It was a wild day for Team USA on the track at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Friday’s session ended with redemption for Rai Benjamin, who won the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles after taking silver in Tokyo three years ago. The session began, though, with a tale of two relays: one of triumph, the other of despair.
The U.S. women’s 4×100 relay team of Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson raced to gold to put another win in the victory column before the men’s team of Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley took to the track. But it was déjà vu all over again in this event for the American men. Marred by botched handoffs at previous Olympics, this relay squad allowed the issue to rear its ugly head again in Paris, and the team got disqualified in the process.
The U.S. also brought home gold in weightlifting for the first time in 24 years, helping Team USA keep pace with China in the overall gold medal tally in Paris, while the U.S. women’s basketball team won its semifinal game over Australia to join the men’s team in the gold medal game.
USA TODAY Sports covered all the action Friday in France. Scroll below for all the highlights.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
Sprinter finally gets her Olympic medal, 24 years after Marion Jones saga
Beverly McDonald, now 54, finally got her long-awaited bronze medal in the 200 meters. Twenty-four years after the Jamaican sprinter lost the bronze to American runner Marion Jones at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and after Jones had confessed to doping, McDonald finally took part in a medal ceremony.
She was one of 10 athletes who received reallocated Olympic medals from the International Olympic Committee, most of them upgraded or elevated onto the podium because the men and women ahead of them had been caught doping. The 10 athletes competed in different sports and events, across three editions of the Games. But nobody else had waited as long as McDonald had for this day − almost 24 years, through parts of three decades.
American high jumper Erik Kynard, who had his 2012 silver medal upgraded to gold, said the ceremony only happened when and where it did − against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower, during the 2024 Paris Games − because of retired American sprinter Lashinda Demus, who led a lobbying effort to add the location as an option at which athletes could receive reallocated medals. Demus, who raced in the 400 hurdles in the 2012 London Games, also had her silver upgraded to gold. — Tom Schad
France will play Team USA for gold in women’s basketball
Hours after the U.S. women’s basketball team cruised past Australia in the first of two semifinals, France took to the court to face neighboring Belgium. And though it took overtime, the French women prevailed, winning 81-75 in OT to set up a showdown with Team USA, which has won seven consecutive gold medals in women’s basketball.
The women’s basketball gold medal game is Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET – the last event at the Paris Olympics before the closing ceremony.
The U.S. men will also face France in the final, with that game scheduled for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold medal
PARIS – Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, targeted in a “gender eligibility’’ controversy at these Games, etched her name into Olympic history Friday night.
She’s now a gold medalist.
Khelif, 25, beat China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight finals at Roland-Garros Stadium, capping a turbulent experience at the Olympics.
“I’m very happy. For eight years, this has been my dream and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” Khelif said. “I’ve worked for eight years, no sleep, eight years tired. Now I’m Olympic champion.
“I want to thank all the people who have come to support me. All the people from Algeria and all the people at my base. I want to thank all the team, my coach. Thank you so much.”
Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Ting have been subjected to abuse on social media and inaccurate media speculation about their sexes even though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said they both have met all criteria and that there’s no question they are women. — Josh Peter
Refugee breakdancer disqualified for wearing ‘Free Afghan Women’ cape
PARIS — A breaker representing the Refugee Olympic Team was disqualified from the B-Girl breaking competition Friday for revealing a cape during her round that read “Free Afghan Women.”
Manizha Talash, known competitively as “B-Girl Talash,” revealed the cape during the third round of her pre-qualifying battle against B-Girl India of the Netherlands. The 21-year-old lost the battle in lopsided fashion and did not advance to the round-robin stage, effectively rendering her disqualification a moot point.
According to a brief statement released in the Olympic information system by the World DanceSport Federation, which oversees Olympic breaking, Talash was disqualified for “displaying a political slogan on her attire.”
Talash was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and moved to Spain, where she now lives, in 2022. — Tom Schad
American Helen Maroulis wins her third Olympic medal in wrestling
Helen Maroulis won the bronze medal in the women’s 57kg wrestling event Friday to become Team USA’s first women’s wrestler to medal in three Olympic Games.
Maroulis wasted little time in her bronze medal bout, pinning Canada’s Hannah Taylor in just 24 seconds. She dumped Taylor via a leg trip onto her back for the quick fall. The 32-year old from Rockville, Maryland, previously won gold in the 53kg event in the 2016 Rio Olympics before taking bronze in the 57kg in Tokyo.
