Gymnastics preview, Aug. 5: Simone Biles closes out gymnastics in Paris with two more medal opportunities

When Simone Biles is on the roster, many individuals routinely assume gold. Nonetheless, the steadiness beam title is nearly anyone’s sport. 

China’s Zhou Yaqin, the reigning world silver medalist, completed the qualification spherical with the best rating, however not by a lot. Biles, the reigning world champion, completed simply over a tenth beneath Yaqin and might be hungry for gold after profitable bronze in Rio and Tokyo. 

Suni Lee can be concentrating on gold and has been very vocal about her purpose when speaking to the media. 

“Beam, I need to win this time round,” Lee stated after taking bronze on the uneven bars the day earlier than beam finals. “I really feel like each single time I make it right into a beam last I by no means actually show what I can do. So this time round I need to show to myself that I can do it.” 

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade might contend for a spot on the rostrum as nicely. Andrade certified in third and solely wants yet another medal to surpass sailors Robert Scheidt and Torben Grael to change into probably the most embellished Brazilian in Olympic historical past. 

BALANCE BEAM QUALIFICATION RESULTS: 
1. Zhou Yaqin (China) – 14.866
2. Simone Biles (United States) – 14.733
3. Rebeca Andrade (Brazil)  – 14.500
4. Suni Lee (United States)  – 14.033
5. Sabrina Maneca-Voinea (Romania) – 14.000
6. Manila Esposito (Italy) – 13.966
7.  Alice D’Amato (Italy) – 13.866
8. Julia Soares (Brazil) – 13.800

Gold Medal goes to Harvard-Radcliffe’s Kristen Faulkner ’16 for Olympic Road Cycling

PARIS, FRANCE –– Kristen Faulkner ’16 gained the gold within the Girls’s Biking Street Race on Sunday, Aug. 4. The previous Harvard-Radcliffe rower turned bike owner completed out the race with a spectacular comeback victory to earn first place.

That is the primary ladies’s biking medal for Crew USA in 40 years since Connie Carpenter-Phinney did so within the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Faulkner completed with a time of three:59:23 which was 0:58 forward of second place. She completed first out of 93 different Olympic cyclists, breaking away with three kilometers to go to take Gold on Sunday in Paris.

The Alaska native was a Harvard-Radcliffe varsity rower for 2 years (2015-2016). In 2016, Faulkner was a part of the primary varsity boat for all the season. She sat 5 seat within the 1V on the IRA Nationwide Championship the place she helped the group earn a bronze. The Black and White additionally got here in second place at Japanese Sprints earlier that yr.

She took up biking simply 4 years in the past, first beginning to trip in Central Park, New York. Faulkner obtained a job in enterprise capital in California earlier than deciding she needed to be an expert bike owner. 

Faulkner initially entered the Olympics in simply the monitor biking occasions, however the USA group wanted a alternative for Taylor Knibb who resigned her spot within the highway race to concentrate on the time trial and triathlon occasions.

The Harvard-Radcliffe alumni is ready to compete within the Crew Pursuit competitions later this week. US Olympic Monitor Biking might be streamed on Peacock. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
11:30 AM ET – Girls’s Crew Pursuit Qualifying
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
6:45 AM ET – Girls’s Crew Pursuit First Spherical
11:30 AM ET – Girls’s Crew Pursuit Finals
 

Who is U.S. cyclist Kristen Faulkner, the winner of the women’s road race?

She stop her enterprise capitalist job in 2021 to pursue coaching full time. She received the 2024 U.S. Professional Highway Race and solely had three Grand Tour stage wins over the previous two years, not practically as many as her opponents that surrounded her on the finish of the ladies’s race in Paris.

Despite the fact that she appreciated street biking extra and rides professionally for EF Training-Cannondale, it was monitor biking that originally certified her for the Olympics. USA Biking invited her to Colorado Springs in 2023 to judge her potential for the group pursuit program. After that, she competed in a race in February 2024 with the group pursuit squad and was named to the monitor biking group after that.

