Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

Team USA has six athletes with at least four total medals through Day 11 of the 2024 Olympics.

Swimmers Torri Huske and Regan Smith are tied for a Team USA-high five medals, while swimmers Kate Douglass, Katie Ledecky and Gretchen Walsh — along with gymnast Simone Biles — all recorded four podium finishes.

Meanwhile, Biles and Huske are tied for the Team USA lead in gold medals with three apiece.

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So, where do these Americans rank among all medalists at the 2024 Games? Here’s a look at the gold and overall medal leaders in Paris:

Athletes with the most gold medals at the 2024 Olympics

Entering Day 12, French swimmer Leon Marchand owns the most 2024 Olympic titles with four. The 22-year-old sensation showed why he’s drawn comparisons to legend Michael Phelps by winning four gold medals, including two in a span of less than two hours. All four of Marchand’s golds came in individual events – the 200m breaststroke, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley.

Biles and Huske are tied with several athletes for the second-most golds at three. Here’s a full look at the athletes with at least three gold medals:

What’s the record for most gold medals won at a single Olympics?

Phelps stormed to eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, setting a record for the most at a single Olympics.

Athletes with the most medals at the 2024 Olympics

Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei leads the overall medal count among athletes through Day 11 with six. The 26-year-old entered the Games with two golds and two silvers under her belt before adding one silver and five bronze medals in Paris.

There’s a five-way tie for second between Huske, Marchand, Smith, Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown and Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan – all of whom have five medals. Here’s a full look at the athletes with at least four medals in Paris:

What’s the record for most medals won at a single Olympics?

There have been three instances where an athlete won eight total medals at a single Olympics. The first to do so was Russian gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin, who had a record-setting eight podium finishes at the 1980 Moscow Games. Dityatin, a 10-time Olympic medalist, captured three golds, one silver and four bronze medals in 1980.

Phelps matched Dityatin’s feat at the 2004 Athens Games with six gold and two bronze medals. The most-decorated Olympian of all time then won eight medals again at the following 2008 Olympics, this time taking all golds.

When do the Olympics end?

The final day of Olympic action in Paris will be Sunday, Aug. 11.

What’s the last event of the Olympics?

There are several sports with medal events on the final day of the Games, from basketball to water polo and more.

When is the Olympics Closing Ceremony?

Shortly after the final events are held, the Olympics will come to an official close with the Closing Ceremony starting at 2 p.m. ET on Aug. 11.

Thomas launched from the start line with determination, taking a commanding lead in the women’s 200m. She crossed the finish line in 21.83 seconds.

“I was in complete disbelief,” Thomas said. “I know I’ve earned it, I trained so hard for this, but there is no feeling like earning an Olympic gold medal. It’s unreal.”

She earned two medals at the Tokyo Olympics — a bronze in the 200m and a silver for the 4X100m relay — but this is her first gold.

Thomas, who now calls Texas home, started running track and field at Williston Northampton School.

For any young girls looking up to her now, she has some advice.

“Work hard and give back to your community in any way you can, and you will be successful,” Thomas said. “Williston was such a great foundation for me. It was such an amazing community, and it just laid the groundwork for where I am today. So that’s what I would say, just work hard, go after what you want, and give back to the community when you can.”

Thomas is the first American woman to win gold in the 200m since her role model, Allyson Felix, it in London 2012.

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World Aquatics made the decision to cancel the exercise at an early morning meeting, the organization said in a statement. Fluctuating bacteria levels in the long-polluted waterway have been a constant concern throughout the Games with the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events both planned in the river.

Another marathon swimming test event is scheduled for Wednesday, and organizers will decide early that morning whether it will go forward, the statement said. The women’s marathon swim competition is set for Thursday, while the men are scheduled to race Friday.

The cancellation of Tuesday’s marathon swimming test event comes a day after the triathlon mixed relay event was held in the river that runs through the center of the French capital. World Triathlon released data Tuesday showing that when the triathletes swam Monday, the levels of fecal bacteria E. coli and enterococci were within acceptable levels for the length of the triathlon relay course.

The swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swim both start and finish at the Pont Alexandre III, but the marathon swimming course extends farther down the river. Marathon swimmers do six laps on the 1.67-kilometer (1 mile) course for a total of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles.)

Water samples drawn early Monday showed E. coli levels ranging from “good” to “very good” at four collection points in the river, World Aquatics said.

It takes longer to cultivate enterococci samples, so the decision to cancel Tuesday’s test run relied on samples taken Sunday, organizers said. Monday’s enterococci levels were available by midmorning Tuesday and while they showed an improvement in the river’s water quality, one of four tests still fell short of World Aquatics standards.

Under both World Aquatics and World Triathlon guidelines, “good” water quality can include up to 1,000 colony-forming units of E. coli per 100 milliliters and up to 400 colony-forming units of enterococci per 100 milliliters.

A sample taken early Monday at Port du Gros Caillou, which is on the marathon swimming course but is beyond the point where triathletes turned around Monday, showed a level of 436 units of enterococci, data released Tuesday show.

Organizers said they “remain confident” that the marathon swimming events will happen in the Seine as planned based on “a favorable weather forecast and forward-looking analysis.”

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Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a highly publicized swim in the Seine last month to allay fears about water quality ahead of the Olympics, echoed that confidence.

“We will of course wait to get the results of the water quality but the event will take place because there’s been a clear improvement of the weather these past few days,” she said. “So I’m really proud and happy and to all those who want to continue saying it’s impossible to depollute a river, I tell them, ’Yes it’s possible, we did it.’”

With a few exceptions, swimming in the Seine has been prohibited since 1923 because the water has been too toxic. Paris undertook ambitious plan, including 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in infrastructure improvements to ensure that some swimming events could be held in the river. That included the construction of a giant basin to capture excess rainwater and keep wastewater from flowing into the river, renovating sewer infrastructure and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.

Water quality in the Seine is closely linked to the weather. Heavy rains can cause wastewater and runoff to flow into the river, resulting in elevated bacteria levels, while warm temperatures and the sun’s ultraviolet rays can kill the germs and lower levels.

While the weather has mostly been hot and sunny during the Games, there have been several instances of drenching rains. Water quality concerns caused the cancellation of test swims in the Seine ahead of both the individual triathlon and triathlon mixed relay events and led to the postponement by a day of the men’s individual triathlon.

Four triathletes — of the more than 100 who competed in the men’s and women’s individual races last week — became sick in the following days, though it’s unclear whether the water was to blame.

Most strains of E. coli and enterococci are harmless, and some live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But others are dangerous and even a mouthful of contaminated water can cause infections in the urinary tract or intestines. Several factors determine whether a person falls ill after exposure, chief among them a person’s age and general health.

___

Associated Press video journalist Masha Macpherson contributed to this report.

The United States had been even with China on golds before earning three Olympic titles on Tuesday, courtesy of sprinter Gabby Thomas, middle-distance runner Cole Hocker and wrestler Amit Elor. The Americans now lead in both golds (24) and total medals (86).

