Team USA wins gold in women's team final

Team USA women's gymnastics team celebrates thier gold medal performance at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. 

Team USA took home the gold medal in a thrilling performance unmatched at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics on Tuesday night in Paris. In front of many celebrities, family, and fans, the U.S. Women won the gymnastics team final at the Bercy Arena. For the third time since 1996, Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Jade Carey stood on top of all. Italy earned the silver medal, followed by Brazil, who won the bronze. 

After a wonderful performance in their subdivision qualification, the Americans were ready to best their silver medal from Tokyo and be on top for the first time since 2016. China and Japan were their closest competition in the Olympics but needed massive numbers to get close.

The United States women got underway on vault with  Chiles and Jade Carey nailing their attempts, sticking the landing each. Biles chose to perform a less difficult vault due to her tapped left calf. Her 14.900 bested her teammates, putting Team USA a point and a half ahead of China after the first rotation. 

The second rotation had the United States on uneven bars with Italy joining them. Chiles led the team off and brought their best early, scoring 14.366 before Biles went up. Italy’s Alice D’Amato, who won a spot in the apparatus final, scored 14.633. 

The 27-year-old American sped through her bars routine and slammed her feet to the mat. A 14.400 bested Chiles but not Sunisa Lee, who swept the floor with her feet and managed 14.566 based on her difficulty. At the halfway point, Team USA was three points ahead of Italy and four over China.

In the third rotation, the lineup for Team USA remained the same on the balance beam, but an unfortunate fall for Chiles occurred. At the start of her routine, the 23-year-old dropped off the beam for a one-point deduction, leaning too far to the left after jumping up. She finished the routine and earned 12.733, but had her teammates left to keep them on top. Lee had an excellent routine that earned the team 14.600, with Biles to close them out. She earned  14.366, giving them a 3.6-point lead over Italy and nearly five against Great Britain. 

Last up for the United States women was the floor exercise and Lee went first. The 21-year-old put together a masterful routine, earning the team 13.533. Chiles had several difficult tumbling passes in her routine and brought 13.966 with Biles left for the night. Italy guaranteed their team a medal halfway through the final rotation ending a 96-year drought. Biles stepped out of bounds twice during her floor routine, but it wasn’t enough for them to get anything less than gold. 

A total of 171.296 was what the US produced, followed by Italy, who beat Brazil by less than a point. Both countries made history by winning medals in the team competition for either the first time or ever. 

Krejcikova wins in three sets at the Summer Olympics

Barbora Krejcikova serves up a shot during the round of 16 match against Elina Svitolina at the Summer Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina gave it her best but the heat and competition were too much to overcome at the Summer Olympics Tuesday. Barbora Krejcikovabrought her best back to the grounds of Roland Garros to defeat the Ukrainian 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4 on Court Simone Mathieu. The doubles gold medalist brought out all the skills to make the last eight of the women’s singles tournament.

The two met back on the grounds of Roland Garros for the second time in three years. Their last meeting went the way of the Czech, who went on to win the championship. This year’s French Open didn’t go well for Krejcikova, going 0-4 during the clay court season. Her battle against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo was challenging, then caught a break against Xinyu Wang in the second round. 

The Ukrainian eased through the opening round and faced a tough Jessica Pegula, who didn’t have great records on clay but it was a late night victory for Svitolina. As the only defending medalist in the tournament, the 29-year-old wanted a win to come against Krejcikova by any means. 

Her efforts to play strong came through as she conducted a string of early victories against the Czech. After holding serve, she caught a break point chance at deuce to take the lone AD point and sit two games up. Svitolina consolidated, holding serve on Krejcikova, having the largest lead of the tournament to date. 

The Czech didn’t have her serve in check during the fourth game, suffering a double fault and errors. With the break chances in hand, Krejcikova erased them from memory, getting to deuce on a drop shot near the net. Krejcikova handled the AD point, scoring a crosscourt winner to notch a win in the set. 

A break on Svitolina lessened the gap for Krejcikova after the fifth game, earning a chance to overcome the entire deficit. Svitolina broke back in the sixth, only to suffer another breakback at the hands of Krejcikova in the seventh. The Czech scored the shutout on serve, leveling the score at the business end of the set. 

Svitolina worked hard in the ninth, needing two breaks to hold serve and play for the set. Krejcikova killed off that scenario, holding the Ukrainian to a point in the tenth. Svitolina responded serving Krejcikova to love, but breaking her was not in the cards. The 28-year-old held Svitolina to a point to force the set to a tiebreak. The two traded errors to one another, keeping the score close through five points. 

