Olympics 2024: Katie Ledecky wins gold in swimming

Eighteen gold medals are up for grabs at the Paris Games tomorrow.

USA gymnast Simone Biles will compete in the Women’s Individual All-Around, and a USA swimming team that includes Katie Ledecky will be in the Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay.

Here are some of the events and when to watch:

Track and Field

The Men’s 20km Race Walk starts at 1:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. Paris

Women’s 20km Race Walk is 3:20 a.m. ET/9:20 a.m. Paris

Shooting

Men’s Smallbore Rifle, Three Positions is at 3:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. Paris

Rowing

Women’s Double Sculls is at 5:18 a.m. ET/ 11:18 a.m. Paris

Men’s Double Sculls, 5:30 a.m. ET/11:30 a.m. Paris

Women’s Four, 5:50 a.m. ET/11:50 a.m. Paris

Sailing

Men’s Skiff, 8:43 a.m. ET/2:43 p.m. Paris

Women’s Skiff, 9:43 a.m. ET/3:43 p.m. Paris

Judo

Men’s Half Heavyweight (100 kg/220 lbs.), medal rounds begin, 11:18 a.m. ET/5:18 p.m. Paris

Women’s Half Heavyweight (78 kg/172 lbs.), medal rounds begin, 11:49 a.m. ET/5:49 p.m. Paris

Canoe Slalom

Men’s (K-1) Kayak Single, 11:30 a.m. ET/5:30 p.m. Paris

Gymnastics

Women’s Individual All-Around, 12:15 p.m. ET/6:15 p.m. Paris

Fencing

Women’s Team Foil, medal bouts, 1:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. Paris

Swimming

Women’s 200m Butterfly, 2:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. Paris

Men’s 200m Backstroke, 2:38 p.m. ET/8:38 p.m. Paris

Women’s 200m Breaststroke, 3:11 p.m. ET/9:11 p.m. Paris

Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay, 4:03 p.m. ET/10:03 p.m. Paris

Ledecky dominated the 1,500-meter freestyle to bring the total of top medals for Team USA to five, and the total Olympic medals for the country rose to 30 after Day 5 of the Paris Games.

The U.S. remains first among countries when it comes to overall medals but is seventh when counting gold only.

The U.S. has five gold medals, 13 silver and 12 bronze.

China has the most gold medals, nine, and has excelled in diving and shooting with three gold medals each in those categories.

France and Japan are tied for second in gold medals, at eight, after Day 5. France has done well in swimming, and Japan has the most golds in judo.

It’s only natural that hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg would play music while traveling with some of the best NBA players in America who are now in the Olympics. But Father Time waits for no one.

He was at first playing the “Super Fly” soundtrack, a classic by Curtis Mayfield released in 1972.

“LeBron, naturally, nodded his head, because he understands old school,” Snoop said.

“But I had to switch it up, I had to put on some rap, because [22-year-old Timberwolves player] Anthony Edwards was sitting right next to me, and he’s not moving. Let me get him to move,” Snoop said.

Snoop, a special NBC Olympics correspondent for the Paris Games, said that even though the men’s basketball players are on different and competing teams in the NBA, “I felt a lot of brotherhood, of camaraderie. I felt them ego-checking themselves at the door.”

“I think they know what this is. They know that this team was put together reminiscent of ‘The Dream Team,’ the spirit of having the best of the best represent the country,” he said. “It’s not about me; it’s about we.”

Bethesda, Maryland, native Katie Ledecky is looking to add to her record-setting medal collection. She could add hardware in the 4×200-meter free relay tomorrow and the 800-meter freestyle Friday at Paris La Défense Arena. 

Stephanie Gosk

There’s a new gold medalist — and a new world record — in the men’s 100-meter freestyle.

Pan Zhanle of China claimed the first world record of the Paris Games when he touched the wall at 46.40, taking four-tenths of a second off the previous world record, which he set in February.

He came in more than a second ahead of Kyle Chalmers of Australia. (Chalmers won this event in Rio and claimed silver in Tokyo.)

David Popovici, the self-proclaimed “Chlorine Daddy” from Romania, ended with bronze, his second medal of the Paris Games. (He won gold in the 200-meter free.)

After confidently winning 1,500-meter freestyle at the Paris Games, Katie Ledecky tied for the most Olympic gold medals and the most overall Olympic medals of any American woman.

“I’m just so honored to represent our country,” Ledecky said. “Those women that have set the standard for so many years have inspired me.

“They inspired me when I first started swimming, so, thank you to them. Thank you to everyone,” she said.

Ledecky won her eighth career Olympic gold medal with her win, and she also won the bronze in the 400-meter freestyle at these Paris Games — with more events to go.

She tied Jenny Thompson’s record for the most Olympic gold medals by a U.S. woman in Olympic history.

She also now has 12 Olympic medals overall, tying her with Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin for the most ever by an American female swimmer.

With his winning swims in the 200M breaststroke and 200M butterfly, Leon Marchand becomes the first person to win two individual swimming gold medals on the same day since 1976. (The last person to do it was East German swimmer Kornelia Ender.)

Marchand is the fourth person to ever accomplish the feat, and the first man since Australia’s Freddie Lane won two golds in the same day at the 1900 Paris Olympics. 

Lane’s two events were the 200m freestyle and the 200m obstacle (see photo below). Both races took place in the Seine.

The daughter of immigrants from Ethiopia, Naomi Girma learned to play soccer when her father started a soccer club for Ethiopian kids in San Jose, Calif. Girma discusses the journey that led her to professional soccer and the Paris Olympics.

Katie Ledecky continues to etch her name into Olympic history books. Earlier today, she tied the records for most gold medals (eight) and most medals overall (12) ever won by a female American swimmer.

A look at her medal-winning races:

London 2012

• Gold in 800m free

Rio 2016

• Gold in 200m free
• Gold in 4x200m free relay
• Gold in 400m free
• Gold in 800m free
• Silver in 4x100m free relay

Tokyo 2020

• Gold in 1500m free
• Gold in 800m free
• Silver in 4x200m free relay
• Silver in 400m free

Paris 2024

• Gold in 1500m free
• Bronze in 400m free

Team USA’s Katie Ledecky obliterated the Olympic record, and the competition, as she swam her way to the gold medal in the women’s 1500m freestyle in Paris. 

Long before the swimmers hit the competition pool to race for Olympic medals in Paris, they have to make another journey. Elizabeth Beisel does a walk-through of the area where Team USA gets ready before walking out to its Olympic swims. 

Special NBC Olympics correspondent Snoop Dogg has been all over the Games, carrying the torch, getting a swim lesson from Michael Phelps, traveling by bus and train with the USA men’s basketball team.

“Man, this is a grind out here,” Snoop told NBC’s Mike Tirico on tonight’s prime-time Paris Games broadcast. “But I’m having so much fun.”

Snoop even appeared on a pin that features a likeness of him blowing Olympic-style smoke rings, one of which was snagged by Coco Gauff.

“Mike, I may be the MVP of the Olympics, just saying,” Snoop said.

Lester Holt

The U.S. women’s rugby team pulled off one of the most thrilling Olympic upsets by beating Australia in the final seconds and winning the bronze medal. 

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

After placing 15th in the men’s gymnastics all-around final, Frederick Richard has his eyes glued to the future.

“I gave everything today. You know, it doesn’t come together sometimes, but it’s part of the journey,” Richard said after the final. “I know I’m going to just keep getting better, and I’ll be there one day.”

He plans to continue in the sport, and at 20, he feels satisfied with his Olympic experience.