Team USA has now won three medals in Paris in women’s wrestling after Amit Elor and Sarah Hildebrandt won golds earlier this week. — Eli McKown, Des Moines Register
American Rai Benjamin wins gold in men’s 400 hurdles
SAINT-DENIS, France – A day after Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone dazzled in the women’s 400 hurdles, Rai Benjamin did the same on the men’s side for Team USA.
Olivia Reeves wins USA’s first gold in weightlifting in 24 years
Olivia Reeves just accomplished something that hasn’t been done since before she was born. She’s an American Olympic gold medalist – in weightlifting.
A 21-year-old college student from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Reeves won Friday’s 71kg competition at the Paris Olympics, giving the United States its first weightlifting gold medal in 24 years.
While American women have medaled in weightlifting in each of the past two Olympics, Reeves’ gold was Team USA’s first since Tara Nott-Cunningham in 2000.
Reeves lifted a total of 262 kilograms – roughly 578 pounds – to beat silver medalist Mari Leivis Sanchez of Colombia (257) and bronze medalist Angie Paola Palacios Dajomes of Ecuador (256). — Gentry Estes
Beatrice Chebet wins distance double, adds 10,000 gold to 5,000 triumph
SAINT-DENIS, France — Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet won her second gold medal of the Paris Olympics Friday in winning the women’s 10,000-meter race at Stade de France.
Chebet finished with a time of 30:43.25, nipping Italy’s Nadia Battocletti by a tenth of a second. Battocletti closed on Chebet over the final stretch, and her silver-winning time of 30:43.35 set a national record, but she could not overtake the world-record holder in the event. Chebet never led the race until the final 1,000 meters.
On Monday, Chebet won the women’s 5,000-meter race for her first gold of the Paris Games, clocking a 14:28.56.
Siffan Hassan of the Netherlands took the bronze (30:44.12). — Chase Goodbread
In Olympic breakdancing’s debut, Japan’s Ami wins gold
PARIS — Japan’s Ami captured gold in the B-Girl breaking competition at La Concorde on Friday night at the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating Lithuania’s Nicka, 3-0. The competitors shared an embrace when the three-round battle was over and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
China’s 671 beat Netherlands’ India beat, 2-1, to win bronze.
The competition started with a round-robin tournament, four groups of four breakers, with each one going two rounds against the other three in their group. From there, the top two B-Girls in each group — as determined by who won the most rounds — advanced to the quarterfinals. (USA’s Sunny Choi and Logan Edra did not make it to the knockout rounds.) The quarters, semis and finals were three rounds in a traditional bracket style.
American Kristina Teachout, 18, wins bronze medal in taekwondo
Kristina Teachout won the bronze medal in the 67kg division of women’s taekwondo. The 18-year-old from Palm Bay, Florida, defeated Song Jie of China 2-0 in the bronze medal match.
Teachout began the day by defeating France’s Magda Wiet-Henin 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals, where she dropped a 2-1 decision to Hungary’s Viviana Marton. She then was pulled back into the repechage round, where she defeated Ruth Gbagbi of Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 to advance to the bronze medal match.
In the men’s 80kg division, American CJ Nickolas advanced to the bronze medal match but fell to Simone Alessio 2-0 to finish fourth.
Spain beats France 5-3 in Olympic men’s soccer final
Spain has won Olympic gold in men’s soccer again, while France suffered a bout of déjà vu in Friday’s final at the Paris Games.
Sergio Camello scored two goals in extra time to propel Spain to a 5-3 victory for the gold medal against France at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Spain’s Fermín López scored twice (18’ and 25’), and Álex Baena scored a free kick (28’) to give the Spaniards a commanding 3-1 lead after France’s Enzo Millot scored in the 11th minute.
France fell flat after forcing extra time when Maghnes Akliouche started the comeback (79’), and Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a penalty kick in stoppage time.
Spain continued its dominant summer in the sport, winning Olympic gold and Euro 2024. Spain won its second Olympic gold after triumphing at home in the 1992 Barcelona Games and improved its silver finish behind Brazil at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
Meanwhile, France finishes with silver for the second time as hosts. France won silver at the Paris Games in 1900, and last won gold at Los Angeles in 1984. — Safid Deen
PARIS — Rose Zhang’s first Olympics got a little more interesting Friday, and so did Team USA’s hopes of winning a medal in this week’s women’s golf tournament at Le Golf National.
Zhang, a 21-year-old two-time NCAA champion at Stanford, eagled two of her five final holes – and double-bogeyed another – to finish with a 5-under-par 67, moving her into a tie for third place entering Saturday’s final round.
