Team USA has no shortage of stars at any Summer Olympics and two of the brightest in Paris take center stage on Saturday. Sha’Carri Richardson and Katie Ledecky have been household names for years, and they can both make some history with gold medals.
Richardson, who missed the women’s 100m in Tokyo after testing positive for marijuana, is trying to break Jamaica’s streak of consecutive gold medals in the event. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (2008, 2012) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (2016, 2021) have won the last four gold medals in the race. The last American woman to win gold in the event was Gail Devers back in 1996.
Ledecky, meanwhile, will compete in the 800-meter freestyle, one of her signature events. She’s the two-time defending Olympic champion in the event and holds a world-record time of 8:04.79, which she set in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, and has taken gold in the last six World Championships. She is already the most decorated female American Olympian, in any sport, with 13 total medals. A win here would give her 14.
Start time: 1:30 p.m. ET/ 10:30 a.m. ET
Women’s 100m semifinals 1:59 p.m. ET: (Melissa Jefferson, Sha’Carri Richardson, Twanisha Terry)
Women’s 100m finals 3:20 p.m. ET
Women’s swimming 800m freestyle 3:28 p,m. ET: (Katie Ledecky, Paige Madden)
Location: Stade de France, París La Défense Arena | Paris, France
TV channel: NBC
Streaming: Fubo, Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
Walsh (24.17) finished second in the second 50m semifinal behind Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström.
Sjöström was .05 behind her own world record, finishing with an Olympic record time of 23.66. Great Britain’s Meg Harris was in third (24.33).
OLYMPIC RECORD for Sarah Sjöström. A blistering time of 23.66 her 50m free semi! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/gayC0VBM6E
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
Walsh had the second-fastest time of the two semifinals and qualifies for Sunday’s final.
Katarzyna Wasick (24.23), China’s Zhang Yufei (24.24) and Australia’s Shayna Jack (24.29) were the top finishers in the first semifinal of the women’s 50m freestyle.
Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. will be in the second semifinal. She is the lone American left in the event Simone Manuel failed to qualify out of one of the early heats.
Kristóf Milák won Hungary’s first-ever gold in the men’s 100m butterfly by beating out Canada’s Josh Liendo and Ilya Kharun.
Milák earned his fourth Olympic medal with a time of 49.90. Liendo was right behind him at 49.99 and Kharun took bronze with a time of 50.45.
Hungary’s Kristof Milak secures gold in the 100m butterfly with Canada finishing two-three! #ParisOlympics | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/CSTx4LEYyy
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce reportedly suffered a hamstring injury during her warm-up, which forced her to withdraw from her qualifying run.
The Icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has withdrawn following a hamstring injury during warm-up. Still uncertain of the severity of the injury, but it’s something felt in the hamstring.#OlympicGames https://t.co/udUcEHjOm7 pic.twitter.com/lnSthhPzBk
Trishana C. McGowan (@CelenaSports) August 3, 2024
Fraser-Pryce was seen having difficulty gaining entry into the venue earlier in the day. But that is not why she did not run in the women’s 100m qualifier. Did the delay affect her warm-up, as some are speculating? That has not been reported.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce not being allowed into the stadium for the Semi-Finals of the Womens 100m. Paris Olympics make it make sense!?? This is egregious!#Paris2024 #olympics pic.twitter.com/0XH4wcfbJn
RGF (@rgfray1) August 3, 2024
Fraser-Pryce has previously won two gold medals in the 100m (at the Beijing and London Games, in addition to a silver (Tokyo) and bronze (Rio).
Massive night at the pool.Katie Ledecky swimming for more history (with a possible challenger this time).And remember when NBC et al hyped the 400 free as the Race of the Century? Womens 200 IM tonight is way more hype-worthy. 3:08pm ET. pic.twitter.com/X2s5nBHyOz
Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) August 3, 2024
Jamaica’s Tia Clayton finishes first in the third women’s 100m semifinal with a time of 10.89, followed by Daryll Neita of Great Britain at 10.97.
But USA’s Twanisha Terry qualifies by .01 second in her third-place finish at 11.07.
Teenager Tia Clayton wins the final 100m semis!Twanisha Terry gets final time qualifier!!#ParisOlympics : NBC, USA Network, Peacock pic.twitter.com/CW3ulD6RJD
Travis Miller (@travismillerx13) August 3, 2024
Sha’Carri Richardson finished second to Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who ran a 10.84.
But Richardson qualifies for the final at 10.89 and has a chance for gold.
ShaCarri Richardson and Julien Alfred BATTLE in the semifinals as both women advance to the final #ParisOlympics : NBC, USA Network & Peacock pic.twitter.com/NwFtjm2OXl
NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 3, 2024
Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was pursuing her fifth Olympic medal in the 100 meters, but has withdrawn from the semifinal. No word yet on why she withdrew.
Melissa Jefferson took the lead right out of the blocks and never gave it up. She runs a 10.99 and goes into the final.
WOMENS 100M SEMIFINAL 1, RESULTS: Melissa Jefferson takes the first semifinal with a strong run of 10.99 seconds.1. Melissa Jefferson – 10.99 Q 2. Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith – 11.01 Q 3. Mujinga Kambundji – 11.05 4. Ewa Swoboda – 11.08 5. Dina Asher-Smith – pic.twitter.com/uX70AbMukW
Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) August 3, 2024
Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith of the Ivory Coast finishes second at 11.01 to also qualify for the final.
Could the U.S. sweep the medal podium in shot put?
Ryan Crouser leads with 22.64, followed by Joe Kovacs at 21.69 and Payton Otterdahl with 21.39
ShaCarri Richardson is race ready. ️#ParisOlympics : 1ET on NBC, USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/2NUTGioDFP
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 3, 2024