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Day 15 of the Paris Olympics was big for Team USA with women’s soccer, men’s basketball and track and field winning several gold medals. Team USA also earned silver in the men’s high jump and bronze in breaking (which might be a one-time occurrence). A bronze in women’s gymnastics may also be taken away from the U.S. in a surprising ruling.
Here are the top five stories of the day:
The Emma Hayes era of the USWNT is getting off to a brilliant start, with the team getting a 1-0 victory over Brazil to earn an Olympic gold medal for the first time since 2012.
“I love America. It made me.”An emotional Emma Hayes talks with Mike Tirico after achieving gold medal glory at the #ParisOlympics with the USWNT. pic.twitter.com/qZuOVcft31
NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 10, 2024
After going scoreless in a physical, fast-paced first half, the United States broke the drought with a beautiful goal from Mallory Swanson in the 57th minute. Some incredible saves from Alyssa Naeher helped the U.S. hold the score through the rest of the game.
The win caps off a grueling Olympic tournament, where the U.S. played six games including multiple that went into extra time in just over two weeks.
ALYSSA NAEHER TO THE RESCUE. AN UNBELIEVABLE SAVE IN STOPPAGE TIME. #ParisOlympics | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/fsJoNKSI40
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Brazils loss earned them the silver medal with Marta, Brazils captain and an iconic figure in the world of womens soccer, earning a medal in what is likely her final major international match.
The gold medal win gives the USWNT a confidence boost after the early World Cup exit last summer. More importantly, it points to a very bright future for this young, talented American team as the next generation finds their own in the world of international soccer.
The U.S. men’s basketball team won gold for the fifth consecutive Olympic Games with a 9887 victory over France on Saturday.
Stephen Curry again came to the rescue for Team USA, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers in the game’s closing two minutes. He finished with 24 points overall on 8-for 13 shooting from 3.
“THE GOLDEN DAGGER!”Steph Curry that is utterly ridiculous. #ParisOlympics | NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/8hIN8tgmfK
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 26 points for the host country with seven rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele followed with 20 and Nando De Colo added 12. Nicolas Batum grabbed eight rebounds.
Kevin Durant won his fourth gold medal, the most in Olympics men’s basketball history. LeBron James also earns his fourth Olympic medal, with three golds and a bronze.
James was also named FIBA’s Olympics men’s basketball MVP. He averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists during Team USA’s six-game run to gold.
The final day of track and field events was a big one for the United States, as Team USAs track and field dominance continued.
It started with the 100m hurdles, where Masai Russell earned gold in a photo finish with Frances Cyrena Samba-Mayela. Samba-Mayela ended up getting silver, while Puerto Ricos Jasmine Camacho-Quinn the defending gold medalist in the event took bronze.
THE OLYMPIC DEBUTANTE IS AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION.Masai Russell wins 100m hurdles gold by .01 seconds! #ParisOlympics NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/Q65Lb7WwUr
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
In the 5,000m, Grant Fisher continued to make American long distance running history with a come-from-behind bronze medal. It was a perfect bookend for Fisher, who also took an unexpected bronze in the 10,000m to open the track events, and earned his second bronze on the last day of track competition.
Shelby McEwan took silver in the high jump for Team USA after New Zealands Hamish Kerr won a tiebreak jump-off. Kerr and McEwan failed to pass the same height, and could have opted for a co-gold medal. But the two jumpers are competitors, and opted to keep jumping to decide the winner. It was a gamble for McEwan, but he ends up with a silver medal to show for it regardless.
The final two races of the day were the mens and womens 4x400m, with Team USA taking both in a straight sweep. The mens relay team of Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin just edged out Botswana for the gold, with Benjamin just outrunning Botswanas Letslie Tebogo.
Team USA DOMINATES the womens 4x400m final to win their EIGHTH consecutive gold! #ParisOlympics NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/TqHh7HEehu
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
The womens team, however, completely blew out the competition: The relay team finished in 3:15.27, scoring a new American record and beating the next two teams (the Netherlands and Great Britain) by more than four seconds.
Shamier Little got things started for the U.S., but Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone built a massive lead in the second leg and Gabby Thomas and Alexis Holmes brought it home from there. Team USA has now won the past eight straight womens 4x400m relays and continued that dominance in Paris.
On the second day of breaking competition during the sports first and maybe last run at the Olympics, B-boy Victor, AKA Victor Montalvo, took home the bronze medal for Team USA.
BREAKING: It’s HISTORY for the Americans!B-Boy Victor is bringing BRONZE back to the United States. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/vOVmwcrvF3
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Although neither of the two Team USA B-girls advanced out of the round robin, both American B-boys qualified for the quarterfinals. American B-boy Jeffro was defeated in the quarterfinals by French B-boy Dany Dann, who would go on to the final. Victor defeated Kazakhstans Amir in the quarterfinals but lost to Dany Dann in the semis.
The Florida native competed for bronze against Shigekix of Japan, who he faced during the round robin stage. Although Victor split 1-1 during that round against Shigekix and fell 12 points to 6, Victor got the better of Shigekix in the third-place match, winning unanimously with 20 points to Shigekixs 7.
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team could lose one of its medals from the Paris Games, which could be heartbreaking news for Jordan Chiles.
Jordan Chiles had the BEST reaction when she found out she won bronze in the women’s floor final! #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/4hQl4wtF69
NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 5, 2024
Chiles could be stripped of the individual bronze she won in the floor exercise with the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that the appeal of Chiles’ score by her coach, Cecile Landi, which resulted in a medal was filed after the one-minute time limit.
With the appeal being disallowed, Chiles’ score dropped from 13.766 to her original 13.666, putting her below Romania’s Ana Barbosa and her 13.700 score. USA Gymnastics objected to the CAS ruling, asserting that the timing of the inquiry is far less important than getting the actual score correct.
Chiles is back in the United States and waiting to learn if she has to return her bronze medal while the appeal process works out.
As mentioned above, the United States won the men’s basketball gold medal game and LeBron James was awarded MVP for the Olympics tournament. However, France did put up a fight behind Victor Wembanyama and Guerschon Yabusele.
Yabusele arguably had the highlight of the game with a poster dunk over James in the second quarter that ignited the crowd at Bercy Arena.
GUERSCHON YABUSELE ON LEBRON JAMES. NBC and Peacock | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/cjrH6Q9Epd
NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and her former player, Kamila Cardoso, apparently had a friendly bet over Saturday’s gold medal women’s soccer game between the U.S. and Brazil. And with the U.S. winning, it’s time for native Brazilian Cardoso to pay up.
Large jersey i guess @dawnstaley https://t.co/3J7nbRQ3Wv pic.twitter.com/CKHgOOejaM
Kamilla_Cardoso (@Kamillascsilva) August 10, 2024
As Staley explained, if Brazil won, the coach would have to wear a Team Brazil jersey on the sideline during a Gamecocks game. But if the U.S. won, Cardoso had to wear a USWNT jersey during the tunnel walk before an upcoming Chicago Sky game and on an Instagram Live video.
A size large USA jersey is presumably on its way to Cardoso, as she begrudgingly acknowledged on social media.