Biles and Ledecky add to legacies, US fencing and rowing take gold
Olympic legends Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky increase their legend status with more hardware and a historic day was had by US rowing and fencing.
The 2024 Paris Olympics have entered the portion of the schedule during which swimming and track and field overlap, and what a packed slate it is.
The Olympic swimming schedule today features three finals, including Caeleb Dressel in the 50m free. The Olympic track and field schedule is full prelims, heats and qualifying rounds, including Sha’Carri Richardson’s heat in the 100 meters, but the men’s 10,000m final is today.
At least seven U.S. squads are competing across five team sports, 26 sports in total are in action, and USA TODAY Sports will bring you live results, medal count, highlights, and more throughout the day. Follow along.
Seven teams have already advanced to the Olympic men’s soccer knockout stage, and one more country will join them as the group stage concludes Tuesday.
Spain men’s tennis star and three-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz will get a chance to add a gold medal to his trophy case.
Alcaraz, 21, cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada to become the second-youngest man in the history of the Olympics to reach the men’s singles final.
PARIS − A questionable penalty has the U.S. men in a hole.
Morocco leads the Americans 1-0 at halftime of their quarterfinal match Friday after Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty in the 29th.
The Atlas Lions dominated the first half – four shots on goal to none, and a 66-34 edge in possession – and U.S. goalkeeper Patrick Schulte tipped a dangerous curling shot by Ilias Akhomachi over the crossbar in the 13th. But it took Rahimi’s penalty to get Morocco on the board.
In the 28th minute, Nathan Harriel and Oussama El Azzouzi were both going for a ball and Rahimi came in late. It looked as if Harriel got Rahimi on the underside of the calf, though the contact didn’t look severe. Still, there was contact and it occurred in the box, so a penalty was called.
Schulte actually guessed correctly, diving to his right. But Rahimi’s shot skirted beneath his fingers and into the net, putting Morocco ahead.
The U.S. men are trying to extend their best run in the Olympic tournament since 2000, when they finished fourth. − Nancy Armour
VERSAILLES, France — For the second straight Summer Olympics, the United States equestrian jumping team has won silver.
The trio of Laura Kraut, Karl Cook and McClain Ward – and their horses Baloutine, Caracole de la Roque and Ilex, respectively – accomplished the feat Friday at the historic Chateau de Versailles, with the Grand Canal and palace in the distance. − Chris Bumbaca
Xander Schauffele, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, heads to the clubhouse with another excellent round. He sits atop the leaderboard at 11-under-par after 36 holes of the Olympic golf tournament at Le Golf National. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama is tied with Schauffele through 13 holes. Tommy Fleetwood sits one stroke back.
Ian Barrows and Hans Henken gave Team USA its first-ever Olympic medal in men’s skiff during sailing competition Friday in Marseille.
Barrows and Henken built on strong finishes earlier in the week and finished fourth in the medal race — pushing them past Ireland for the bronze.
Spain earned the gold and New Zealand took silver. − Steve Gardner
U.S. high jumper Vashti Cunningham didn’t think the qualifying round in her third Olympics would be challenging.
Cunningham cleared the bar at 6 feet, 3½ inches on her third attempt and had to wait for the final results to see if she had advanced to the final round.
Cunningham found out that she qualified into the women’s high jump final while speaking to reporters after the event. She let out a sigh of relief and was visibly emotional.
“Thank you, lord. I’m sweating right now,” Cunningham said. “This means that God isn’t done with me and has a plan. I knew he had a plan for me at the beginning. I didn’t know it was gonna look like this – third time clearances and scrapping to get into the final. But I’m just blessed.”
Thirteen women advanced to Sunday’s women’s high jump final. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh is the No. 1 qualifier with a clearance of 6 feet, 4¾ inches. Cunningham and Serbia’s Angelina Topić were the final two qualifiers in the event.
Cunningham placed 13th at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and sixth at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
American Rachel Glenn wasn’t so lucky. Glenn finished in 15th with a jump of 6 feet, 2 inches and didn’t advance. − Tyler Dragon
PARIS − The U.S. men are facing Morocco, and a very hostile crowd, as they try to keep their best run in 24 years going.
