling time trial
PARIS — Grace Brown of Australia won the women’s Olympic time trial on the wet, treacherous streets of Paris on Saturday, safely staying on her bike even as American favorite Chloe Dygert and many of her biggest rivals kept hitting the deck.
Brown stopped the clock in 39 minutes, 38.24 seconds in a dominant performance in the first cycling event of the Summer Games. Anna Henderson of Britain finished 1:31 back in second while Dygert, the reigning time trial world champion, remounted after crashing hard on a left-hand turn and managed to claim the bronze medal.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig of Denmark, one of the favorites in next week’s road race, was among numerous riders who crashed on pavement made wet by persistent rain. So was Taylor Knibb, the surprising American time trial champion, who also has qualified for her second consecutive Summer Games in the triathlon.
Brown, who has said this will be her final season of competitive cycling, was the penultimate rider off the start ramp and quickly set the pace. She put five seconds into Dygert at the first checkpoint and breezed through the second nearly a minute ahead.
Dygert was trying desperately to stay close before hitting a left-hand turn, where the pavement turned to cobbles. Her bike slid out from under her, Dygart went down hard, and the time it took to remount and get back to speed proved costly.
The pre-race favorite was left with a bronze medal to add to the silver and bronze she had already won on the track.
Steve Kerr hopes Kevin Durant will play for U.S. in men’s basketball opener
PARIS — There is hope that Kevin Durant plays for the U.S. in its Olympic opener against Serbia on Sunday, which means the men’s national team may have 12 players available for the first time this summer.
That is, unless something else happens.
The Americans open their path toward what they hope is a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal when they take on three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and World Cup finalist Serbia in the opener for both teams at the Paris Games. Durant missed all five exhibition games the U.S. played coming into Paris because of a calf strain, and coach Steve Kerr stopped short of definitively saying Saturday that he is in the lineup for the opener.
“Hopefully,” Kerr said.
Durant was on the floor for practice, while presumed starting center Joel Embiid was not because of illness. Kerr said he didn’t expect Embiid to miss Sunday’s game.
“I’m confident we’ll have everybody ready tomorrow,” Kerr said.
There have been signs in recent days that USA Basketball expects Durant — a three-time gold medalist, now bidding to become the first player who can say he’s a four-time Olympic men’s basketball champion — will be ready to go. First, it didn’t replace him on the roster. Second, it released clips of a Thursday scrimmage where Durant was active and even had a reverse dunk (plus got dunked on by Anthony Edwards, who idolizes him). And third, Kerr insisted earlier in the week that he wasn’t concerned about Durant’s status.
“We’ll see how things go in practice today,” Kerr said Saturday. “So far, so good. He came through the scrimmage two days ago pretty well.”
Can the Paris Summer Olympics give Peacock the streaming boost it needs?
NBCUniversal launched its Peacock streaming service in 2020 with the hope that the Summer Olympics would make it a must-have.
It didn’t quite work out that way. And in the age of social media, consumers let the company know loud and clear that its efforts missed the mark when the pandemic-delayed Games in Tokyo aired in 2021. The streamer’s programming was both underwhelming and hard to find, users complained.
NBCUniversal Media Group Chairman Mark Lazarus described the reaction as “the big digital middle finger.”
“In Tokyo, we said, ‘This is the streaming home of the Olympics,’ and we really didn’t pay that off,” Lazarus said in a recent interview. “We didn’t stream all of the events. We didn’t deliver what we marketed.”
Paul Juda has breakout performance; Brody Malone fails to reach all-around final
PARIS — Paul Juda landed his last tumbling pass with a small hop, stood up straight and tipped his head back. He dramatically extended both arms above his head in a V shape, soaking in a personal victory.
The 23-year-old surged to the second-best all-around U.S. score during qualifications Saturday at Bercy Arenaand qualified for the all-around final in 13th place while helping the United States advance in fifth. Juda was not expected to compete for the individual final considering he was the fourth all-around finisher at the U.S. trials, but when he heard he finished fourth in the first qualifying subdivision, he realized that with Monday’s team final, stacking Wednesday’s all-around final would make for a long week.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m really excited because I’ve been preaching this to all of my friends back home: Working hard is a privilege, having pressure is a privilege,” Juda said. “Going to this competition, everybody would die for it.”
