Tennis: Zheng Qinwen wins China’s first Olympic tennis singles gold by beating Donna Vekic
Zheng Qinwen has claimed China’s first tennis singles gold medal in Olympics history by defeating Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3.
The 21-year-old Zheng displayed the same powerful serves and groundstrokes she used to eliminate No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals and now has the biggest title of her career.
Not that Zheng hasn’t shown plenty of promise already. She is ranked seventh in the world and was the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka at the hard-court Australian Open in January.
Track: Crowds are already gathering ahead of tonight’s competition
The scene outside Stade de France was a sea of people ahead of the the Saturday night’s track and field session, which featured the women’s 100-meter final and American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s first run for an Olympic medal.
The stadium being used for track and field holds 80,698, making it the largest in France. It’s usually used by the French national football and rugby union teams for international competitions.
Richardson competes in the women’s 100-meter final at 9:20p CEST (3:20p EDT).
Basketball: US pulls away from Puerto Rico at halftime
The U.S. men’s basketball game against Puerto Rico was close — until it wasn’t.
The gold medal favorites outscored their overmatched opponent 39-16 in the second quarter to take a 64-45 lead at halftime.
Nine different players have scored for the U.S., which at one point was up just one at 38-37.
Boxing: Khelif is guaranteed a medal after reaching the semifinals
Algeria’s Imane Khelif is guaranteed an Olympic boxing medal after beating Anna Luca Hamori in their quarterfinal bout to reach the semifinals.
That is because, along with gold and silver, boxing is one of the Olympic sports that gives out two bronze medals.
IN PHOTOS: Imane Khelif wins boxing quarterfinal and is guranteed a medal
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gymnastics: Stephen Nedoroscik nails great routine, but it’s not enough for gold
Stephen “Pommel Horse Guy” Nedoroscik was excellent, but brilliance elsewhere in the pommel horse final kept the American from an individual gold medal in his specialty.
Instead, two-time world champion Rhys McClenaghan is well positioned to claim Ireland’s first medal in Olympic gymnastics.
Even before his scored was announced following a stellar routine, McClenaghan had to choke back tears. He then yelled in delight and cried for good when a mark of 15.533 points was announced.
Competing right after McClenaghan, Nedoroscik dazzled the crowd but could not match his Irish rival’s score. He got 15.300 points, which put him in third with three gymnasts left to go.
Nedoroscik helped the U.S. earn bronze in the men’s team final earlier this week, sealing the program’s first Olympic medal in 16 years with a lights out routine that made him a viral sensation.
Basketball: Puerto Rico hanging tough early with US men
No matter what happens today, Puerto Rico’s men’s basketball team is going home and the U.S. is going to Paris for the quarterfinals on Tuesday. But that doesn’t mean their group-stage finale is a blowout.
At least, not yet.
The U.S. leads 38-37 midway through the second quarter against a very game Puerto Rican team.
It’s the first time the nations have met in men’s basketball at the Olympics since Puerto Rico stunned the Americans 92-73 to open the Athens Games 20 years ago. LeBron James was on that U.S. team.
The Americans today are without Jrue Holiday, sidelined by a twisted ankle. The U.S. hopes he’s ready for its next matchup, which will likely be against Brazil.
Boxing: Khelif reacts to her win
Khelif slams her hand to the court and salutes to her supporters.
She shares a long and emotional hug with coaches and walks off crying. She hugs members of the delegation and sobs into her towel.
Boxing: Khelif wins
Both athletes take the center of the ring. Khelif is declared the winner unanimously.
The crowd rises and the athletes shake hands. Hamori goes to the center of the ring and bows.
Boxing: Match ends
Khelif knocks Hamori down again and Algeria fans roar at the close of the match.
Boxing: Round 3 starts
Hamori stars our round three aggressively, but quickly goes in the defense as Khelif pushed back.
Khelif knocks Hamori to the ground and both athletes get up.
Boxing: The match so far
Khelif fought aggressively from the opening bell, snapping a crisp left jab while the fighters circled. Khelif’s fans chanted her first name midway through the opening round, and she bounded forward to throw a combination.
Khelif won the first round on all five judges’ cards, and she continued to stalk Hamori in the second round. Khelif continued to work behind the jab, catching Hamori repeatedly with short right hands along with an occasional combination to win the second round unanimously.
Soccer: US women to face Canada or Germany in the semifinals
After beating Japan 1-0 on Trinity Rodman’s goal in extra time, the U.S. women’s soccer team will face the winner of the match between Germany and Canada that is taking place later in the day in Marseille.
The U.S. beat Germany 4-1 in the group stage. Canada reached the quarterfinals despite being docked six standings points for the drone-spying scandal that has overshadowed that country’s tournament.