Trying to qualify for one of many two street race positions accessible for People on the Paris Video games, Faulkner simply narrowly missed the minimize when she misplaced to Knibb by 11 seconds on the U.S. Highway Biking Time Trial Championships. Knibb, a triathlete, shocked everybody when she received the race — simply her second street biking race of her skilled profession. 

Faulkner doesn’t simply excel on the bike. She graduated from Harvard College in 2016 with a level in laptop science. She was a varsity rower for 2 years in faculty and at the moment holds Harvard’s file for the quickest 2k erg (indoor rowing machine) time for light-weight girls.

By way of her private life, she grew up in Homer, Alaska, and is proud to be from the fishing city. She can be obsessed with gender equality and supporting extra girls in know-how and entrepreneurship.

Faulkner may have an opportunity to win a second medal on the Video games when she hits the monitor on Tuesday August sixth at 11:30 a.m. ET, within the girls’s group pursuit.

Ahead of team competition, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles encouraged Suni Lee to “walk out like you’re the reigning Olympic champion.” – Exclusive

For U.S. gymnast Suni Lee, successful the all-around gold medal at Tokyo 2020 was a dream come true.

An sudden burden, too.

The then-18-year-old discovered herself all of a sudden thrust into the worldwide highlight, the subsequent in an extended line of Olympic legends to say the crown together with Nadia Comaneci, Nastia Liukin and Simone Biles.

Lee instructed reporters she had imposter syndrome.

It’s one thing that’s caught together with her, at the same time as she’s defied all the chances to make it to the Olympic Video games Paris 2024 regardless of a kidney-related sickness {that a} yr in the past regarded to threaten her return journey to the Video games.

Teammates Biles and Jordan Chiles might really feel the self-doubt, Lee instructed Olympics.com, encouraging her to personal her greatness in a heart-to-heart forward of Tuesday’s (30 July) ladies’s group closing.

“They had been similar to, ‘It’s worthwhile to stroll out just like the reigning Olympic champion,” she instructed us completely. “As a result of they see it within the health club that I simply really feel a bit of bit extra nervous or tense.

“I really feel like I’ve been attempting to channel that a bit of bit extra,” she continued. “It’s positively exhibiting in my gymnastics.”

During the last week in Paris, Lee has received three medals, group gold and all-around and uneven bars bronze. Her all-around medal was the primary for a reigning Olympic champion since Comaneci took gold in 1976 and adopted it up with silver in 1980.

Solely 12 ladies, together with Biles, personal two Olympic all-around medals.

Lee’s six whole Olympic medals are at present tied with Aly Raisman for third by an American gymnast. She’ll go for medal quantity seven – shifting to a tie for second place with Shannon Miller – in Monday’s (5 August) stability beam closing.

“[I’m] simply having fun with each single second,” she mentioned. “It’s simply been actually enjoyable.”

Paris 2024 gymnastics: Kaylia Nemour wins Algeria’s first Olympic gymnastics title on the uneven bars

Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour had the group at Bercy Enviornment within the palm of her hand Sunday afternoon (4 August) as she swung her manner into historical past on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024.

The French-born gymnast struck uneven bars gold with a large 15.700 rating, holding off a robust problem from the Folks’s Republic of China’s Qiu Qiyuan, the reigning world champion on the occasion. Qiu scored 15.600.

Two-time Olympic all-around medallist Suni Lee grabbed a 3rd medal of those Video games in third at 14.800.

“It truly is my lifelong dream,” Nemour informed Olympics.com. “It has been a aim since 2020. Even I had my doubts earlier than I stepped on the bar, I informed myself it wasn’t doable that I might be Olympic champion. And I handed, it was unbelievable.”

Nemour’s triumph is a primary for Algeria and any African gymnast on the Olympic Video games. She is Algeria’s sixth ever Olympic champion.

“I’m very completely happy to have received this medal for Algeria. I hope I made them proud,” she stated. “It is true that the strain was very excessive the final days, however I managed to remain calm and targeted. I used to be in a position to carry out my routine (properly) at present.”

