El Bakkali repeats as Olympic champion in men's steeplechase

Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali wins his second straight gold medal in the men's 3,000 meter steeplechase 

Soufianne El Bakkali made history in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Paris Olympics Tuesday night. The Moroccan became the first man since the 1936 Berlin games to repeat as gold medalist in the event at Stade de France. Team USA's Kenneth Rooks stayed within reach of El Bakkali to earn silver, and Kenyan Abraham Kibiwot got bronze. 

El Bakkali didn’t have the best time to qualify, but it was enough to get him into the final with 14 other competitors. In the last 1,000 meters, the Moroccan seemed uncomfortable as he sat in the middle of the pack. The final lap was drama-filled as El Bakkali interacted with the leaders. Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma fell hard after tripping the hurdle. He did not finish the race and was taken off on a stretcher. 

The three stayed with one another, clearing the remainder of the pack to medal at the end of the night. The time of 8:06.05 was put up by El Bakkali, followed by the American, who beat Kibiwot by six-hundredths of a second. 

Winfred Yavi wins gold in womens steeplechase

Winfred Yavi of Bahrain celebrates her Olympic Record-breaking performance in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

The reigning world champion of the women’s 3000-meter steeplechase snatched the title away from the defending Olympic champion Tuesday night. Winfred Yavi of Bahrain bided her time in the seven-lap race at Stade de France, passing Permuth Chemutai of Uganda in the last 40 meters to win the gold medal. 

Yavi set an Olympic record at 8:52.76, beating the Ugandan by half a second. Faith Cherotich of Kenya was denied her chance at the title, with her country missing out in the race’s fifth edition. 

Rebeca Andrade wins gold in floor, US wins silver, bronze

Rebeca Andrade celebrated her gold medal win in the women's floor exercise at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

The women’s gymnastics competition ended stunningly at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday night. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade won her first gold medal on the floor exercise at Bercy Arena. Simone Biles won her 11th Olympic medal in silver, along with Jordan Chiles, whose score was changed to come through with a bronze. 

The final apparatus marked the last chance for Biles to tie Vera Cavslavska for second on the most medals won by gymnasts, with 11. Her fall during the balance beam final negated her chance to sit in second by herself, but having the best routine of any competitor kept her in the hunt to get the job done in Paris. 

Andrade earned 14.166 to set the bar for the last six gymnasts to perform. Halfway through the event, no one got anywhere close to the Brazilian. Before the second half got underway, Biles went up to warm up and had an issue with her left calf again, applying more tape to it before her turn. Ana Barbosu of Romania got 13.700 bringing her into the medal conversation.

D’Amato earned 13.600, followed by Biles, who stepped with both feet out of bounds twice. The American managed 14.133, moving into second, with two gymnasts left. After Romanian gymnast Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, it was Chiles last for the United States to seal her place in Paris Olympic history. 

In a stunning turn of events, the 23-year-old got 13.666, but an inquiry was made on her behalf to suddenly get into the bronze medal position. Chiles moved to 13.766 beating Romania’s Ana Barbosu by a tenth to join Biles on the podium

Alice D'Amato wins gold in women's balance beam, US fails to medal

Italy's Alice D'Amato celebrating her balance beam routine at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

The women’s balance beam final was brutal for everyone but Italy’s Alice D’Amato at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The Italian had the best routine of the day, earning the gold medal at Bercy Arena on Monday night. China’s Yaquin Zhou held her place for the silver, and Manila Esposito joined her teammate on the podium with bronze. It marked the first time since 2000 that the United States failed to medal in a gymnastics event. 

Biles attempted to be the first gymnast in Olympic history to win a medal in an apparatus final three times. Her two bronze medals from Rio and Tokyo were tough to attain in an unforgivable event final. China only had one gymnast in play, hoping to get her in place to be at the top. 

Zhou was first to go up, miscalculating a skill that cost her a five-tenth deduction. The judges score her at 14.100, putting her in a decent position, despite the mistake. Lee had a much bigger one during her routine, falling off the beam during a flip combination. She got back up to finish the last elements, before sticking the landing to end it. 13.100 was what Lee earned, leaving her way out of medal contention. 

The first four competitors didn’t have clean routines including Manila Esposito, who didn’t fall, but had a minor balance check. Her teammate was the first gymnast to nail every part of her routine, giving D’Amato a medal victory with 14.366. Biles was second to last and was another victim to the beam. She moved fast during a run, taking a fall from the apparatus. The judges gave her 13.100, leaving Andrade to decide her fate. 

The Brazilian had a balance check, but nothing serious to guarantee herself a place on the podium. Despite having a clean routine, the judges scored her 13.933, shocking most of the crowd and D’Amato, becoming Italy’s first of two individual medalling in the sport.

Kaylia Nemour tops uneven bars final for gold, Lee repeats for bronze.

Kaylia Nemour of Algeria celebrates her gold medal victory in the women's gymnastics uneven bars final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

History was made for the African continent in women’s gymnastics at the Summer Olympics. Algerian Kaylia Nemour won the gold medal in the uneven bars event final, defeating all the best at Bercy Arena Sunday night. China’s Qiyuan Qiu got between Nemour and Sunisa Lee for silver, leaving the American to repeat the even final twice.  