Day 11 of the Games also saw several U.S. squads take another step toward a gold medal, including the USWNT, the men’s basketball team and the women’s water polo team.

From medal triumphs to knockout round wins, here’s a look back at the top highlights from Day 11 of the Games:

Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse combine to make 1500m history for US

One of the more thrilling finishes of the 2024 Olympics so far came in the men’s 1500m final, where Team USA’s Cole Hocker pulled off a stunning upset.

In the race’s final stretch, Hocker overtook both reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain to win gold in an Olympic-record time of 3:27.65. Kerr finished second in 3:27.79 to take silver, while American Yared Nuguse claimed bronze with a time of 3:27.80.

It marked the first time that the U.S. had two medalists in the men’s 1500m since all the way back at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Hocker and Nuguse each medaled for the first time at an Olympics.

Gabby Thomas captures first gold, Brittany Brown claims first medal

Gabby Thomas stormed to the top of the Olympic podium for the first time, winning the women’s 200m race in 21.83 seconds. Thomas, who earned silver and bronze at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, held off Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who was attempting to pull off the sprint double after topping Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m final. Alfred took silver with a time of 22.08 seconds.

American Brittany Brown, meanwhile, made her first Olympic podium with a third-place finish of 22.20 seconds.

Amit Elor becomes youngest US wrestling champ in Olympic history

No American wrestler in Olympic history has captured gold at a younger age than Amit Elor. The 20-year-old Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the women’s 68kg final to become the country’s youngest Olympic wrestling champion of all time.

Elor dominated the competition in Paris, racking up a 31-2 scoring advantage over her four matches. She wasn’t scored on at all in her final three matches, either.

Annette Echikunwoke becomes first US woman to medal in hammer throw

The U.S. medaled in Olympic women’s hammer throw for the first time ever thanks to Annette Echikunwoke. Echikunwoke’s top throw of 75.48 meters on her third attempt earned her a silver medal, finishing behind Camryn Rogers of Canada.

Echikunwoke was actually in position to win gold until Rogers jumped into first with a throw of 76.97 meters on her fifth of six attempts.

Omari Jones earns lone US boxing medal in Paris

Omari Jones picked up his first Olympic medal — and the United States’ lone boxing medal in Paris — in the men’s 71kg. Jones had already secured a medal by reaching the semifinals and he took home the bronze with a loss to Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev. The 21-year-old Jones lost to Muydinkhujaev, the reigning world champion, in a 3-2 split decision.

USWNT wins another nail-biter to reach gold medal match

Trinity Rodman played the hero for the USWNT in the quarterfinals. This time around, it was Sophia Smith who put on the cape and saved the day.

After a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Japan in extra time, the USWNT found itself in yet another scoreless deadlock that required more than 90 minutes to decide. But the USWNT once again came up with a breakthrough in the opening period of extra time versus Germany thanks to a superb effort and strike from Smith in the 95th minute.

Smith’s game-winner propelled the USWNT past Germany 1-0 and into its first Olympic final since the 2012 London Games, where it last claimed gold. The Americans will face Brazil, which defeated Spain in the other semifinal, in the gold medal match on Saturday.

US women’s water polo outlasts Hungary in tight quarterfinal

The USWNT wasn’t the only American squad to earn a dramatic quarterfinal win on Day 11. The three-time-defending Olympic champion women’s water polo team emerged victorious in a tightly contested battle against Hungary that came down to the final minutes.

The U.S. and Hungary entered the fourth quarter tied at 4-4 before Rachel Fattal put the Americans ahead during a 6-on-4 power play with just three minutes left. Fattal’s heroics, along with Ashleigh Johnson‘s 17 saves, pushed the Americans past Hungary 5-4 and into the semifinals, where a matchup with unbeaten Australia awaits on Thursday.

Team USA is looking to become the sport’s first squad — women’s or men’s — to ever win four straight Olympic titles.

USA men’s basketball rolls into semifinals

The U.S. men’s basketball team looked strong in its first win-or-go-home contest of the Paris Games. The four-time defending Olympic champions cruised to a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil.

Devin Booker (18 points), Anthony Edwards (17) and Joel Embiid (14) led six Americans who scored in double figures, while LeBron James flirted with a double-double by posting 12 points and nine assists.

Team USA, which improved to a perfect 4-0 in Paris, will now have to go through arguably the world’s best basketball player in order to reach the gold medal game. The U.S. will face three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia for a second time in Paris on Thursday after a blowout victory to open the Olympics. Serbia has won three straight since that meeting, most recently rallying for an epic comeback win against reigning bronze medalist Australia in the quarterfinals.

US women’s volleyball advances to fifth straight Olympic semifinals

The reigning Olympic champion U.S. women’s volleyball team is back in the semifinals for a fifth straight Games after defeating Poland in straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-20). Annie Drews powered the quarterfinal victory with 13 points, while Kathryn Plummer and Avery Skinner each added 12.

The Americans will now face Brazil on Thursday in a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Olympics. Brazil has yet lose a single set, let alone a match, at the Paris Olympics.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The red furry “Sesame Street” character, who’s been hobnobbing with Olympians since he arrived in Paris, reached out on X to Nedoroscik to ask him for advice about how to specialize in an activity.

“Mr. Stephen Nedoroscik, Elmo wants to be a specialist too! Elmo was thinking he could be the giggle specialist or maybe a monster-hug specialist. Elmo will keep thinking!” wrote the Muppet.

The bronze medal winner replied with encouragement for Elmo, telling him he could do anything he set his heart out to do.

“Elmo, the great thing about specializing in something is you get to decide,” he wrote. “I think you’ll be a great specialist in anything you end up choosing!”

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Elmo in turn wrote back, “Thank you, Mr. Steve! You are so kind! Elmo is now the official specialist of giggles!!!!!!! Ha ha ha! Elmo loves you!”

X users responded by saying the pair’s adorable exchange tugged at their heartstrings.

“Oh okay. So we are just crying on a random Tuesday because Stephen gave Elmo the special boost to be WHATEVER HE WANTED,” read one response.

“You are fantastically wholesome,” another user told Nedoroscik, “and please know that’s intended as a massive compliment.”

Some called the pair’s conversation “pure,” with one writing, “i need this whole thing printed on a tshirt.”

Others said they hoped to see Nedoroscik, whom fans nicknamed “Pommel Horse Guy” after witnessing his gymnastics skills in Paris, on an upcoming “Sesame Street” episode.

“I think someone needs to make an appearance on Sesame Street pronto! Make it happen, @elmo ! @sesamestreet,” one wrote.

While at the Olympics, Elmo and his “Sesame Street” pals have been meeting up with members of Team USA, including gold medal-winning gymnasts Simone Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles.

Elmo and Cookie Monster also hung out with swimmer Katie Ledecky. When the trio posed for pics together, Cookie Monster couldn’t help but sneak a nibble on one of Ledecky’s shiny new gold medals.