A 12 months in the past, Nemour made historical past for her nation as she received world silver on the occasion. It was the primary medal by an African gymnast on the World Gymnastics Championships.

Her 2024 season has been good, with World Cup wins and large 15.500 or increased scores in Cottbus, Doha and Baku. These performances marked the 17-year-old as a favorite for gold in Paris.

Nemour was overcome with emotion as quickly as her ft hit the mat on her caught double structure dismount. Qiu embraced her because the rating got here up, with Lee coming over to congratulate the Algerian.

“Everybody did unbelievable. It was tremendous cool to only see them as a result of I feel solely we will actually perceive all of the work that we put in,” Lee informed reporters afterward. “So seeing all of them go up there and do all the pieces that they have been imagined to do after watching them in follow, that is simply tremendous cool and I am so completely happy for everybody.”

Scottie Scheffler shoots 62 to win golf gold at Olympics

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – The legend of Scottie Scheffler retains rising, and the most recent addition is golden.

World No. 1 Scheffler caught hearth on the again 9 at Le Golf Nationwide, coming from off the tempo to swipe the gold medal for Staff USA from a gaggle of elite contenders within the ultimate holes of a enthralling Paris Olympics competitors.

Opening the ultimate spherical 4 photographs again of the leaders, Scheffler tied a course file by firing a 9-under-par 62 on Sunday. He birdied his first three holes of the afternoon after which six of 9 after the flip, together with a pivotal run of 4 in a row to grab a spot atop the leaderboard that he would not lose.

Scheffler’s match complete of 19 beneath beat silver-medalist Tommy Fleetwood of Nice Britain by one shot. Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (17 beneath) gained the bronze medal.

In his first Olympics, Scheffler, 28, hadn’t been thrilled with how he’d performed the primary three rounds, however he’d performed nicely sufficient to remain with out shouting distance. Ultimately, he stepped up whereas different prime gamers stumbled down the stretch. Spain’s Jon Rahm – who led by 4 strokes at one level Sunday – performed holes No. 11 by way of No. 14 at 4 over, making a expensive double bogey on 14.

2024 Olympic medals: Who’s main the medal depend? Comply with alongside as we monitor the medals for each sport.

Interactive graphic: Wish to prepare like an Olympic champion? Begin with this skilled recommendation.

Eire’s Rory McIlroy hit it into the water on No. 15. That was a expensive double bogey for him.

In the meantime, Scheffler took the solo lead with a 17-foot birdie putt on No. 17, one stroke forward of Fleetwood, who nonetheless had three holes remaining. After a birdie on the par-3 sixteenth to catch Scheffler, Fleetwood drove it into the deep tough on No. 17. From off the inexperienced, he chipped a poor third shot too far previous the outlet and bogeyed to slide to 18 beneath. Scheffler was on the driving vary, getting ready for a attainable playoff, as Fleetwood missed the inexperienced on No. 18 and could not chip in for a birdie.

It was the second Olympic golf gold medal in a row for the U.S. males, with Scheffler matching teammate Xander Schauffele’s gold from Tokyo.

Schauffele opened Sunday’s spherical tied for the lead however unraveled within the ultimate 11 holes. He bogeyed No. 8. Then on No. 12 and No. 13, wayward drives into the tough led to bogeys, and a double bogey on No. 15 ended dwindling possibilities for a medal.

One other American – Wyndham Clark – who’d been largely forgotten since capturing a first-round 75, closed with consecutive 65s to go to 11 beneath for match. It was an encouraging weekend for a participant who had been struggling of late. And the USA’s Collin Morikawa could not get a lot going this week, capturing three 70s to complete 6 beneath.

U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke wins gold in 1500 meter freestyle : NPR

The USA’s Bobby Finke received the 1,500-meter freestyle last on the Paris Olympics Sunday night time, shattering a world report within the endurance race that had stood since 2012.