“I used a lot more energy than I expected in the team final, but obviously worth it,” Richard said. “But I mean, there’s lots to gain from this competition, and I got to see a lot of good gymnastics.”

Los Angeles 2028 looms large for the rising star, who will leave Paris with a historic bronze medal.

LeBron James led a ruthlessly efficient U.S. attack yet again, helping Team USA to a 103-86 win over South Sudan. 

Relive the most stunning shots from the women’s team gold-worthy final in Paris.

Kim Ye-ji, a 31-year-old South Korean pistol shooter, has gone viral across social media this week, drawing countless new fans. While Kim took home the silver medal in the 10m air pistol women’s event Saturday, it was not just her skill, but also her style, featuring futuristic steampunk-esque glasses and a savage demeanor, that catapulted her to internet fame. 

Some social media users praised her effortless confidence while others compared her to James Bond and character Satoru Gojo, a sorcerer in popular manga Jujutsu Kaisen.

Read the full story here.

After a loss to Spain, the U.S. women’s water polo team bounced back with a 10-3 win over Italy today.

There’s little doubt about who the French crowd at the pool is rooting for: Léon Marchand.

While elite athletes often say they block out crowd noise, Marchand said he embraced every decibel from the crowd during today’s races.

“I wasn’t ignoring it. I was really trying to listen to what was happening,” he said. “I could hear the whole pool just going crazy. I think that’s why I was able to win that race, really use that energy from the crowd.”

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

World record holder Sarah Sjorstrom of Sweden took gold and Torri Huske claimed silver for the U.S. in a stacked women’s 100-meter freestyle final. They beat out Mollie O’Callaghan of Australia, the gold medal favorite.

Sjostrom, 30, now has five Olympic medals — two gold, two silver and a bronze. She is the oldest gold medalist in this event, which she holds the world record for.

With her second-place finish, Huske claimed her third Olympic medal in Paris and her fourth overall. Huske led for much of the race and was overtaken near the end.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal might’ve played his final Olympic match today after he lost with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s double quarterfinal to the USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. The 22-time major winner has remained noncommittal about his tennis career beyond 2024.

But nothing can take away from Nadal’s impressive run in the 2008 Olympics. Coming off his first Wimbledon championship and fourth consecutive French Open title, Nadal entered the 2008 Beijing Olympics in pursuit of gold.

His path became daunting in the men’s single semifinal when he faced rival Novak Djokovic from Serbia.

They split the first two sets, setting up the decisive third. Nadal eventually prevailed, punching his ticket to the final.

Nadal beat Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 to win his first and thus far only Olympic gold medal.

He also left Beijing that summer with a new ranking, No. 1 in the world. Nadal held on to that ranking for 46 consecutive weeks.

The women’s soccer quarterfinals are set after Group A finished its final group stage games today.

France, having beaten New Zealand 2-1, moves on to play Brazil on Friday. Colombia will face off against Spain in what is the Colombian national team’s first-ever woman’s quarterfinal match.

The U.S. is set to play Japan, and Germany will challenge Canada, the defending Olympic champions.

He’s at it again.

Norwegian Swimmer Henrik Christiansen, otherwise known as the “Olympic Muffin Man,” posted not one but two new videos featuring the muffin today.

The first one seemed rooted in some dark humor, as Christiansen opened with a “fake apology” to the muffin only to be cut off, returning seconds later seemingly struggling against duct tape bonds while the muffin appeared nearby. Although it might sound nonsensical, the TikTok video has 1.6 million views.

In his second video, Christiansen tests out a pain au chocolate but declares in the caption that the “muffin reigns supreme” over the chocolate croissant. The audio starts with an “Ew, what’s that?” narration before it cuts to Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth.”

The U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball team couldn’t get by Poland, losing 19-17. The defeat leaves the Americans 0-2 in Paris.

Poland’s Adrian Bogucki lead with 7 points and 5 rebounds.

Team USA went into the matchup after a loss to defending champion Serbia and lacked consistency in its offense as Jimmer Fredette scored 3 points. Fredette missed a two-point shot in the closing seconds that would’ve tied the game at 19.

Team USA’s Dylan Travis and Canyon Barry each scored 6 points.

The U.S. is in last place and is one of just two winless teams in pool play thus far. It will play a doubleheader tomorrow, taking on Lithuania and Latvia.

It’s no surprise that the White House is rooting for Team USA athletes in Paris.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre congratulated Team USA on its performance so far.

“Our nation’s athletes are making us all proud,” she said.

Fencing uses three weapons: épée, foil and saber. While they share a lot of basic rules, differences in their shapes and target areas change the speeds and styles of fencing matches. If you’re new to the sport, here’s a breakdown of the three weapon types:

• Foil is the smallest and most lightweight weapon. Foil fencers also target the smallest area — the torso — using only the tip of the blade. Scoring is largely based on how the point was made correctly, so you might think of foil as the most technical of the three.
• Épée uses only the blade’s point like foil does, but it is a much larger and heavier weapon. The whole body is a valid target — the goal is to hit and not get hit yourself. Fencers must carefully choose their moments to strike while positioning themselves strategically before they jump into action to get a “touch,” or a valid hit.
• Saber hits with not only the tip but also the edge of the weapon in a slashing motion that targets everything from the waist up, including the head. These matches are usually the fastest, involving swift exchanges of movement and rigorous footwork.

In foil and saber, there’s a “right of way” rule that doesn’t apply in épée. Whoever begins an attack first takes the right of way, and only that fencer may score. If both players hit at the same time, it’s up to the referees to decide who initiated the move.

There is no definitive “most difficult” or “best” weapon, though all fencers have their preferences. Foil is often used as an introductory weapon to teach blade control and right of way, but that doesn’t make it any easier to strategize against an opponent.

Despite having gone into this Olympic match with a significant penalty, the Canadian women’s soccer team defeated Colombia to advance to the quarterfinals.

Canada, the reigning gold medalists, managed to score in the second half, taking a 1-0 lead that it held on to for the final 30 minutes of the match. It’s a huge comeback for the squad that was given an automatic penalty of six points after Team Canada coaches were using drones to spy on opponents.

Canada’s players said they were not aware of the cheating, and appeals to overturn the punishment failed. Yet the squad prevailed, winning all three of its Group A matches in a surprising comeback.

As the final minutes of stoppage time rolled by, fans started chanting “Canada” to encourage the women as they fended off the Colombian players.

After a tense matchup during an exhibition, USA had a much easier time with South Sudan on Wednesday, winning 103-86 to move to 2-0 in group play.

After opening up a double-digit lead early in the second quarter, the United States never let South Sudan get closer than 10 points the rest of the way. The lineups were a little bit different than the opener vs. Serbia: Anthony Davis started in place of Joel Embiid, who didn’t play. Jayson Tatum also started after not appearing against Serbia, and Tyrese Haliburton saw his first action of the Olympics as well.

Bam Adebayo led the U.S. with 18 points. Kevin Durant added 12 points and LeBron James 14.

The States will wrap up group play on Saturday vs. Puerto Rico.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Chinese prodigy Pan Zhanle won the 100-meter freestyle in world record style, securing the first of what could be many gold medals in the 19-year-old’s future.

His time of 46.40 beat his own mark of 46.80 set earlier this year.

Ryan Murphy, who won silver in the 200-meter backstroke in Tokyo, logged the 10th fastest qualifying time and will not be in that event finals here in Paris.

His time in heats was 1:56.52, far off his silver-winning mark three years ago of 1:54.15.

He’s been listed as a reserve for Thursday’s final, meaning only an unexpected injury or withdrawal could get him into that race.

Katie Ledecky just tied for the most gold and overall medals won by an American female swimmer at the Olympics, and said she knows how special this moment is.