“Sesame Street” shared a pic of the high jinks Aug. 4 on X, writing, “Can confirm, a ninth gold medal tastes as good as the first. Congratulations Ms. @KatieLedecky!”

Ledecky also shared the image on her own X account. “C is for Cookie… that’s good enough for me,” she wrote, adding a gold medal emoji.

Peacock is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock. Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peacock is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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Let’s take a closer look as to why that is:

What Olympic sports have two bronze medalists?

Olympic combat and martial arts events hand out two bronze medals for each event.

At the 2024 Olympics, the sports that give two bronze medals are boxing, wrestling, judo and taekwondo.

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Why are two bronze medals given for some Olympic sports?

The reason for giving two bronze medals differs in boxing from judo, taekwondo and wrestling.

When Olympic boxing first began in 1904, the sport held a traditional bronze medal match featuring the losers of the semifinals, the way that many Olympic events decide their bronze medalist. However, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) decided to do away with the bronze medal match in 1950 due to concerns for boxer’s health.

Initially, the losers of the semifinals would simply be placed third in the Olympics and go home without a medal. But that all changed in 1968, when the AIBA decided to change the rules to give out two bronze medals to both losers of the semifinals matches.

In 2024, American Omari Jones earned a bronze medal after losing his semifinal match.

In the case of judo, taekwondo and wrestling, two bronze medals are awarded by using the repechage system.

What is the Olympic repechage system?

The word repechage is based on a French word that literally means “second chance,” and that is exactly what is given to competitors who lost to the two finalists in the judo, taekwondo and wrestling events.

In the repechage matches for taekwondo and wrestling, the losers to the finalists in the round of 16 and quarterfinals face off, and the victor takes on the loser of the semifinals for one of the two bronze medals.

In the repechage matches for judo, the losing quarterfinalists face-off, and the winning team then faces the losing semifinalists for bronze.

Can Olympic athletes tie for bronze?

Yes, and athletes can tie for gold and silver as well.

However, when there is a tie for silver in an event with the standard medal format, a bronze medal is not awarded. If there is a tie for gold in an event, a silver medal is not awarded.

Have athletes tied for bronze at the 2024 Olympics?

Yes, there have been ties for bronze in the men’s horizontal bar gymnastics event and the women’s high jump track and field event.

American swimmer Nic Fink also tied for silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke final.

Perhaps it’s because she’s not so far removed from that point.

Elor, just 20 years old, defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 on Tuesday in the 68-kilogram final at the Paris Games to become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in U.S. history, male or female.

“I’m still in disbelief,” she said. “I think I have a little bit of impostor syndrome.”

Elor’s dominance was very real to her opponents. She had a 31-2 advantage over four matches and was not scored upon in her final three contests.

She became the third American woman to win gold, following Helen Maroulis in 2016 and Tamyra Mensah-Stock in 2021. Women started wrestling at the Olympics in 2004.

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After the win, she draped the U.S. flag over her back and skipped around the mat.

“It was one of the best moments in my life,” she said. “I think I’m going to remember it for my entire life. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. And when I experience something like that, it just reminds me that everything is worth it. All the hard days, the grind, it’s all worth it for moments like these.”

She said she achieved her success by choosing not to overthink.

“Often when we feel like we need to rise for an occasion, we think we need to make changes and adjustments,” she said. “But the truth is, we don’t. We should always be trying our very best. Just because it’s the Olympics versus trials, we should always be giving it our all. So, that’s exactly what I did.”

Elor already was a two-time world champion, first winning at age 18. Now, the Northern California native looks forward to possibly winning Olympic gold in her home state at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“To have the opportunity to compete and represent not only my country, but my state, and to compete in my own state, is incredible,” she said. “I have been excited for that ever since I heard about it.”

Team USA took another step toward an Olympic five-peat with a blowout quarterfinal victory over Brazil on Tuesday at the 2024 Paris Games.

Devin Booker (18 points), Anthony Edwards (17) and Joel Embiid (14) led six Americans who scored in double figures as Team USA rolled to a 122-87 win at Bercy Arena.

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The Americans, who improved to a perfect 4-0 in Paris, will next have to go through arguably the world’s best basketball player in order to reach the gold medal game.

Here’s what to know for the semifinals of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament:

What teams are left in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament?

Joining Team USA in the semifinals are France, Germany and Serbia. In the quarterfinals, France defeated Canada, Serbia beat Australia, and Germany defeated Greece.

Who does Team USA basketball play next?

Team USA’s semifinal showdown will be a Paris rematch as the Americans will once again face three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia.

The United States kicked off Olympic play with a 110-84 rout of Serbia on July 28. But Jokic and Co. have responded with three straight wins, most recently overcoming a 24-point deficit in the quarterfinals to beat reigning bronze medalist Australia in overtime and advance to the semis.

The other semifinal matchup will be between reigning silver medalist France and Germany. Franz Wagner and Germany are seeking the country’s first-ever Olympic men’s basketball medal, while Victor Wembanyama and Co. are gunning for France’s first Olympic men’s basketball gold.

When does Team USA basketball play next?

Team USA and Serbia will square off in the semifinals on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. ET. It will follow France-Germany, which will tip off at 11:30 a.m. ET.

How to watch USA men’s basketball in the Olympic semifinals

USA-Serbia will be shown on USA Network and Peacock. Here’s where you can stream both semifinal showdowns:

Watch France vs. Germany Men’s Basketball on Aug. 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET

Watch USA Men’s Basketball vs. Serbia on Aug. 8 at 3 p.m. ET

Team USA earned a decisive 122-87 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals Tuesday. The victory sets up a semifinals matchup versus Nikola Jokic and Serbia at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. The U.S. defeated Serbia 110-84 in the first group stage game of the tournament last month.

France and Germany will square off in the other semifinals showdown.

The trio of Boston Celtics players on the U.S. roster were reunited Tuesday after Jrue Holiday missed the last group stage matchup. Holiday started against Brazil, while Jayson Tatum and Derrick White came off the bench.

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Tatum played the last eight minutes of the second quarter and helped Team USA end the first half on a 15-0 run. White and Holiday both scored 11 points. They were two of nine American players who scored in double-digits. Tatum finished with six points. Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis led Team USA with 23 points.

The greatest impact the Celtics players made in this game came on defense. White (two), Holiday (two) and Tatum (one) combined for five of Team USA’s seven blocks. Tatum’s block came on his first defensive possession and forced a 24-second shot clock violation. The Americans’ first four blocks of the game were all from C’s players.

Defense was a major factor in the Celtics beating the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, and these three stars have brought that same intensity to the Olympics.

Here’s a full recap of how the three Celtics players fared against Brazil.

