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A'ja Wilson, Team USA dominate Japan, U.S. earns 3,000th medal Monday at the Paris Games

ndowd
Jul 29, 2024, 05:53 PM ET

The first Monday of the 2024 Paris Olympics saw plenty of medals awarded and familiar names competing.

Roland Garros featured some of the biggest names in tennis, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic meeting for the 60th time — a record for head-to-head matches between two men in the sport’s Open era, which began in 1968. Additionally, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula all competed in the second round of singles Monday.

Meanwhile, swimmers ranging from Australia’s Ariarne Titmus to Team USA’s Ryan Murphy continued to make a splash as five medal events took place at La Defense Arena.

Led by two-time WNBA MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, the U.S. women’s basketball team opened its pursuit of a record eighth straight gold medal against Japan. The U.S. women extended their 55-game Olympic winning streak and haven’t lost since 1992.

Here were some of the top moments from Monday’s action:

Team USA cruises to victory over Japan

The U.S. women’s basketball team dominated in its opening game against Japan, winning 102-76. The 102 points is the most scored by the U.S. in an Olympic game since the 2016 quarterfinals, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

A’ja Wilson dominated with 24 points and 13 rebounds and Breanna Stewart added 22 points and 8 rebounds, marking the fourth time U.S. women’s basketball teammates have scored 20 points each in the same Olympic game.

The U.S. also had three players with 11 points apiece — Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. Chelsea Gray added a game-high 13 assists alongside two points.

Team USA will next face Belgium on Thursday in a Group C matchup.

Read more: Stewart, Wilson overwhelm Japan in U.S. opener

Women’s rugby reaches semifinal for first time

Down 7-0, the U.S. women’s rugby team staged a comeback to defeat Great Britain 17-7 in the quarterfinals. It’s the first time that the U.S. reached the semifinal since rugby became an Olympic sport in 2016.

The Americans will face New Zealand next for a spot in the final.

Murphy etches himself into 100m backstroke history

NANTERRE, France — American Ryan Murphy became just the second man in history to win three career medals in the 100m backstroke on Monday with a bronze-medal performance at La Defense Arena.

The 29-year-old earned the gold in the event in 2016 and bronze in 2020. Roland Matthes of East Germany had previously been the only man to achieve the feat, having done so in 1968, 1972 and 1976. With the medal, Murphy tied the record for most by a man in Olympic backstroke events — set by American Aaron Peirsol in 2008 — and he will have a chance to break it in the 200m backstroke later this week.

Italy’s Thomas Ceccon won the gold with a 52.00 result, and China’s Xu Jiayu took home the silver.

Moments later, Tatjana (Schoenmaker) Smith became the second South African woman in history, and first since 1996, to win the 100m breaststroke, with a final time of 1:05.28. Smith won the silver medal in Tokyo.

China’s Tang Qianting and Ireland’s Mona McSharry rounded out the podium. It was the first swimming medal for Ireland in the 2024 Games — and just the fifth all-time — and the small but vocal group of Irish fans in the stands made their excitement known. McSharry jumped up and down after the medal ceremony as her teammates cheered her on.

American Lilly King, the 2016 gold medalist in the event, finished tied for fourth with Italy’s Benedetta Pilato.

The night included a surprise in the women’s 200m freestyle as Mollie O’Callaghan upset her Australian teammate and world-record holder Ariarne Titmus for gold. Titmus was the reigning gold medalist in the event — and had been looking to become the first woman in history to repeat the feat.

But it was O’Callaghan who first touched the wall at 1:53.27, an Olympic record, to win the first individual medal of her career. Titmus earned silver and Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong notched her fourth-ever medal with the bronze. — D’Arcy Maine

USA sets record for most medals won

With the U.S. men’s gymnastics team winning bronze in the all-around event, Team USA now has 3,000 career medals earned in the summer and winter editions of the Olympics combined. That’s the most by any country in the Olympics.

Huston, Eaton earn medals in men’s street skateboarding

After finishing seventh in his Olympic debut in the same event in Tokyo, Nyjah Huston bounced back with a bronze medal in Paris.

Huston had a score of 279.38, behind American Jagger Eaton for Silver and Japan’s Yuto Horigome, who won his second consecutive gold medal in the event. Hurigome finished just 0.1 points ahead of Eaton, who won bronze in Tokyo.

Eaton becomes the first skateboarder to be a two-time Olympic medalist for Team USA — skateboarding made its Olympic debut in Tokyo. Huston’s bronze adds to his 15 X Games gold medals.

Read more: Japan’s Horigome bests U.S. duo in skateboard

Summer McIntosh gets her first taste of Olympic gold

NANTERRE, France — Summer McIntosh has long been viewed as a swimming prodigy, but Monday, the 17-year old from Canada added a new title to her résumé: Olympic gold medalist.

Two days after earning her first Olympic medal of any color in the 400m freestyle, McIntosh won the 400m individual medley at La Defense Arena outside Paris in commanding fashion with a final time of 4:27.71 — more than five seconds ahead of silver medalist Katie Grimes. It had been a two-woman race between the pair by the second lap, but it was all McIntosh down the stretch.