“It’s never easy to win a gold medal so I don’t take it for granted,” she told NBC News just moments after she aced the 1500m free, beating the silver medalist by more than 10 seconds.

“I’m just so honored to represent our country and those women who set the standard for so many years have inspired me … thank you to them,” she said.

She said she is “proud of the time” she swam, adding that she “wanted to swim a time I could be proud of and be happy with.”

During the lengthy competition, Ledecky said she let her mind wander, thinking about those people she trained with in Florida. She said she thought of their names as she swam.

If she could tell little Ledecky one thing, she said she would encourage her to “just keep it up and keep having fun.”

“I’ve always had fun in this sport,” she said.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

The legend of Leon Marchand continues to grow as he won his second gold of the night, this time with an Olympic-record time in the 200-meter breaststroke

He clocked in at 2:05.85 as Zac Stubblety-Cook of Australia took bonze and Caspar Corbeau of the Nethterlands won bronze.

Barring a complete upset in the next 20 minutes or so, Brazil appears to have secured one of the third-place slots in the women’s soccer quarterfinals.

According to the Olympics website, Brazil has qualified with its three points giving it a small edge in goal differentials over Australia. The tournament bracket has been updated to include the team’s next game.

Group A still has to conclude its matches, which will determine the final three slots for the quarterfinals.

After struggling to get through the Colombian defense, Canada’s women team manages to find the back of the net with a goal from Vanessa Gilles.

The reigning gold medalists need to win to have any hope of advancing into the knockouts.

USA is leading South Sudan, 73-57, headed into the final quarter.

USA pushed its lead to 21 early in the third quarter, but South Sudan got as close as 10 points later in the period. The U.S.’s bench group held strong, though, and created a little extra cushion before the fourth.

Bam Adebayo is leading all Americans with 16 points. Kevin Durant has 11, and both LeBron James and Derrick White have 10.

South Sudan is struggling offensively, shooting only 39.3% from the field.

Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored her second goal of the game upon returning for the second half, allowing France to retake the lead against New Zealand.

Katoto was assisted by Sakina Karchaoui, giving France a 2-1 lead.

Azerbaijan just delivered the defending Olympic champs their second straight loss of the Games.

In a tense match-up with two late plays reviewed by the refs, the U.S. fell 20-17 to Azerbaijan behind Tiffany Hayes bringing Azerbaijan’s energy with multiple scoring drives.

The U.S. team includes two women, Cierra Burdick and Haily Van Lith, who were part of the team that won the 2023 3×3 World Cup. Also playing are two-time WNBA All-Star Rhyne Howard and Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby.

The four will need to turn it around for their remaining five games in the pool round, if they want a shot at defending their Tokyo gold.

Brazil star Marta was shown a red card versus Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics in what could signal her last appearance in a Brazil shirt at a major competition.

After trailing by double digits for most of the second quarter headed into the third, South Sudan has cut into the USA lead.

South Sudan now only trails 11, 60-49, after being down 21 earlier in the quarter. Nuni Omot and Bul Kuol have combined for 29 points.

Turnovers are hurting the U.S., and the physicality of the game has ratcheted up as well.

At the half, Canada remains scoreless against Colombia as its women’s squad makes its last gasp to claw its way into the quarterfinals.

The team needs a high-scoring game to overcome the large point gap and secure one of the two third-place slots in the knockout round. But it’s failed to make any headway against Colombia, a Group A leader.

Meanwhile New Zealand has managed to equalize against France, a goal from Kate Taylor in the 42nd minute to tie the game 1-1. France is almost guaranteed a spot in the next round of the tournament.

After leaving the game in the second quarter with a possible ankle injury, Anthony Davis is back on the floor for USA vs. South Sudan.

The U.S. is looking for its second straight win in group play after defeating Serbia in its opener. Davis started the game in place of Joel Embiid.

The U.S. women’s water polo team cruised to its second win of the Games, defeating Italy 10-3 in the preliminaries. Three-time Olympian Maddie Musselman scored a game-high of three goals.

After winning gold in Tokyo, Rio and London, the U.S. women are aiming to become the first water polo team to win four straight Olympic titles.

The team’s final preliminary match is set for Friday against France.

USA is leading South Sudan 55-36 after 20 minutes in their Wednesday group game.

The States led by double digits for most of the second quarter. Bam Adebayo caught on fire in the period, and he’s up to 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-2 from three.

LeBron James has 10 points, while Kevin Durant has 9.

Nuni Omot is leading South Sudan with 13 points.

The U.S. is dominating on both ends. It’s shooting 54.3% from the field while holding South Sudan to only 36.6%. The ball movement has been exceptionally crisp, while the defensive discipline has been equally impressive on the other end of the floor.

Joel Embiid hasn’t played after being taken out of the starting lineup. And Anthony Davis — who opened in his place — left the game in the second quarter with an apparent ankle injury.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

The capacity house at Paris La Défense Arena let out two mighty roars at the end of the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle race.

They roared first for the Olympic-record win by Katie Ledecky, but then let out equally joyous cheer 10.33 seconds later as Anastasiya Kirpichnikova took silver for France.

Isabel Gose of Germany won bronze.

Anthony Davis limped off the court with an apparent ankle injury vs. South Sudan on Wednesday. Davis was hurt going up for a shot on offense and was subbed out at the next timeout. There’s no idea to the severity, but he looked to be a little uncomfortable.

This is basically the only thing that’s gone wrong for the U.S. in the first half vs. South Sudan, as the States have been leading by double digits for most of the second quarter.

USA is dominating South Sudan so far in a rematch of their exhibition from earlier this month.

The U.S. took a 40-23 lead less than five minutes into the second quarter.

After a hot start from LeBron James in the first, Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo have begun filling it up as well, combining for 17 points. Derrick White also has 7 points in addition to his stifling defense. James still leads the team with 10.

This is a little bit of a reversal from the team’s tune-up game, which the States only barely escaped with a 1-point win.

The odds were not in China’s favor as they headed into their 3×3 basketball game against Serbia. China was coming off a loss to the Netherlands, while Serbia was coming off a win against the United States. Not to mention, Serbia is the No. 1-ranked team in the world with back-to-back World Cup wins.

Still, China proceeded to knock down shots, connecting on 5 of 10 beyond the two-point arc to secure their win. Ning Zhang led with a game-high 11 points.

Both teams have five games remaining in pool play.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Katie Ledecky won gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle on Wednesday, securing her 12th career medal to tie Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin for the most ever by an American woman.

The runaway win brought Ledecky her eighth career gold medal which tied Thompson’s record for the most by a U.S. female in Olympic history.

Contemporary Australian great Emma McKeon also has 12 medals — six gold, two silvers and four bronze — as all four now sit atop the list for most podium appearances by a female swimmer.

The last group matches are underway as Group A begin their games, which will determine the final lineup for Saturday’s knockout round.

Host country France is leading 1-0 against New Zealand, entering the game with a strong likelihood of moving into the quarterfinals.

Colombia and Canada remain scoreless in the first 25 minutes of the other group match. Canada needs to score big to secure its spot in the knockouts after being penalized 6 points before the tournament ever began.

Team Canada coaches were found to be cheating by using drones to spy on opposing teams, a decision made without the players’ knowledge. But in spite of the odds, the Canadian women have won back-to-back matches as the defending champions strive to stay alive.

The U.S. is leading South Sudan 26-14 after the first quarter.

LeBron James led the way with 8 points in the opening 10 minutes.

Joel Embiid hasn’t entered the game yet, which is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Beiwen Zhang has yet to lose a game in her pursuit of the USA’s first badminton medal.