Jayson Tatum

Final stat line: 20 minutes, six points (1-for-5 FG; 0-for-0 3PT; 3-for-4 FT), three rebounds, one assist, one steal, +17 plus-minus

After starting in each of the last two games, Tatum was among the last to see the floor in the quarterfinals. He checked in with 7:58 remaining in the second quarter after every player except Tyrese Haliburton had played.

Tatum played the rest of the quarter and scored four points with one block and one assist in the frame. He provided one of the top highlights of the first half by finishing an alley-oop off an inbound pass from LeBron James with five seconds remaining.

Here’s another look at Tatum’s alley-oop:

Tatum finished with six points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 20 minutes. He shot 1-of-5 from the floor but hit three of his four free throw attempts.

Jrue Holiday

Final stat line: 17 minutes, 11 points (4-for-7 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 0-for-0 FT), three assists, two blocks, +21 plus-minus

Holiday missed the last group stage game versus Puerto Rico with an ankle injury, but he looked totally fine in his return to action against Brazil. The veteran guard was back in the starting lineup and made an immediate impact by making a dunk, dishing out an assist and blocking a shot all in the first three minutes.

Holiday tallied eight points (3-of-5 shooting) with two assists and two blocks in the first half. Team USA outscored Brazil by 25 points when Holiday was on the floor during the first two quarters.

The two-time NBA champ finished with 11 points, three assists and two blocks in 17 minutes. Holiday has scored 10-plus points in two of his three games at the Olympics. The lopsided score allowed Holiday to get a well-deserved rest in the second half.

Derrick White

Final stat line: 18 minutes, 11 points (2-for-6 FG, 1-for-4 3PT, 0-for-0 FT), four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, +5 plus-minus

White was among the first players to come off the bench, entering the game with 2:55 left in the opening quarter. The veteran guard gave a solid all-around performance in the first half by tallying six points, two rebounds, two assists and one block.

His most impressive play came early in the second quarter when he scored a putback layup off a missed 3-pointer by Kevin Durant.

White ended up scoring 11 points — his high in any game at the Olympics — along with four rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 18 minutes. He got a bunch of minutes in the fourth quarter as Team USA stretched its lead to 25-plus points.

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Teahupo’o’s green barrels wowed the world, however, while helping the U.S.’ Caroline Marks and Kauli Vaast — who was born and raised on Tahiti in French Polynesia and represented Team France — achieve magical moments while earning gold medals. Despite reef-inflicted injuries and moments when the location was questioned as just too dangerous, it would be hard to conclude Teahupo’o didn’t provide its own golden moments.

The shallow reef break that heaves south swell into a brick wall of water helped to define the best in surfing at this moment, and the elimination of Brazil’s Gabriel Medina, a three-time world champion, from silver and gold contention showed the location’s unforgiving influence.

The U.S.’ John John Florence, the world’s top-ranked professional surfer, was eliminated in the third round by Australia’s Jack Robinson, who took silver. Five-time world champion and defending gold medalist Clarissa Moore was eliminated in the quarterfinals after she lost to a determined Johanne Defay, who would fight on to win a bronze medal for France.

Moore said she would retire from competitive surfing after the Olympics, regardless of the outcome, and she expressed happiness over her time in Tahiti for the games. She took time off to prepare for the event, and she said she doesn’t regret it.

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“I just hope that at the end of the day I can encourage whoever is watching, win or lose, don’t be afraid to go into it fearlessly and don’t be afraid to fail,” Moore said after her loss. “The process has been so much fun.”

After epic waves graced Teahupo’o on July 29, the sea calmed, and organizers were left with stressful decisions about when to hold the medal rounds. They had a 10-day window for roughly four days of surfing, using Surfline’s private wave forecasting to make the call for heat days.

Monday’s conditions were so-so, but the lack of juice was a challenge in itself, and those with a champion’s mindset were left to make the most of it. Some edged out competitors in “paddle battles” that established important wave priority. Others surfed as if conditions didn’t matter — the ballet and athleticism of walking on water would shine through.

It did.

Gold medalist Vaast of France was pushed deep into a rare barrel by his finals foe, Robinson of Australia, as both paddled for the first wave of their heat. Vaast should have thanked him, because Vaast stayed deep, using the front of his board to hunt for light, and emerged in a wave that should have consumed him.

It was an Olympic moment. Robinson responded with a barrel of his own, but after one more from Vaast, the sea died down, almost defiantly, for more than 10 minutes, and the heat’s time quickly expired, with Vaast taking gold.

Conditions for the women’s heats weren’t as lucky, leaving competitors to create opportunities from power surfing — carving long lines, hitting the top and creating a shower of spray, and floating down with Teahupo’o’s guillotine of a lip.

Defay seemed to work each wave this way, relentlessly, earning bronze for France.

Marks took gold in a lip-bashing final heat that could have gone either way. Neither Marks nor Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb gave an inch during the heat, and Marks earned gold by one-tenth of a point.

Teahupo’o did its job, presenting the state of the art of surfing to the world without killing or maiming, although Colin Jost’s foot might take some more time to recover after Jost, the “Saturday Night Live” cast member and NBC surfing commentator, was injured by Teahupo’o’s notoriously sharp reef.

For some it felt like surfing was finally on a proper stage and, for the Olympics, here to stay.

The International Surfing Association — the Encinitas, California-based sanctioning organization for Olympics competition, which had been lobbying for inclusion in the Games since the mid-1990s — is characterizing the Teahupo’o competition as a full-circle moment.

The nonprofit organization ties surfing’s Polynesian roots to Teahupo’o’s own precolonial surfing lore and the dream of Hawaii’s Duke Kahanamoku, who spread surfing to the mainland U.S., to make it an Olympics sport back in the early 1900s.

The story seems resolved, but it would be a fair question to ask whether the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, in a Southern California region that claims to be the home of contemporary surfing culture, can top Paris.

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The 27-year-old, who took home bronze and silver during her Olympic debut at the Tokyo games, balances her career as an Olympian with a job in health care. 

Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center. 

In the months leading up to the Games, Thomas trained three to six hours a day, but at night, she worked at an Austin volunteer health-care clinic for people without insurance. 

The Atlanta, Georgia native told NBC News that having a career outside of track has played a critical role in her success as a professional athlete. 

“The way I became successful in track and field was basically running track part-time,” she said. “And I think for me that’s really important for my mental health, just having other things in my life that helped fulfill, you know, my goals and make me feel fulfilled.”

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Speaking to Olympics.com ahead of the race, Thomas reiterated that having a second career sharpens her focus and helps her decompress from the constant grind of training.

“I think I’m just so grateful to get to do what I love,” Thomas told Olympics.com. “I think about it all the time, and even after a hard day at the track, when I’m tired and wheezing from practice, I’m just like, ‘I’m so grateful to be doing what I love and to be able to do it for a living.'”

She added: “And then I get to go to the clinic and volunteer and make a difference in people’s lives. So I feel so fulfilled, and I feel so passionate about everything I do. And [that all] really just comes from gratitude.”