Derwael and Lee returned to give the apparatus a run and repeat as medalists in the final. Lee wanted to upgrade her bronze from Tokyo and provide the Belgian a run for the top medal of the night. Alice D’Amato of Italy set the best numbers, scoring 14.733, but after her was the reigning Olympic champion.

Derwael managed to get the lead by a hair over D’Amato, with five competitors left to perform. Becky Downie of Great Britain had a shot at making it into medal contention, but her signature move was cut short, losing grip on the bar. She was given 13.633, which left over a point gap for the remaining gymnasts. Qiu had the highest level of difficulty left of the gymnasts remaining and excelled in her routine on the bars. The first-time Chinese star earned 15.500, taking the lead by seven-tenths. 

With a new number to beat, Nemour had the potential to top Qiu. Her uneven bars routine flowed well, nailing all the combinations. 15.700 was what the judges gave the Algerian, setting her up for Olympic history. After Helen Kervic went seventh, Lee took to the bars, trying to either repeat as a bronze medalist or get into a better spot. 14.800 was what they gave her, repeating for the second Olympics in a row, sending Derwael empty of anything. 

Belgium's Evenpoel wins second gold in men's road race.

Belgium's Remco Evenpoel celebates winning the men's road race at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Remco Evenepoel made history in men’s cycling at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Saturday. The 24-year-old from Belgium became the first man to win the time trial, winning the men’s road race, and finishing in front of the Eiffel Tower. French teammates Valentin Madouras and Christophe Laporte came in behind Evenepoel to take the silver and bronze medals respectively. 

90 riders took part in the 273-kilometer race (169 miles) race that went from Paris, to the outskirts of the French countryside and back into the city. There were three circuit climbs around the Sacre-Cœur before coming through The Louvre and finishing by the Trocadero. 

12 riders failed to finish the race, but many saw several dramatic events in the six-hour trek. Two crashes occurred, but neither cyclists were physically injured. Evenepoel was not immune to issues during his gold medal ride as he caught a flat tire inside The Louvre. Desperately yelling for a new bike, the Belgian freaked out over losing his one-minute lead on the chasers and Peloton. 

His team reacted quickly to get him a new bike and back on his way. He came to the finish line alone, scoring his second gold medal of the Olympics in 6:19.34, beating the French by 69 seconds. 

Simone Biles wins third Paris 2024 gold in women's vault

Simone Biles hitting the vault during the event final of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Simone Biles won another gold medal in the women’s vault apparatus final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 27-year-old American notched her eight career gold, making her the second most decorated gymnast at Bercy Arena. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade nailed her vaults to secure the silver and her second in the Olympics. Jade Carey did enough to get bronze, surpassing the other five competitors. 

Andrade was the biggest threat to Biles, who carried the highest difficulty on the apparatus. The 27-year-old had Jade Carey running alongside her in the event final, seeing many gymnasts perform the double Yurchenko to compete heavily. 

Biles was fourth of the eight to go and put the biggest number on the scoreboard. Her first attempt was big, taking a hop on the landing, earning 15.700. Her second attempt had a smaller hop, averaging her score to 15.300. With more than a point lead over North Korea’s Ok Chang An and four still to go, Biles guaranteed herself a medal. 

Andrade took her shot at besting Biles's score by performing a Chung and stuck the landing right in the middle. The judges scored her 15.100, short of Biles's first vault. Her Yurchenko two-and-a-half twist saw Andrade take a small hop back, averaging 14.966. It made it hard for anyone left to get between her and Biles, as one American remained. 

Carey was last to go and needed 14.2 or better to medal, and her first attempt had a minor hop, but enough to get 14.733. Her Amanar move in her second attempt stuck much better, earning 14.466 for the bronze medal. With eight gold medals, Biles surpasses Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia for the most golds, sitting one away from Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union. 

Team GB wins gold in men's eights, US wins bronze

Great Britain(middle), The Netherlands(Left), and the United States(Right) celebrate their medal performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

The British men’s eight returned as champions of the event at the Summer Olympics on Saturday. For the first time since 2000 in Sydney, Team Great Britain won the gold medal, defeating The Netherlands and the United States with enough room at the Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne. 

The British, Dutch, and American boats jumped out early in the race, staying within reach halfway through. It wasn’t until the halfway mark, that the British saw enough room to stay in the lead. The Netherlands had second until a surge from the Americans put them under pressure. The United States came very close to the silver medal, but their output wasn’t enough to change position. 

Team GB took the gold at 5:22.88, under the coxswain Harry Brightmore, who set his team off with a blistering pace that was not matched on the day. 

Romania take golds in eights final, US finishes 4th.

Romania's women's eight rowing team celebrate their gold medal race win at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Romania was back as best in the world in the women’s eights at the Summer Olympics on Saturday. The crew coxed by Stefania Victoria Petreanu won the gold medal for the first time since 2004 at the Stade Nautique de Vaires-sur-Marne. The Canadians beat Great Britain late in the race to take silver, leaving the British with the bronze. 

