3x3 basketball: Finally, a Barry good result for Americans
Canyon Barry scored a game-high 15 points and kept America’s medal hopes alive with a thrilling 21-19 victory over France in 3x3 basketball.
The United States entered the day 0-4 at the bottom of eight-team standings, in need of finishing sixth to make knockout play.
It looked bleak with France leading, 16-12, before Barry scored 7 points in a game-closing 9-3 American run.
Judo: French legend Teddy Riner takes home gold
French judo legend Teddy Riner has won gold in the men’s 100+kg judo amid jubilant scenes at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris.
Heavyweight Riner beat world No. 1 Minjong Kim from South Korea to claim his third Olympic title since Beijing 2008, and his sixth medal in total.
He is now the most decorated Olympic judoka ever.
Riner was one of the two French athletes who lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony, alongside Marie-Jose Perec.
The French are also delighted to overtake Great Britain in the gold medal table, with nine in total.
The 35-year-old Riner will be back in action tomorrow for the team competition.
Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong gets engaged after winning gold
It was a day of dual celebrations.
Chinese badminton player Huang Yaqiong won gold ... and then moments later got a diamond ring.
Huang and Zheng Siwei took first place in the badminton mixed doubles today, beating South Korea’s Kim Wonho and Jeong Naeun and Japan’s Watanabe Yuta and Higashino Arisa.
According to posts on social media, after Huang's win her boyfriend and teammate, Liu Yuchen, got down on one knee and proposed. The Olympic champion happily accepted, video posted on X showed.
Crowded waters in the women's triathlon
Athletes compete in the swim leg of the women’s individual triathlon competition today.
Elmo and Rocco the rock bring their feud to the Olympics
While athletes compete at the Olympics, two unlikely celebrities are bringing their ongoing feud to Paris.
"Sesame Street's" Elmo and Rocco, the rock, have been fighting for over a decade, but in 2022 the disagreement reached a fever pitch when a clip of Elmo and Rocco from May 3, 2004, went viral. Social media users began ascribing words like "savage" and "unhinged" to Elmo, the typically cute and cuddly character.
Since then, the ongoing battle between Elmo and Rocco has been a favorite among the extremely online. Rocco, literally a pet rock who does not speak or move, belongs to Elmo's friend Zoë. The disagreement between Elmo and Rocco originated from Zoë treating Rocco like a living, breathing friend while Elmo often reminds those around him that "Rocco’s just a rock! Rocco’s not alive!”
So Elmo appeared dismayed in a clip shared by the "TODAY' Show, in which he realized Rocco was also in attendance at the Olympics.
"Elmo's here with the "TODAY" show for the Paris Olympic Games," Elmo declared in the video, in which he is wearing a beret and standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. "Elmo's hoping to see some really cool people."
The camera then panned down, revealing Rocco was sitting just below Elmo.
"Oh, great," Elmo muttered in disappointment as he laid eyes on Rocco.
In a post to X, Elmo reminded everyone that Rocco was not eligible for the Olympics.
“Rocco is just a rock, he can’t win an Olympic medal!” Elmo wrote.
Elmo and Rocco were not immediately available to comment on the feud or the Paris Olympics.
Opening ceremony artistic director files complaint
Paris prosecutors said the artistic director of the opening ceremony lodged a complaint on Tuesday alleging online harassment, public insults, death threats and defamation in relation to his origins and sexual orientation.
The Paris Prosecutor's office said that the director, Thomas Jolly, said ”he was the target of threatening and insulting messages on social networks criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly assumed Israeli origins.” The investigation was referred to the French Central office for combating crimes against humanity and hate crimes “given the national dimension of the messages sent,” the Paris Prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo reacted and expressed her “unwavering support” to Jolly, adding that he carried “our values high” and that “Paris was proud and honored to count on his talent to celebrate our city.”
Several artists and performers of the opening ceremony have been exposed to strong backlash after some viewers interpreted a scene in the “Festivities” segment as mocking “The Last Supper” and took offense. Jolly however denied taking inspiration from the da Vinci painting showing Jesus and his apostles, saying that it was meant to refer to the gods of Olympus.
The French DJ Barbara Butch, who took part in the “Festivities” segment, took legal action this week, saying she was the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic and sexist insults and was threatened with death, torture and rape. Le Monde is reporting today that drag queen Nicky Doll, also part of the scene, filed a complaint today alleging defamation against British activist Laurence Fox, who on X called the artists taking part in the scene “deviant little pedos.”
Tennis: First Russian athletes, but not Russia, guaranteed medals
Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider will be the first Russian athletes to win a medal at Paris 2024, even though there’s no Russian team at these games and you won’t see any Russian flags or anthems.
The doubles pair defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-final, and will play in Sunday’s final at Roland Garros.
Russia was banned from sending a national team to the Olympics following the invasion of Ukraine.
Instead 15 athletes with Russian passports are competing in Paris as neutrals, after being invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The IOC barred athletes who have supported the war in Ukraine or are linked to Russia’s military or security agencies. Russia teams were also excluded.
Just over half the Russian athletes deemed eligible and invited by the IOC declined to compete in the games.
U.S. wins silver in Equestrian Team Jumping
Riders Karl Cook, Laura Kraut, and McLain Ward — and their horses Caracole de Roque, Baloutine and Ilex, respectively — helped the U.S. secure second place on Friday.
It’s the third time in a row that the U.S. nabbed silver at the Summer Olympics.
Cook and Ward had clean runs. Cook learned he would ride just hours before qualifying after Kent Farrington’s horse suffered an allergic reaction.
Kraut, 58, took the only penalty when her horse missed a jump. Her win Friday made her the oldest female Olympian to win a medal for the U.S. since 1904.
Great Britain won gold, the country’s first medal in the event since 2012 when they also nabbed gold. France took bronze.
Earlier this week, Great Britain also won gold in the Equestrian Team Eventing. If they win Team Dressage on Saturday, it will be the first time a country came in first place for all three events since West Germany in 1988.
Archery: USA takes bronze in mixed team event
The United States' archery mixed team of Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold will walk away with bronze.
Germany took silver and South Korea continued its reign over the sport taking home yet another gold.
This is the fourth Olympic medal for Ellison, 35, making him the most decorated American archer ever. He has the chance to add to his arsenal, still competing in the men’s individual competition, currently up to the round of 16.
The rest of the bracket will be completed on Sunday.
Kaufhold, 20, won her first medal in her second Olympics.
This is the U.S.' first medal in this event, which made its debut in Tokyo, and its first archery medal since the 2016 Rio Olympics.
U.S. finished in men's soccer, shown door by Morocco in 4-0 drubbing
Soufiane Rahimi, Ilias Akhomach, Achraf Hakimi and Mehdi Maouhoub all scored in Morocco’s 4-0 victory over the United States, sending the Americans packing in the quarterfinals of Olympic soccer.
All three goals set off celebratory flares across packed Parc des Princes, as the decidedly pro-Moroccan crowd delighted in the Atlas Lions’ domination.