Now at 7 under for the tournament, Zhang is two strokes behind the third-round leaders: New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux (each at 9 under). Japan’s Miyu Yamashita (7 under) is tied with Zhang for third. —Gentry Estes
Breaking bracket for semifinals
Here’s the bracket for the B-Girls semifinals.
- Japan’s Ami vs. Netherlands’ India
- China’s 671 vs. Lithuania’s Nicka
PARIS − Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will be fighting for Olympic gold Friday night.
Targeted in a “gender eligibility’’ controversy at the Paris Olympics, Khelif continues to thrive inside the boxing ring.
She’s won all three of her bouts in the women’s welterweight division (146 pounds) and faces China’s Liu Yang in the finals at Roland-Garros Stadium. Follow along. — Josh Peter
Wrestler Spencer Lee takes home silver
PARIS – Spencer Lee will have to settle for silver in his first Olympics.
Lee lost in the gold medal match in men’s wrestling at 57 kilograms Friday to Japan’s Rei Higuchi, 4-2, at Champ-de-Mars Arena.
A three-time NCAA champion at Iowa whose mother, Cathy, was an Olympic alternate judoka for France, Lee outscored his opponents, 29-8, in his first three matches.
Higuchi, 28, won silver at the 2016 Olympics.
Lee’s medal is the third for the U.S. in wrestling so far at these Olympics. Amit Elor (68 kg) and Sarah Hildebrandt (50 kg) won gold in women’s freestyle for the U.S., and Aaron Brooks (86 kg) and Helen Maroulis (women’s 57 kg) will wrestle for bronze later tonight.
In the first match of the evening session, Kyle Dake (74 kg) lost his semifinal bout with Japan’s Daichi Takatani, 20-12. A bronze medalist in the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Dake will wrestle for another bronze Saturday. Takatani, who did not allow a point in his first two matches, will face Uzbekistan’s Razambek Jamalov for gold. Aaron Brooks beat Uzbekistan’s Javrail Shapiev, 5-0, for bronze at 86 kilograms. — Dave Birkett
SAINT-DENIS, France – The 4×100 relay Olympic medal drought continues for the U.S. men, who were disqualified after crossing the finish line in seventh place on Friday.
Canada finished first at 37.50, South Africa took second, running a 37.57 and Great Britain crossed the line at 37.61 to take Bronze.
Marred by botched handoffs at previous Olympics, Team USA allowed the issue to rear its ugly head again in Paris.
The team — Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley — bungled the handoff between Coleman and Bednarek. The exchange was late and Bednarek had to nearly stop completely to accept the baton. By the time he received it, the U.S. team was out of position.
The team was later disqualified for running out of the zone because Coleman passed the baton outside of the handoff zone.
Regardless of the runners making up the U.S. men’s team, it has notoriously struggled with baton exchanges at the Olympics. They haven’t medaled in the 4×100 relay since taking silver at the 2004 Athens Games. The team’s last gold medal was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. — Tyler Dragon
France storms back to force extra time vs. Spain in men’s soccer final
The men’s soccer final is not over, and France is back in it.
France’s Jean-Philippe Mateta converted a penalty kick in stoppage time to tie Spain at 3 in the final minutes of regulation. The match will continue with extra time for the gold medal.
France’s Arnaud Kalimuendo was taken down by Spain’s Beñat Turrientes inside the penalty area during a late corner kick in the 89th minute, and the penalty kick was awarded to France after VAR.
Maghnes Akliouche also scored in the 79th minute for France, which erased a 3-1 deficit Spain held since the 28th minute. — Safid Deen
SAINT-DENIS, France – A gold medal is coming back to the U.S. in the women’s 4×100 relay.
The star-powered U.S. women’s relay team featuring Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson, as well as Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry, cruised to first place, running a season-best 41.78.
Great Britain took second with a time of 41.85 and Germany ran a season-best for third in 41.97.
Thomas ran a good third leg and Richardson brought the victory home running the anchor leg in rainy conditions.
The U.S. women were the far superior team on the track as they got through all their relay exchanges on the way to an Olympic gold medal. — Tyler Dragon
USA track and field announces 4×100 relay team
SAINT-DENIS, France – USA track and field announced the men’s relay team roughly 30 minutes before the 4×100 final.
The U.S. relay order will be Christian Coleman, Kenny Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley. The four men will try to get Team USA’s first Olympic medal in the 4×100 relay since the 2004 Athens Games.
Poor baton passes have plagued the team at recent Olympics. — Tyler Dragon
PARIS — The U.S. women’s basketball team will play for an unprecedented eighth gold medal.