The United States (253.229) finished second in the qualifying group after Great Britain (256.561) and fifth overall of the eight teams that will compete in Monday’s final that begins at 8:30 a.m. PDT. China dominated the qualification with a team score of 263.028, 2.434 points more than second-place Japan.
Juda’s breakout performance (82.865) came as three-time U.S. champion Brody Malone faltered on pommel horse and high bar to fall out of all-around contention. The top 24 gymnasts qualify for the all-around final, but each country is allowed only two finalists. After falling on pommel horse and coming off the high bar twice, Malone finished a distant third among Americans in all-around, with Frederick Richard leading the delegation at 83.498 points and qualifying 10th.
Juda said Malone, the only member of the five-athlete team returning for a second Olympics, apologized to teammates for his performance. His teammates assured him there was nothing to be sorry for.
Less than two years after relearning how to walk after a gruesome knee injury, Malone established himself as an Olympic contender by winning the U.S. championship and finishing second in the U.S. trials. But “the world kind of takes [Malone’s performances] for granted,” Richard said.
“When I watched him mess up today, I wasn’t worried, because I know he’s the type of person that learns from his mistakes,” the reigning world all-around bronze medalist said. “He’s the type of person who’s never going to be out of it and he’s going to come back even stronger in two days. … You’re looking at the full picture today. Today’s not the day we needed him.”
Malone’s opening-rotation fall on pommel horse put additional pressure on event specialist Stephen Nedoroscik. The 25-year-old earned his spot on the Olympic team solely for his expertise in the trickiest event in men’s gymnastics. With Malone falling right before him, Nedoroscik needed to avoid a fall counting toward the final team score.
The 2021 world pommel horse champion understood the assignment.
Nedoroscik’s 15.200 was tied for the highest score on the event during qualification and put him into the event final on Aug. 3. He even edged out two-time defending pommel horse champion Max Whitlock of Britain. Nedoroscik is hoping to become the first U.S. Olympic medalist on pommel horse since Alex Naddour took bronze in 2016.
With Russia not competing at the Games, this is a critical opportunity for the United States to win its first Olympic team medal since 2008. While the scores reset for the team final, finishing more than three points behind Britain prompted some hand-wringing about the United States’ podium chances behind favorites Japan and China. The Americans aren’t panicking.
“This wasn’t exactly the best performance USA’s ever had,” Nedoroscik said. “But it was enough for preliminaries and we have finals coming up. … I still think we have a fantastic chance to medal.”
Swimming has a diversity problem. Can this generation of Olympians change that?
PARIS — When Maritza Correia McClendon started swimming in Puerto Rico, she stood out because of her talent, not the color of her skin.
“There’s a lot of diversity in Puerto Rico,” said McClendon, who is Black and Latino, as are one in five people on the island.
Then her Guyanese-born parents moved to Florida when she was 8. Though she had become even faster in the pool, that was no longer the first thing people noticed about her.
“I remember a parent telling me, ‘What are you doing here? You should go do track or you should go on a basketball court,’” she said. “They were almost shaming me for being that outcast on that pool deck.
“That is definitely traumatizing. It’s still hard for me. I do definitely still struggle with that confidence factor.”
Q&A: Learn how Olympians keep their cool from Team USA’s chief sports psychologist
Your morning jog or weekly basketball game may not take place on an Olympic stage, but you can use Team USA’s techniques to get the most out of your exercise routine.
It’s not all about strength and speed. Mental fitness can be just as important as physical fitness.
That’s why the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee created a psychological services squad to support the mental health and mental performance of athletes representing the Stars and Stripes.
“I think happy, healthy athletes are going to perform at their best, so that’s what we’re striving for,” said Jessica Bartley, senior director of the 15-member unit.
Diving duo wins first U.S. medal of the Paris Olympics; China takes gold
SAINT-DENIS, France — One down. Seven to go.
China won its first gold medal in diving on Saturday on the first full day of competition in the Paris Olympics, a perfect start for the team of Chang Yani and Chen Yiwen.
The Chinese were first on Saturday in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard with 337.68 points on five dives. They were followed by Sarah Bacon and Kassidy Cook of the United States 314.64 points and the British team of Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen with bronze and 302.28 points.