This is the Americans’ first trip to the quarterfinals since 2000, when they finished fourth, their best showing in the Olympic tournament. They’re playing Morocco, which has two of the best players in the tournament in leading scorer Soufiane Rahimi and Achraf Hakimi, along with most of the fans at Parc des Princes.
The winner of this game advances to the semifinal Monday in Marseille, where they’ll play either Japan or Spain.
The other big quarterfinal is Argentina vs. host France, who also faced off in the World Cup final in 2022. Though the Olympics are a U-23 tournament for the men, teams are allowed three overage players and all three of Argentina’s are from that World Cup-champion team: Julian Alvarez, Thiago Almada and Geronimo Rulli, the backup goalkeeper. − Nancy Armour
Hideki Matsuyama was atop the leaderboard after the first round of Olympic golf at Le Golf National. But Xander Schauffele, fresh off major victories at The PGA Championship and The Open Championship, has taken command of the lead in the second round with a two-stroke lead after 16 holes. He opened with a 6-under-par 65 in the opening round of the Paris Olympics.
Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka is under medical assessment after collapsing following her women’s 200m individual medley heat, a venue official said. The venue’s media manager confirmed Potocka was conscious and under medical assessment.
American’s Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass made it to the semifinals in the women’s 200m individual medley. Walsh’s time of 2:10.48 was 0.58 slower than the 2:09.90 by Canada’s Summer McIntosh and 0.2 behind China’s Yu Yiting. Douglass swam a 2:10.70 to rank fifth among the qualifiers.
VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France. − After Team USA won a gold medal in the men’s four rowing event at the Paris Games on Thursday, disappointing finishes for the United States followed on Friday at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
In an event being discontinued by the Olympics following the Paris Games, the Team USA tandem of Molly Reckford and Michelle Sechser finished last among six boats in lightweight women’s double sculls action, with a time of 6:55.60. Great Britain won gold (6:47.06), followed by Romania (silver) and Greece (bronze). In the women’s pair finals, Team USA’s Azja Czajkowski and Jess Thoennes finished fourth with a time of 7:05.31 as the Netherlands (6:58.67) took gold, followed by Romania (silver) and Australia (bronze).
Medal competition in rowing concludes Saturday with four events, three of which Team USA has qualified for: women’s single sculls, women’s eight, and men’s eight. − Chase Goodbread
Katie Ledecky cruised to a comfortable victory in her qualifying heat in the 800-meter freestyle. She owns the fastest 16 times in history in this event, though this (8:16:62) was not one of them.
She will be looking for an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal in the event − her final one at the Paris Olympics − which is scheduled to start at 3:09 p.m. ET (9:09 p.m. in Paris) on Saturday, August 3.
In addition, one more gold medal for Ledecky would be her ninth, breaking a tie with Jenny Thompson and giving her the most by any American woman in Olympic history. − Steve Gardner
PARIS − Sha’Carri Richardson had a fast Olympic debut.
Richardson won her opening round heat of the women’s 100 with a time of 10.94. She had a decent start but surged by the other sprinters around 30 meters and cruised the rest of the way. Richardson ran in the first of eight heats. − Tyler Dragon
PARIS – The women’s 100 is underway in at the Olympics. Defending 100 world champion Sha’Carri Richardson is set to run in heat one of the opening round of the women’s 100. Richardson’s 10.71 is the top time in the world this year.
There are eight opening round heats in the 100. Americans Melissa Jefferson is running in Heat 3 and Twanisha Terry will race in Heat 6 . − Tyler Dragon
Americans Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse advanced out of their opening heats in the men’s 1,500. Hocker was second in Heat 2, finishing in 3:35.27 with a strong kick at the finish. Nuguse was fifth in Heat 1 in 3:36.56. The top six in each heat advanced to the semifinal. Hobbs Kessler coasted to second in Heat 3, finishing in 3:36.87.
Sagen Maddalena was a surprise medalist in the women’s 50-meter three-position rifle shooting competition on Friday at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.
Maddalena and China’s Zhang Qiongyue shot an Olympic record of 593 in qualifying. Maddalena had a perfect score of 200 in shots from the prone position.
Switzerland’s Chiara Leone won the gold medal with an Olympic-record score of 464.4, while Maddalena finished at 463. Zhang won the bronze with a score of 452.9.
The U.S. traditionally does well in the Olympic shooting events, but hadn’t medaled through the first six days of competition.