Manan Vatsyayana/AFP through Getty Pictures


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Manan Vatsyayana/AFP through Getty Pictures

NANTERRE, France — The U.S.’s Bobby Finke established a razor-thin lead early within the Olympic 1,500-meter freestyle last, an endurance contest that forces swimmers to battle for almost a mile.

Finke was challenged till the ultimate stretch by Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri, however within the last hundred meters he pulled away.

The American received gold by almost 4 seconds, with a time of 14:30:67, shattering the world report set by Chinese language swimmer Solar Yang on the 2012 Summer season Video games in London.

“I might see I used to be half a physique size to a physique size in entrance of [the record] at occasions,” Finke stated after the race. “I knew I used to be on that tempo. That wasn’t actually my focus, however I did hit the world report, so I’m actually happy with that.”

He described the ultimate third of the endurance race as grueling: “Towards the top it was beginning to damage loads, particularly that final 400 meters. However I knew it was going to harm.”

Finke is the primary member of the American males’s swimming crew to win gold in Paris in a person occasion. His win and a later victory within the ladies’s 4×100 meter medley relay brings the tally for U.S. swimmers to eight gold medals in Paris.

Palterinieri took silver, with Daniel Wiffen of Eire ending in third to assert bronze.

Three years in the past, Finke established himself by successful the 1,500 meter race in Tokyo. In response to Olympics.com, he was the primary American to win at that distance within the Summer season Video games since 1984.

Finke additionally received a silver medal on the Paris Video games the 800-meter freestyle.

Whereas Sunday’s races wrap up Olympic pool swimming at La Protection area in Paris, there are nonetheless males’s and ladies’s outside 10,000-meter marathon swimming competitions scheduled for Thursday and Friday. These races are set to be held within the Seine River.

Bobby Finke breaks world record to win men’s 1500m freestyle gold

American ironman Bobby Finke smashed the lads’s 1500m freestyle world file as he retained the Olympic gold medal in an exciting swim that put america on high of the medal desk on the Paris pool.

After 30 lung-busting laps, Finke touched the wall in 14 minutes, 30.67 seconds at La Protection Enviornment, eclipsing Solar Yang’s 12-year-old mark of 14:31.02 set on the London Video games.

Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri took silver, 3.88 seconds behind Finke, with Daniel Wiffen, the 800m gold medalist, taking the bronze for Eire.

RESULTS

“I may see the world file line on the board a pair occasions,” Floridian Finke instructed reporters.

“It wasn’t like I used to be making an attempt to see it. I simply occurred to see it.

“I am simply completely satisfied I gained. I had a variety of stress going into the race.”

The 24-year-old turned the primary male swimmer to go back-to-back in essentially the most grueling pool occasion since Australia’s Grant Hackett in 2000-04 and the primary American since Mike Burton in 1968-72.

Finke was additionally the defending champion within the 800m, however Wiffen beat him to change into Eire’s first male Olympic swimming champion.

Finke’s 1500m win was a significant enhance for the U.S. staff whose males had not gained a single particular person gold earlier than the race and have been beneath the microscope from dwelling media.

“I used to be studying all of the articles and all of the feedback and every thing,” he stated.

“I like studying that stuff. It form of motivates me inside.

“As a lot because it sucks that we’re not dominating anymore, I believe it is good for the game and it reveals how far the game has come.”

Finke’s win gave the U.S. its seventh gold medal of the meet, the staff leapfrogging Australia to the highest of the desk on the final evening of competitors.

The U.S. ladies then cemented high spot with an eighth gold in a dominant medley relay to cap the night.

Great Scottie! Scheffler gets the Olympic gold medal in a thriller with a 62

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) — Scottie Scheffler was a mannequin of calm and greatness as he delivered the best closing spherical of his profession. The ultimate two hours had been about costs and collapses, pure theater that ended Sunday with the Olympic gold medal fittingly draped across the neck of golf’s No. 1 participant.

It was solely when Scheffler stood on the highest podium, when the ultimate few bars of the nationwide anthem belted out throughout Le Golf Nationwide, that he misplaced management.