A look at which Olympic events will be on television during the first full day of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
China has ruled diving for decades, and three years ago in Tokyo it won seven of eight gold medals. But it’s never pulled off the elusive gold sweep. That’s the goal this time.
The same Chinese duo also won gold in the last three world championships and were heavy favorites going in.
The crowd, heavy with Chinese fans and and flags, chanted “jiayou” — roughly translated “lets go” — each time the Chinese walked out to dive.
This event was added in 2000, and Chinese women have won gold six times in seven Games. The only loss was to Russia in 2000. China won three years ago in Tokyo with Shi Tingmao and Wang Han.
Olympic organizers apologize for introducing South Korean athletes as North Korean
PARIS — Olympics organizers said they “deeply apologize” for introducing South Korea’s athletes as North Korea during the opening ceremony in Paris.
As the South Korean athletes waved their nation’s flag on a boat floating down the Seine River Friday evening, they were announced in both French and English as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korea is the Republic of Korea.
“We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the Korean team during the opening ceremony broadcast,” the International Olympic Committee said in a post on X in Korean.
The South Korean Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism Vice Minister Jang Mi Ran requested a meeting with IOC President Thomas Bach over the incident, the ministry said in a statement Saturday. It said the ministry also asked South Korea’s Foreign Ministry to file “a strong government-level complaint” with the French government.
A look at which Olympic events will be on television during the first full day of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The statement said South Korea’s Olympic committee separately asked the organizers of the Paris Games to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams on Saturday called the error “clearly deeply regrettable.”
“An operational mistake was made. We can only apologize, in an evening of so many moving parts. that this mistake was made,” Adams said in response to a question from a South Korean journalist during a news conference Saturday.
Paris Olympic cauldron will be airborne only at night
PARIS — The Olympic cauldron that made a stunning first flight at the Paris Games opening ceremony will sit on the ground during the day and rise again every evening.
Paris Olympics organizers said that from Saturday, the cauldron attached to a balloon will fly more than 60 meters (197 feet) above the Tuileries gardens near the glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre museum from sunset until 2 a.m.
During daytime hours, 10,000 people each day can get free tickets to approach the cauldron, which is the first in Olympic history to light up without the use of fossil fuels.
Organizers said the electric flame uses 40 LED spotlights “to illuminate the cloud created by 200 high-pressure misting nozzles.”
China wins first gold medal of the Paris Olympic Games
CHATEAUROUX, France — China has won the first gold medal of the Paris Olympics, but its athletes were nowhere near Paris.
The Olympic shooting range, a three-hour drive from Paris in the city of Chateauroux, was the venue for Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao to shoot for gold in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event held Saturday morning.
Huang and Sheng opened up an early four-point lead against South Korea’s Keum Jihyeon and Park Hajun in the head-to-head for the gold medal and stayed ahead from there to win 16-12.
China also won the event three years ago in Tokyo, when Yang Qian and Yang Haoran took the gold medal as team air rifle shooting made its debut on the Olympic program.
Earlier Saturday, Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev became the first medalists of the games when they beat Germany’s Anna Janssen and Maximilian Ulbrich 17-5 for the bronze.
Rain forces postponement of men’s skateboarding street final
The first event of the skateboarding competition at the Paris Olympics on Saturday was postponed after rain overnight and into the morning.
Skateboarding is played at the outdoor venue of La Concorde Urban Park in Paris. World Skate, the sport’s governing body, cited adverse weather conditions for the move.
Men’s street skateboarding scheduled for Saturday was postponed to Monday. The women’s event is scheduled for Sunday.
Rain has been one of the big stories early in the Games after constant showers and occasional downpours served as the backdrop for the opening ceremony. As of 1 a.m. PDT, much of the rain had cleared from the area and no other events had yet been disrupted by rain.
Saturday’s TV schedule for the Paris Olympics
Saturday’s live TV broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. Paris Extra 1 and Paris Extra 2 are temporary channels available on most cable and satellite packages.
All times Pacific.