After crushing Australia 85-64 in a game that felt like a blowout from the jump, Team USA will meet either host country France or Belgium in the gold medal game Sunday.
The Americans were led again by Breanna Stewart, who finished with 16 points, while Jackie Young scored 13 in her second start, and A’ja Wilson had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. Kahleah Copper, who hasn’t got off the bench much, scored 11 points in a reserve role. — Lindsay Schnell
The field for the gold-medal bracket in women’s breaking is officially set. China and Japan will each have two B-Girls in the eight-woman final later today, while France, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Ukraine will have one apiece.
B-Girl Ami of Japan and B-Girl India of the Netherlands was the only breakers to win all six of their rounds in the round-robin stage, while B-Girl Nicka of Lithuania won five of her six.
Team USA will miss out on the podium in breaking after both of its B-Girls, Sunny and Logistx, failed to advance past the round-robin stage. — Chris Bumbaca, Tom Schad
Spain storms out to big lead vs. host France
Spain responded to France’s early lead with three goals of their own in a span of 10 minutes to take a 3-1 lead in the men’s gold medal game.
Fermín López scored twice (18’ and 25’), and a free kick by Álex Baena (28’) helped Spain respond emphatically after France’s Enzo Millot gave the home side a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. — Safid Deen
PARIS – The United States men’s volleyball team beat Italy on Friday at South Paris Arena to secure the bronze medal and polish off a solid showing at the Paris Olympic Games.
It’s the second bronze in the past three Olympics for the U.S. men’s team, which successfully rebounded three years after failing to advance out of the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics. Most of a veteran U.S. team was back from that previous Olympics, including coach John Speraw.
On Friday, the U.S. won two tight opening sets and ended up with a 25-23, 30-28, 26-24 victory. Each team had set points in the second before the Americans were able to pull it out. — Gentry Estes
Halftime: USA 45, Australia 27
Jackie Young continues her scoring tear, totaling 10 points the first half as the Americans head into halftime with an 18-point lead in the women’s semifinal match. Breanna Stewart has a team-high 11 and A’ja Wilson has four points with four blocks. The U.S. has held Australia to 33% from the field while shooting 56% itself, including 44% from 3. The Americans have also grabbed seven steals already, and turned the ball over just five times in 20 minutes (sloppy play had been an issue through the U.S.’s first four games). — Lindsay Schnell
Rose Zhang ends third round with a bang
Rose Zhang closed out a strong “Moving Day” performance on Friday in grand fashion.
Following a tough double bogey on Hole 15 at Le Golf National that took herself out of a tie for first place, the U.S. golfer ended Round 3 with an eagle on the challenging Par 5 18th hole that put her at 7-under overall and tied for third on the leaderboard heading into Saturday’s final round.
At 7-under par, Zhang leads all Team USA members in the tournament, including reigning gold medalist and No. 1 golfer in the world Nelly Korda, who is three strokes back from Zhang at 4-under par and tied for seventh. — John Leuzzi
Will France win the gold medal in men’s soccer as the 2024 Paris Olympics hosts?
Or will Spain bring home the gold after failing to do so in the last Olympic final?
France and Spain will compete in the Olympic men’s soccer final on Friday, kicking off at noon ET, at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Both countries hope to win their second gold medal in the sport. Follow along.
PARIS — Breaking — more commonly called breakdancing — is making its Olympic debut here at the 2024 Paris Games. The competition opens with the B-Girls, and medals will be decided by the end of the day today.
The competition starts with a round-robin tournament, four groups of four breakers, with each one going two rounds against the other three in their group. From there, the top two B-Girls in each group — as determined by who won the most rounds — will advance to the quarterfinals. The quarters, semis and finals will all be three rounds in a traditional bracket style.
USA TODAY Sports is bringing you everything you need to know, live updates and highlights as the competition unfolds. Follow along.
PARIS — The U.S. women’s basketball team is playing Australia in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart are leading the Americans as they chase their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, which would also be Diana Taurasi’s sixth gold, most ever for a basketball player.
USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, highlights and analysis throughout the game. Follow along.
USA loses to Serbia in men’s water polo, will play for bronze
NANTERRE, France — Team USA men’s water polo got on the board first, but Serbia quickly took the lead and never looked back, winning the semifinal match, 10-6, at Paris La Défense Arena.
Nikola Dedovic had a match-high of four goals on five shots for Serbia, the two-time defending Olympic gold medalists, while Marko Vavic led Team USA with two goals on three shots. American goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg saved 60 percent of the shots against him.
