USWNT's Sophia Smith: 'We've moved on' from World Cup dissapointment
U.S. women's national team forward Sophia Smith has said the team has moved on from the disappointment of last summer's World Cup and is fully focused on success in the Olympics, looking to add to its four gold medals.
The USWNT suffered its earliest-ever exit from a World Cup in last summer's tournament in Australia after losing on penalties in the Round of 16 against Sweden. Since then, the team has a new head coach and several younger players have come through the ranks, replacing stalwarts Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and Alex Morgan.
"We’ve moved on from last summer," Smith told reporters ahead of this afternoon's opening match against Zambia. "It’s not something that we bring back into this environment right now. It’s a completely new environment, a new opportunity, a lot of new players. And we just look forward."
"We’ve grown a lot, and we’ve introduced a lot of new things that I think will help us have success in this tournament."
Team New Zealand takes aim at Simone Biles pin — and scores one from Biles herself
Simone Biles might just be your favorite Olympian's favorite Olympian.
Pin trading has become a fun tradition for athletes around the Olympic Village as each team gets a specially made pin for their country. But this year, Biles has brought her own personalized pins to trade.
Tysha Ikenasio, a New Zealand rugby player, is now in possession of one of these coveted pins.
"Basically I had to walk up and beg that she took one of our New Zealand pins and then she said that she'll give me her personal pin," Ikenasio said on TikTok as her teammates cheered. "So I feel like I clocked the pin game. I got it."
Olympic skateboarders skate through Paris after bus fails to collect them
Brazil's Olympic skateboarder Rayssa Leal and two fellow competitors had to use their own wheels to return to the Olympic Village, after the official bus failed to collect them from training.
Leal posted video on social media of them skating through Paris streets.
Caeleb Dressel doesn't trust that all his competitors are drug free
Swimmer Caeleb Dressel, who has seven Olympic gold medals and is favored to win more this year, said today that he doesn't have confidence that all his competitors are clean.
"I don’t really think they’ve given us enough evidence to support them with how this case was handled.”
Nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers had tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication banned by doping regulators, months before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but still allowed to compete. Eleven of these swimmers were named to the Paris squad.
Dressel's comments were echoed by Katie Ledecky a day earlier.
“I hope everyone here is going to be competing clean this week. But what really matters also is, were they training clean?” Ledecky told reporters yesterday.
“So really, hopefully, that’s been the case. Hopefully, there’s been even testing around the world.”
USA beats Uruguay, stays alive in rugby
Perry Baker's four tries sparked the United States to a 33-17 victory over Uruguay, keeping the Americans' medal hopes alive.
After a draw against France and loss to Fiji, the Americans needed a win at Stade de France to guarantee advancement out of pool play.
Crystal Dunn: USWNT is ready, but I won’t rest on my laurels
Crystal Dunn, the veteran defender on the U.S. women’s national soccer team heading into the Olympics, says it’s about time people are taking notice of women’s sports.
"Finally," she told NBC News on the eve of the WNBA draft. "What you see is just what happens when people pay attention. People are like, ‘Oh, women can ball.’"
The highly buzzed-about draft came after a gripping women’s NCAA basketball tournament, during which it seemed all anyone could talk about were superstar players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese or coaches Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey.
Céline Dion meets Brigitte Macron ahead of opening ceremony
World-famous pop icon Céline Dion, who is rumored to be performing at the Olympic opening ceremony, has met with the French first lady Brigitte Macron. A picture posted on Instagram by Macron's chief of staff staff showed the two women standing side by side.
Videos of Céline Dion in Paris began circulating on social media Tuesday, prompting rumors that the "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" songstress will perform tomorrow when the Games officially open. Yesterday, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera added even more fuel to the rumors, conceding that Celine’s presence in Paris was "not a coincidence."
Yesterday, the French-Canadian singer posted pictures of herself at the Louvre Museum, confirming that she is in Paris. In both English and French, she wrote that "every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world. I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back!"
Dion has been forced to put her career on hold in recent years. Last year, she canceled all future tour dates after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
USA goes into intermission ahead, 14-12
Perry Baker's second try, scored in the dying moments of the first half, gave the U.S. moment going into the break.
Uruguay hits back with rapid response
Uruguay responded with two tries to take the lead, 12-7.
The Americans need at least a tie to advance.
USA off to fast start in do-or-die
Perry Baker try gave the U.S. rugby team a quick, 7-0, lead over Uruguay.
The Americans need at least a tie to stay alive for medal competition.