McIntosh, who set the world record in the event in May, became just the third Canadian to win a gold medal — in any sport — under the age of 18. When she climbed out of the pool, she waved to the crowd — full of Canadian flags and a large “Summer time in Canada” sign — as she was introduced as the Olympic champion.

The United States claimed the other two spots on the podium, with 18-year-old Grimes claiming her first-ever medal in her second Olympic appearance and 22-year-old Emma Weyant, who earned silver in Tokyo, taking home the bronze. It’s the fourth time in the event’s history in which the country earned multiple medals.

The hardware collecting didn’t stop for the United States, as Luke Hobson earned bronze in the men’s 200m freestyle immediately after. David Popovici of Romania claimed gold, with Matthew Richards of Great Britain winning the silver. — D’Arcy Maine

U.S. men’s gymnastics team earns first medal since 2008

PARIS — They closed the gap.

Three years ago, at the Tokyo Olympics, the U.S. men walked into the Ariake Gymnastics Centre at a six-point deficit before the competition even began and ultimately finished fifth. Three years later, they are Olympic bronze medalists.

U.S. women’s gymnast Suni Lee reacted to the men’s team getting on the podium.

It’s the first Olympic team medal for U.S. men’s gymnastics since 2008. Defending Olympic champions Japan took gold with a score of 259.594 and China finished with 259.062 points for silver. The U.S. finished fewer than two points behind Japan with a score of 257.793.

The U.S. team was magnificent from its opening routines on rings to the final performances on pommel horse. And when they weren’t competing, the five members of Team USA became the loudest cheerleaders in the arena.

With each rotation, as it became clearer and clearer the U.S. was in the mix for a medal, the largely American crowd grew louder. With each stuck landing — and there were a lot of stuck landings — the crowd erupted in chants of “USA! USA!” that ricocheted around Bercy Arena.

Frederick Richard and Stephen Nedoroscik earned two of the highest scores of the night for the U.S. and helped secure the first U.S. team medal in 16 years. — Alyssa Roenigk

Frederick Richard’s parents are fired up

The U.S. men’s gymnastics squad is enjoying a strong final round at Bercy Arena, with the team currently in position to secure an Olympic medal for the first time since 2008. A major contributor to the team’s high-flying Monday performance has been Frederick Richard, who scored a 14.8433 on high bar — much to the delight of his biggest supporters in the building, his parents.

Snoop Dogg — and his music — present for Nyjah Huston’s routine

PARIS — One of the first things you notice when watching Olympic skateboarding in person is how much music is a part of the event.

As skaters go through their various runs and tricks, genres of all types blare through the speakers. Depending on your tastes or familiarity with certain songs, you shouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself singing or humming along.

When American Nyjah Huston came out for his second run of Monday’s finals, there was a song playing that one specific person present knew better than anyone.

Because that person was in the song.

It was “Still D.R.E.,” a 1999 hit single from Dr. Dre’s “2001” album. The featured artist on the song? None other than Snoop Dogg, the rapper who has been everywhere at the Olympics.

Just after Huston took first place with his run that received a 93.37 score, Snoop Dogg was shown on the videoboard at the venue, spectating in the stands.

A public address announcer later said Team USA basketball guard Devin Booker was also present. — Coley Harvey

Chase Budinger and Miles Evans start Olympic journey on a high note

After eight seasons in the NBA, Chase Budinger’s transition from the hardwood to the sand is going pretty smoothly. Team USA’s men’s beach volleyball duo of Miles Evans and Budinger earned their first win in Paris over France 2-0 (21-14, 21-11). — READ MORE on Budinger’s move from the NBA to beach volleyball.

Nyjah Huston doesn’t plan to play it safe in street skateboarding final

PARIS — American skateboarders Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston qualified first and second into Monday evening’s eight-man street skateboarding final at La Concorde. Both men return from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where Eaton became the first American skateboarder to earn an Olympic medal, taking bronze in street. Huston, one of the most famous and successful street skateboarders in the world, struggled in Tokyo, didn’t land a trick in the final and finished seventh.

The contest format changed for the Paris Games, with each skater given two attempts to put together a 45-second run (lowest score is dropped) and five tries to land a single trick, with two scores counting.

“I like this format more, but it does put even more pressure on you to land a run,” Huston said after prelims. “But it’s a good thing. That run is half the contest and it’s how you show your flow around the course and your style as a skateboarder. It’s a brutal format, though.”

Huston said that while he focused on tricks he’s been landing consistently in practice during the prelims, his strategy wasn’t to put down a “safe” run or land a couple lower-difficulty tricks to make the final and then start ramping up difficulty. He wanted to make the final doing what’s made him one of the best.