The two traded errors and winners to remain locked through ten points until an ace gave Krejcikova set point. A long ball from Svitolina handed the Czech the much-awaited victory after an hour of play. Both combined for 36 errors, with Krejcikova having the most. It came down to Svitolina’s four double faults that beat up her second serve, and unable to keep up with the Czech’s offensive pace.

Krejcikova got into the second, holding serve on the Ukrainian, who needed more from her service to get the job done. The Czech took her through two breaks before she could secure the one-all score. The 29-year-old managed to counter in the third, forcing deuce and winning it on the first break. Krejcikova tried to break back in the fourth, forcing deuce to gain a break-point chance. It was the only one she reached, while the Ukrainian took three attempts to clinch her service. The Czech kept her serve short in the fifth, followed by Svitolina, who had a two-game margin in her favor. 

The 29-year-old widened the gap, scoring a break in the seventh game to serve for a second straight deciding set. She got it done, serving to love, forcing them to the distance after 48 minutes. Svitolina limited the number of errors to six while Krejcikova had 22 in the set. It explained her struggle to return balls across the net and into another full-length match. 

Svitolina took the third to a new level, breaking Krejcikova and consolidating the effort on serve in the second. The 29-year-old blew her chance to double-break the Czech, allowing her opponent to save her service game, avoiding a three-game slide. Krejcikova rallied in the fourth, nearly breaking Svitolina to love. The Ukrainian battled back to force deuce but after two breaks, the win went to the 28-year-old. 

Krejcikova backed up the break in the fifth, holding off another threat from the Ukrainian. Svitolina scored her third shutout, only to watch her opponent do the same for a 4-3 lead. Krejcikova called the trainer to deal with a blister on her toe before proceeding with the eighth game. It was there that she watched breakpoints slip away and somehow score the break on deuce. 

The 28-year-old served for the match, falling behind on back-to-back errors. It left Svitolina with the break chance, taking it on a crosscourt winner. Krejcikova still had room to close out the match and earned three match points on costly errors from Svitolina. A wide return from the 29-year-old brought her tournament to an end and a place for Krejcikova in the quarterfinals after 2 hours and 48 minutes. 

Svitolina beats Pegula in three sets at Paris Olympics

Elina Svitolina celebrates a game-winner during the second-round match against Jessica Pegula at the Summer Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina played into the late into the Parisian night to move forward in the Summer Olympics Monday night. Jessica Pegula proved a formidable opponent early but overcame her in three sets winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 on Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros. 

The defending bronze medalist won her opening match against Moyuka Uchijima in straight sets, allowing the Japanese player three games. The challenge increased exponentially as she faced the world number six for the sixth time in their career. The American carried a 4-1 series lead, but none of their matches came on clay. Pegula didn’t play any tournaments on the surface due to an injury. Her win over Vikorija Golubic in straight sets allowed her to concentrate on playing up to speed on clay, and defeat the Ukrainian once more. 

Svitolina opened the scoring and went after the American in the second, only to come up short on deuce. Pegula upped the ante in the third, jumping to a breakpoint opportunity that gave her the lead. Svitolina broke back due to a couple of errors from Pegula’s forehand and controlled her serve in the fifth to consolidate. Pegula leveled the score after the sixth, scoring her first serve to love on the Ukrainian. 

Svitolina clinched another service hold, avoiding a lengthy deuce with the American, firing a brilliant backhanded crosscourt winner. The 30-year-old answered with another serve to love, maintaining an even keel on the scoreboard. She battled late in the ninth game, getting into a tight rally near the net, which ended with Svitolina losing on a ball into the net. Pegula played for the set, earning key points on long balls from the 29-year-old to end the first in 41 minutes. 

Two double faults were a big problem for Svitolina, whose second serve struggled offensively. Despite nine winners, her 15 unforced and previous factors dropped her momentum in the late stages of the set. 

She moved on into the second, holding serve on Pegula to get the set rolling. Pegula allowed her opponent a point before capping the second game. Svitolina shot beautifully in the third, smashing shots away from the American to lead on. In the fourth, the two got into a pop fly rally on the final point, when Svitolina stopped play due to a ball falling long of the baseline. The umpire determined she was correct and went on to go a break up at 3-1. 

Errors forced a breakback chance for Pegula, who was denied on a second ace from the 29-year-old. She kept the winners coming, clinching the AD point to consolidate the break. The American tried to turn things around but struggled to counter Svitolina on deuce. After two breaks, the Ukrainian had the double break in hand to serve for a chance at a decider. 