Although Thomas has ambitions to compete in Los Angeles in 2028 — and win more medals — she said she has an even bigger goal in mind: running a hospital or nonprofit to democratize information and access to health care.

“I hope that I’m doing the same thing I’m doing now, which is letting my passions drive me,” she told NBC News.

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In an interview Aug. 6 with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb, the gymnast opened up about a recent moment when her emotions caught up to her in Paris.

“You are sitting here today, 27 years old, the most decorated gymnast of all time. Have you had a moment to reflect on what this means?” Hoda asked.

“Not completely, and I don’t think I will, until one day I decide to retire,” Biles responded.

The gymnast went on to recall how she recently felt an influx of emotions while walking around the Olympic Village with her teammate and close friend Jordan Chiles.

“Yesterday, once we got back to the village, I looked at Jordan, and I just started bawling my eyes out. And she was like, ‘I knew it was going to happen. I just didn’t know when,’” Biles said.

The Olympian then explained why she thinks she had this unexpected and sudden reaction.

“I think I was so full of emotion, and I finally released all of that. I was so proud, happy, bittersweet that the journey’s over. It’s like, it’s so crazy. It happened so quick. My third Olympics,” she said.

The accomplished gymnast finished her run in Paris with four medals, including three gold and one silver. This brings her total Olympic medal count to 11 overall.

Since competing in the Olympics is such a unique experience, Biles and Chiles have a special understanding of what the other is going through at any given time. Hoda even took a moment to point out how their support for each other, especially during the floor exercise final, is refreshing to watch.

“You’re happy when you win a medal: gold, silver, or whatever it happens to be. You were happier when Jordan Chiles, your compadre, wins a bronze. To watch you leap in the air — why is that?” she asked.

Applauding her teammate for working “so hard,” Biles offered the following response: “I knew that meant the world to her. I was so happy for her because it’s been a long run, and we’ve done this for so long together, and competing again on an Olympic stage is crazy.”

While talking with Hoda, Biles provided some insight into her future plans and whether or not she plans to retire anytime soon.

“You never say never. The next Olympics is on home turf. So you just never know,” she said. “I’m just going to relax and see where life takes me.”

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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Both Jones and Muydinkhujaev came into the semifinal undefeated in the men’s welterweight (71kg) event.

But Muydinkhujaev beat Jones 3-2.

Muydinkhujaev, with the win, advanced to the gold medal match on Aug. 9 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

With the loss, the 21-year-old Jones, of Orlando, took home the bronze, becoming the only American boxer to medal in Paris.

U.S. captain Maggie Steffens scored two goals and played terrific defense on Hungary center Rebecca Parkes down the stretch. The 31-year-old Steffens played the entire game.

The U.S. is going for an unprecedented fourth consecutive gold medal. No team — men or women — has won four straight water polo titles at the Olympics.

Next up for the U.S. is Australia, which advanced with a 9-6 win over Greece. Spain faces Netherlands in the other semifinal on Thursday at Paris La Defense Arena.

Spain rolled over Canada for an 18-8 victory, and the Netherlands beat Italy 11-8 in the second quarterfinal.

Hungary pushed the U.S. all the way to the end in another close matchup. Hungary beat the U.S. 10-9 in group play during the Tokyo Games, and it also handed the Americans a 10-8 loss on July 9. The U.S. topped Hungary 8-7 for gold at the world championships in Qatar in February.

The matchup at the Paris Games was tied at 4 going into the fourth period. Fattal then put the U.S. ahead to stay with a perfectly slotted shot during a 6-on-4 power play with 3:02 left.

Hungary had a couple chances to tie it up in the final minutes, but the U.S. used Johnson and its tough defense to hold on.

Hungary finished with 31 shots, compared with 22 for the United States. Rita Keszthelyi, Krisztina Garda, Kamilla Farago and Dora Leimeter scored for Hungary.

U.S. star Maddie Musselman was held scoreless. She was credited with three shots.

Spain, which lost to the U.S. in the Tokyo final, improved to 5-0 at the Olympics. It has outscored its opponents 69-44 so far.

Elena Ruiz scored four times in the quarterfinal win, and Bea Ortiz continued her strong tournament with three more goals. Martina Terre made 12 saves.

Anni Espar Llaquet sparked a 4-0 run for Spain when she scored with 4:58 left in the first quarter. Ortiz’s goal made it 6-1 in the final seconds of the period.

“We knew if we gave Canada a chance they would be in the game, so we had to start very strong and be confident with our game,” Espar Llaquet said.

Verica Bakoc scored five goals for Canada on five shots. Canada dropped to 1-4 heading into a classification game on Thursday.

“We play a little sport in a big country (and) there’s not enough people playing,” Axelle Crevier of Canada said. “I feel proud to compete against nations like Spain who have many water polo players.”

The Netherlands earned its fourth win of the Olympics. Its only loss came in a penalty shootout against Australia.

Simone van de Kraats, Brigitte Sleeking, Vivian Sevenich and Lieke Rogge each scored two goals on Tuesday.

“We are really pushing each other to a higher level,” Sevenich said. “I think that showed today, and we’re not done yet.”

The Netherlands carried a 6-5 lead into the fourth quarter. Sevenich and Rogge then scored to make it 8-5 with 5:35 to go.

Van de Kraats helped close it out when she made it 11-7 with 1:03 left.

Claudia Marletta scored three goals for Italy. Dafne Bettini and Valeria Palmieri each had two.

Australia was led by Alice Williams, who had five goals on seven shots. Bronte Halligan, who played the entire game, and Abby Andrews each scored twice.

Gabi Palm made 13 saves on 19 shots, helping Australia stay undefeated at the Games.

Greece’s Eleni Xenaki trimmed Australia’s lead to 8-6 with 1:16 left, but Williams responded with a power-play goal with 38 seconds to go.

But there are plenty of former Celtics in the men’s basketball tournament as well — two of which took center stage in a thrilling upset Tuesday.

Evan Fournier and Guerschon Yabusele both delivered clutch performances for Team France on Tuesday as the hosts secured an 82-73 win over Team Canada, which went 3-0 in group play and was considered a favorite to challenge the Americans for gold.

Here’s a look at how Fournier and Yabusele made their mark against Canada:

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Evan Fournier

Final stat line: 15 points (4-for-8 shooting, 3-for-6 3PT), one rebound, three assists, one block

The veteran guard only played 16 games for the Celtics during the 2020-21 season after coming to Boston in a mid-season trade with the Orlando Magic, and he’s probably better known locally for the big shots he hit against the C’s.

Well, Fournier delivered in the clutch again for Team France on Tuesday by hitting two massive 3-pointers — including a ridiculous heave to beat the shot clock that put the French up 10 with 55 seconds remaining.

Fournier has scored 10-plus points in three straight games for France and is averaging 11.5 points per game in this tournament, third on the team behind only Victor Wembanyama — and Yabusele.