“Overall, all the numbers − if you look right now and what’s happened during the games − are going on our side, but to win the game on this level, you need to score,” Team USA coach Dejan Udovičić said.
Team USA’s biggest downfall was not being able to capitalize off more exclusions than Serbia. When they were up a man, the Americans went 5-for-14 while the Serbians were 7-for-8 with a man advantage.
“That was definitely the deciding factor for sure,” Team USA captain Ben Hallock said. “That’s the difference right there if you score three or four more.”
Team USA will take on the loser in the Hungary-Croatia semifinal (Friday, 1:35 p.m. ET) on Sunday at 4:35 a.m. ET for bronze, playing for their first Olympic medal since 2008. Serbia will play the winner of the other semifinal for gold Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. — Michelle Martinelli
USA’s Logan Edra wins first battle
Nikki Hiltz – who identifies as transgender/non-binary and uses “they/them” pronouns – will be the first trans/non-binary person to participate in a track and field final at the Olympics on Saturday during the women’s 1,500-meter run.
“I know I’m the first, but I’m definitely not the last,” Hiltz said. “So I hope I can make it a little bit easier for the next non-binary person to come after me.”
On Thursday, during the second semifinal of the 1,500. Hiltz finished third in their heat with a time of 3:56.17.
“I feel like I have a superpower being queer out there. I really do,” Hiltz said. “I feel like no matter what, before the gun goes off, that I am loved and supported. That just allows me to run free.”
Hiltz publicly came out on March 31, 2021, Transgender Visibility Day, via an emotional Instagram post.
In accordance with Olympic guidelines, Hiltz does not receive any gender-affirming care, such as testosterone injections. — Chris Bumbaca
Katie Ledecky attends women’s golf competition
American swimming star Katie Ledecky attended Friday’s third round of the Olympic women’s golf competition at Le Golf National, supporting an old college friend and meeting the three USA players in the field.
Ledecky attended Stanford with golfer Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland.
“I’ve known Albane since 2016,” Ledecky said via the Olympic Information Service. “She is the main reason I came out, but I also met (USA golfer) Nelly Korda on the way in today, and I know she came to the swimming last week and cheered me on.”
Four-time Olympian Ledecky won two gold medals and a silver and bronze in the Paris Games. Along with rower Nick Mead, will serve as Team USA’s flag bearer in Sunday’s closing ceremony.
She said she has attended U.S. men’s and women’s basketball games this week. In addition to Korda, Ledecky also met USA’s Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang at the golf course.
“This is my first Olympics where I’ve got to go to other sports,” Ledecky said. “It’s been a whirlwind few days, but since I am done competing, I don’t mind the lack of sleep and the walking and traveling to all the events.” — Gentry Estes
Wrestler Kyle Dake advances to semis at 74kg
Kyle Dake will have a chance to add another medal to his collection.
Dake, a bronze medalist in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, advanced to the semifinal round at 74 kilograms in morning wrestling action Friday at Champ-de-Mars Arena.
Dake outpointed Venezuela’s Anthony Jose Montero Chirinos and Iran’s Yones Emamichoghaei a combined 21-1 in his two matches.
He faces Japan’s Daichi Takatani, who won his matches a combined 20-0, in the semifinals Friday evening.
Two other Americans lost in morning action Friday. Kayla Miracle beat Turkey’s Nesrin Bas in her first match before falling to Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyz in the quarterfinals at 62 kilograms, and Mason Parris lost to Mongolia’s Lkhagvagerel Munkhtur in the quarterfinals at 128 kilograms. — Dave Birkett
SAINT-DENIS, France — High school phenom Quincy Wilson wasn’t at his best in his highly-anticipated Olympics debut.
Wilson was sluggish as he raced around the track on the first leg as the U.S. men’s 4×400 relay team finish third in the first round of the relay. The 16-year-old runner, and youngest U.S. male track and field Olympian ever, ran a 47.30 split to start the race.
“I know I wasn’t 100% myself, but my team came out here and did it for me,” Wilson said after the relay. “They got me around the track today. My grit and determination got me around the track. I knew I had a great three legs behind me and I know it wasn’t just myself today. If it was just myself, we would be in last place. But these guys came out there and gave it their all. From first, all the way to fourth leg, they ran their hearts out.” — Tyler Dragon
Egyptian Olympic wrestler arrested for alleged sexual assault
PARIS – French police arrested an Egyptian Olympic wrestler on suspicion of sexual assault in the early hours of Friday outside a cafe he had visited in the French capital, the Paris prosecutors office said.