A drop in her game forced Svitolina to get aggressive and bring the game near the net. She forced deuce on errors from Pegula and took the set on a ball into the net ending 34 minutes of play. Svitolina limited the double faults in half, improving the second serve to 90 percent won from it. Pegula’s reception of points dropped with only 12 of 38 and 14 errors from her end. 

Svitolina took her momentum into the third and rallied with great depth in the rallies with the American, scoring the early break. She tied a service hold, preventing the world number six from forcing deuce. Pegula got on the board, serving Svitolina to love, but the 29-year-old was laser-focused. She went up 3-1, but let up and erred just enough to get Pegula within a game. As the players approached the business end of the match, holds of serve were key to attain. Svitolina had a two-game buffer in the sixth until a hold from Pegula kept the American within reach. 

The Ukrainian fed off the support in the crowd to take her two-game lead back and play for the match against the 30-year-old. Long balls from Pegula put her behind on serve, inching Svitolina closer to the end. A big return forehand set up Svitolina for match point, which came on a wide return from Pegula closing out the night in 1 hour and 49 minutes. 

US Men finish first, women move to repechage

 

The United States men's eights rowing team in their opening heat at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. 

The United States men’s avoided the repechage, making the finals at the Paris Olympics on Monday. The men set the pace and stayed out front, while the women trailed in theirs and suffered dropped into the repechage at the Vaires-sur Marne Nautical Stadium. Team Great Britain on both sides of the class, made their way to the finals, winning each of their heats. 

The United States men took off in their heat, setting a hot pace that saw the Netherlands on their tail. By the halfway mark, the US opened up to a two-seat lead and continued their pace. At the finish line, they had a five-seat lead to the line coming in with a time of 5:29.94. Joining them in the final was Great Britain, who defeated Italy and Australia. Their time of 5:37.04 was well below the mark the Americans set, but enough to get them into the final on Saturday. 

“It was an exciting one,” said Pieter Quinton of the American boat. “We knew it was going to be a tight race. We were definitely expecting the Dutch to come at us hard, so we knew we had to be ready from the start.”

The women didn’t fare well in their heat against the defending Olympic champs from Romania, who they remained behind in their heat with Italy in tow. The Romanians had a phenomenal pace that the American women couldn’t match on the day. At the 500-meter mark, Romanian had six seats on the United States. 

At the halfway mark, they had more than a boat length on the Americans, flying away with the win. Romania’s time of 6:12.31 was the mark to get into the final. The British women posted a finish of 6:16.20, beating the defending Olympic champions from Canada by more than a boat length. 

The United States joined Italy, Canada, and Demark to fight for a spot in Saturday’s final 

 

Svitolina gives Ukraine a first round win in Olympic Tennis

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine clenches her fist during round one of the Olympic Tennis Singles tournament at Roland Garros. 

Elina Svitolina put on a display for not only herself but also her country at the Olympic Games on Sunday. The Ukrainian smashed Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 on Court 14 to advance on the grounds of Roland Garros. Svitolina got into a groove in her first-round match, producing a ten-game winning streak before tasting victory.

The Japanese star earned the honor of having a challenging opening round against the only defending medalist of the sport from Tokyo. The Ukrainian stood as heavily favored to repeat, especially after her fourth-round finish in the French Open last month. Svitolina has many years of experience on clay courts in Paris and would be able to take her place back on the world stage.

Uchijima jumped on Svitolina’s service, but the Ukrainian battled back to force deuce, pressing the Japanese player to err for the win. The 22-year-old held her service in the second and achieved the break off Svitolina’s forehand returns smacking into the net. Svitolina fought through the points in their fourth game, until a break chance on deuce handed her the break back.

She notched a superb service in the fifth before scoring the double break off Uchijima in the sixth game. Svitolina’s experience kicked in, taking momentum away from her opponent and producing a strong output in her game. The Ukrainian marched on with her fourth win in a row, leaving Uchijima to figure out how to strike back. Svitolina didn’t give her time, rushing to two set points, earning the set win on a backhand from Uchijima into the net.

It was a 32-minute run for the players, with Uchijima faring well on first-serve shots, but committing two double faults. Svitolina’s second serve was the difference maker, scoring 7 of 11 points. She won four of six from the net and only made seven errors, compared to Uchijima’s ten.