The semifinal match is Tuesday in Lyon.
Boxing: Before the next round
Athletes rest and Khelif’s coach fans her face. Hamori’s coach gives her a pep talk.
Boxing: Round 2 ends
The crowd is fully into the match. Hungarians roar on the other side of the stadium when Hamori dodges some punches from Khelif. Round 2 ends.
Boxing: Round 2
Khelif nails some heavy blows to Hamori’s face and the crowd roars.
Boxing: What are they chanting?
Algerian fans have been chanting “Imane,” Khelif’s first name, steadily growing louder.
Boxing: First round ends
First round is over and both boxers rest. It appears to be a fierce competition, both boxers swift on their feet and scoring hits. Round 2 begins.
Boxing: Khelif and Hamori begin their bout
As Algerian boxer Khelif and Hungarian boxer Hamori begin their bout, they each score a few strong blows. Each blow by Khelif is met by a roar by Algerian supporters.
Hamori and Khelif have never sparred, but they have competed in the same tournament before.
Boxing: Khelif, Hamori enter the ring
The stadium roars as Khelif strides into the ring, leaping and dancing. Algerian flags paint a big section of crowd and fans chant.
Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori is met with some boos and cheers. The two are competing in the women’ s 66 kg boxing tournament
“I’m not scared,” Hamori has said about the match. “I don’t care about the press story and social media. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.”
The IOC has definitively ruled out misinformation accusing Khelif of being transgender or a man, calling a social media explosion around the case “hate speech.”
Soccer: US beats Japan to advance to the semifinals
The U.S has advanced to the semifinals of the women’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Olympics in Paris after beating Japan 1-0 on Trinity Rodman’s goal in extra time.
The Americans will next face Canada or Germany on Tuesday with a spot in the final on the line.
Gymnastics: Stephen Nedoroscik up next in men’s pommel horse final
American pommel horse specialist Stephen Nedoroscik will finish off a memorable trip to the 2024 Olympics in Paris when he competes in the pommel horse final.
Nedoroscik helped the U.S. men earn bronze in the team final earlier this week, sealing the program’s first Olympic medal in 16 years with a lights out routine that made him a viral sensation.
Nedoroscik and Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan topped qualifying, each posting a score of 15.200.
Boxing: Still waiting on the start of Imane Khelif’s bout
It’s minutes before the Imane Khelif and Anna Luca Hamori match and Algerians are waving their flags in the crowd of the stadium and chating Khelif’s name.
Many in the crowd are wearing green and red. The bout is scheduled was scheduled to begin at 5:22 p.m. CEST (11:22 a.m. EDT), but boxers from Turkey and Thailand are still fighting.
Gymnastics: Biles wins gold, Andrade gets silver and Carey bronze in vault
Simone Biles is not the only U.S. gymnast going home with a medal from women’s vault. Teammate Jade Carey finished third after landing two clean and very well-executed vaults in the final.
Carey was a medal contender three years ago in Tokyo but tripped on the runway during one of her vaults and finished last.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade got silver for second.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles wins gold in vault
Simone Biles has won the gold medal in women’s fault. It is his her seventh Olympic gold medal and 10th overall.
Soccer: Trinity Rodman goal sparks US celebration
Trinity Rodman collected the ball, cut inside and whipped a shot into the top corner of the net with her left foot just at the end of the first half of extra time.
After giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead on Japan in the quarterfinal match, she was then swamped by celebrating teammates. Megan Rapinoe, watching from the stands, seemed to enjoy that, too.
Soccer: US scores in extra time to take a 1-0 lead on Japan
Trinity Rodman has scored to give the U.S. women’s soccer team a 1-0 lead on Japan in extra time.
Gymnastics: Andrade moves into second in vault behind Biles
Rebeca Andrade did not try her new element but landed two excellent vaults, including a superb and nearly stuck Cheng.
That earned her an average note of 14.966 points. Not enough to move past Simone Biles at 15.3, but it put Andrade in line for a silver medal with two gymnasts left.
Soccer: US gets a quality scoring chance in extra time against Japan
Sophia Smith just had the Americans’ best chance of the match when bursting into the box.
But she couldn’t lift he shot over Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles leads in vault after half the gymnasts have gone
Simone Biles has a healthy lead atop the women’s gymnastics vault final at the 2024 Olympics with half the field of eight done.
Biles’ score of 15.300 after landing her signature Yurchenko double pike on one of her two attempts is a full point ahead of the next-closest gymnast.
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade is among those still left to go.
Gymnastics: Rebeca Andrade from Brazil up next on the vault
It will soon be Rebeca Andrade’s turn to take to the vault runaway
The ace Brazilian gymnast is facing a tall order in the defense of her Olympic title. Biles was stunning on her two attempts, finishing with a score of 15.300.