The medal dangling beneath his proper hand mounted throughout his chest, Scheffler raised his left arm to cowl the sobs.

Tears are nothing new for Scheffler. His newest trophy introduced out his easiest.

4 photographs behind to start out the ultimate spherical, six photographs behind early on the again 9, Scheffler birdied 5 of six holes down the stretch and matched the course document with a 9-under 62 for a one-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood.

“It’s been an extended week. It’s been a difficult week. I performed some nice golf as we speak, and I’m proud to be going dwelling with a medal,” Scheffler mentioned. “These guys performed large golf and I feel we must always all be happy with the golf that we performed this week.”

It was a show-stopper, the perfect of the three males’s competitions since golf returned to the Olympic program in 2016 earlier than 30,000 spectators that acquired their euros’ price.

The exceptional surge by Scheffler, who shot 29 on the again 9. The relentless play of Fleetwood (66) and Hideki Matsuyama, who had birdie probabilities on the ultimate six holes and needed to accept pars for a 65 to win the bronze.

And there was a shocking collapse by Jon Rahm, who noticed a four-shot lead disappear in two holes and his hopes vanish with a double bogey; by Rory McIlroy, one shot behind till hitting wedge into the water; and by Xander Schauffele, the PGA and British Open champion who had an opportunity to win one other gold till taking part in a four-hole stretch in 4-over par.

To not be missed was Victor Perez of France, who hit the opening tee shot on Thursday and got here inside one shot of a medal on Sunday. He ought to know the lyrics to “La Marseillaise” if he didn’t already. Followers serenaded him on nearly each tee.

All of them had an opportunity throughout this thriller of a again 9.

Ultimately, it was Scheffler — after all — giving the perfect efficiency of his best yr. Already a six-time winner on the PGA Tour this yr, together with his second Masters title, Scheffler added Olympic gold to an astonishing season with a spherical that saved the sellout crowd on edge for a wild conclusion.

He set an Olympic document for 72 holes at 19-under 265.

Scheffler turns into the second straight American to win gold in males’s golf, following Schauffele within the Tokyo Video games.

The one downer was Scheffler successful whereas on the follow vary, mentally spent whereas getting ready for a playoff that didn’t occur when Fleetwood missed the 18th inexperienced properly to the left and his 100-foot pitch simply missed the opening.

It was all such a blur that Scheffler didn’t even know the place he stood.

“I noticed that Rahm had gotten to 20-under, and so I type of modified slightly bit mentally to simply actually attempt to do my greatest to maneuver my means up the leaderboard, and at one level I didn’t even actually know if I used to be in rivalry or not,” Scheffler mentioned.

“I simply tried to do my greatest to make some birdies and begin transferring up and perhaps get a medal or one thing like that simply because Jon is such a fantastic participant.”

When he lastly acquired a take a look at a leaderboard behind the sixteenth inexperienced, Scheffler was within the fairway on the par-4 fifteenth and hit wedge to a foot. That acquired him inside one. Then got here his tee shot to eight toes for birdie on the par-3 seventeenth. And the winner turned out to be an 8-iron he gouged out of the tough to 18 toes for a fourth straight birdie and his first lead of the week.

“He’s been piling up trophies left and proper and he retains transferring away from what’s the pack of individuals chasing him on this planet,” Schauffele mentioned. “Once I take my aggressive hat off and put my USA patriot hat on, I’m very comfortable that we received one other gold medal.”

McIlroy, who ended his tenth straight yr and not using a main, entered the combination when he started the again 9 with 5 straight birdies. He was one off the lead, in the midst of the fifteenth fairway with a wedge in his hand.

“Missed my spot by practically 3 or 4 yards and that ended up costing me a medal,” he mentioned.

However he got here away with a deeper appreciation of the Olympics, particularly within the three years of rising prize cash to fend off the rival LIV Golf league funded by Saudi riches.