The wrestler, who was not named, was arrested for allegedly touching the buttocks of another customer at the cafe, prosecutors said in a statement, adding that an investigation had been opened.
A senior official from the Egyptian Olympic delegation said he was unaware of the arrest and unable to comment. — Reuters
Toby Roberts wins men’s boulder-and-lead combined
Great Britain’s Toby Roberts won gold in the men’s boulder-and-lead combined Friday, while Japan’s Sorato Anraku took silver and Austria’s Jakob Schubert took bronze. American Colin Duffy, in second place after a strong showing in boulder, just missed out on medaling with a fourth-place finish in the final standings. — Josh Peter
The part where Tara Davis-Woodhall’s husband is crying 😭
NBC cameras captured Hunter Woodhall’s reaction as his wife Tara Davis-Woodhall won gold at Thursday in the long jump by leaping 7.1 meters (or more than 23 feet).
It was an emotional moment for both of them. She has said she battled depression and body image issues. She’s gone, in her words, “through hell and back.”
All three US women advance to final in 100 hurdles
SAINT-DENIS, France — Grace Stark, Alaysha Johnson and Masai Russell all advanced to the final in the women’s 100 hurdles.
Stark won her first-round heat with a time of 12.39, Johnson clocked a 12.34 to win her second-round race and Russell ran a 12.42 to finished second in the third heat.
The top two in each heat, plus the next two fastest times advanced to Saturday’s final. Johnson has the top time going into the gold-medal race. — Tyler Dragon
US 4×400 team advances; Quincy Wilson sluggish in Olympics debut
SAINT-DENIS, France — The U.S. men’s 4×400 relay team needed a blistering 44.05 from Christopher Bailey to finish third in the first round of the relay.
High school phenom Quincy Wilson had a tough debut. The 16-year-old runner, and youngest U.S. male track and field Olympian ever, ran a 47.30 split to start the race. The U.S. team was in seventh place when Wilson handed the baton off to Vernon Norwood. Norwood ran a 43.60 split to get the team in sixth place. Norwood then handed the baton off to Bryce Deadmon who posted a 44.20 running the third led as he got the U.S. team in fourth. When Bailey got the baton he needed to place at least third to qualify for the final. He was in fourth during the final 100 meters, but his final surge propelled Team USA to the third and final qualifying spot at 2:59.15.
Botswana won the heat, clocking a season-best 2:57.76 and Great Britain finished second with a time of 2:58.88. — Tyler Dragon
U.S. women’s 4×400-relay team easily advances to final
SAINT-DENIS, France — The U.S. women’s 4×400 relay team advanced to Saturday’s final.
The team consisting of Quanera Hayes, Shamier Little, Aaliyah Butler and Kaylyn Brown had a comfortable win in the opening round.
Little extended the U.S. lead by 15 meters during the second leg, while Butler and Brown maintained the advantage.
The women’s squad crossed the line in 3:21.44 for the round one victory.
Team USA has won gold in the past seven Olympics in the women’s 4×400 relay.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is expected to run in the final. After she won gold in the women’s 200m earlier this week, Gabby Thomas said she also hopes to run in both the 4x400m and 4x100m relay. — Tyler Dragon
Botswana declares half-day holiday to mark first Olympic gold
The president of Botswana declared Friday afternoon a public holiday to celebrate Letsile Tebogo taking the country’s first Olympic gold medal by winning the 200m in Paris on Thursday.
Tebogo triumphed over U.S. sprinters Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles to claim Africa’s first 200m title and become the fifth-fastest man in history over the distance.
The 21-year-old ran in spikes bearing his mother’s date of birth, saying he carried her with him, in a tribute after she passed away in May. — Reuters
South Korea’s Kim Ye-ji, silver medalist in pistol shooting, collapses during press conference
South Korean Olympic silver medalist pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, whose cool demeanor and appearance when competing at the Paris Games made her a social media sensation, collapsed at a news conference on Friday, apparently due to stress and exhaustion.
Kim was speaking at the event in Imsil, the county that she represented for seven years in the southern part of South Korea, when she collapsed, a county official said by telephone. Kim regained consciousness and was taken to hospital, he said.
The 31-year-old did not receive CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) as some media reported, the official said.
Kim would stay in hospital for observation until she had recovered fully, he said, adding she was likely suffering exhaustion after participating in the Paris 2024 Olympics. — Reuters
Olympics schedule today
Here are some Olympic schedule highlights for Friday. Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds in Paris.
(All times Eastern)
- Track and field prelims and semifinal rounds start at 4:05 a.m. The evening session is nothing but finals, eight medal events in all. It opens with the women’s 4x100m relay at 1:30 p.m. NBC is airing the evening session. USA Network is airing the morning session.