There was speculation Andrade could attempt a Yurchenko triple twist during the final. Andrade has submitted the vault to be named after her in the sport’s Code of Points.
Andrade has performed it at training but did not try it the all-around final when she finished second to Biles.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles nails her two vault attempts
Simone Biles is on good position to win her second Olympic vault title.
She scored an average of 15.300 for her two vaults, a rotation that included her signature Yurchenko double pike, which is the hardest being done in competition by any female gymnast.
Soccer: US and Japan heading to extra time
The game is going to extra time after ending 0-0 in regulation.
It opened up in the final moments, with the U.S. finally stretching Japan’s defense consistently.
There will be 30 minutes of extra time, and if the game is still tied, it will go to penalties.
Gymnastics: How does scoring work?
There are two components to Olympics gymnastics scoring: The difficulty or D-score is what a gymnast does. The execution or E-score is how well they do it.
Technically, there’s no limit on how high the D-score can go, but most elite routines top out between 5.4 and 6.0. Some exceptional ones can go higher — for example, Biles’ floor routine at the team finals had a 6.8 D-score.
The E-table is based on a 10-point system, though no perfect 10 for execution has ever been awarded anywhere since the new paradigm was introduced (Simone Biles has come close a couple of times on vault). Anything over 8 is good.
The two scores are added together. A total of 13.0 or better is solid. Anything in the 14s is excellent and puts you in medal contention. A 15 or better (typically reserved for vault and typically reserved for Biles) and you’re pretty much assured of a gold medal.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles warms up for the vault final
Simone Biles played it safe during her warmup runs.
Wearing a red leotard, she did not try her signature Biles II vault, which is super difficult but also very dangerous. She fell backwards and did not stick the landing.
Gymnastics: Jade Carey is set to compete in the women’s vault final
Jade Carey won’t defend the floor exercise gold medal she won three years ago in Tokyo, but she is in the vault final this afternoon.
Carey is the second American gymnast competing among the eight top vaulters, along with Simone Biles.
The 24-year-old earned a spot in final following a third-place finish behind Biles and Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade. Carey made the vault final in Tokyo, finishing eighth.
Soccer: Quarterfinals match still anyone’s game
Still goalless at Parc des Princes. Neither team has managed to create meaningful chances in the second half. It’s anyone’s game right now.
Gymnastics: Carlos Edriel Yulo of the Philippines wins gold in men’s floor exercise
Carlos Edriel Yulo has won the men’s floor exercise competition to give the Philippines its first Olympic medal in gymnastics, and its second gold medal ever at the Games.
The 24-year-old gymnast from Manila, a former world champion, delivered a flawless and difficult routine to post a massive note of 15.000. Yulo took his head in his hands and started to cry when the results flashed on the Bercy Arena’s big screens.
Artem Dolgopyat of Israel, who won the title in Tokyo, settled for silver with 14.966 points. British gymnast Jake Jarman took the bronze medal with 14.933.
▶ Read more about the men’s floor exercise
Gymnastics: Simone Biles has two vault elements named after her
Simone Biles has spent the last decade-plus redefining what is possible in gymnastics. The American star has had five skills named after her in the Code of Points after completing them in competition.
Two of those are in the vault, her upcoming event while seeking a seventh Olympic gold medal and 10th overall.
Biles I (vault version)
As with a lot of gymnastics elements, Biles took a Cheng vault and added another layer of difficulty — this one an extra half twist on a vault originally done by China’s Cheng Fei.
The vault requires Biles to do a round-off onto the vault, then a half-twist onto the table before doing two full twists. It entered the Code after she made it part of her routine at the 2018 world championships.
Biles II (vault version)
This may be the most dazzling, most daring one of them all.
The Yurchenko double pike had never been completed by a woman in competition, and few men have even tried. She began tinkering with it in 2021, but it’s in the last year that it has morphed into perhaps the most show-stopping thing done in the sport.
The vault asks Biles to do a round-off back handspring onto the table, then two backward flips in pike position with her hands essentially clasped to her knees. She does it with so much power, she can sometimes overcook it. At the U.S. Olympic trials last month, it drew a standing ovation.
“No, it’s not normal,” longtime coach Laurent Landi said after she drilled it at the 2023 U.S. Championships. “She’s not normal.”
▶ Read more about Biles redefining her sport
WATCH: Simone Biles on winning gymnastics all-around gold at the Paris Games
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
After the final Olympic Gold winner Simone Biles said three years ago she wasn’t sure whether she could compete again, but that she had “worked really hard, mentally and physically” with the help of her team.