The six boats were close together at the five-hundred mark with Romania slightly out front. Halfway in, the Romanians put in a heavy pace, with Canada and Great Britain, who were the defending champions, in third. The United States was close to Team GB, sitting two seats back, approaching the 500-meter mark. Romana gave themselves enough room to row away with the gold, but the silver spot was close with Canada, and Great Britain. 

Romania put up a time of 5:54.39, winning by more than four seconds. At the finish line, Canada beat the British for the silver medal, with a six-seat lead. The US women didn’t have enough to stay in pace with Great Britain, coming into the line in fourth. 

Cheptegi wins gold, setting Olympic record in men's 10k

Joshua Cheptegi poses with his new Olympic record in the men's 10,000 meter final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

Joshua Cheptegi, the 2023 world champion and world record holder turned gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics Friday night. His time of 26:43.14 in the men’s 10,000-meter final was an Olympic record at Stade de France. The Ugandan blew away the best list of runners assembled, with himself a former event medalist. Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia narrowly took the silver medal away from American Grant Fisher, who won the bronze. Defending Olympic champion Selemon Barega finished in seventh denied a repeat at gold. 

The defending medalists were back for another shot at becoming back-to-back champions for the first time since Mo Farah in 2012 and 2016. Only five men have accomplished back-to-back gold medals in Olympic history, with a good chance at it happening for the sixth time. 

The pace was above normal nearing the halfway point of the race, where two of three from Ethiopia were leading. Barega rejoined his teammates after dropping back to the middle of the pack. With ten laps to go and 6,000 meters in, Barega led the group, with American Grant Fisher still in the top four. Canada’s Mohammed Ahmed moved into second before the 7,000-meter mark, trying to put himself in a lock for a medal. 

The Kenyas and Ugandans sat behind the leaders, waiting for the right moment to move in and steal the spot when it counted. 13 runners in the front pack came to the mark with 2,000 meters to go and Aregawi back in front with Ahmed behind him. At the last lap, Cheptegi moved into the lead with Ahmed tailing him. Fisher moved into second and at the line it was Cheptegi winning gold. Ahmed missed the medal by 33 hundredths of a second, leaving him devastated to wait again. 

Biles lands gold in women's all-around; Lee wins bronze

Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee celebrate together after winning gold and bronze respectively in the women's all-around final. 

Simone Biles proved again that she is the greatest gymnast of all time at the Paris Summer Olympics on Thursday night. The Texas native finished the women’s all-around final, taking the gold medal by nearly two points. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil won the silver and Sunisa Lee won the bronze. It was the third time two Americans ended up on the podium in the Olympics. 

For the first time in Olympic gymnastics history, two former champions of the all-around competition competed against one another, potentially becoming the first two-time gold medalist in the event. Biles won the gold in the event eight years ago in Rio, while Lee stood out as the reigning Olympic gold medalist. Both gymnasts competed on the same apparatus rotation, making each move they made crucial. 

Lee was the first to go on the vault, scoring 13.933 but was soon eclipsed by Andrade, who earned 15.100. Biles delivered an explosive vault that got her 15.766, with a difficulty rating of 6.4. It was the highest difficulty rating on the apparatus, earning her the top spot at the end of the first rotation. 

Their next apparatus was the uneven bars, which Andrade excelled on, giving her a shot at being the scoring leader. She got her routine underway, putting on a clean run through the bars, and had a small hop on the landing. The judges scored her 14.666, right before Biles got 13.733 on a routine that saw her take an extra swing. The judges took the addition into account, including barely avoiding touching the floor. 

Nemour left no one surprised after her incredible bars routine, scoring 15.533, putting her behind Andrade for second and in front of Biles. Lee went last, earning 14.866 after delivering technical finesse in her routine, getting her within a point of the four ahead. The third rotation took the Americans to the balance beam, with Biles going first. 

The 27-year-old did not perform the Biles two, but received 14.566, getting her back to first place. Lee posted a score of 14.000, having had small errors in her routine, but reached closer to Italy’s Alice D’Amato. Algieria’s Kaylia Nemour inquired about her score and found herself tied for third with Lee. 

Andrade went last for the group, starting the beam with a lower difficulty rating but managed 14.133, moving her back into second place. All left for the girls was the floor exercise, and the Italians went first to close the competition. D’Amato got 13.5, leaving her to wait desperately for everyone else to finish and see where she ends up. She did not get enough to find her way to the podium, with Lee, Biles, and Andrade left to compete. 

The 21-year-old American improved her routine from the team finals, earning 13.666. It moved her into first, followed by Andrade’s performance, seeing her step out of bounds. It did not affect her chances of a medal, putting her ahead of Lee for the silver medal. Biles was the last gymnast to go and needed a clean routine to win the gold. 13.867 was all the American needed, earning 15.066 to clinch it for the second time in history. 

Biles became the oldest woman since the 1952 Helsinki Games to win gold in gymnastics. Lee and Biles marked the third time that both Americans medaled in the event since 2008. Biles had six gold medals in her career, leaving her the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history.