USA faces must-win game against New Zealand
The U.S. men’s national team is already playing a pivotal match on Saturday.
After losing their opening group game to France 3-0, the U.S. is in a virtual must-win position against New Zealand. The U.S. enters the game at the bottom of Group A with a minus-three goal differential. If they lose to New Zealand, France, the overwhelming favorites to win, would need to lose to Guinea for the U.S. to have any chance of advancing.
The U.S., playing in Paris as an under-23 team under Olympic rules, began Wednesday’s game against France but struggled to capitalize on chances, eventually allowing the hosts to pull away with three second-half goals.
New Zealand defeated Guinea in their opening match and finished second in Group A.
The match between USA and New Zealand will kick off at 1pm ET.
Basketball: Wembanyama dominates as France takes first-half lead over Brazil
Victor Wembanyama is proving why he is one of the most exciting players in world basketball.
France trailed Brazil by as many as 12 points in the second quarter but stormed back at halftime to win 39-36 at the break, thanks in large part to a dominant performance from their young prodigy.
Wenbanyama scored 11 points in the second quarter, doing it all, including a three-pointer from the top of the key and some powerful dunks that drew comparisons to Michael Jordan’s iconic slam dunks. Space Jam Wenby stretched out his left arm for a thrilling finish, although his throw down was not computer generated and unfortunately for Brazil they had no answer each time he caught the ball at the post.
Ouenbayaya’s great quarter drew cheers from the home crowd, which quieted down when Brazil took a double-digit lead, but France finally got some stops and started building their offense from defence (and finally realised that Ouenbayaya was bigger than anyone else).
Wenbanyama was the top scorer at halftime with 14 points, but Brazil hung in there, shooting 50 percent from three-point range.
Belgium wins men’s individual cycling time trial
After the men’s individual time trial, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel won the gold medal with a time of 36 minutes 12.16 seconds.
Evenepoel is fresh off a strong performance in the Tour de France, where he won the first of the Tour’s two time trials, finished third overall and also won the white jersey for best young rider.
Filippo Ganna of Italy took the silver medal, followed by Wout van Aert of Belgium with the bronze medal.
Brandon McNulty of the United States finished fifth in 37:16.60, just over a minute faster than Evenepoel. Magnus Sheffield of the United States was 16th.
Celine Dion surprises fans outside Paris hotel
A day after her stirring performance to close the opening ceremony, global superstar Celine Dion surprised fans by signing autographs and waving goodbye.
“I’m still very emotional, not about my performance last night, but how the guys are feeling and this whole thing,” Dion said.
The performance of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne a l’amour” marked her return to the stage since announcing in 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.
Tom Daley and his knitting needles are back at the Olympics
In Tokyo, British swimmer Tom Daley captured the internet and our hearts with his knitting needles. The Olympic gold medallist was spotted knitting poolside and while cheering on other athletes in the stands.
Daly, who is competing in his fifth Olympic Games, and his knitting supplies are back in Paris.
The Olympics published a photo of Daly knitting in the stands, appearing to make a sweater with her name on it in the colours of the British flag.
“The Olympics wouldn’t be the same without a cameo from @tomdaley knitting in the crowd!” the Olympics wrote on Instagram.
Basketball: Brazil leads France 23-15 after first quarter
Brazil holds a commanding 23-15 lead over France after the first quarter of their opening basketball group match.
The home team came into the game as the overwhelming favorites, with a formidable frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama, both of whom had strong first quarters, but polar opposites when it came to highlights.
Gobert was the victim of a shot that will surely be printed on posters in Brazil, catching an alley-oop after a Joao Cardoso dunk. Wembanyama had just three points in the first quarter, all of which came on and-ones in which he outscored three Brazilian defenders. He repeatedly got offensive rebounds off his own misses and finished through contact.
Leonardo Meindl led Brazil with six points after the opening round.
Men’s cycling time trial underway
The men’s time trial is underway, with Americans Magnus Sheffield and Brandon McNulty also taking part. Sheffield fell on the course a few minutes ago but is currently recovering.
Asher Hong does great on vault in the preliminary round
Stanford gymnast Asher Hong impressed in his Olympic debut, making two difficult passes with his family cheering him on, and will be Team USA’s top medal contender in the event.
Samoa boxing coach dies in Olympic Village
The International Boxing Association has confirmed that Samoa’s national boxing team coach, Lionel Erica Fatupaito, died on Friday after suffering cardiac arrest during the Paris Olympics. He was 60 years old.
The IBA released a statement on Saturday confirming the news.
“The International Boxing Association (IBA) sends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Lionel Erica Fatupaito,” the statement read. “Lionel’s dedication and passion for the sport left an indelible mark on the boxing world and his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with Team Samoa and all those suffering this great loss.”
Samoa Olympic Committee president Pauga Taralelei Pauga also released a statement saying: “Lionel was one of Samoa’s top boxing coaches and a strong believer in the Olympic ideals. Our thoughts and those of the entire Samoan sporting community go out to Lionel’s family, his boxers and friends. He will be greatly missed.”
According to AFP, Fatupaito was treated by paramedics at the scene but could not be revived, and his cause of death was listed as “natural causes.”
The only Samoan boxer in Paris, Ato Prozicki-Faoagali, is the top seed in the 92kg division and his first fight is on Sunday.
U.S. Women’s Water Polo continues on track for fourth gold medal
The U.S. women’s water polo team, cheered on by their unofficial cheerleader, rapper Flavor Flav, won a landslide victory over Greece (15-6).
This puts the team on the cusp of winning a fourth consecutive gold medal this year, a feat that has never been achieved before by either the men’s or women’s team in the sport.
