Summer Olympics

Masai Russell won by the slimmest of margins in the women's 100-meter hurdles.

The American needed a lunge on her final stride of the race to beat out France's Cyrena Samba-Mayela for gold.

Russell pulled off the upset over Tokyo gold medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who settled for bronze.

Russell became the third American to win the event in the last six Olympics and she continued the Team USA streak of at least one medalist in the event in every Games dating back to Sydney in 2000.

Results

1. Masai Russell (United States) - 12.33 seconds

2. Cyrena Samba-Mayela (France) - 12.34

3. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico) - 12.36

4. Nadine Visser (Netherlands) - 12.43

5. Grace Stark (United States) - 12.43

6. Devynne Charlton (Bahamas) - 12.56

7. Alaysha Johnson (United States) - 12.93

8. Ackera Nugent (Jamaica) - DNF

Russell could not have asked for a better Olympic debut.

The 24-year-old from Maryland had the best start of the three Americans in the race and she remained in contention for the gold up until her final lunge.

Russell's win came as a surprise because of who she beat in the final. Camacho-Quinn was going for the first-ever repeat gold medal in the women's 100-meter hurdles.

Camacho-Quinn did not have the best of starts, but she surged toward the front as the race went on and was only three-hundredths off of Russell's time.

Russell won the 100-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials, but she came into the final with the third-best qualifying time of any American.

Grace Stark and Alaysha Johnson were viewed as bigger medal threats before the race, but neither competitor medaled.

Russell's gold was important for Team USA in its gold medal battle with China. The Americans are now just two golds behind China. Russell earned Team USA's 35th gold medal in Paris and the 12th gold in track and field.

Team USA's Bryce Hoppel produced an incredible time in the men's 800 meters, but he came up one place shy of the medals on Saturday.

Hoppel's 1:41.67 time would have been fast enough to win the gold medal in Tokyo, but the blistering pace of Saturday's race inside the Stade de France meant he had to settle for fourth place.

Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi took gold in a narrow finish over Canada's Marco Arop. All eight runners in the event finished in a faster time than the winner in Tokyo.

Results

1. Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya) - 1:41.19

2. Marco Arop (Canada) - 1:41.20

3. Djamel Sedjati (Algeria) - 1:41.50

4. Bryce Hoppel (United States) - 1:41.67

5. Mohamed Attaoui (Spain) - 1:42.08

6. Gabriel Tual (France) - 1:42.14

7. Tshepiso Masalela (Botswana) - 1:42.82

8. Max Burgin (Great Britain) - 1:43.84

Hoppel had a chance to medal at the end as part of a sprint over the final 100 meters.

The American pushed hard, but he could not beat out Wanyonyi, Arop and bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati.

Wanyonyi barely edged out Arop at the finish line to bring home Kenya's fifth consecutive gold in the men's 800 meters.

Arop brought home Canada's first medal in the event since 1964, while Sedjati earned a second medal in three Olympics for Algeria in the 800 meters.

Sedjati came into the race as the favorite, but he never had control of the race and a late kick only earned him a bronze medal.

Hoppel's failure to medal marked the first time in Paris that an American man did not medal in a track event. Team USA finished on the medal podiums in the 100, 200, 400, 1500 and 10,000 meters.

Up for grabs Sunday inside Bercy Arena in Paris is not only the Olympic gold medal in women's basketball but an opportunity for the United States to continue its dominance internationally as they meet host country France in the finale.

Breanna Stewart and A'Ja Wilson have been potent, leading scorers for an American team that has cruised through the tournament.

France has ground out victories, including an overtime win in the semifinals against Belgium, and dropped a group stage game to potential bronze medalist Australia.

Can the home country do what no other has proven capable of since the 1992 semifinals and slay the mighty United States on the Olympic stage?

The answer awaits in the tournament final. Find out when and where you can watch it with this preview of the hotly anticipated showdown.

Viewing Info

Date: Sunday, August 11

Time: 9:30 a.m. EST

TV: NBC

Streaming: Peacock and NBCOlympics.com

Can France Realistically Slow Down the USA?

Les Bleus earned their way to the final on the strength of the play of Gabby Williams, Iliana Rupert, and Valeriane Ayayi.

That trio fuels scoring for the team but it is not the only resource on the French squad. The team has quality depth coming off the bench, as evidenced by its 29 points in the win against Belgium.

Fueled by their fellow countrypeople in the stands, and back in the final for the first time since 2012, the team can put an exclamation point on these Olympic Games by pulling off what might be the biggest upset of the entire two-week extravaganza and earning the final gold medal awarded.

If the United States is sloppy and mishandles the ball, the answer is a resounding, "yes!"