“I nonetheless assume that the Ryder Cup is the perfect match that now we have in our recreation, pure competitors, and I feel this has the potential to be proper up there with it,” McIlroy mentioned. “I feel with how a lot of a (expletive) present the sport of golf is correct now and you consider the 2 tournaments that is perhaps the purest type of competitors in our sport, we don’t play for cash in it.”

“It speaks volumes for what’s necessary in sports activities,” he mentioned. “I feel each single participant this week has had a tremendous expertise.”

That begins with Scheffler, who confirmed sheer brilliance together with his greatest rating of the yr, a 62 that matched the perfect closing spherical of his profession. He opened with three straight birdies to get his identify on the board. He had a pair of 12-foot birdies early on the again 9.

After which Scheffler started to soar till he acquired on the rostrum and sobbed. He received The Gamers Championship with a five-shot comeback in March, one other Masters title in April and 4 signature occasions on the PGA Tour towards the strongest fields.

And now an Olympic gold medal.

“It was simply very emotional being up there on stage there because the flag is being raised and sitting there singing the nationwide anthem,” he mentioned. “That’s undoubtedly one I’ll keep in mind for a very long time.”

___

AP Summer season Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Scottie Scheffler wins gold medal in Olympics golf – NBC New York

Scottie Scheffler added a gold medal to an incredible 2024 season that has already included a second inexperienced jacket with a win on the Masters. Scheffler gained the lads’s particular person stroke play golf event on the Paris Olympics’ Le Golf Nationwide course with a wild remaining spherical on Sunday.

Scheffler, 28, wins his first Olympic medal in his Olympics debut and brings the gold again to the USA.

Scheffler scored a -9 beneath remaining spherical of 62 on Sunday to catapult himself onto the highest of the rostrum. He completed -19 beneath par. Scheffler would birdie holes 1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17 for an thrilling remaining spherical.

He set an Olympic report for 72 holes at 19-under 265. Nice Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood, who fell out of the lead with a bogey from the tough on the seventeenth, obtained up-and-down for par on the ultimate gap for a 66 to win the silver medal.

Scheffler was visibly emotional through the medal ceremony because the nationwide anthem performed, showing to wipe away tears in his eyes.

“I am not large on comparisons or something like that,” Scheffler mentioned when requested by NBC Olympics the place this ranks amongst his accomplishments. “I am simply going to get pleasure from this second. Like I mentioned, I take large delight in representing my nation and I am very proud to be going house, to be going again to the USA with a medal.”

Hideki Matsuyama (-17) gained the bronze. France’s Victor Perez (-16) completed fourth, simply off the rostrum. Eire’s Rory McIlroy (-15) and Spain’s John Rahm (-15) completed tied for fifth.

USA’s Xander Schauffele, who gained the gold within the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, completed tied for ninth at -12. Wyndham Clark (-11) tied for 14th and Colin Morikawa (-5) completed tied at twenty fourth.

Schauffele was tied for the 54-hole lead with Rahm till he had a collapse of his personal. So did Rory McIlroy, one off the lead till hitting wedge into the water on the fifteenth gap.

Scheffler is at present ranked primary on the earth and is properly positioned to win participant of the 12 months. He has six PGA wins in 2024, together with successful the Masters (his second win in Augusta), the Memorial, the RBC Heritage, the Gamers Championship, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler is the primary golfer to win six instances on the PGA tour in a single season since Tiger Woods in 2009.

All 4 golf majors additionally went to a participant from the USA.

“It was a fairly cool expertise, it was very particular,” Scheffler mentioned. “Like I mentioned, representing your nation is superb. Placing on the flag each morning is a fairly humbling expertise. Going out right here and doing our greatest. It was undoubtedly a enjoyable expertise, it was actually cool to go see the opposite occasions. I am proud to be going house with a medal.”

The place is Scottie Scheffler from?

Scottie Scheffler was born in Dallas, Texas, however when he was six, his household moved to Ridgewood, New Jersey, the place he spend most of his childhood, based on NBC Olympics. Scheffler went to the College of Texas.