MULTIPLE SPORTS
1 a.m.-8:30 a.m. — Basketball, handball and more team-based sports | Paris Extra 1
1 a.m.-2 p.m. — Badminton, judo and more combat and racket sports | Paris Extra 2
8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. — Volleyball, water polo and more team-based sports | Paris Extra 1
8 p.m.-11 p.m. — “Primetime in Paris”: Swimming, gymnastics, diving | NBC
BADMINTON
Men’s and women’s group play
11:30 p.m. (Friday) — Mixed doubles | USA
1:30 a.m. — Singles, doubles | USA
4:30 a.m. — Singles, doubles | E!
6 a.m. — Singles, doubles | USA
9 a.m. — Singles, doubles | USA
Chasing the Olympic dream isn’t cheap, and U.S. athletes often are stuck with the bill
PARIS — The guy lugging an overstuffed bag onto the New York subway, looking hurried, maybe a little tired, is a three-time Olympian.
Eli Dershwitz has been rushing around the city, training at one fencing club and coaching young students for money at another, followed by more training and coaching sessions at several more stops during his 10-hour day.
“So I’m just running around like crazy,” he says. “I’ve got three changes of clothing and … the bag gets heavier and heavier.”
It doesn’t matter that Dershwitz is the reigning world champion in men’s saber and a medal favorite at the 2024 Paris Games. It doesn’t matter that some of his opponents live in countries where the government covers all expenses.
Paris shines through summer storm in spectacular Olympic opening ceremony
PARIS — All around the city there was talk of bad weather and nervous glances toward a dour, gray sky.
Sure enough, the clouds let loose in torrents of rain late Friday afternoon, dousing the streets, threatening to spoil France’s big moment.
Then the show began.
A convoy of boats cruised down the Seine, one after another, carrying thousands of athletes. Lady Gaga danced across a glittering stage and Celine Dion sang from a perch in the Eiffel Tower. The Olympic torch levitated like a giant hot-air balloon.
It seemed that nothing — not even a drenching summer storm — could stop the 2024 Paris Olympics from staging one of the most-spectacular opening ceremonies ever.
Not everyone in Paris entranced by the Olympics opening ceremony
PARIS — In the Parisian neighborhoods far from the Seine the start of the opening ceremony was marked by a circling of a loud police helicopter.
The rest of the airspace over the city was closed because of security concerns.
With rain failing into the early evening the streets were empty but bars and restaurants were crowded. In one small bar in the Clinchy area, two TVs were turned off and no one seemed much interested in the Olympics.
But in an Italian restaurant a couple of streets over, the staff stopped working for several minutes to watch and discuss the ceremonies while three guests changed to a table just below the TV.
Average rainfall in Paris in July is 2.4 inches over eight days. It has rained at least a little bit for six consecutive days in Paris.
Celine Dion performs on Eiffel Tower, Olympic cauldron is lit
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are officially underway following the conclusion of a grandiose opening ceremony that included performances by Lada Gaga and Celine Dion and a “parade of nations” on the River Seine.
Times writers Mary McNamara and Meredith Blake recap the audacious spectacle.
Allyson Felix’s push to have child care at Paris Olympics pays off: ‘A great starting point’
To the seven Olympic titles and 15 world championships won during a record-setting track career, Allyson Felix could have added one more distinction: world’s fastest mom.
After daughter Camryn was delivered prematurely by emergency cesarean section in 2018, Felix returned for her fifth Games in Tokyo, winning two more sprint medals to become the most decorated woman athlete in Olympic track and field history. Yet despite all that speed, Felix found she wasn’t fast enough to keep up with her track career and her daughter without some help.
“It was just kind of an eye-opening experience,” she said. “I took her everywhere that I was competing, and I kind of was surprised at how hard it was and how much you really had to shoulder on your own.”
Simone Biles poised to show off an original skill on the uneven bars
PARIS — Simone Biles has a sixth eponymous skill in the works.
The FIG, the governing body of international gymnastics, confirmed that Biles has submitted an original skill on the uneven bars, which would be her first in the event. The skill — which will be named after the seven-time Olympic medalist if she successfully completes it in this week’s Olympics — is a clear hip circle forward with a one-and-a-half pirouette in a handstand. It’s an upgraded version of the Weiler skill Biles has executed for much of her career that involves a single pirouette on the bar.