Les Bleus have made a habit of capitalizing on turnovers with 23.4 points off takeaways.

The team can grind and play physically, as evidenced against Belgium, a style that few have been able to bring against the Americans.

Even the most competitive teams, though, have ultimately been outmatched by the grit, determination, and skill of the US.

Any path to victory for France includes taking Wilson or Stewart out of the equation and forcing another player to beat them. The problem is that the Americans also have depth, with Brittney Griner, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Lloyd, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jackie Young all capable of taking over a game and winning it for their team.

As gutsy as France's victory was Friday, and despite all of the support they will have in the stands Sunday from their fans, this is the Americans' game to win or lose and the latter has not happened since before the majority of the team was born.

Add to that the determination to win Diana Taurasi her sixth gold medal, making her the most decorated women's basketball Olympian of all time, and you have a team that is going to be extremely difficult to defeat.

The gold medal in women's soccer will be determined on Saturday as the United States squares off with Brazil in a star-studded match featuring the faces of the sport's bright future and the final international tournament appearance of one of its greatest scorers.

Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith have fueled the Americans to the finale via consecutive game-winning goals, respectively, and figure to be key to a United States victory.

For Brazil, the focus will be on the legendary Marta, who is competing in her final international tournament, with an opportunity to win the first Olympic gold medal, not just for herself but for her country.

When will the game kick off and where can you watch it?

Find out with this preview.

Viewing Info

Date: Saturday, August 10

Time: 11:00 a.m. EST

TV: NBC

Streaming: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com

The Last Ride for a Legend

Make no mistake about it, Brazil has played its heart out to make it to the gold medal game for Marta.

Ineligible to play in the quarterfinal and semifinal games due to a red card received in the last group stage match, Marta watched as her teammates defeated the host country, France, then systematically picked apart the favored Spain for a 4-2 victory.

Midfielder Angelina spoke about the motivation Marta's sendoff has provided her and her teammates. "Honestly, in these games Marta was out, we did it for her. We want to give her a really great send-off. It was a dream of mine to play with Marta – and now it's a dream come true. To do it the final in the Olympics, it's just perfect."

The legendary player announced her retirement from international play at the end of 2024 this past April.

The midfielder is among the most decorated players to lace a pair of cleats yet she is playing in her sixth Olympic Games and third final but has yet to win the gold medal. In fact, for as associated with soccer as Brazil is, it has never struck gold in this tournament, falling just short on numerous occasions.

She can change that narrative, bringing the top prize in the competition back to her country and putting the final touches on a career that ranks among the best ever.

It would be a suitable conclusion to an international career that saw her establish herself as a star on the pitch, with 13 Olympic goals and 17 World Cup goals.

She has also been an influential figure off the field.

Away from the field, Marta earned the reputation of a woman fighting for equality in the sport, lobbying for support for the women's game.

She was significant to the growth of the sport she dedicated her life to. There is an entire generation of women who are seen, respected, admired, and beloved today because of her efforts to bring attention to what they do.

She even penned a piece to her peers and the young girls around the world who will carry on the sport well beyond her in The Player's Tribune.

Regardless of the outcome of Saturday's game, Marta leaves the sport better than she found it.

A true icon of the game.

Though he couldn't earn gold in the 200-meter final on Thursday, United States track star Noah Lyles still took home a bronze despite testing positive for COVID-19 before the race.

His coach, Lance Brauman, later revealed the severity of Lyles' illness.

"Those guys raced great," Brauman said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "But to get a bronze medal in 19.70 with a temperature of about 102, that wasn't too bad."

On Sunday, Lyles won a stacked 100-meter final to earn the first gold medal of his career. He ran a personal best time of 9.79 to edge out Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. Though a gold is always better than a bronze, Brauman said coming in third while being in Lyles' state is arguably just as impressive.

"It's hard to replace a gold medal in the 100 meters at the Olympic Games ... that one was probably the most important medal," Brauman said. "How did he put it, we talked about it - he will have the most satisfaction out of the bronze."

Along with the 100-meter and 200-meter, Lyles was supposed to compete in the 4x100-meter relay, but had to pull out after testing positive for COVID-19. Still, it was a successful second Olympics for Lyles. Now, he'll shift his focus to Los Angeles 2028, where he'll look to continue his rise to track stardom.

"He's going to be really good through LA at least, and then we'll see what happens after that," Brauman said of the next Olympics in 2028. "I just need him to keep doing what he's doing."

Team USA will once again have the chance to sweep the basketball tournaments at the Summer Olympics in Paris after both teams won gold in Tokyo. Both the men's and women's teams are unbeaten through the group phases and tournaments, and they will now play for gold over the weekend.