They went into the second, with Svitolina getting back to work on serve. She notched her sixth game win in a row, forcing errors from Uchijima. By the third game, her streak reached eight, leaving the 22-year-old very little chance of responding. For the second time in the match, Svitolina had the double break, leading 4-0 against Uchijima, who saw defeat on the horizon.

The Ukrainian had ten games won before playing for the match against the 22-year-old, who tried to avoid the bagel. She surprised many, with a serve to love in the sixth, ending Svitolina’s streak. She brushed off the loss and coasted through her service for the match, ending it on a smash near the net for the straight sets victory that took one hour and two minutes. 

Paris dazzles in unique opening ceremony to open Paris 2024

Paris impressed the world with an amazing and unique opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. During a boat parade of athletes, Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura, and others welcomed the world to the Parisian capital, with musical performances in rainy conditions. 

The event began with a man carrying the torch into an empty Stade de France. Taking the torch away from him was Zinedine Zidane, former captain of the French Soccer team, who ran through the city and onto the metro to get to the Trocadero. As the torch made its way into the Seine, the athletes on ships began to sail west on the river starting with Greece and NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo carrying the flag.

In the middle of the river parade, the ceremony moved to the steppes near the Seine where Lady Gaga performed a French revue. The parade continued as they flipped to cover the path of the Olympic torch, with children carrying it. A mysterious man took charge of the torch and parkoured on the roofs of Paris as the parade went forward. The French revue took the form of the famous can-can dancers before the mystery person flew across the Seine by zip line.

They landed on the roof of Notre Dame, where they honored the builders who helped revive the Cathedral after the devastating fire five years ago. The Olympic flame was walked into the craft workhouse of Louis Vuitton as they carried out giant luggage trunks on bell carts. One was brought down to the spot where USA’s Michael Phelps and French biathlete Martin Fourcade standing by the river. Music took on a stronger position at the ceremony, with Les Misérables taking place in a theater and then heavy metal rock. 

Love and literature took their place in a short montage as operatic songs were sung. The music went to the Bridge de Concorde, with the French Republican Guard Band and Aya Nakamura singing one of her songs, blending the old and new. A short video depicted some of the Louvre’s famous paintings coming to life to see the boat parade of athletes. 

As it reached the Grand Palais, a woman holding the French Drapeau sang Le Marseillais on the roof. While the song continued, large statues of famous French women, who have contributed their skills to benefit the country were shown to the world and will be placed in different parts of Paris. 

The athletes approached the end of their trip to the Eiffel Tower, where a man, who could break dance, sang a beautiful aria in front of the world. Fashion made its mark on a bridge with a consistent runway show. The delegations of Australia, the United States, and France made their way down the Seine as the lights on the Eiffel Tower began to flash. 

Imagine, the John Lennon classic was sung by Juliette Armanet on a makeshift barge with a piano on fire. A metal horse rode down the river, images and video of previous Olympics were shown, while the 205 flags of the world were placed inside the Trocadero. An individual carried the Olympic flag and lifted it into the sky as the Olympic anthem played. 

President Emmanuel Macron opened the games of the 33rd Olympics of the modern era before the final relay of the Olympic Torch arrived at the Trocadero. Zidane had the torch back and handed it to the King of Clay of Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal. After a light show on the Eiffel Tower, Nadal was on a boat with Serena Williams, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci. Each held the torch as they journeyed down the Seine.  

Waiting at a quay for them was two-time grand slam champion Amelie Mauresmo, who ran the torch up and into the gates of The Louvre where NBA champ Tony Parker waited. He and Amelie met, with 22 other French Olympic athletes, who together met and exchanged the torch to one another. Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec were chosen to light it together. They in turn walked to a hot air balloon-style cauldron, which once lit, rose above The Louvre. A final song at the Eiffel Tower performed by Celine Dion ended the four-hour opening ceremony and opened the action to 15 days of sporting competition.  

Krejcikova surpasses Ostapenko in straight sets at Wimbledon

Barbora Krejcikova celebrates her quarterfinal victory against Jelena Ostapenko to advance at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Jelena Ostapenko’s serve slipped up to give her opponent a maiden semifinal at the Championships Wimbledon on Wednesday. Barbora Krejcikova took advantage of many windows the Latvian opened to win in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(4) on No. 1 court at the All England Tennis Club. 

The Latvian came into her sixth grand slam quarterfinal in a dominant performance at the AETC. Her four wins came with less than five games lost in each and 15 in total overall. It was the fewest committed since Victoria Azarenka’s 14 in 2012. She smashed Yulia Putintseva in straight sets, scoring 29 winners to make her third appearance at this level. While she hadn’t won in nine of her last ten matches at this point, her 29-9 record on grass gave her a chance to remain firm. 