👀⁉️ pic.twitter.com/wmz12X5jmB
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 26, 2024
Biles already has five skills named for her, with two on floor, two on vault and one on beam. Her newest bars element was submitted to the technical committee and awarded a difficulty value of an “E” on a scale from A to J and is worth 0.5 points in difficulty. She is expected to complete at least three of her namesake skills this week, including her signature Yurchenko double pike on vault. During podium training Thursday, she stuck the skill to the delight of her coaches.
“Perfect,” coach Cecile Landi said with a chuckle. “We’ll take this one in a heartbeat.”
Her current floor routine includes two skills named for the world’s most decorated gymnast as she opens with a triple-twisting back tuck and also performs a double layout with a half-twist. Biles has the second-most eponymous skills, following former Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, who has seven.
The Yurchenko double pike has become Simone Biles’ signature move in the vault, a gravity-defying, six-second burst that has added to her legend.
Bienvenue, Mother Monster: Lady Gaga reportedly performing at opening ceremony
Let’s play an Olympic game?
Lady Gaga, the Grammy-wining “LoveGame” and “Born This Way” diva, reportedly will give Paris the Mother Monster treatment as she helps kick off the 2024 Olympic Games this week. The pop icon and “A Star Is Born” Oscar winner will take the stage during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed Wednesday.
Representatives for Lady Gaga did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for confirmation Thursday.
News of the “Bad Romance” singer’s Olympics spotlight came amid reports that she had touched down in Paris earlier this week. Lady Gaga was spotted outside a hotel in Paris, the French outlet Le Parisien reported Wednesday. And she isn’t the only artist to fuel opening ceremony performance speculation.
Security tight in Paris ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony
There are plenty of police officers on duty ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (David Wharton / Los Angeles Times)
Police are out in force throughout Paris ahead of the opening ceremony (10:30 a.m. PDT start; NBC).
Police were stationed all over the entrance to the credentialed zone in central Paris near the Siene River. The line for bag checks is already very long more than four hours before the start of the ceremony.
Here’s where many members of the media will be watching the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. (David Wharton)
The Seine River still in a tranquil state roughly 90 minutes before it will be at the center of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
Read staff writer David Wharton’s look at the security situation in Paris as the city prepares for what will be a unique kickoff to the Olympics.
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony will feature roughly 90 boats floating down the Seine and thousands of spectators, creating many security challenges.
The Sports Report Olympics edition: Previewing the opening ceremony
It’s finally time for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. I’m John Cherwa and I will not be among the 10,500 who will take a boat trip down the Seine today.
The two days of appetizers are over. We’ve probably watched the last of rugby and team handball. Our days of finding the channel number for USA network are likely done. As Michael Buffer made a ton money saying, “Let’s get ready to rumble.”
But before we start dishing details and offering opinions, let’s get one thing straight. It’s opening ceremony, not opening ceremonies. There is only one of them, singular, not plural. Not sure how the plural “ceremonies” got traction, but you hear it all the time.
Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics
PARIS — France’s high-speed rail network was hit Friday with widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics.
French officials condemned the attacks as “criminal actions,” though they said there was no sign of a direct link to the Games, and prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation saying the crimes could carry sentences of 15 to 20 years.
“It’s a hell of a way to start the Olympics,” said Sarah Moseley, a 42-year-old traveler waiting at the Gare du Nord station in Paris as she learned that her train to London was delayed by the rail chaos.
As Paris authorities geared up for a spectacular parade on and along the Seine River, three fires were reported near the tracks on the high-speed lines of Atlantique, Nord and Est, causing disruptions that affected hundreds of thousands of travelers.
Unique Olympics opening ceremony keeps Paris on high alert over security
PARIS — Soldiers patrol along the Seine River, dressed in camouflage and blue berets, big rifles slung over their shoulders. The Police Nationale stand guard at checkpoints, turning away people who want to stroll at the water’s edge.
A four-mile stretch of this iconic river, in the heart of the city, is on lockdown.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will stage an unusual opening ceremony here on Friday. In a departure from the usual stadium show, dancers, musicians and athletes will cruise down the Seine on a flotilla of boats as hundreds of thousands of spectators watch from bridges and grandstands.
With a glowing Eiffel Tower in the background, it promises to be visually stunning. Also, a massive security headache.