Guerschon Yabusele

Final stat line: 22 points (6-for-9 shooting, 2-for-4 3PT, five rebounds, one assist

Yes, you read that right. The Celtics’ first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, whom Boston waived in July 2019 after he failed to crack the rotation, is the second-leading scorer on a France squad that features Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Fournier and Nicolas Batum.

Yabusele was all over the court Tuesday, making 4 of 5 2-pointers and drilling a pair of 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 22 points. He has 35 points in his last two games and has been active on the boards, as well, playing a massive role in France’s success to date.

Yabusele has carved out a successful overseas career since leaving the Celtics in 2019. The 28-year-old has won two Liga ACB championships with Real Madrid over three seasons with the Spanish club, which also won the coveted EuroLeague championship in 2023.

Fournier, Yabusele and Team France now advance to the semifinals, where more former Celtics await on a Team Germany roster that includes Dennis Schroder and Daniel Theis.

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American Cole Hocker stormed past reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain in the race’s final 100 meters to secure the upset victory at Stade de France on Tuesday.

Ingebrigtsen and Kerr were viewed as the race’s top favorites, but Hocker simply wouldn’t be denied as he rallied to the top of the podium with an Olympic-record time of 3:27.65.

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Kerr, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, finished second in 3:27.79 to take silver, while American Yared Nuguse claimed bronze with a time of 3:27.80. It marked the first time that the U.S. had two medalists in the men’s 1500m since all the way back at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

Hocker, an Indianapolis native, and Nuguse, a Louisville, Kentucky, native, each made the Olympic podium for the first time. The medal triumphs came after Hocker placed sixth in the event at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic, while Nuguse was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Games due to a quad injury.

In a stunner, Ingebrigtsen finished one spot off the podium with a time of 3:28.24. The only other American in the race, Hobbs Kessler, finished fifth in 3:29.45.

How many laps is 1500m?

The 1500m race features 3 3/4 laps.

What is the 1500m world record?

The world record in the 1500m has stood for more than two decades. The mark is held by Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrouj, who ran the race in 3:26.00 in July of 1998.

Where is Cole Hocker from?

Hocker is from Indianapolis.

Where did Cole Hocker go to college?

He attended the University of Oregon.

What is Cole Hocker’s height?

The 23-year-old stands 5-foot-11.

The 29-year-old table tennis star made history on Monday as the first Brazilian to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Alexandre competes with the same intensity as other table tennis players at the Paris Olympics, except she hones a skill most others don’t have. When serving, she uses her left hand to toss the ball high with the paddle.

This maneuver, which now appears effortless and natural, was once the biggest challenge for young Alexandre, who aspired to play the sport despite having only one arm.

Her first Olympic journey wasn’t long, however, as Brazil drew a very competitive South Korean team in the first round. 

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Nonetheless, Alexandre is proud of her achievement and for breaking barriers for her country. 

“It wasn’t the result I was hoping for, but we’re very satisfied with what we achieved,” said Alexandre after Brazil lost 3-1.

“We didn’t give up until the end. Korea is one of the best teams. I managed to score some points, which made me very happy personally, and I’m very proud of my team for fighting until the end.”

Now, Alexandre will set her sights on the Paralympic Games.

When Alexandre was just 3 months old, she lost her arm due to a blood clot. She began playing table tennis at the age of 7 and has been very dominant. The Rio 2016 Paralympic bronze medalist and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic silver medalist is looking to add another medal to her name in Paris.

“Never give up on your dreams, regardless of whether you have one leg or one arm. Believe that everything is possible. After 22 years of my career today I’m here at the Olympics,” she said.

The Paralympic Games are set for Aug. 28 and will run through Sept. 8. 

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It took extra time once again in the semifinal against Germany, but Team USA pulled ahead on a goal by Sophia Smith in the 95th minute to seal the 1-0 victory.

The U.S. will face the winner of Brazil vs. Spain, who play Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, in the gold medal match.

For 90 minutes, neither the U.S. or Germany could break through. The Americans dominated the first half, with five shots on target compared to none for Germany.

The Germans, despite their lack of production, stayed in the game with their physicality. They committed 11 fouls in the first half to keep the U.S. at bay.

Germany finally had some scoring chances in the second half. They had three shots on target with no luck against American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

Once the extra period began, the U.S. was on the attack. The tie was broken when Smith, off a pretty feed from Mallory Swanson, snuck a shot past German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger in a chaotic sequence.

The U.S. held on over the following 25 minutes, with a few close but unsuccessful scoring chances for Germany.

Now, the team has a chance to win its first Olympic gold medal since 2012. The USWNT was ousted in the quarterfinals in 2016 before claiming bronze in 2021.

The gold medal match is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT in Paris at Parc des Princes.

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Mitchell, a 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the men’s 4x400m, was impressed by the maturity of the 16-year-old Wilson.

“He’s the real deal,” Mitchell told NBC. “What a phenomenal human being. He’s a great kid and I hate to even call him a kid, but he is a kid. Like, he’s five years older than my son, and when I look at it like that, it’s like, ‘wow, this is crazy.’”

Wilson, who attends high school in Potomac, Maryland, is an avid gamer who spends much of his free time playing Fortnite and Call of Duty.

He has built an audience of nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram and posted photos with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and other superstar athletes.

“I really like his swag,” Mitchell said. “A lot of people will think he’s cocky or arrogant. I don’t see that at all. He’s just super confident in not only himself, but his abilities both on and off the track.”

If picked to run in the 4x400m relay, Wilson would become the youngest-ever U.S. male Olympic track and field athlete.

“I hope he gets the opportunity to run,” Mitchell said. “The dude is a performer and he’s a gamer. And I think if something’s on the line, whether he has experience passing the baton around with USA on his chest or not, the dude is ready if he gets called, that’s all I’ve got to say.”

The first round of the men’s 4×400 relay will be held on Friday at 5:05 a.m. ET and the final will be on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Katie Ledecky is used to entering uncharted waters.

Like how the swimmer made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the most decorated U.S. female Olympian of all time and the first woman to win four Olympic golds in the same event (the 800m freestyle at the past four Games).

But a few years ago, Ledecky began a private deep dive into another new area: navigating a health challenge.

It started in 2015 at the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia. Ledecky won five gold medals and set three world records, but it wasn’t all celebrations. As the athlete recalled in her memoir “Just Add Water: My Swimming Life,” she began feeling “extremely hot and lightheaded” at a team dinner following her final race. Chalking it up to being exhausted from her meets, she didn’t worry too much about it.

Ledecky returned to the U.S. to resume training for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. But again, she felt like something was off.

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“It was…weird,” the 27-year-old wrote. “I was swimming okay. But I was super inconsistent. I would have a couple of good practices, and then I would have a day or two when I had absolutely no energy. Some days I couldn’t walk around without dizziness. I remember wrapping practice and struggling to get back to the locker room. Every swimmer has peaks and valleys in training, but to be so strung out? My desire to work hard was there. I just had no juice. I kept wondering, Am I sick. And if so, with what?”

