USA men’s basketball defeats Serbia in opener; Coco Gauff takes the court; Simone Biles leads gymnastics qualifiers
Football: Consecutive goals give Zambia 5-3 win over Australia
Fans who blink risk missing some incredible action as Zambia and Australia continue to be relentless in today’s match, scoring goals within minutes of each other.
The stars aligned for Zambia today as Rachael Kundananji’s header flew past the Australian goalkeeper in the 56th minute of the match. Her goal was assisted by Barbra Banda.
About two minutes later, Australia responded with a great goal from Michelle Heyman. Caitlin Foord built on that momentum just a few minutes later, scoring on a rebound in front of the Zambian net.
Foord’s goal is being reviewed for a possible foul and has been disallowed, keeping the game at 5-3 with Zambia in the lead.
France waiting to explode with tricolor joy
Report from Nanterre, France
Paris La Defense Arena full of blue, white and red in the hope of celebrating a new national hero.
The weight of a nation has fallen on the broad shoulders of former Arizona State University swimmer Léon Marchand as he seeks gold in the 400-meter individual medley.
Approximately 13 minutes before the race, the crowd began singing “La Marseillaise” without any prompting and chanting “Leon, Leon!
The race will take place at 8:30 p.m. local time and 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
Tennis: Gauff wins Olympic debut match in straight sets
Coco Gauff wins the first match of her Olympic debut in straight sets, defeating Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović without dropping a single game.
Gauff, 20, will advance to the next round, continuing her quest to add an Olympic gold medal to her arsenal of trophies.
Gymnastics: Japan advances to final after team captain sent home for smoking
The Japanese team qualified for the women’s gymnastics final after their top gymnast and team captain, Shoko Miyata, was removed from the Olympic team for smoking while underage.
Miyata, 19, was just months away from Japan’s legal smoking age of 20.
The women’s team competed with just four athletes instead of five after the Japanese Olympic Committee denied the Japan Gymnastics Association’s request to replace Miyata with a substitute.
Fans Share Emotional Reactions to Céline Dion’s Return to the Paris Olympics
Céline Dion promised herself she would return to the stage. On Friday, her first live performance in more than four years drew an outpouring of emotional support in Paris and around the world.
Closing the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, Dion sang her powerful rendition of French singer Édith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” on a glittering Eiffel Tower.
Dion has been open about her battle with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and spasms that sometimes affect Dion’s control over her vocal cords.
But the singer’s performance on Friday left the audience impressed, with fans rushing to share their admiration.
Read the full story here.
Football: Zambia wins fight for survival outside group stage
The first half of the women’s football match between Zambia and Australia in Nice today was a thrilling display of attacking prowess as both teams looked to move off the bottom of Group B.
Zambia star Barbra Banda and Rachael Kundananji led the African side to a 4-2 lead. Although Australia held the ball in their favour, Zambia’s precision and accuracy in the box put them ahead.
The two teams came into the game tied for last in the group, having each lost 3-0 in their opening matches earlier this week. Zambia now lead Group B in goals, but that could be short-lived as Germany and the USA play later today.
Australia need to bounce back in the second half if they are to have any hope of progressing from the first round of the tournament and progressing to the knockout stages of the Olympic Games.
Tennis: Gauff wins the first set
Coco Gauff won the first set of her tennis match against Australian Ajla Tomljanović.
The second set is underway — one more set won will put Gauff in the next round.
Skateboarding: Japanese teenagers top the podium in women’s street
In the women’s street final, which consisted entirely of teenagers, Japan dominated once again, with 14-year-old Coco Yoshizawa taking gold and 15-year-old Liz Akama taking silver. Both were making their Olympic debuts.
The bronze medal went to Brazil’s Rayssa Leal, who won silver in Tokyo. After struggling in the preliminary rounds, she showed grit in the final, winning a second Olympic medal at just 16 years old.
Since skateboarding made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, Japan and Brazil have been the only countries to win medals in women’s street.
American Poe Pinson, 19, made her Olympic debut and finished fifth. American Paige Hyen, 16, also made her Olympic debut and finished sixth, although she earned additional points for skating on the switch, meaning she can skate with either foot forward.
Football: Zambian player scores hat-trick and leads 4-2
Zambia’s Barbra Banda fired the ball into the top right corner of the Australian goal just before half-time, making it three goals at Olympic level.
It’s Banda’s seventh hat trick on the international stage, a remarkable feat for the 24-year-old forward. American fans may know Banda from the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Gymnastics: France out of the final
The French women’s gymnastics team is out of the rest of the Olympics.
The reigning world team bronze medalists had a heartbreaking qualifying round, suffering multiple falls. They will not advance to the team finals nor will they have representatives in the all-around or individual apparatus finals.
It is a shocking result for one of the most dominant teams at these Games, who arrived in Paris as major medal contenders. The home crowd showed their support, however, chanting “Mélanie! Mélanie! Mélanie!” for their team’s star, Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos.