Cycling: The men’s and women’s road races highlight city’s spectacular sights
The road races in cycling at the Olympics are an opportunity for the host city to shine.
The route that the men are traversing over several grueling hours and hundreds of kilometers of racing passes some of its most iconic historical and cultural landmarks. It provides a stunning backdrop to the marquee event of the cycling program at the Summer Games, while making for spectacular pictures on TV as the riders zip by at high speeds.
Few cities can match Paris when it comes to historical and cultural landmarks.
The course for the men covers 273 kilometers (170 miles) while the women will covering 158 kilometers (98 miles) on Sunday.
▶ Read more about Olympic cycling
Boxing: Algerians flock to support Khelif, who received hate speech after being misidentified as transgender
Long before the bout begins, Algerian fans like 37-year-old Delilah Benrabah were already gathering outside the stadium cloaked in their country’s flag to support boxer Imane Khelif.
She said she was watching her social media in recent days and felt the spread of false information about Khelif was “shameful.”
“She’s a very strong Algerian women,” Benrabah said. “In Algeria, we don’t accept people hurting Algerians. We are here to support our team. We have to be united. We are here to give her support and we wish she gets the gold medal.
“She’s far from home, and we’re here to support her.”
Gymnastics: Simone Biles on the verge of more Olympic history
More history could be at hand for American gymnastics star Simone Biles.
The 27-year-old is in the women’s vault final seeking her seventh gold medal and 10th overall. Biles, who won the event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, topped qualifying with her signature Yurchenko double pike vault. Her stiffest competition figures to come from Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, who captured gold in Tokyo three years ago.
If either Biles or Andrade win, they will become the just the second two-time vault gold medalist in Olympic history, joining Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia, who went back to back in 1964 and 1968.
The eight finalists will do two vaults each, with their score being the average of their two vaults.
Soccer: US and Japan tied at 0-0 at halftime
The U.S. and Japan have reached halftime at Parc de Princes tied at 0-0.
Lindsey Horan had the U.S.’s best chance in the sixth minute but couldn’t get enough power on a far-post header to beat Japan keeper Ayaka Yamashita.
Soccer: Japan threatens after strong start by the US
The U.S. had dominated most of the play in the first half, but Japan has had two good chances in quick succession.
First, Mina Tanaka forced a save from U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher when turning in the box. Then Miyabi Moriya blasted over from around 12 yards unchallenged.
Soccer: Megan Rapinoe and Snoop Dogg take in US-Japan match
Retired American women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and rapper Snoop Dogg were among the fans at Parc des Princes in Paris to watch the U.S. play Japan.
Rapinoe wore a U.S. Olympic baseball cap as she cheered on her former team.
Rapinoe retired from soccer last year. She played in 205 matches for the U.S. with 68 goals, including two directly from corner kicks at the Olympics.
Soccer: US-Japan quarterfinal kicks off
Japan’s Kiko Seike is challenged by Korbin Albert, left, Emily Fox and Lindsey Horan, right, of the United States during the quarterfinal women’s soccer match between the United States and the Japan at the Parc des Princes at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
The quarterfinal game between United States and Japan has kicked off at Parc des Princes in Paris.
It looks like a full house again after the men’s match between the U.S. and Morocco on Friday.
The winner of this match plays either Canada or Germany in the semifinals in Lyon on Tuesday.
Gymnastics: Simone Biles’ name brings cheers well before she competes
Just the name Simone Biles is enough to trigger applause.
More than an hour before the vault event that also features Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, the presenter at Bercy Arena announcing that expected duel set off wild shouts from the still half-empty venue.
If Biles wins, it will be her seventh Olympic gold medal, and 10th overall. Andrade was second to Biles in all-around.
▶ Read more about Biles’ pursuit of history at the Paris Games
Soccer: US makes a lineup change for its quarterfinal game vs. Japan
The U.S. women’s national team made one change to the starting lineup for its quarterfinal match against Japan in Paris.
Korbin Albert replaced Sam Coffey in the midfield. Coffey was ineligible for the game because of yellow card accumulation.
The United States also made forward Jaedyn Shaw available after she missed the first three games with a leg injury.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 9 a.m. EDT.
▶ Read more about the U.S. looking to reclaim Olympic women’s soccer gold
What to watch: The U.S. women will take on Japan in the quarterfinals of women’s soccer
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Americans won all three group-stage games for the first time since 2012 to finish atop Group B. Japan, the 2012 Olympic silver medalists, won Group C. The U.S. won the gold in 2012.
In the other women’s quarterfinals, France will face Brazil, Spain will play against Colombia and Canada will take on Germany. Canada advanced out of group play despite being docked six standings points for a drone scandal that has rocked the program.