Ledecky noted it was her then-coach Bruce Gemmell who suggested she consult a specialist at Johns Hopkins in her home state of Maryland. She ended up being diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), which according to NewYork-Presbyterian’s Health Matters, “is a condition in which people experience a fast heart rate, lightheadedness, fatigue or other symptoms when they go from sitting or lying down to standing.”

As Ledecky explained in her book, “Because I have POTS, I pool blood in the vessels below my heart when I stand. My body then releases extra norepinephrine or epinephrine, which adds additional stressors on my heart, making it beat faster. Which, in turn, bring on dizziness, fainting and exhaustion.”

As a result of the condition, the 14-time Olympic medalist made changes to her diet.

“The good news was that I could treat my POTS nutritionally,” she added. “I needed to up my sodium intake and increase my hydration. Studies also show that reclined aerobic exercise, such as swimming and strengthening your core can provide relief. Which is kind of funny. What are the odds that the prescriptive exercise for my particular disease would be…more swimming?”

And while Ledecky expressed how “relieved” she was to finally have answers, she decided not to publicly share her diagnosis right away.

“I didn’t want something quote/unquote ‘wrong’ with me to become the narrative around Rio or Team USA,” she wrote. “I wasn’t eager to become a distraction or to be distracted myself. I simply wanted to treat my condition as best I could and get back to going hard in the pool. Gradually, following doctor’s orders, I started feeling better.”

Now, Ledecky — who noted she has a “solid handle on my POTS these days” — is ready to talk about her journey.

“It feels good,” she told SELF in an interview published in June. “It’s not like I was ever hiding it; it just never felt like it was something I needed to share. I’ve had it under control completely. I really just had to add salt to my diet and wear compression gear. Whenever I get sick and when I go to hot environments, I need to be especially careful to stay on top of my salt and hydration.”

Pooling her knowledge from her personal experience, the champion also revealed her advice for others living with POTS.

“The biggest thing is to trust the health professionals you’re working with,” she told the outlet. “I did that and was able to figure out what helped me pretty quickly. I understand that for some people, it’s a longer process. But it’s important to stay patient and work with the people around you and make sure you have good people watching out for you, encouraging you. For instance, my mom is always reminding me to stay on my salt and hydration.”

And whether it comes to her health, sport or everyday life, her family and her coaches are her biggest supporters.

“I had the incredible luck of being mentored by a series of devoted and wise coaches willing to lift me up without making swimming my sole raison d’être,” she wrote in her memoir. “My family did the same. I was never pressured to perform by anyone but myself. Of the many twists of fate that lead to greatness, this support system was the one for which I’m most grateful.”

Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards and LeBron James starred as the U.S. men’s basketball team rolled past Brazil and into the Olympic semifinals. Here’s how the quarterfinal game played out:

Simone Biles may be the most decorated gymnast of all time, but there’s another title she sees in her future: mom.

The 27-year-old, who cemented her place in gymnastics history with a stellar 2024 Paris Olympics, recently revealed that she and husband Jonathan Owens are “most definitely” hoping to expand their family down the line.

“Yes, me and Jonathan always talk about kids,” Biles told Hoda Kotb on Today Aug 6. “He would have had them yesterday if he could have. Obviously, we both have goals that we want to achieve before we start a family, but yes, that’s definitely in our future.”

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Biles and the Chicago Bears player tied the knot in 2023 after meeting on a dating app. And the NFL star was sure to be in the stands cheering her on in Paris as he secured special permission to leave training camp to support his wife at the Olympics.

“He was so excited,” Biles gushed. “He absolutely loved that and, obviously, he loved going to see me compete. He was still keeping score. It meant the world to him because he’s seen the amount of hours I’ve put in, so to actually see in person. He was like, ‘Wow this is amazing.’”

Paris marked Biles’ third Olympic games and along with teammates Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera, Biles brought the U.S. an all-around team gold medal. She also took home gold in individual all-around and the vault as well as a silver medal in the individual floor routine, bringing her total Olympic medal count to 11.

But that’s not to say the 27-year-old is ditching the chalk anytime soon.

“You never say never. The next Olympics is on home turf, so you just never know,” Biles said of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. “I’m just gonna relax and see where life takes me.”

Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her bronze for the floor event Monday when coaches for American Jordan Chiles entered an appeal to judges over Chiles’ score. The inquiry result in a 0.1 boost for Chiles, enough to overtake Barbosu for the last spot on the Olympic podium.

“I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonorable manner,” Ciolacu said in a Facebook post. “To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal … is totally unacceptable!”

Ciolacu promised Romania would honor Barbosu and fifth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, also Romanian, as Olympic medalists, “including in terms of the prizes.”

“You have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from,” Ciolacu said.

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Barbosu was standing on the floor holding a Romanian flag when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the video board. She dropped the flag in shock, brought her hands to her face and walked off in tears.

Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.

The revised scoring of Chiles’ performance also nudged Maneca-Voinea down to fifth place.

Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but this was the program’s return to the Olympics after a 12-year break. Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, “I can’t believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this.”

Ciolacu said that viewers worldwide were “literally shocked by this terrible scene” and said it highlights that “somewhere in the system of organizing this competition, something is wrong.”

Surfing, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball made their debuts in Tokyo, and now it is breaking’s turn to shine as the newest Olympic sport.

Breaking is the only new sport at this year’s Summer Games, but there are plenty of other events making their Olympic debut in Paris.

Here is a breakdown of the athletes who are making Olympic history by medaling in new events.

Boxing

Women’s bantamweight (54kg)

China’s Chang Yuan and Turkey’s Hatice Akbaş will compete for the first ever women’s bantamweight gold on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Breaking

Women’s

The women’s competition will take place on Friday, Aug. 9.

Men’s

The men’s competition will be held the next day on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Canoeing

Women’s kayak cross

• Gold: Noemie Fox, Australia
• Silver: Angele Hug, France
• Bronze: Kimberley Woods, Great Britain

Men’s kayak cross

• Gold: Finn Butcher, New Zealand
• Silver: Joe Clarke, Great Britain
• Bronze: Noah Hegge, Germany

Sailing

Men’s kite

The men’s kite final is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8.

Women’s kite

The women’s kite final is also schedule for Thursday, Aug. 8.

Shooting

Skeet mixed team

• Gold: Italy
• Silver: United States
• Bronze: China

Sport climbing

Women’s speed climbing

The women’s speed climbing final will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Men’s speed climbing

The men’s speed climbing final will be held on Thursday, Aug. 8.

Men’s boulder and lead

The men’s boulder and lead final will be held on Friday, Aug. 9.

Women’s boulder and lead

The women’s boulder and lead final will be held on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Triathlon

Mixed relay

• Gold: Germany
• Silver: United States
• Bronze: Great Britain

The three-time NBA MVP totaled 21 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and four steals as Serbia earned the 95-90 win in overtime.