Here are some Olympic schedule highlights. Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds in Paris.
(All times Eastern)
- Swimming heats start at 5 a.m. The finals — men’s 50m free, women’s 200m backstroke, men’s 200m IM — are back to back to back and start at 2:30 p.m. Caeleb Dressel will swim in the 100m fly heats, Katie Ledecky in the 800m free heats. NBC is airing the finals. USA Network is airing the heats.
- Track and field prelims, heats and qualifying rounds start at 4:05 a.m. and run through 2:50 p.m. E! is airing 4:05-7 a.m. and noon-3:50 p.m. NBC is airing from 1-3:50 p.m.
- Men’s soccer enters the quarterfinals today with four matches: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The U.S. plays Morocco at 9 a.m. ET. This is the first time since 2000 and second since pool play was introduced at the 1960 Rome Olympics that the U.S. men’s team has advanced beyond the group stage. The U.S. has never medaled in men’s soccer.
- Men’s golf continues play with Round 2 starting at 3 a.m.
- The 3×3 basketball slate has 16 games starting at 3 a.m. and running through 4:35 p.m.
- Other sports in action: Archery, badminton, beach volleyball, BMX racing, boxing, canoe slalom, diving, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, handball, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, table tennis, tennis, track & field, trampoline, volleyball and water polo.
NBC is airing and streaming the Paris Olympics from all angles: Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds; NBC, USA Network, CNBC and E! are carrying various live events and replays throughout the day. Here are 6 tips and tricks for getting the most out of Peacock during the Olympics.
Our 2024 Paris Olympics medal count tracker updates after every single medal event.
(All times Eastern)
- The U.S. men’s soccer team plays in a quarterfinal match against Morocco at Parc des Princes in Paris at 9 a.m. USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock are airing.
- The U.S. men’s golf team continues play with Round 2, which starts at 3 a.m. Friday’s tee times for American golfers: Xander Schauffele at 3:55 a.m., Collin Morikawa at 4:11 a.m., Wyndham Clark at 5:44 a.m., Scottie Scheffler at 6:06 a.m. Golf Channel is airing.
- The U.S. men’s volleyball team faces Japan in pool play at 3 p.m. USA Network is airing.
- The U.S. women’s water polo team faces France in group play at 12:30 p.m. USA Network is airing.
- The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team plays two games: The first is against France at 7 a.m. (USA Network), the second against Canada at noon (NBC).
- The U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball team plays two games: The first against France at 12:35 p.m. (NBC), the second against China at 4:35 p.m.
- The U.S. is competing in men’s beach volleyball against Spain at 9 a.m. NBC is airing.
- The U.S. is competing in women’s beach volleyball against Germany at 4 p.m. NBC is airing.
(All times Eastern)
- Swimming: men’s 50m free (2:30 p.m.), women’s 200m backstroke (2:39 p.m.), men’s 200m IM (2:49 p.m., NBC)
- Tennis: women’s singles bronze (6 a.m.), men’s doubles bronze (6 a.m.), mixed doubles bronze (6 a.m.), mixed doubles gold (1 p.m.)
- BMX racing: men’s final (3:35 p.m.), women’s final (3:50 p.m.)
- Shooting: 50m rifle 3 positions women’s final (3:30 a.m., NBC)
- Rowing: men’s pair final A (5:30 a.m.), women’s pair final A (5:42 a.m.), LWT men’s doubles sculls final A (6:02 a.m.), LWT women’s double sculls final A (6:22 a.m.)
- Trampoline: women’s final (7:50 a.m.), men’s final (1:45 p.m.)
- Equestrian: Jumping team final (8 a.m., E!)
- Diving: men’s synchronized 3m springboard final (8 a.m.)
- Badminton: mixed doubles bronze (9 a.m.), mixed doubles gold (10:10 a.m., USA Network)
- Archery: mixed team bronze (10:24 a.m., USA Network), mixed team gold (10:43 a.m., NBC)
- Judo: Six medal matches (11:18 a.m. start)
- Track & field: men’s 10,000m final (3:20 p.m., NBC)
- Fencing: men’s epee team bronze (1:30 p.m.), men’s epee team gold (2:30 p.m.)
- Sailing: windsurfing finals (times TBD)
(All times Eastern)
- Heats for the following events start at 5 a.m.: men’s 100m fly, women’s 200m IM, women’s 800m free, mixed 4×100 medley relay.
