US men’s basketball team rolls past Serbia 110-84 in opening game at the Paris Olympics
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — 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 that 17 minutes, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the U.S. rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia in the Olympic opener for both teams on Sunday. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 20 points for Serbia.
Biles and Team USA mix glamour and grit to surge to the lead at Olympic gymnastics qualifying
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team showed some grit while surging to the lead at Olympic qualifying. The Americans posted a team score of 172.296, more than five points clear of second-place Italy. Biles overcame a left calf injury to lead the all-around while also recording the top scores on floor exercise and vault. Biles will be joined in the all-around finals by 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, who finished a strong second among early qualifiers.
Rafael Nadal wins in Olympic singles and will play rival Novak Djokovic on Monday
PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal made a last-minute decision to play singles at the Paris Olympics and won his first-round match against Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Sunday’s victory by Nadal sets up a blockbuster showdown against rival Novak Djokovic on Monday. Nadal was greeted by a standing ovation from spectators, many of whom used cameras on their phones to capture the moment when he strode into Court Philippe Chatrier. That’s the same stadium where he has captured his record 14 French Open titles. There is a statue of Nadal outside, and fans gathered around it Sunday morning, when it was still unclear whether the 38-year-old Spaniard would be competing in the afternoon.
Simone Biles shakes off a calf injury to dominate during Olympic gymnastics qualifying
PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles posted an all-around total of 59.566 during Olympic qualifying inside a packed and star-studded Bercy Arena in Paris despite complaining of a left calf injury that had her limping. Biles appeared to tweak the leg while warming up on floor exercise during the second rotation. She had the ankle taped and then returned to put on the kind of show-stopping performance that has long been her signature.
US beach stars Kloth, Nuss didn’t need the Golden State. They’re going for gold at Olympics anyway
PARIS (AP) — Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth are the first American beach volleyball pair to go for Olympic gold without any connection to the Golden State. California has been producing beach volleyball stars since the two-person version of the game was invented there 100 years ago. But the former LSU teammates resisted the pull to the sport’s California hotbed and trained in New Orleans. They say they had all the support they needed in Nuss’ hometown. As the second-ranked team in the world, Kloth and Nuss are medal favorites.
American swimmer Torri Huske edges teammate Gretchen Walsh by just .04 seconds in 100 butterfly
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Torri Huske thought she might have finally won her first Olympic gold but couldn’t yet be sure. Her American teammate and reigning world-record holder Gretchen Walsh swam to her right and they were millimeters apart over the fantastic finish in the 100-meter butterfly. Huske caught Walsh this time, something she couldn’t do at the Olympic trials last month. Husked finished just .04 seconds ahead of Walsh in a captivating 1-2 U.S. finish ahead of Chinese bronze medalist Zhang Yufei.
US water polo star Maggie Steffens is playing with a heavy heart after death of her sister-in-law
SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — U.S. water polo captain Maggie Steffens is playing with a heavy heart at the Paris Olympics after her sister-in-law died a couple days before the Games began. Twenty-six-year-old Lulu Conner died Tuesday after traveling to Paris to cheer on Steffens as she goes for a fourth consecutive gold medal with the U.S. team. The family is still piecing together what happened, but Steffens described the situation as “a medical emergency.” The 31-year-old Steffens married Bobby Conner in Puerto Rico in November. Lulu was an artist — she made her own version of Flavor Flav’s USA Water Polo clock for the Olympics — a UC Davis grad and one of three siblings.
Paris officials are confident water quality will improve to let Olympians swim in the Seine
PARIS (AP) — The swimming portion of a practice run for the Olympic triathlon has been canceled because of concerns about water quality in the Seine River. But officials said Sunday that they’re confident triathletes will be able to swim in the famed waterway during the actual events this coming week. The men’s triathlon is scheduled for Tuesday, while the women are set to compete Wednesday. The triathletes were supposed to have a chance to familiarize themselves with the course Sunday, but organizers said they nixed the swimming leg after representatives of World Triathlon, local authorities and others met to discuss water quality tests.