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Highlights from Sunday's Olympic closing ceremony

ndowd
Aug 11, 2024, 06:26 PM ET

Welcome to the final day of the 2024 Olympics!

The curtain has closed on the Paris Games, but not before the U.S. women’s basketball team capped off an unforgettable journey with a victory in its highly anticipated gold medal match.

And that’s not the only hardware the U.S. ended with today. The U.S. men’s water polo squad got the day started with a win in its bronze medal match against Hungary, and Team USA took home the silver medal in women’s volleyball after falling to Italy.

The U.S. Olympic run concluded with Team USA becoming the first team in any sport to win eight consecutive Olympic gold medals with a win over France in the women’s basketball gold medal game.

At the end of it all, the closing ceremony brought the world’s top athletes together to celebrate the competition, unity and perseverance that have shaped these Games.

Here are the highlights from Sunday at the Olympics.

5:15 p.m. ET — Au revoir, Paris; Hello, Hollywood

The Summer Games bid farewell to France as America prepares to enter the Olympic spotlight in 2028.

4:45 p.m. ET — Tom Cruise assists in L.A. ’28 handover

Tom Cruise began the shift from the 2024 Paris Games to the 2028 Los Angeles Games by leaping off the Stade de France in the closing ceremony Sunday. READ MORE

4:38 p.m. ET — Closing ceremony produces stunning visuals

3:13 p.m. ET — Katie Ledecky and Nick Mead lead Team USA in closing ceremony

3:12 p.m. ET — What to know about Jordan Chiles having to return her bronze medal

Two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles earned the first individual Olympic medal of her career six days ago, a bronze in the floor final. On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee said Chiles must return that medal, which will be reallocated to Romania’s Ana Barbosu. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee plans to appeal the decision. READ MORE

11:27 a.m. ET: U.S. women’s basketball makes history

Team USA is the women’s basketball champion for the eighth consecutive Games, but the title didn’t come without a sizable scare.

The U.S. and France traded blows all afternoon Sunday, with the Americans eventually pulling ahead down the final stretch and winning 67-66. France nearly forced a miraculous overtime, going the length of the court in a matter of seconds after Kahleah Copper’s free throws put Team USA up by three, but Gabby Williams’ foot was inside the 3-point arc on what could have been a game-tying shot.

The one-point win is the closest victory by U.S. women’s basketball during its 61-game Olympic win streak. This was one of just three games in the streak decided by a single-digit margin, according to ESPN Stats & Information. A’ja Wilson led the way for Team USA, posting 21 points and 13 rebounds — her fourth double-double of the Paris Games.

10:12 a.m. ET: Upset watch in women’s basketball

The U.S. women’s basketball squad and its 60-game Olympic win streak enter halftime against France … tied?

The French haven’t backed down as they look to pull off a colossal win on home soil. Gabby Williams leads all scorers with eight points as Team USA will enter halftime looking to find a way to cut back on turnovers — it has 13, as opposed to just six for France. The U.S. will have some momentum, though, after a Napheesa Collier tip-in ensured a tied halftime score as opposed to a French lead.

9:21 a.m. ET: Valente defends her gold women’s omnium

With two chances left in the Games, Team USA needed two gold medals to draw into a tie with China atop the standings. Jennifer Valente, who also helped the U.S. earn gold in the women’s team pursuit event, went back-to-back with her second gold medal in as many Games in the women’s omnium event. Team USA is now one gold medal short of finishing the games tied with China, with one event left to play: the women’s basketball gold medal match, where the U.S. will look to become the first program in Olympic history to win eight consecutive team gold medals.

8:46 a.m. ET: Italy downs U.S. to win women’s volleyball gold

After a scorching-hot run through the knockout stage, Italy women’s volleyball has ensured that the program’s first medal at the Games is golden.

In fact, prior to Paris, the Italian women had never even played for a medal in Olympic volleyball. But their run in France was nothing short of dominant. Italy dropped the second set in its first match against the Dominican Republic … and then followed that up with 17 consecutive sets won en route to the gold medal. All but untouchable on its quest for glory, just one of the nine sets Italy won in knockout play was decided by a margin of fewer than three points.

6:55 a.m. ET: Sifan Hassan secures remarkable treble

It had been four decades since an athlete attempted to compete in the 5,000-meter, 10,000-meter and marathon races at the same Olympic Games. And seven decades since an athlete medaled in all three.

Until Sifan Hassan arrived in Paris. On Monday, Hassan ran in the 5,000 and secured bronze. On Friday she ran in the 10,000 and secured bronze again. And on Sunday morning she ran in the marathon, and not only won gold, but broke the Olympic record with a time of 2:22:55.

“She is amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. She’s just awesome,” Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi said afterward. “Who can do that? Who can come from track and win the marathon?” READ MORE on Hassan and her quest for the treble.

6:44 a.m. ET: U.S. men’s water polo takes bronze

For the first time since the 2008 Games, U.S. men’s water polo is back on the podium.

Sixteen proved to be the lucky number for the U.S.: 16 years after the team took silver in Beijing, goalie Adrian Weinberg made 16 saves to help the team eventually prevail in a penalty shootout to decide bronze medal honors. The win marked Team USA’s second shootout victory in three knockout stage games, as the U.S. also eliminated Australia in the quarterfinal round via penalties.


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