Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee advance to finals for USA gymnastics
It was another good day for USA gymnastics, who easily advanced to the team finals after strong performances. Simone Biles had another dominant day, even with a lower leg injury, and finished at the top of the individual all-around table.
Sunisa Lee, the Tokyo 2020 all-around champ, also advanced to the finals after barely beating out Jordan Chiles for the second U.S. spot. Lee and Biles competing against each other will mark the first time in Olympics history that two prior all-around champions will compete in the individual all-around finals.
USA Men’s Basketball pulls out a dominant win against Serbia to open the games
Team USA men’s basketball got its quest for a fifth straight gold off to a strong start with a 110-84 win over Serbia. Kevin Durant, back with the team after some time off for a calf injury, went off in the team’s first group stage game. He finished 5-for-5 from beyond the arc to score 23 points, with 21 coming in the first half.
Kevin Durant took over for the USA! They were struggling early, insert KD and there was no looking back! Team USA takes down Jokic and Serbia! pic.twitter.com/b4yo50jhrV
— HeyShay (@heyshay_ai) July 28, 2024
Durant did his damage off the bench after USA dug an early 10-2 hole.
LeBron James had a big game of his own, nearly getting a triple-double with 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. But it was Durant who really made this game go, helping the U.S. overcome the early deficit to build up a lead and never look back.
USWNT advances out of group stage with decisive 4-1 win over Germany
After defeating Zambia 3-0 in their first matchup of Group B, the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Germany handily on Sunday, earning the 4-1 victory with a Sophia Smith brace. Smith had two goals in the first half, scoring her second with a wild deflection off the post.
The Smith-Mallory Swanson-Trinity Rodman front line worked to perfection, with the three helping make a statement against the European powerhouse. Rodman had a great assist for Smith’s first Olympic goal; Swanson got a goal of her own, and gave the assist for substitute (and former alternate) Lynn Williams to get the fourth an final goal, which all but sealed the deal.
With the win, the USWNT picked up three more points and will officially advance out of the group stage and into the knockout round, regardless of the outcome against Australia on Wednesday. But the second big win gives the U.S. a good amount of confidence heading into the rest of the tournament, on its way to chasing gold.
USA women go gold-silver in multiple events
Team USA’s swimming campaign continues, with Torri Huske winning the 100m butterfly on Sunday to win Team USA’s first individual gold medal. Huske just edge out teammate Gretchen Walsh for the title, beating her by only 0.04 seconds to win her first Olympic gold.
Walsh, just a day after posting a record-breaking performance in the semifinal, took silver. But in a lovely moment, Huske honored her teammate by having her stand on the top of the podium with her.
Torri Huske invites silver medalist Gretchen Walsh up onto the gold medal podium ahead of the national anthem. You love to see it pic.twitter.com/jo9EPGQYlk
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) July 28, 2024
In foil, Lee Kiefer and Lauren Scruggs ensured a 1-2 finish for Team USA in the semifinals by advancing to face each other in Sunday’s final.
When they got there, it was all Kiefer. The gold medalist in women’s individual foil in Tokyo, Kiefer allowed the first touch to Scruggs. But Kiefer took over from there en route to a dominant 15-6 win to defend her Olympic crown. In doing so, she became the first woman in U.S. history to win two Olympic gold medals in fencing. She did so at 30 years old in her fourth Olympics.
Scruggs, meanwhile, takes silver home in her Olympic debut at 21 years old. The Harvard fencer has a bright future and could compete for more Olympic hardware in the future.
Team USA Medals
Highlight of the Day
Stephen Curry did his best to match Durant’s moves on the court with his own dance moves on the Team USA bench.
Source Agencies