- The men’s soccer gold medal match is between France and Spain at noon (USA Network).
- Women’s soccer features the bronze medal match between Spain and Germany at 9 a.m. (USA Network).
- Women’s basketball holds two semifinal games today, the U.S. against Australia at 11:30 a.m. (NBC) and Belgium vs. France at 3 p.m. USA Network is airing both games.
- Breaking makes its Olympic debut with qualifying (10 a.m., quarterfinals (2 p.m.), semifinals (2:45 p.m.) and finals (3:15 p.m.) for the B-girls. E! is airing all the rounds.
- Women’s beach volleyball holds the bronze (Australia vs. Switzerland) and gold medal (Brazil vs. Canada) matches at 3 p.m. (USA Network) and 4:30 p.m. (NBC), respectively.
- Men’s water polo gets into the semifinal round today, the first between the U.S. and Serbia at 8:35 a.m. (USA Network) and the second between Croatia and Hungary at 1:35 p.m. (USA Network).
- Men’s volleyball holds the bronze medal match between the U.S. and Italy at 10 a.m. (NBC).
- Women’s field hockey has the bronze medal match today between Argentina and Belgium at 8 a.m.
- Other sports in action: Marathon swimming, Taekwondo, golf, diving, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis, sport climbing, canoe sprint, wrestling, modern pentathlon, track cycling, table tennis, weightlifting, handball and artistic swimming.
How to watch Olympics today
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.
Medal count today
Our 2024 Paris Olympics medal count tracker updates after every single medal event.
Which U.S. teams are playing at the Olympics today?
(All times Eastern)
- The U.S. women’s golf team opens play with Round 3, which starts at 3 a.m. Tee times for U.S. golfers: Lilia Vu, 5:44 a.m., Nelly Korda, 5:55 a.m., Rose Zhang, 6:06 a.m.. Golf Channel is airing.
- The U.S. men’s water polo team plays Serbia in the semifinals at 8:35 a.m. USA Network is airing.
- The U.S. men’s volleyball team plays Italy in the bronze medal match at 10 a.m. NBA is airing.
- The U.S. women’s basketball team plays Australia in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. USA Network is airing.
What Olympic medals can be won today?
(All times Eastern)
- Track & field: women’s 4x100m relay (1:30 p.m.) women’s shot put (1:40 p.m.), men’s 4×100 relay (1:45 p.m.) women’s 400m (2 p.m.), men’s triple jump (2:10 p.m.), women’s heptathlon 800m (2:15 p.m.), women’s 10,000m (2:55 p.m.), men’s 400m hurdles (3:45 p.m.) NBC is airing the finals.
- Men’s soccer: Gold match (noon, USA Network)
- Women’s soccer: Bronze match (9 a.m., USA Network)
- Breaking: women’s bronze (3:14 p.m. E!), women’s gold (3:23 p.m., E!)
- Beach volleyball: Women’s bronze (3 p.m., USA Network), women’s gold (4:30 p.m., NBC)
- Boxing: Four medal matches (3:30 p.m. start)
- Table tennis: men’s team bronze (4 a.m.), men’s team gold (9 a.m.)
- Diving: women’s 3m springboard (9 a.m., NBC)
- Sport climbing: men’s boulder & lead (6:28 a.m., E!)
- Rhythmic gymnastics: individual all-around (8:30 a.m.)
- Marathon swimming: men’s 10km (1:30 a.m., USA Network)
- Field hockey: women’s bronze (8 a.m.), women’s gold (2 p.m.)
- Wrestling: Six medal matches (1:30 p.m. start)
- Taekwondo: Six medal matches (2:19 p.m. start time)
- Weightlifting: men’s 89kg (9 a.m.), women’s 71kg (1:30 p.m.)
- Volleyball: men’s bronze (10 a.m.)
- Cycling track: women’s madison (12:09 p.m.), men’s sprint (1:38 p.m.). E! is airing.
- Canoe sprint: women’s canoe double 500m final A (6:50 a.m.), women’s kayak double 500m final A (7:10 a.m.), men’s kayak double 500m final A (7:30 a.m.), men’s canoe single 1,000m final A (7:50 a.m.) All finals on E!
Olympic track and field schedule today
(All times Eastern)
- Women’s heptathlon events: long jump (4:05 a.m.), javelin throw group a (5:20 a.m.), javelin throw group b (6:30 a.m.), 800m (2:15 p.m.)