The Czech finally notched her way into Wimbledon’s last eight, falling short three years straight. She served 80 percent against an injured Danielle Collins to clinch her spot. The series leaned heavily in Ostapenko’s favor having five of their seven meetings. The eighth was an important one to make a change or maintain dominance for the Latvian on grass. 

The 27-year-old opened the match, blanking Krejcikova in a blink of an eye. The 31st seed battled the aggressive returns of the Latvian to hold serve in the second. Adding effort to her game, the 28-year-old clinched an early break in the third, holding comfortably to consolidate the fourth. The two played a string of service holds, but the break up for Krejcikova left her two games ahead after eight. 

She gave away a chance to threaten a break opportunity, hitting balls long of the baseline to bring the Latvian within reach. The Czech denied her in the tenth, playing tough for the double break and closing the set in 32 minutes. Krejcikova bested the Latvian on the first serve, producing 78 percent and winning 20 of 21 points from it. 

Ostapenko wanted to set a different pace to begin the second, fighting through two breaks of deuce before holding. The Czech upped the ante, shutting out Ostapenko, but the Latvian had other plans going forward. She took a 3-1 lead, scoring a break against Krejcikova to consolidate a service hold. Krejcikova cut the margin in half in the sixth, then converted a break in the seventh, sitting a game down. 

Krejcikova tied it up on serve to complete a three-game rally back, while Ostapenko struggled to get into the competition. She faced break points for Krejcikova in the ninth, leading the Czech to take the lead and go for the match on serve. It was a tense moment for the Latvian, who somehow got out front briefly before they went to deuce. 

Ostapenko didn’t waste time and took the lone AD point to send them deeper into the second set. Ostapenko notched another win over the Czech in the 11th and tried to put the pressure on the 31st seed. It didn’t work, as the Czech got into position, leveled the score in the twelfth, and put on a display in the tiebreak. Krejcikova got away from a two-all scoring and jumped 5-2 before the Latvian scored her next point. 

The 31st seed reached match point at 6-3, gave one away but held her next attempt to clinch her spot in the last four after 1 hour and 42 minutes. 

Rybakina ends Svitolina in straight sets at Wimbledon

Elena Rybakina gives a wave to the crowd after winning her quarterfinal match at the Championships Wimbledon. 

Elina Svitolina didn’t have the weapons to pull off an upset at the Championships Wimbledon on Wednesday. Elena Rybakina stayed cooled and composed to win in straight sets over the Ukrainian 6-3, 6-2 on Centre Court at the All England Tennis Club. 

The Ukrainian went from having early challenges at the start of the draw to pulling off a surprising win against Xinyu Wang on Monday. It was the second straight sets win for her after dispatching 2023 Wimbledon Finalist Ons Jabeur in the second round. The former world number three was again in place to make another semifinal, but her fight against Rybakina wouldn’t come easy as they split their last four meetings. 

The Kazak won their only meeting on grass and her success of winning Wimbledon gave her some weight of potentially winning. Gaining a break in the fourth round left her enough energy to put on defense against the Ukrainian and place herself closer to adding a second dish to her inventory. 

Svitolina broke the fourth seed in the opening game before the former Wimbledon champ managed to break back. She converted in the third, holding serve against the Ukrainian. Svitolina evened the score, returning to service, but Rybakina got back out front, keeping the fifth game. The Ukrainian stayed in touch with the fourth seed, but the Kazak remained ahead on the scoreboard. 

Rybakina inched closer to the set, breaking Svitolina to love in the eighth to serve it out. She needed to set points to finish the job, but her strength on the forehand handed her the set in 32 minutes. The fourth seed dominated Svitolina on winners with 16 but had more than double the errors than the Ukrainian. It didn’t affect Rybakina’s offense, rolling into the second set comfortably. 

The 25-year-old broke Svitolina before tying in a serve hold in the second. Svitolina reacted fast to get on the board in the third. Rybakina took back control, giving herself a two-game buffer after four. Svitolina held the fifth game but the fourth seed marched forward to sit up 4-2. 

Svitolina felt the pressure on serve in the seventh but found a way to dig in and force deuce. Rybakina held the only AD point played and sealed up the break to serve for the match. She coasted to victory in the eighth, shutting out Svitolina with an ace to get back into the semifinals after 61 minutes on the court.