U.S. women’s soccer scores Olympic-opening win over Zambia, but bigger tests loom
NICE, France — The Emma Hayes era officially got under way Thursday, with the U.S. beating Zambia 3-0 on the opening day of the women’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics in a game that was far more one-sided than the final score.
Playing on the French Rivera in steamy Nice, wedged between the Mediterranean Sea and the French Alps, the Americans dominated in their new coach’s first competitive game on the sidelines, getting two goals from Mallory Swanson, another from Trinity Rodman and two assists from captain Lindsay Horan — all in the first 25 minutes.
There were few witnesses to any of that since the match drew a gathering so small, players could be heard shouting to one another from the top deck of Allianz Riviera Stadium. Nor, given the quality of the opponent — Zambia is ranked 64th in the world, worst in the Olympic field — were there many conclusions that could be drawn from the result.
Most picturesque Olympics ever? Paris venues will offer ‘phenomenal backdrop’
The Eiffel Tower in Paris will be the site of the beach volleyball tournaments at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
PARIS — Throngs of tourists flocking to the Eiffel Tower on a warm, humid afternoon cannot help but notice the 2024 Summer Olympics are close at hand.
Much of the surrounding gardens have been cordoned off with chain-link fencing, transformed into construction sites with big trucks rumbling in and out. Work crews in hard hats are finishing a temporary beach volleyball stadium and the grandstands around a plaza where athletes will receive their medals each night.
It makes sense that Paris has put the iconic landmark to use — these Games will be nothing if not a picture-postcard affair.
Alyssa Naeher and U.S. women’s soccer looking to beat the odds and win Paris gold
Alyssa Naeher has done things no other goalkeeper in U.S. Soccer history has done.
She’s won two World Cups, posted shutouts in more than 62% of her starts and converted penalty kicks in elimination games at the World Cup, CONCACAF Gold Cup and SheBelieves Cup final.
You can put Hope Solo and Briana Scurry’s career stats together and they don’t match that.
Yet one big gap still remains in that résumé because, for all she’s accomplished, Naeher never has won an Olympic gold medal. She’ll take a shot at changing that beginning Thursday, the day before the Paris Games officially open, when the U.S. faces Zambia in its first group-play match in the French Riviera city of Nice.
Is it an Olympic logo? Or a coquettish scamp?
As if there wasn’t enough to argue about in the world today, the logo for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has sparked a voluble and often hilarious debate.
The Art Deco-inspired design combines three images: a gold medal, the Olympic flame and a pair of lips meant to evoke Marianne, the French national icon.
At least that’s what Paris 2024 organizers say.
Poop protests and political turmoil: Paris facing many messes as Olympics nears
With all the tumult surrounding the 2024 Summer Olympics — problems both large and small — it isn’t entirely surprising that Parisians have threatened to stage a “poop protest.”
Their anger focuses on a plan to have triathletes and marathon swimmers compete in the Seine River, which has been fouled by sewage and trash for centuries.
It didn’t help when Mayor Anne Hidalgo offered to take a dip in the iconic waterway. A website with a poop emoji as its mascot sprang up to coordinate hundreds, if not thousands of people defecating along the banks on the day of her swim.
While it remains to be seen if the mayor — and her constituents — will make good on their respective pledges, the Paris 2024 organizing committee has plenty more issues to address. With the opening ceremony less than two weeks away, the list includes budget increases and worrisome poll numbers, a government investigation and political upheaval both at home and abroad.
Paris Olympics sells a record 9.7 million tickets, but more tickets are available.
PARIS — After getting off to a rocky start last year, Olympics 2024 organizers said the Paris Games have broken the record for the most number of tickets sold or allocated in the event’s history. And yet, tickets are still available.
Organizers say 9.7 million tickets were sold or allocated for this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with 8.7 million sold for the former and 1 million for the latter.
For Paris, a total of 10 million tickets were put on sale for the Olympics — meaning that despite the historic popularity of the sporting events and unprecedented scale of this year’s competitions, there will still be many empty seats remaining.
The total ticketing figure will, however, likely rise because tickets are still on sale for some of the 45 sports.
The previous ticket sales record was held by Atlanta in 1996, when 8.3 million tickets were sold.
Team USA House in Paris gives athletes and customers a chance to relax
Los Angeles Times reporter David Wharton gives us a quick tour of the Team USA House at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is where athletes, their families, officials and the paying public can come, have a beer, watch sports and buy expensive merchandise.