In her first match against Australia’s Tiffany Ho, Zhang didn’t make it close, limiting her opponent to single-digit points in both games. Vietnam’s Thuy Linh Nguyen proved a much tougher opponent in her second match, but Zhang still pulled off another straight-game victory.

Zhang will seek to redeem her Tokyo performance, where she ruptured her Achilles in the round of 16 and had to withdraw. She will play in that same round on Thursday.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

James Don, who was Leon Marchand’s college roommate at Arizona State, was overjoyed when his buddy just broke an Olympic record at the 200-meter butterfly.

Marchand, who took home his second gold of these Games, swam 1:51.21, besting the previous mark by .04 seconds.

“I think he really calmed down after that 400m IM,” Don told NBC News about Marchand’s mentality after his last race. “From there he was pretty relaxed.”

Australia failed to overcome the two-goal deficit at the end of the match, despite a last-minute rally that raised the score to 2-1.

Trinity Rodman and Korbin Albert scored a goal each for Team USA, while Alanna Kennedy gave Australia its sole point of the game.

Team USA will play Japan in the quarterfinals on Saturday. This is the second time the women’s team has won all of its group matches at the Olympics, with the only other time being when it took gold in 2012.

The U.S. women’s national soccer team has not placed first at the Olympics in the years since.

Germany has also advanced into the knockouts after defeating Zambia 4-1. The opponent for that match has yet to be determined.

Apparently LeBron James has a new nickname! And he’s living up to it!

James has 4 early points, and USA has raced out to a 6-0 lead over South Sudan less than two minutes into the game.

NBC’s Noah Eagle says “Captain LeMerica” has been added to the list of nicknames on LeBron’s Basketball Reference page and it got a stamp of approval from Dwyane Wade, so we’re rolling with it.

Guatemala’s Adriana Ruano made history in more ways than one.

After a spinal injury ended Ruano’s career as a gymnast, she came back in shooting and won the first gold medal in her country’s history. She also set a new Olympic record in women’s trap, hitting 45 out of 50 shots.

In the last minute of regulation, Australia’s Alana Kennedy scores with an assist from Michelle Heyman.

The Matildas need to score one more goal to draw in the additional seven minutes of stoppage time. That would potentially secure the team a slot in the knockouts.

USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram defeated Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 6-4 in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.

Krajicek and Ram had the advantage in aces won, break point conversions and total winners.

Nadal, who has 14 French Open titles, left the Paris show court for what could be the last time in his career. He is thus far noncommittal to continuing his career beyond 2024. Alcaraz, the defending French Open and Wimbledon champion, will look toward the upcoming U.S. Open next month.

Meanwhile in Paris, Krajicek and Ram advance to the semifinals.

The U.S. men’s basketball team is unveiling a new starting lineup for its second group game vs. South Sudan.

Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis will enter the starting lineup for Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid, respectively. So that means the new five will be Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Tatum, LeBron James and Davis.

Tatum didn’t play a single minute in the group opener vs. Serbia, while Embiid struggled in his minutes.

The U.S. played South Sudan earlier this month during exhibition play, narrowly winning 101-100.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Frenchman Leon Marchand brought the nation to its feet again, scoring a thrilling come-from-behind win in the 200-meter butterfly and stamping his name on these Games.

The Arizona State product needed an Olympic-record time to overtake Milak Ristof, who had previously held the Games’ mark in this event. Marchand trailed throughout but then kicked it into gear in the final 50 to overtake Ristof.

Marchand’s time of 1:51.21 edged out the Hungarian’s previous record of 1:51.25 set in Tokyo.

Korbin Albert, who is making her debut on the world stage, has scored against Australia to widen the U.S. lead to 2-0.

This is Albert’s first international goal.

If Katie Ledecky wins a medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle today, she would tie the record for the most medals won by an American woman in Olympic history with 12.

If she wins gold, and she is the heavy favorite, she will tie swimmer Jenny Thompson’s record for the most Olympic gold medals by an American woman with eight.

Ledecky could leave Paris as the most-decorated female Olympian in U.S. history. After the 1,500 freestyle, she is still expected to compete in the 4×200 freestyle relay tomorrow and the 800 freestyle Saturday.

Thompson and swimmers Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin also have 12 total medals.

America has a 5-4 advantage in the second set, after winning the first set 6-2. USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram will serve to try to win the match over Nadal and Alcaraz.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom won the 100-meter freestyle, edging out American Torri Huske and Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey.

Huske’s silver follows the Arlington, Virginia, native’s gold Sunday night in the 100 butterfly.

Haughey, already the most-decorated Olympian in the former British colony’s history, won bronze in the 200 free earlier this week.

Sjostrom — who just became the oldest gold medalist in the event at 30 — said she almost didn’t compete in the 100 free but that she showed up because her coach insisted.

She added that she had been dreaming about winning gold in the race.

“It’s almost like I’ve seen it somewhere before,” she said, noting that she wanted to see how it played out in real life.

Huske said she’s “not necessarily shocked” to have won the silver today even though “semis showed this was anyone’s games,” she said.

She added that “it’s so nice to share these moments with [my family], it makes it so much more special.”

Huske doesn’t have a plan for the future, but for now, she’s going to just keep swimming because she said she loves doing it.

A handful of substitutions were made 65 minutes into the game to offer some of Team USA’s lead starters a break as the team prepares to go into the next round of the Olympics.

Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle and Emily Fox are out as Lynn Williams, Korbin Albert and Casey Kreuger walk on. Within a few moments of entering the game, Albert was hit with a yellow card.

Crystal Dunn was also replaced during halftime, with Jenna Nighswonger brought on in her place.

Team USA finished seventh in men’s team saber after being knocked out by lower-ranked Iran in the first round. The U.S. team was composed entirely of Harvard students or alumni and had high hopes for a medal before their early elimination.

Iran fell to France in the bronze medal match. South Korea and Hungary’s battle for gold is underway.

Germany’s Lea Schueller scored her second goal against Zambia in this match, putting them even further ahead of Australia in the Group B standings.

The European team went into today tied with Australia for second place in the group, looking to get a high-scoring match in order to guarantee a slot in the knockout rounds.

Nadal and Alcaraz disputed a call from the linesperson that was upheld by the chair umpire. Team USA now take a 4-3 lead in the pivotal second set.

Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez defeated USA’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky in a neck-and-neck match in the round of 32. Afterward, she revealed on Instagram that she was seven months pregnant.

Hafez was later eliminated in the round of 16.

Germany returned to the pitch with momentum, with Klara Buehl scoring in the first three minutes of the second half.

But Zambia’s Barbra Banda, one of the African team’s best players, refused to let it go unchallenged and scored in the following minute. Banda scored a hat trick earlier this week against Australia in a high-scoring and action-packed match.

Halfway through the second set, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are playing more up to their standard, holding a 3-2 second set lead over USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. Team USA already has a 1-0 set advantage.

Juda and Richard couldn’t make it to the podium today — a long shot to begin with — but placed in 14th and 15th respectively, a solid showing for these two newcomers out of the top 24 contenders.

Gold went to Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka, followed by Zhang Boheng with the silver and Xiao Ruoteng with the bronze — both from China.

The U.S. men’s gymnastics team is hungry for one more medal, though, and they’re likely to get it when Stephen Nederoscik rides the pommel horse on Saturday.

Unlike the men’s soccer teams playing in the Olympics, there are two “runner-up” positions available for the women’s quarterfinals.

The women only have three groups in the first round of the tournament, though the men have four. So while it works for the top two men’s teams per group to advance into the quarterfinals, that doesn’t provide for even matches for the women.

So how are those two slots determined? Math.