“I don’t like to play it safe in my runs,” Huston said. “I don’t like to play it safe ever. “

He plans to bring the same mentality into the final. — Alyssa Roenigk

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal embrace after potential final showdown

PARIS — In front of a capacity crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier and with Serbian and Spanish flags visible throughout, Novak Djokovic won his 60th — and perhaps final — meeting with Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4, in the second round of Olympic singles play Monday in Paris.

At the end of the match, which gave Djokovic a 31-29 series edge, the longtime rivals embraced at the net and appeared to exchange some friendly words. Nadal received an ovation from the crowd as he walked off the court.

The match — played in the sweltering heat of the afternoon sun — had been billed as one of the biggest of the Olympics, featuring two of the sport’s most legendary players. And both had a lot to play for.

Djokovic, 37, has 24 major titles to his name — tied for the most all time in tennis history — but Olympic gold has remained elusive and he has made no secret about it as a goal in recent years. His 2024 season has not gone to plan or lived up to his expectations thus far but, coming off knee surgery in June and a loss in the Wimbledon final earlier this month, he hoped Paris would help him turn things around.

Nadal, 38, is a 22-time major champion, including a record-breaking 14 at Roland Garros, and a gold medalist in singles and doubles but, after being sidelined with injuries for the better part of the last two years, has said this would likely be his final season on tour. He had skipped Wimbledon and the grass-court season to focus on clay and prepare for the Olympics on his preferred surface and at his favorite venue. Nadal acknowledged facing Djokovic would be a challenge after his first-round win on Sunday.

“[We’re in] different situations in our careers,” Nadal said. “He’s coming from being in the final of a Grand Slam, and I’m coming without being very competitive in the last two years. Let’s see, it’s in a special place. I’m just going to try to give my best and enjoy it as much as possible.”

However, despite their head-to-head history and classic rivalry — which began at Roland Garros in 2006 when they played against one another for the first time — an in-form Djokovic took control early and withstood Nadal’s resurgence in the second set. He will next play Dominik Koepfer or Matteo Arnaldi in the third round.

Nadal isn’t quite done at Roland Garros just yet. He and Carlos Alcaraz won their opening-round doubles match Saturday and next play Dutch duo Wesley Koolhof and Tallon Griekspoor on Tuesday.

Elsewhere on the grounds Monday, three-time major champion and 2016 Olympic silver medalist Angelique Kerber staved off retirement for at least one more match with a three-set win over Jaqueline Cristian to advance to the third round. The 36-year-old German had previously announced this would be her final tournament. Coco Gauff also advanced to the round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Maria Lourdes Carle. — D’Arcy Maine

End-to-end action in field hockey

The U.S. women’s field hockey squad scored just once in its 1-1 draw with Spain on Monday, but the team’s lone goal was a beauty. Ashley Hoffman first made a save on one end, getting her stick to the ground in time to stop a point-blank Spain shot heading toward the back of the net. Then, in a matter of seconds, Team USA charged the length of the field to set up a goal by Phia Gladieux.

Team USA’s draw gives the squad its first points of the tournament, with the U.S. currently sitting fourth in Pool B. The U.S. will have three more group stage matches as it searches for a quarterfinal berth.

Nigeria stuns Australia in Paris debut

Nigeria women’s basketball pulled off one of the first major upsets of the Games with a 75-62 win over Australia, notching their second Olympic victory and first since 2004 when they beat South Korea. Led by Ezinne Kalu’s 19 points, Nigeria went on an 11-0 run to go into intermission, giving them a 13-point lead, but the game came down to turnovers. Australia allowed 26 points from Nigeria after turning over the ball an equal amount of times.

Tom Daley makes history in British Olympic diving

PARIS — Tom Daley and Noah Williams delivered a silver medal in the men’s 10-meter synchronized diving with a score of 463.44 for Great Britain, falling just short of China’s Junjie Lian and Hao Yang for a gold medal. Daley secured his fifth Olympic medal and fourth successful Games appearance (including a gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics), making him the most decorated British diver in Olympic history. He did it all with his No. 1 fan — his son — in attendance.

“He’s six years old [Robbie] now and I think he might remember some of this, but he has been most excited about the fact that there’s a little bit of Eiffel Tower in the medal,” Daley said. “So he’s very excited to get to touch a little bit of the Eiffel Tower.” — Connor O’Halloran

USA men’s gymnastics returns to action

Team USA hasn’t won a team medal in men’s gymnastics since the 2008 Olympics, with this year’s squad looking to snap that drought in the men’s team final at 11:30 a.m. ET. Team USA finished fifth in the qualification round, but hope remains that the team can rally around the likes of Stephen Nedoroscik (who tied for the top score in individual pommel horse qualification) and Fred Richard (who led all Americans with a 10th-place finish in the individual all-around qualifier). — READ MORE on Fred Richard from Andscape.

World-record chase comes down to the wire

Katharine Berkoff powered her way to first place in her 100-meter backstroke preliminary heat, with perhaps the most thrilling element of the competition being her photo finish against the standing world record (as well as Olympic record) in the race. Berkoff, the only competitor in the preliminary races to turn in a time under 58 seconds, came within a second of breaking the world record.


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