US tops South Sudan 103-86 at Paris Olympics, earns spot in men’s basketball quarterfinals
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — The U.S. men’s basketball team had an easier time with South Sudan in the rematch than it did when the teams first met a couple of weeks ago. Easier. Not easy. The U.S. clinched a trip to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics by beating South Sudan 103-86 on Wednesday night — a game that wasn’t ever really in doubt but was no romp either. Bam Adebayo scored 18 points and Kevin Durant scored 14 for the Americans, who took control with a 25-4 run in the first half.
Léon Marchand pulls off one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history at the Paris Olympics
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Turns out, those comparisons to Michael Phelps weren’t farfetched at all when it comes to Léon Marchand. They certainly weren’t a burden for the 22-year-old Frenchman. Marchand has completed one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history, winning the 200-meter butterfly and the 200 breaststroke about two hours apart at the Paris Games. Two grueling races. Two very different strokes. Two Olympic records. Two gold medals. Take that, Phelps. Thrilling the home fans and claiming the spotlight even on a night when Katie Ledecky romped to another gold medal, Marchand claimed his second and third victories at La Defense Arena and stamped himself as one of the faces of these Games.
What’s next for Katie Ledecky? Another race and a relay as she goes for more records
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Katie Ledecky has tied one of swimming’s most impressive records. Chances are, she’ll have it all to herself by the time she finishes the Paris Olympics. The 27-year-old Ledecky bumped her career total to 12 medals with a dominating victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle. She equaled three fellow Americans for the most ever by a female swimmer. Here’s what’s next for Ledecky: She is expected to compete in the final of the 4×200 freestyle relay on Thursday. The U.S. took silver in that event at the Tokyo Games. She also has the 800 freestyle, where she’ll be going for her fourth straight gold medal.
The careers of Olympians like Simone Biles mirror the rise of adult gymnastics. ‘I’m never leaving.’
Interest in adult gymnastics across the United States is rising in lockstep with the careers of Olympians like Simone Biles. There are now hundreds of meets a year that offer opportunities for adults to compete. Many of the adults are former gymnasts who stepped away from the sport because they felt opportunities had dried up. Those opportunities are returning, allowing the athletes to reconnect with the sport on their terms. The 27-year-old Biles is a touchstone for the movement. She will have the chance to become the oldest Olympic all-around champion in 72 years when she competes in the all-around finals at the Paris Games.
Canada women’s soccer team reaches Olympics QF despite points deduction from drone-spying scandal
Vanessa Gilles scored in the 62nd minute to give Canada a 1-0 victory over Colombia and send the team into the quarterfinals despite losing six points in the tournament because of a drone spying scandal. Canada will face Germany in a quarterfinals Saturday in Marseille. Earlier in the day, the defending Olympic champions lost their bid to overturn the FIFA-ordered points deduction for filming an opponent’s practice in France. The United States remained undefeated at the Olympics with a 2-1 victory over Australia and will play Japan on Saturday at Parc des Princes in Paris.
Coco Gauff loses twice in a day in doubles and her Paris Olympics are finished
PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff has lost in women’s doubles at the Paris Olympics a day after her tearful exit in singles. Gauff and her U.S. teammate, Jessica Pegula, were the top-seeded women’s pair but were eliminated in the second round by the Czech duo of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 in a match tiebreaker on Wednesday. Gauff was defeated Tuesday by Donna Vekic of Croatia in straight sets in the third round of singles, where the American was seeded second. Gauff got into an argument with the chair umpire close to the finish of that match over an officiating decision.
Iga Swiatek gets hit by a ball at Olympic tennis and is called insincere by Danielle Collins
PARIS (AP) — Iga Swiatek dropped to her knees on the court and clutched at her midsection after getting hit by a ball during a point in the Paris Olympics singles quarterfinals. But it was her opponent, Danielle Collins of the United States, who stopped playing later in the third set Wednesday. Swiatek was leading 6-2, 1-6, 4-1 when Collins retired from the match after taking a medical timeout, then getting another visit from a trainer, because of a stomach muscle injury. When they spoke afterward, Collins gave Swiatek an earful, telling her “she didn’t have to be insincere about my injury,” according to Collins.