The Olympics has a point system that establishes the internal group standings. If teams are tied, the number of goals scored in the group stage will become the determining factor.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Juda hit every routine in Monday’s team final, and now he’s done the same in the individual all-around. He ended his competition on the same event where Team USA clinched their historic bronze medal earlier in the week, earning a 13.866 on the pommel horse.

That’s it for Juda’s Olympic Games. He’ll have plenty of accomplishments to check off his whiteboard of dreams when he returns to Ann Arbor.

Today didn’t get off to the start that Richard had hoped for, crashing off the pommel horse just seconds into his all-around showing, but he steadily improved with each passing rotation, ending on his best event: floor.

Richard put up a solid routine featuring some hops after completing explosive tumbling passes, and his signature airflare — a breakdancing move.

His last tumbling pass ended in small disaster when Richard couldn’t stick the landing, falling forward with his hands on the mat.

Still, he earned a score of 13.200, making his total for the all-around 82.166.

Richard won’t medal, but at only 20 years old, you can bet he’ll be back for L.A. 2028.

The Matildas will have to come back onto the pitch in full force as the Australians trail at the end of the first half.

A goal by Trinity Rodman has set the U.S. ahead by one in a game in which the Americans have dominated with control possession. Australia has only taken one failed shot at the goal, though the squad’s defense has been formidable and disciplined.

Australia has taken possession of the ball 28% of the first half, a statistic that will need to flip if the women hope to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals.

Team USA’s Paul Juda delivered a clean parallel bars routine in the individual all-around final of his first Olympics.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have a combined career majors title advantage of 26-4 over their opponents, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. But Team USA has played well, earning a 1-0 set advantage as the second set is underway.

Australia’s coach Tony Gustavsson has been given a yellow card after arguing with the match referee, insisting on a VAR review of the U.S. goal.

It’s unclear exactly what was said between the two men that led to a yellow card, but ultimately the goal by Rodman was reviewed and allowed to stand after a chaotic five minutes on the field.

There has been 10 minutes added to the first half in stoppage time.

Trinity Rodman finally gets Team USA on the scoreboard after several solid attempts by the American squad to get past Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold.

Assisted by Sophia Smith, Rodman sank her second goal overall at her very first Olympic tournament.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz are off to a slow start against USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. America leads 4-2 in the first set.

Samantha Coffey, the U.S. midfielder, incurred a yellow card in the first three minutes of the game against Australia.

Because this is Coffey’s second yellow of the Olympic tournament, she will have to sit out Team USA’s next game. It’ll be a tough loss for the American squad to lose her for a knockout game.

Her yellow cards will be cleared after the quarterfinals, and she will be able to rejoin the team on the field if the U.S. advances into the semifinals.

There he is.

Richard shined on the high bar after missteps in his first four rotations, nailing tough connections and performing a “full-send” routine, as the announcers on the NBC broadcast called it.

He scored a 14.400 and has just one more event for the day — floor.

The U.S. women’s volleyball team survived a valiant comeback from Serbia to win their second preliminary game and guarantee a spot in the knockout round.

After the U.S. won the first two sets, Serbia climbed back with two of their own. In a nail-biting final set, the U.S. came out strong but the Serbs were ruthless, the Americans reaching five match points before securing their win at 17-15.

“We just had to keep believing,” USA’s Haleigh Washington said in a postgame interview.

This was a must-win for the defending gold medalists after losing to China on Monday. They play their final pool match against France on Sunday.

Germany’s Lea Schueller scored the team’s first goal against Zambia at the 10-minute mark, placing them slightly ahead of Australia already as the teams fight to advance to knockouts.

The Australian team has not made headway more than 25 minutes into the game against the Group B leader, Team USA. Australian foward Mary Fowler made a good attempt at the goal, but it went too wide to sink in the Americans’ net.

Australia and Germany are neck and neck for the second guaranteed spot for the quarterfinals.

Two slots in the next round are open for third place teams, but those will be determined by the points in the standings across all three groups. Points are determined by goals scored and goal differentials across the three group-stage matches.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

In the penultimate routine of Juda’s Olympics, he nailed five tumbling passes on the floor exercise, maintaining control of his landings to minimize deductions.

A 13.533 is a lower score than many of the top contenders, but his goals today transcend the podium.

America’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram have broken Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz serve in the men’s doubles quarterfinal. They lead 2-0 in the first set.

Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson have each already made attempted shots at goal in the first 10 minutes of the match against Australia, though none has scored.

Having owned the majority of the team’s goals so far in the tournament, the three women have been dubbed Team USA’s “Big Three.” Coach Emma Hayes has not made many changes to today’s lineup, opting to keep starting players who are putting out strong offensive pressure.

This is the first Olympics for Rodman, the daughter of former basketball star Dennis Rodman.

There are just two rotations left for the men’s all-around, and it’s not looking likely that Team USA will make it on the podium today.

Juda is tied in 18th place and Richard is behind in 20th. Hops and falls have plagued Richard’s long-shot goal of winning a medal today.

Spain and Japan advance into the quarterfinals after the conclusion of the women’s Group C matches today.

Spain was all but guaranteed a spot in the knockout round but were determined to go three for three in the group stage as they shut down Brazil in a 2-0 game.

Meanwhile, Japan had the opportunity to play against Nigeria, which was in last place in Group C. The Japanese squad dominated the field in a 3-1 match, breaking the tie with Brazil and securing the spot behind Spain.

The last remaining U.S. woman in Olympic singles tennis this year exited her match early after experiencing an undisclosed medical issue.

Danielle Collins, 30, retired from her match against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek shortly after she left the court to tend to the issue. Collins has rheumatoid arthritis, but it wasn’t clear whether that’s what bothered her.

Collins’ defeat follows ones suffered earlier by Coco Gauff and Emma Navarro in singles play. It means Serena Williams will remain the last U.S. woman to have medaled in singles, having taken gold in London in 2012.

Richard seems to be gaining steam as he rotates through the all-around, sticking the landing off a parallel bars routine that proved why he made it to the final competition, save for a few steps with his hand.

He scored a 14.133 on his fourth of six events today.

His strongest skills will close out his last two rotations: high bar and floor.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles on Paris’ main tennis court.

In just moments, he will take that court once again alongside defending French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The pair are teaming up in doubles against America’s Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Catching the high bar after each high-flying release move is no easy task, especially under Olympic-level pressure.

Many of the front-runners have struggled to stay on the apparatus, but Juda continues to win the consistency award in this final, earning a 13.766 with another solid routine.

Team USA is looking for a third straight win at the Olympics as the women’s national soccer team takes the field against Australia.

The Matildas, as the Australian team is called, need a big win in order to advance into the knockouts, while the Americans only need a draw to keep their first place slot in Group B.

If the U.S. can win again, it would be the first time the women’s national team won all three group-stage games since their 2012 gold medal run. That was the last time the women’s soccer team came in first at the Olympics despite having massive success at the FIFA World Cup tournaments in 2015 and 2019.

After his team lost to the U.S. on Sunday, Nikola Jokić still knows he’s the best player in the world. In 23 minutes, he put up 14 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. Serbia leads Puerto Rico 96-60 with a few minutes in the game remaining.

This win is critical if Serbia wants to advance to the single-elimination tournament. They play their final group opponent, South Sudan, on Saturday.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Another routine, another hit.

Juda is now three for three in the all-around final after securing a solid 13.866 on parallel bars. He’s halfway through his competition, but has yet to tackle the ever-fickle pommel horse.

A small hop knocked three-tenths of a point off of Richard’s otherwise stellar vault, earning him a score of 14.100.

Every point counts for the up-and-coming gymnast, who is hungry for a medal today.