Since earning a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics, the United States women's team has not lost a game in the Olympics, winning seven straight gold medals. A loaded roster has once again led them to the gold-medal game, where they will take on France.

After struggling a bit in Tokyo but still earning gold, the men's team has been dominant in Paris, with its only close game being against a Nikola Jokić-led Serbia team in the semifinal. Team USA will now face Victor Wembanyama and the French national team with the chance to earn another gold.

Here's a look at the schedule for the men's and women's medal games this weekend.

Men's Basketball Schedule, Odds

Saturday, Aug. 10

Bronze-medal game: Serbia (-1.5) vs. Germany, 5 a.m. ET, Peacock

Gold medal game: United States (-16) vs. France, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. Games can be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

Women's Basketball Schedule

Sunday, Aug. 11

Bronze-medal game: Belgium vs. Australia, 5:30 a.m., ET USA Network, Peacock

Gold-medal game: United States vs. France, 9:30 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock

Games can be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app.

The U.S. women's team, highlighted by a roster that features Kelsey Plum, A'ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu, has cruised to the gold-medal game. It dominated Japan, Belgium and Germany in the group phase before beating Nigeria and Australia to advance to the final.

The United States' defense was on display in the semifinal as it held Australia to just 64 points. Wilson tallied four blocks and a pair of steals in the win.

Team USA will now face a French team led by Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams, who had 18 points in France's overtime win against Belgium. France has lost just one game so far in the Olympics, a 79-72 loss to Australia in the group phase.

Even though France has been solid throughout the Olympics, its roster doesn't compare to the star-studded United States squad. Barring an uncharacteristic performance from Team USA, it should claim yet another gold medal.

On the men's side Team USA has unsurprisingly coasted through most of the Olympics. The United States has won all but one of its games by double-digits, including a 122-87 rout of Brazil in the quarterfinals.

Serbia gave Team USA a scare in the semifinal, but ultimately the United States completed a double-digit fourth-quarter comeback to avoid a repeat of the 2004 Olympics.

France boasts a roster with several NBA players like Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier, but with stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and more, it's hard to imagine France can pull off the upset on Saturday.

Expect France to keep things interesting, but ultimately this year's gold medal will likely fall into the hands of Team USA for a fifth straight Olympics.

Kevin Durant will not come off of the bench in the gold medal game.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Team USA is "planning" to start Durant Saturday against France and guard Jrue Holiday will come off of the bench.

Durant has come off of the bench in every game for the U.S. in the 2024 Games, but he will end that streak in a game in which the U.S. will chase a fifth consecutive gold medal.

Durant is personally a three-time gold medalist and just passed Lisa Leslie to become the career leader for U.S. basketball in Olympic competition during the 2024 Games. He hasn't had to be the same scorer as in previous year's due to the depth of talent on the roster, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been impactful.

In the bench role, Durant has averaged 13.6 points, three rebounds and two assists. He logged 24 minutes against Serbia in the semifinal and could see a similar usage in the final game.

The game against France is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. If the U.S. claims victory, Durant will become the first men's basketball player to earn four gold medals at The Olympics.

Breakdancing made its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with B-girl Ami of Japan winning the inaugural breaking gold medal on Friday.

Ami, whose legal name is Ami Yuasa, defeated Lithuania's B-girl Nicka (Dominika Banevič) in the gold medal battle. Meanwhile, B-girl 671 of China (Liu Qingyi) took down B-girl India of the Netherlands in the bronze battle to earn a spot on the podium.

Medal Winners

Gold: Ami Yuasa, Japan

Silver: Dominika Banevič, Lithuania

Bronze: Liu Qingyi, China

Yuasa finished the round-robin tournament to begin the competition without losing a single round. She advanced beyond the quarterfinals and semifinals before she faced Banevič, winning all three rounds in the final battle.

Despite falling in the gold medal battle, Banevič was excited to see the sport on the Olympic stage.

"Olympics needed breaking because it's like a breath of fresh air," she said, per Noreen Nasir of the Associated Press. "Such a big amount of people saw breaking for the first time, like it's huge. And I'm happy that I was able to represent at the highest level of the art form for breaking."

The United States failed to exceed expectations in the competition, as B-girl Sunny and B-girl Logistx were both unable to advance beyond the round-robin stage. However, Logistx (Logan Edra) was still proud of her performance.

"I feel like I still shined and I feel like I still represented the dance and had some moments," she said, via Nasir. "It was such a big opportunity, it's such a big platform, and I'm really happy that we're here."

Snoop Dogg also made an appearance on Friday, entering the Place de la Concorde before the battle started.

The men's breaking competition is up next on Saturday, with the round-robin tournament beginning at 10 a.m. ET.