- Semifinals for the following events start in the afternoon: men’s 100m fly (5:09 p.m.), women’s 200m IM (3:34 p.m.)
- Today’s finals: men’s 50m free (2:30 p.m.), women’s 200m backstroke (2:39 p.m.), men’s 200m IM (2:49 p.m.)
(All times Eastern)
- Men’s decathlon events: 100m (4:05 a.m.), long jump (4:55 a.m.), shot put (6:15 a.m.), high jump (noon), 400m (2:50 p.m.)
- Qualifications: men’s hammer throw (4:10 a.m., 5:35 a.m.), women’s high jump (4:15 a.m.), women’s triple jump (12:15 p.m.), women’s discus throw (12:55 p.m, 2:20 p.m..), men’s shot put (2:10 p.m.)
- Preliminary rounds: women’s 100m (4:35 a.m.)
- Round 1s: men’s 1,500m (5:05 a.m.), women’s 100m (5:50 a.m.), women’s 5,000m (12:10 p.m.), 4x400m mixed relay (1:10 p.m.), women’s 800m (1:45 p.m.)
- Final: men’s 10,000m (3:20 p.m.)
The Carissa Moore retirement party will not include another Olympic gold medal.
Moore, the defending Olympic champion surfer who planned to step away from the sport after the Paris Games, failed to make it out of the women’s quarterfinals.
She lost a head-to-head heat with France’s Johanne Defray, who earlier in the competition needed four stitches after suffering a head wound after crashing into the coral reef in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
The United States still has a chance to medal in surfing, with Caroline Marks reaching the semifinals after winning her quarterfinal heat against Australia’s Tyler Wright.
Marks is scheduled to face Defray in the semifinals. In the other semifinal match, Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb will face Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy.
The two American men surfers, John John Florence and Griffin Colapinto, failed to make it out of the round of 16. Caitlin Simmers, the final member of the team, lost in the women’s round of 16. — Josh Peter
The finals of the men’s 50 freestyle will be held on Aug. 2 and American Caeleb Dressel is the event’s defending Olympic champion. After taking nearly nine months off last year, Dressel is back to training and dropping time in his events. The men’s 100 butterfly semifinals are also Friday night, an event Dressel won in Tokyo.
On the track, the women’s 100-meter heats get under way in the morning. U.S. star sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is seeking her first Olympic medal. It’s also the day for heats in the 4×400 mixed relay event. In Tokyo, the USA relay (Kendall Ellis, Vernon Norwood, Trevor Stewart and Kaylin Whitney) won bronze behind Poland and the Dominican Republic.
Track and field, a signature Olympic sport, will take center stage during the final week of the Olympics. It’s fitting that Stade de France will host track and field for the 2024 Paris Olympics. It’s the country’s largest stadium.
The United States typically performs well at the Olympics in the sport. According to Olympedia, the United States has won the most Olympic medals in track and field history with 828, and the most gold medals in track and field history with 344.
Who will be the big winners on the track and field at the Paris Olympics? — Tyler Dragon
It’s the medal final for women’s lightweight double sculls. American Michelle Sechser has won three medals at world championships in the classification.
In men’s hoops, France and Germany face off. Germany is a team with momentum on the world stage after winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup, stunning the U.S. team in the semifinals. Dennis Schröder was named MVP (averaging 19.1 points) and will likely return for Paris along with Franz and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. Victor Wembanyama is the superstar France is counting on.
When you’re an Olympian getting ready to compete in your first Olympic Games, the last thing you want to worry about is rent.
Luckily for U.S. track and field athlete Veronica Fraley, she won’t have to, thanks to some high-profile fans: Flavor Flav and Alexis Ohanian.
Fraley said on social media on Thursday that even though she is set to make her Olympic debut on Friday in the women’s discus, she can’t pay rent since her school, Vanderbilt, only sent 75% of her rent.
The post quickly gained attention on social media, and it wasn’t long until the Public Enemy co-founder stepped up to the plate. — Jordan Mendoza
After the grand − and not uncontroversial, or necessarily easy, for a foreigner, to decode − extravaganza of the Olympics’ Seine-set opening ceremony, the Paris Games have continued with, and even expanded on, the zany opulence theme. — Kim Hjelmgaard
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