The U.S. did not enter Paris with high hopes for a canoe slalom medal. That all changed when 20-year-old Evy Leibfarth delivered an astonishing run in the women’s single canoe finals. She watched in suspense as the remaining finalists took their turn, then jumped in excitement when she clinched the bronze.

Leibfarth had barely qualified for the final with the 12th fastest time of the semis, but she beat that time by almost 8 seconds in the final for a 109.95 run. Leibfarth also competed in the single kayak event but didn’t make it to the finals.

Four-time Olympic medalist Jessica Fox dominated the race for her second straight gold.

After helping win America’s first Olympic medal in rugby, Ilona Maher speaks with NBC News about breaking barriers for women’s sports, her favorite moments in Paris and what she thinks of teammate Alex Sedrick’s game-winner.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

After sticking his vault in Monday’s team final, Juda had a rougher outing on the event today, stepping out of bounds on a crooked landing. That will be an automatic three-tenth deduction.

It’s risky to attempt a stick in high-pressure situations, and Juda didn’t reap the rewards this time, earning a 13.733.

Daiki Hashimoto, who won the gold in the all-around in Tokyo, fell off the pommel horse midroutine. He is still in contention for the podium, though.

Tennis star Novak Djokovic comfortably knocked out Germany’s Dominik Koepfer in the third round of men’s singles on Wednesday.

The 24-time major champion will next face Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, in pursuit of his first career Olympic gold medal.

After a tough start on the pommel horse, Richard showed off his strength and talent on the rings.

A score of 13.600 brings Richard back into the conversation, but he still needs perfection to even get close to the podium.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Zhang Boheng of China, who is the favorite to win all-around gold today, may have opened the door to some underdogs with a fall in the first rotation.

He sailed through a 3 1/2 twist on floor exercise, but lost control on the landing and landed on the top of his head. Boheng appears to be all right, but he’ll aim to improve in the next five rotations to keep the gold in his grasp.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Paul Juda doesn’t have the highest start value on rings, but what he does, he does beautifully.

He ran into some trouble on the dismount, but saved it with a few arm swings. Juda’s day is off to a solid start with a 13.433.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

Juda may have discovered the secret to making Olympic dreams a reality: buy the biggest whiteboard you can find and write them down.

So far, all of his Expo marker goals, however unlikely, have come true: make the Olympic team, win an Olympic medal and qualify for the Olympic all-around final.

“Compete in the all-around at the Olympics” will be receiving a check mark today. Juda may not be a favorite to make the podium, but his Olympic experience has already been golden in his eyes.

“This is the best day of my life,” he said after qualifying. It was quickly surpassed; two days later, he won an Olympic medal.

Richard began the individual all-around final today with the trickiest apparatus of the six — the pommel horse — and fell off the platform early into the routine, potentially slashing his high hopes for a medal today.

A score of 12.733 means Richard has to be essentially perfect for the rest of the day to contend.

There’s a reason Team USA tapped pommel horse legend Nederoscik for the men’s team in order to get bronze earlier this week.

Richard, who is known as “Frederick Flips” to his fans and followers — nearly 1 million of them on TikTok and Instagram combined — ended up on TikTok the way many people did.

“It started during Covid,” Richard said. “I was just bored at home.”

His first posts had nothing to do with his life as a gymnast, he said, but as the views on each video kept growing and as Covid restrictions eased and he got back into the gym, Richard decided to combine the sport he loves with an endeavor that has taken him to new heights.

Read the full story here.

Kaetlyn LiddyKaetlyn Liddy is a newsroom coordinator for NBC News Digital.

U.S. gymnasts Paul Juda and Frederick Richard will represent Team USA in the men’s all-around final today, but before Paris, they were teammates at the University of Michigan.

“Fred pushes me more than he probably knows,” Juda said of his college and Olympic teammate. “I think it really clicked at worlds last year. I just was like, dude, let’s make the Olympics together. … For me, it was a huge, huge momentous push. So to have him there and to see him always pushing me, I can’t describe it.”

Juda added, “I did tell him, though, I’ve been licking my chops ever since to get ready for this all-around debut.”

Qinwen Zheng, a breakout star from China, has defeated German former world No. 1 Angie Kerber to advance to the semifinals in women’s singles.

In a closely fought match that ended in a tie-break set, Zheng, 21, was simply able to outlast Kerber, 36.

Zheng made it to the Australian Open finals earlier this year and is slated to appear at the U.S. Open in several weeks.

The match was likely to be Kerber’s last-ever as a professional: She announced her pending retirement prior to the Games’ opening.

It’s one of the most intense Olympic rivalries.

The U.S. and Australia continue to battle for supremacy in the pool. The rivalry reached new heights last year when Australia’s Cate Campbell, who ended up missing out on Olympic qualification for these Games, gave a TV interview declaring just how much she loved beating Team USA.

“It is just so much sweeter beating America,” four-time Olympic gold medalist Campbell said. “There were a couple of nights, particularly the first night of competition, where we did not have to hear ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ ring through the stadium, and I cannot tell you how happy that made me. … Bring on Paris, that’s all I have to say.”

Tonight will see Katie Ledecky compete in her most dominant event, the 1500-meter freestyle, while Australia’s Kyle Chalmers will be one of the favorites in the men’s 100-meter freestyle, though China’s world record holder Pan Zhanle is the favorite, having qualified fastest.

In an intense match against Brazil’s Luiz Gabriel Oliveira, American boxer Jahmal Harvey prevailed in the men’s featherweight preliminaries, winning 3-2 after a dominant third round.

Harvey, 21, is the 2023 Pan American champion and the USA’s best chance at a boxing medal. He will next box in the quarterfinal on Saturday.

It’s a do-or-die day for a few countries today as the women’s soccer teams play their final group stage matches, with the U.S. and Spain most likely to be moving into knockout rounds.

Team USA, which is leading Group B with six points, plays Australia at 1 p.m. ET. While the Americans only have to tie or win to keep their No. 1 seat, Australia is tied with Germany and both teams must score big to guarantee a place in the quarter finals.

It’s a similar situation in Group C, with Spain leading the pack at six points but Japan and Brazil tied at three points. The Brazilian women must score a big game against Spain to stand a chance as Japan plays Nigeria, the last place team.

Tensions are a bit higher for Group A, where there are two-way ties for both the first and second slots. France and Colombia are leading with three points each while Canada and New Zealand each have zero points in the standing.

Canada began the tournament with a deficit as the team was penalized six points following a revelation that coaches were using drones to spy on their opponents. But the women’s squad has won both of its matches over the last week and could potentially earn a runner’s up placement in the quarterfinals depending on its performance against Colombia today.

Gymnast Frederick Richard’s dad didn’t allow him to watch much television as a child — other than sports and the Olympics in particular.

Fortunately during one of Richard’s rare times in front of the set, he experienced his ‘I’m-going-to-do-this’ moment when Kōhei Uchimura came through big on the high bar, bringing Japan team gold in Rio in 2016.

“It was an ice cold routine for someone to clutch under pressure and that’s the routine that decides whether your country gets gold or not,” Richard told NBC’s “The Podium.” “That is like a moment that I want to be in one day, and I want to do what he did and just pop off, because I think that’s the highlight of any career.”

Bobby Finke’s silver medal in the men’s 800-meter freestyle yesterday was the 3,000th Olympic medal by a U.S. athlete in a summer or winter games. The 2020 gold medalist, Finke finished with a time of 7:38.75, just shy of Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen’s 7:38.19. 

This weekend, he’ll have a chance to defend his 1500-meter freestyle gold medal. 

Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula were defeated by Team Czechia in the second round of women’s doubles.

The No. 1-ranked American duo lost in a tie-breaker set after convincing play from Czechia’s Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova.

It means Gauff, the No. 2 woman in the world, only has mixed doubles left if she hopes to medal in this year’s games. Yesterday, Goff crashed out of singles play after losing to Croat Donna Vekic.

Anthony Jeanjean rode into a monstrous first trick of the men’s BMX freestyle final, only to clip his front tire on the landing and tumble to the ground, his right shoe flying off. The home crowd gasped as Jeanjean slowly got up from the ground.

But the French stuntman did not falter as he returned for a stunning second run, scoring 93.76 and clinching the bronze medal.

Jeanjean outscored USA’s Marcus Christopher, who won the 2024 X Games, by a mere 0.65 points to knock him off the podium.

Frederick Richard and Paul Juda are representing Team USA in the men’s gymnastics individual all-around final today.

In qualifiers, Richard and Juda placed 10th and 13th, respectively, and the top 24 made it through to the event final. They were part of the team that clinched the bronze medal Monday.

They’re also both first-time Olympians and compete for the University of Michigan when they’re not at the Games.

While neither is favored to come out on top, after an explosive showing in the team final, Richard could contend for a spot on the podium.

Richard, a breakout star, started gaining popularity thanks to his massive social media following.

Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has fallen in love with the chocolate muffins being served at the Olympic village — and he’s documented that love affair on TikTok.

Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz will face Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals after this year’s French Open winner beat Roman Safiullin in straight sets.

In rain-soaked play, Alcaraz had the backing of the Roland-Garros crowd as he bested Safiullin, a Russian playing as an Independent Neutral Athlete.

The quarterfinals commence Saturday.

Team USA’s Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng claimed a crucial victory over host nation France’s pair as they remained undefeated in the pool stages of the women’s beach volleyball competition.

Following a dominating win against Czechia’s pair Marie-Sara Stochlova and Barbora Hermannova in their opener Monday, Hughes and Cheng claimed a second straight-sets win, this time against France’s Clemence Viera and Aline Chamereau, with the likes of Snoop Dogg and NBC News’ Lester Holt watching on.

After a comfortable first set, taken 21-16 by the American duo, the second was a much tighter affair with the two teams never separated by more than three points. But it was Cheng who came up clutch with a block to win the set at 23-21 to claim the win against the hosts.

Team USA is on top at the 2024 Paris Olympics, leading with the most total medals at the Games so far. NBC News’ Jay Gray recaps the thrilling highlights from this year’s Summer Olympics.

Shericka Jackson will not compete in the 100-meter sprint in Paris to focus entirely on the 200-meter event, she announced today.

The Jamaican, who took the bronze medal in Tokyo in the 100 meter, is the two-time reigning 200-meter world champion. She will be replaced by Shashalee Forbes.

“The decision is just to protect my body,” she said told members of the media in Paris. “As I’ve said for the last three years, I’ve been competing in both events. It’s a combination of both just focusing on one event and what happened in Hungary.”

Jackson was expected to be one of the top contenders in the 100 meter. Her decision should help the chances of other runners such as American Sha’Carri Richardson and Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

Team USA’s Marcus Christopher produced a clean second run after falling in his first, but it wasn’t quite enough to secure a medal. His 93.11 was only good for fourth.

This is the second time BMX Freestyle has appeared at the Olympics, and this was a final of fine margins. 93.11 would usually be a strong score, but in a stacked field there was little between the medals and missing out. Argentina’s Jose Torres Gil’s huge first run of 94.82 secured gold with Great Britain’s Kieran Reilly taking silver.

In front of a home crowd, Anthony Jeanjean landed a huge double backflip in the back end of his second run to send the crowd into raptures with tricolores flying everywhere in the stands at Place de la Concorde. A score of 93.76 saw the Frenchman, in floods of tears after his medal was confirmed, claim bronze and the host’s 21st medal of the Games.

Justin Dowell failed to improve on his first run, waving off his run with 15 seconds left on the clock to finish in seventh.

In an unexpectedly early elimination for the Americans, Iran defeated Team USA in the first round of men’s team saber, winning 45-44.

The U.S. team boasted two Harvard graduates, Eli Dershwitz and Mitchell Saron, and one rising Harvard freshman, Colin Heathcock. They had high hopes for this event, coming in as the No. 2 team in the world. No. 9 Iran will face No. 3 Hungary in the semifinals.

Two-time defending Olympic champion South Korea will also head to the semifinals after defeating Canada 45-33.

Ilona Maher, Alex Sedrick, Naya Tapper, Sammy Sullivan and the rest of Team USA’s women’s rugby team joined “TODAY” in Paris to talk about their win over Australia that earned them a bronze medal and their message for young girls looking up to them in the sport.

Taylor Fritz was just defeated by Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets, leaving Tommy Paul as the only American male left in singles play.

On the women’s side, Danielle Collins is still standing and is set to play later today as quarterfinals kick off.

It’s now the men’s turn in BMX Freestyle, and Team USA’s Marcus Christopher and Justin Dowell are both hoping for a medal.

But they will both have work to do in the second run. Christopher was looking good before falling halfway through his run, while Dowell will need to push himself to the limit after his run of 88.35 was only good enough for fifth.

They will be chasing the mark of Argentina’s Jose Torres Gil, who went big on his first run. His tally of 94.82 was closely followed by Great Britain’s Kieran Reilly, who will have the advantage of going last in the second round as the top qualifier.

Home favorite Anthony Jeanjean was also among the pre-competition medal favorites. The crowd were in a frenzy when he was about to drop in, but a fall on his first trick means he also has to nail his second run if he is to win a medal. Australia’s Logan Martin was also flying before falling at the end of his run.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo responded forcefully today to former President Donald Trump’s criticism of the opening ceremony.

“Donald Trump is really not a reference for me,” she said in an interview with the French radio station RMC. “He’s part of these white supremacists, this far right that’s thriving in the world today” adding that the ceremony was a “way of telling them that we’re not afraid. We’re not afraid of you.”

On Monday, during an interview with Fox News, Trump had called the opening ceremony a “disgrace,” referring to the segment that some interpreted as a parody of the “Last Supper” as “terrible.”

The director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, denied taking inspiration from the Leonardo da Vinci painting for the scene, saying that it was meant to reference the gods of Olympus. Philippe Katerine, the man in blue in the segment, and Paris 2024 organizers have said they were sorry if people were offended.

Canada’s appeal of a 6-point deduction handed to its women’s soccer team has been rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS].

Defending gold medalist Canada was hit with the penalty in the pool stage of the Olympic women’s soccer tournament after New Zealand, who Canada played in its opening match, said it had spotted a drone flying over one of its training sessions. After those allegations came to light, Canada Soccer said it had become aware of further incidents of spying pre-dating the Paris Olympics.

Head coach Bev Priestman and two other members of the coaching staff were suspended from their positions by Canada Soccer and banned from all soccer-related activity for a year by soccer’s governing body FIFA in the aftermath of the scandal.

American swimmer Katharine Berkoff won a bronze medal yesterday in the 100-meter backstroke, exactly 32 years after her dad pulled off the same feat.

Tommy Paul has advanced to the men’s singles quarterfinals after a closely fought match against Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

With the hometown crowd firmly behind Moutet, Paul overcame strong resistance to become the first American to reach the medal finals since Stevie Johnson in 2016 in Rio.

Kelly Cheng reached a career milestone when she competed in her first Olympics at the Tokyo Games. But instead of enjoying competition against the world’s best, the U.S. beach volleyball star felt dread.