- Round 1s: women’s 4x400m relay (4:40 a.m.), men’s 4×400 relay (5:05 a.m.)
- Semifinals: men’s 800m (5:30 a.m.), women’s 100m hurdles
- Finals: women’s 4x100m relay (1:30 p.m.), women’s shot put (1:40 p.m.), men’s 4x100m relay (1:45 p.m.), women’s 400m final (2 p.m.), men’s triple jump (2:10 p.m.), women’s 10,000m (2:55 p.m.), men’s 400m hurdles (3:45 pm.)
Olympic track and field today: What to watch
Chase Jackson (nee Ealey) is ranked No. 1 in the world in women’s shot put and a favorite to win her first Olympic medal. She is the first American woman in history to win gold in the event at the world championships. Jackson, from Springfield, Missouri, told Olympics.com she considered retiring after failing to make the Olympic team for Tokyo.
On the track, both the men’s and women’s 4×100 relay finals will be contested.
SAINT-DENIS, France — Quincy Wilson is set to make his Paris Olympics debut.
Wilson received word that he will take part in Team USA’s 4×400 relay team, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the relay team.
The men’s 4×400 relay begins Friday at 5:05 a.m. ET (11:05 local time).
Team USA will be in the first-round heat of the 4×400 relay. Wilson is expected to run in the opening round. Wilson will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event. — Tyler Dragon
The end of Noah Lyles’ 2024 Paris Olympics campaign means there’s an open spot in one track and field event for Team USA.
After taking the bronze medal in the men’s 200-meter final, Lyles received medical attention and collapsed into a wheelchair. The runner has a history of asthma, but it was revealed after the race that he tested positive for COVID-19 and ran the 200m sick. In an Instagram post following the race, Lyles said he believes “this will be the end of my 2024 Olympics.”
With Lyles done competing in Paris, there are some questions as to what will happen for Team USA in a race he was expected to compete in: the 4×100-meter relay. — Jordan Mendoza
Olympic beach volleyball today: What to watch
Medals for the women are up for grabs at one of the iconic venues of the Paris Games. Beach volleyball will be held at Eiffel Tower Stadium, a temporary structure built at the Champ de Mers. The women’s gold medal match will be held Friday and the men’s medals decided the following day.
Olympic breaking today: What to watch
The women take the stage for breaking’s debut at the Olympics. Sixteen B-girls will face off, going head-to-head. Grace “Sunny” Choi was the first American woman to earn her spot in the Olympics.
PARIS — Sport as an expression of art seems like an abstract concept. But take a well-designed goal in soccer or hockey, for example – the angles involved, the creativity required. Suddenly, the two opposites are bridged.
After all, sport, like art, is entertainment. And the newest Olympic sport, breaking, is an ideal example of how two forms of expression, dancing and athletics, are not as dichotomous as people may think.
USA TODAY Sports asked the U.S. Olympic breakers, along with those who have been involved around breaking for decades, whether they saw themselves more as athletes or artists. The easy answer is “both.” The truth lies somewhere along that bridge. — Chris Bumbaca
PARIS — The U.S. women’s soccer team is in the Olympic final for the first time since 2012, and have a chance to win their first major international tournament since the 2019 World Cup, in large part because of Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson.
A team that couldn’t buy a goal at the 2023 World Cup leads the Olympic tournament with 11, with Rodman, Smith and Swanson each scoring three.
Brazil, which the USWNT faces in Saturday’s final, has only one player with multiple goals, Gabi Portilho, who has scored twice over five games. — Nancy Armour
Olympic wrestling today: What to watch
Kyle Dake qualified for the Olympics after an emotional Trials. Dake learned his father, Doug, had died just a few days before Trials were held in State College, Pennsylvania. Dake, the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist who wrestled collegiately at Cornell, competes at 74 kilograms.
Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary wins men’s marathon swimming gold
Hungary’s Kristof Rasovszky won the men’s 10km marathon swimming gold at the Olympics on Friday, holding off German silver medallist Oliver Klemet in a gruelling slog along the final length of the Seine River.
There was more medal joy for Hungary, with David Betlehem claiming bronze for the nation.
Four swimmers failed to finish the race, while Sweden’s Victor Johansson elected not to start citing health concerns about the water quality.
Rasovszky, however, was not to be denied, three years after being beaten for the gold at Tokyo by another German in Florian Wellbrock. The 27-year-old crossed the finish in one hour, 50 minutes and 52.7 seconds, 2.1 seconds ahead of Klemet.
The event went ahead as scheduled with water quality deemed compliant from testing. — Reuters
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