U.S. men’s soccer already in must-win mode after opening loss
MARSEILLE, France — The Paris Olympics don’t officially open until Friday. The Games, however, already have begun.
And that’s not necessarily a good thing for the U.S. men’s soccer team, which returned to the Olympics after a 16-year absence Wednesday, falling 3-0 to France before a crowd of 67,000 at the Orange Velodrome, the largest attendance for an Olympic soccer match since Brazil’s opening match at home in 2016.
The goals, all in the second half, came from Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise and Loic Bade. But for the U.S. coach Marko Mitrović, the game wasn’t so much a loss as it was an opportunity.
LeBron James and Coco Gauff selected as U.S. flagbearers for Paris Olympics
LeBron James is set to compete in his fourth Olympics.
Like the previous three times, the Lakers superstar will participate in the opening ceremony.
But for the official start of the Paris Games on Friday night, James will have a role that neither he nor anyone else who has played for the U.S. men’s basketball team has held before.
James and Coco Gauff, the 20-year-old tennis star participating in her first Olympics, were selected by their fellow American athletes as the U.S. flagbearers for the opening ceremony, which will take place in boats along the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower.
Rain is in the forecast for the Olympics opening ceremony
PARIS — Will weather wreak havoc with the grandiose opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics on the Seine River?
According to the latest weather forecasts, there is a chance of rain Friday.
Meteo-France, the French weather service, is forecasting overcast skies from midday onward, with light rain anticipated in the morning. The weather should improve in the afternoon, but the weather service warned Thursday that showers could hit the Paris region in the evening, when the cermony takes place.
If it rains, the ceremony is expected to go on as planned. It starts at 10:30 a.m. PDT and should last more than three hours.
“For the moment, the risk of showers during the opening ceremony cannot be ruled out,” Meteo France said. “Forecasts have yet to be confirmed.”
There was some good news, though, with a balmy summer evening looming. Temperatures will be close to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 10,500 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 3.7 miles. Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as the athletes float by.
Three-time major winner Angelique Kerber to retire after Olympics
PARIS — Three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber announced Thursday that she will retire after the Paris Olympics.
The 36-year-old German player won majors at every tournament except for the French Open at Roland Garros — on the same clay courts where she will bid farewell to tennis after the Paris Games. She faces four-time major winner Naomi Osaka of Japan in the first round.
“Before the Olympics begin, l can already say that I will never forget Paris 2024, because it will be my last professional tournament as a tennis player,” Kerber posted on Instagram. “And whereas this might actually be the right decision, it will never feel that way. Simply because I love the sport with all my heart and l’m thankful for the memories and opportunities it has given me.”
Kerber later confirmed her retirement when speaking briefly on stage after the Olympic tennis draw. Men’s and women’s first-round play begins Saturday.
Kerber won the Australian Open and the U.S. Open in 2016 — the year she reached No. 1 in the rankings — and won Wimbledon two years later.
Britain’s Andy Murray withdraws from singles tournament
PARIS — Two-time Olympic tennis gold medalist Andy Murray pulled out of singles competition at the Paris Games on Thursday and will compete only in doubles, with Dan Evans.
Murray, a 37-year-old from Britain, has said these Olympics will be the final event of his career.
He’s dealt with a series of injuries, including a hip replacement in 2019, and most recently needed surgery last month to remove a cyst from his spine.
Murray pulled out of singles at Wimbledon this month and played one match in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie.
“I’ve taken the decision to withdraw from the singles to concentrate on the doubles with Dan. Our practice has been great and we’re playing well together,” Murray said Thursday. “Really looking forward to getting started and representing GB one more time.”
Murray won singles gold medals at London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, making him the only tennis player with two.
How to watch every Paris Olympics event and the opening ceremony
Amid concerns about protests, strikes, security and whatever might be floating in the Seine, the City of Light is about to strike a pose on its years-long Olympics runway. For the next 19 days, Paris will be in front of the international lens as more than 10,000 athletes and seemingly countless fans converge on France to witness and revel in the first Summer Games held in front of crowds in eight years.
That group will include the nearly 600 athletes competing for Team USA, many of whom are favorites for gold across the 329 events slated to be held.