“Every match, every point, every contact on the ball felt like life or death,” she said. “I was stressed mentally, physically.”

Cheng said on NBC’s “My New Favorite Olympian” podcast that criticism from her detractors took a toll on her mental health.

“A lot of people don’t like how I play volleyball,” she said. “Me reading [online hate] is letting it in. So that really feeds into the negative self-talk because then that negative voice in my head starts repeating those things that I’ve read.”

Read the full story here.

After falling during a risky front flip in her first run, Team USA’s gold medal favorite Hannah Roberts was under immense pressure to nail her second attempt. Her second run went wrong from the star with her feet slipping from the pedals during her first trick to cap off a nightmare afternoon for the 22-year-old.

However, there was a medal for Team USA as Roberts’ teammate Perris Banegas took home silver with a big second run to earn a score of 90.70.

Roberts was the big favorite to win gold in the women’s BMX freestyle having taken five of the last seven world championship titles and the inaugural X Games title in this discipline in June. The top step of the podium eluded her in Tokyo after rival Charlotte Worthington of Britain put up a huge score to snatch gold.

Roberts looked distraught here, throwing her bike down in frustration after failing to complete her second run.

China’s Deng Yawen took gold with an impressive score of 92.60.

Earlier in practice, a collision with another rider sent Roberts tumbling down one of the Place de la Concorde ramps.

Watch the moment that the competitors in the women’s triathlon dive into the Seine, which was declared safe for swimming.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic easily dispatched German Dominik Koepfer in straight sets to advance to the quarterfinals in men’s singles.

The Serb, who beat long-time rival Rafael Nadal this past weekend, will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

It’s the kind of moment that the Olympics can generate.

After the medal ceremony for mixed doubles table tennis, the first-, second- and third-place teams got together for a selfie.

That’s not particularly novel except for the teams involved. China took first, with North Korea and South Korea in second and third.

Tensions between North Korea and South Korea remain high, with North Korea recently sending trash-laden balloons into South Korea, a response to the South sending ballons of leaflets, medicine, money and digital media into the North.

Colin Jost is keeping fans updated about his injured foot.

The “SNL” star, who is covering Olympics surfing for NBC in Tahiti, shared a photo of his left foot with three bandaged toes.

“You know it’s going great when you’ve been to the Olympic medical tent more than any of the athletes,” he wrote in the caption.

Read the full story here.

Hannah Roberts went for the big finish: a front flip off one of the Place de la Concorde ramps in the first run of the BMX freestyle final.

She didn’t quite have enough rotation to land it, with the five-time world champion tumbling to the ground. She’ll need a big effort in the second run to take home a medal.

China’s Deng Yawen was the only rider to score over 90 points, scoring 92.50 to top the leaderboard after the first round. Great Britain’s Charlotte Worthington took gold with a score of 97.50 in Tokyo, so there is definitely room for these riders to go bigger with their final runs.

Roberts’ American teammate Perros Benegas scored 83.40 to put her fourth after the first run.

Remember, each rider’s best score counts, so Roberts will get another chance shortly when she goes again for a second and final run.

Shannon Miller, an Olympic gymnast who was a part of the 1996 Magnificent Seven, talked to NBC News’ Tom Llamas about the women’s U.S. gymnastics team and Simone Biles surpassing her medal record.

Chris Landers, NBC Sports

It’s hard to imagine a better start to the Paris Olympics than the one the U.S. men’s basketball team authored against Serbia. The offense shot over 60%, Kevin Durant looked like he’d never left and Team USA’s defensive intensity and offensive composure were both much improved from what we saw in their pre-Paris tuneups. 

Still, that was just one game. This tournament is a marathon, not a sprint, and if the U.S. wants a historic fifth straight gold medal, there are still plenty of areas to improve — starting at 3 p.m. ET Wednesday against a South Sudan team that nearly pulled off a shocking upset in London just a couple weeks ago.

What does the U.S. have to do to avoid a similar fate in the rematch? Here are four questions that will go a long way toward deciding the game.

• How much will Jayson Tatum play?
• Will U.S. defense improve?
• Which Joel Embiid shows up?
• Can Kevin Durant get some rest?

Read the full story here.

Wang Chuqin’s luck seems to have come and then gone this week.

Wang was elated yesterday when he won gold in the mixed-doubles table tennis event with Sun Yingsha, his partner on the Chinese team. But his excitement was short-lived. Photographers broke his bat when they rushed toward him for photos.

Wang was visibly distressed and remonstrated with photographers before his coach comforted him with a hug.

Now, Wang has lost to Swedish opponent Truls Möregårdh in the singles round of 32 today. Some users of the Chinese social media site Weibo blamed paparazzi after they broke his paddle yesterday.

The U.S. women’s four won a preliminary heat and qualified for the event’s final with an impressive effort to overtake China.

In early strokes, it appeared the Americans would be behind the Chinese and have to fight with Ireland for the second spot.

But the crew of Kate Knifton, Daisy Mazzio-Manson, Kelsey Reelick, and Emily Kallfelz kept at it, eventually shedding Ireland for qualification position and then overtaking China for style points.

The finals are set for tomorrow at 11:50 a.m. local time (5:50 a.m. ET), featuring the U.S., China, New Zealand, Great Britain, Romania and the Netherlands.

And they’re off. The Women’s BMX Freestyle final is underway over at Place de la Concorde.

Having qualified in first place, Team USA’s gold medal favorite Hannah Roberts will be the last of the nine riders to put down their first run.

The story goes that Teahupo’o, one the world’s most famous big-wave surfing destinations, got its surfing reputation when locals found the courage to take on a break believed to be too treacherous.

According to oral history, a Tahitian girl, Vēhiatua i te Māta’i, rode the wave at Teahupo’o in the late 1800s, impressing onlookers who were expecting to see a bodysurfing contest. 

It’s those Polynesian roots that the International Surfing Association hopes to tie to the modern sport by allowing Olympics surfing to take place in Tahiti, some 10,000 miles from Paris. Women’s surfing heats are set to happen later today, although they will naturally be contingent on the weather.

The tiny Polynesian village is making history this summer as the most far-flung Olympic venue from its host city. It’s one of those places early surfers daydreamed of visiting years before board-riders were even photographed riding its waves.

Reporting from Saint-Denis, France

It’s no huge surprise that China will take home the gold from today’s women’s synchronized 10-meter platform dives. Not only has the country won each of the three diving events contested so far at the Paris Games, but this is also China’s 50th all-time diving gold medal — more than any other nation.

As for the 10-meter synchronized specifically, the nation’s athletes have won gold at this event in each of the seven Olympics at which it’s contested the event. Chen and Quan have been responsible for two of those golds.

Meanwhile, North Korea won its first-ever Olympic diving medal today. Kim Mi Rae was making her second Olympics appearance after finishing fourth at Rio in 2016 Jo Jin Mi. The team also won a silver in yesterday’s table tennis mixed doubles.

As for Toulson and Spendolini-Sirieix, the British bronze winners, it’s their first Olympic medals and Great Britain’s first-ever medal in this event. That means Team GB has now won a medal in each Olympic diving event contested so far in Paris.

Team USA triathlete Seth Rider tells NBC News that his now-viral comment about not washing his hands to build up his immune system was a joke.

After finishing 29th in the race, he was asked if he was thinking about the quality of the water during the race.

“Well, not really, but hopefully it’s all right, because I think I swallowed like a liter of water,” he said.

He described the current as “crazy” but didn’t seem to mind at all.

“I would love if more races were like that. It was really challenging,” he said. “Really, you had to be focused. And I think you saw huge gaps after the swim. It just really rewarded people that are tactically astute and strong swimmers.”