Serbia came all the way back from a 24-point first-half deficit to take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter.

A missed free throw from Serbia’s Vasilije Micic opened the door for Australia, which was down two with less than 10 seconds left in regulation. Patty Mills then came through with a clutch mid-range jumper over Jokic to tie the game at 82 and send the game to OT.

Jokic had a clutch shot of his own in overtime, dropping in a turnaround jumper to put Serbia up three with 25.1 seconds remaining.

Australia gave the ball back to Serbia with an untimely turnover, and Serbia went on to complete the comeback victory.

Mills led all scorers with 26 points, while Josh Giddey added 25 points for Australia. Behind Jokic in the score column for Serbia were Bogdan Bogdanovic (17 points) and Micic (14 points).

Serbia will now play the winner of the quarterfinal between Team USA and Brazil (3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT) in Thursday’s semifinals.

Watch Team USA vs. Brazil live here

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“You know, it’s bittersweet,” Biles said. “You’ve worked your whole life for moments like this and you almost take it for granted how fast it goes. Last night I definitely had a good cry about it, because I couldn’t believe it was over I called my mom and my sister and I was like, ‘It’s done’. But they were happy tears.”

On the gold medal team with Biles in the team all-around competition was Plano-transplant Hezly Rivera, who at 16 years old was the youngest member of Team USA.

“She made it here so fast! She is so strong. She’s a great competitor. I was super excited to have her on the team with us. She is like our little baby Hezly! To just be able to guide her through this process, I don’t believe this will be her last Olympics,” Biles said.

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She also talked about why it is so important for her to be open about her mental health.

“For me, it’s about being relatable. It takes vulnerability. It takes some strength and some courage. Through therapy, I found that’s where I find my strength. If it can help a little girl out there or even a little boy or a grown person, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Biles said.

She said what she is doing now is paving the way for the future.

“I really do this to inspire the younger generation. That’s exactly why we’re doing it. Finding joy and making sure that they have an easier ride than we are. If we can give any tips, pointers, helpers. That’s what I want to do. Hopefully, they’ll be in the crowd at the Gold Over America Tour,” Biles said.

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The Gold Over America Tour will represent the best of the best. Biles will be joined by Olympic medalists Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Fred Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Joscelyn Roberson.

They will bring their talents from the world stage to the GOAT stage in a high-flying pop concert-style spectacle. Other cast members joining them on tour include Katelyn Ohashi, Peng-Peng Lee, Mélanie Johanna De Jesus Dos Santos, Casimir Schmidt, and more to be named.

The GOAT tour will make a stop in Fort Worth on October 20.

This is likely due to the fact that more rain creates a softer course.

A softer course gives golfers the luxury of reduced roll, which can help keep shots away from hazards, along with increased accuracy.

Additionally, softer greens can be more gentle on the body, limiting physical strain on joints and muscles. 

One of the toughest parts of Le Golf National is how the layout is quite narrow, forcing immaculate accuracy for players to perform well. 

“The difficulty with this course is that everything wants to pinch in at certain points, it’s going to be an interesting test,” NBC golf analyst Karen Stupples said. 

Le Golf National predictions

As for who the former English pro golfer thinks will dominate the games, she thinks it will come down to the most accurate player.  

Stupples says Ireland’s Leona Maguire is a dark horse in the event due to her accuracy, world-class hybrids and attitude. 

She also likes South Korea’s Jin-young Ko’s chances. as the former world No. 1 is very target-disciplined.

When it comes to the Americans, it’s hard to count Nelly Korda out despite her decent form.

“She can turn it on in a heartbeat,” Stupples said.

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Lastly, Rose Zhang is someone who can shine at the Games.

“She’s sneaky,” Stupples said. “She can sneak a medal in there for the Americans.”

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The 18-year-old from Southlake, Texas, posted a 4.75-second time in his men’s speed climbing elimination heat at Le Bourget Climbing Venue. The mark broke his own world record of 4.79 seconds, which Iran’s Veddriq Leonardo tied earlier in the day in the seeding round.

Watson faced fellow Team USA teen Zach Hammer in the elimination heat. Hammer still had a chance to advance to the quarterfinals with a loss to Watson, but he was eliminated after failing to clock in.

This is the second time in as many days that a world record has been set in speed climbing, as Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw scaled the wall in 6.06 seconds in the women’s seeding round on Monday.

Watson will return to Le Bourget Climbing Venue on Thursday with the first ever men’s Olympic speed climbing medals up for grabs.

Watch Sport Climbing Live: Men’s Speed Final

Elsewhere in the men’s competition, 39-year-old Bassa Mawem of France electrified the home crowd with a .01-second win in his heat against Ukraine’s Yaroslav Tkach. Mawem

Kazakhstan’s Amir Maimuratov posted the second-best time of the elimination heats with a 4.94.

The U.S. star golfer was born and raised in Fountain Valley, California with her parents, who are both first-generation Vietnamese immigrants. 

How she got there, however, is a story of familial sacrifice.

Vu’s mother and four siblings lived in the countryside of Vietnam. Her grandfather, Dinh Du, would go away for extended periods of time to build a boat to help his family escape their war-torn country. 

Vu discovered golf early on in her life and progressed to be one of the world’s top amateurs. Once she turned pro, she immediately felt the weight of expectations. 

“For some reason, I started losing all my confidence because I didn’t see results right away,” Vu said. 

Just when Vu thought times couldn’t get tougher, she received a call that her grandfather had been admitted to the hospital.

She recalls the last time she spoke to her grandfather — he was in the hospital and the last thing he said to her was “Good luck and go play well.”

“Out of all the things we could worry about, he’s worried about my golf game,” Vu recollected.

To this day, Vu thanks her grandfather for paving the way for their family and giving her the life she has today as a golf champion.

“I think of my grandfather all the time,” Vu said. “He was a very quiet hard worker, he wouldn’t complain about anything — he just gets stuff done and I think I have the same thing.”

Vu, 26, was named to the USA women’s golf roster for the 2024 Olympics and is set to make her debut on the big stage in the women’s individual event on Wednesday at 3 a.m. ET/ 12 a.m. PT.

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Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s best effort, Greece fell to Germany 76-63 on Tuesday to kick off the knockout round at the 2024 Olympics.

The two-time NBA MVP has performed strong throughout the tournament just to get Greece to this point. The European nation has now made the quarterfinals in four of its five Olympic appearances, but has never gotten through to the semifinals.

Here’s a deep dive into how Antetokounmpo’s Paris compared to his NBA stats:

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece stats for 2024 Olympics

Through three group stage games, Antetokounmpo was nearly flawless.

Greece went 1-2 with narrow losses Canada and Spain before upsetting Australia to sneak into the knockout round.

In those three battles, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 rebounds per game on 68.9% shooting.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo stats for Greece vs. Germany

Antetokounmpo continued to stand out for Greece in their elimination game.

The Milwaukee Bucks star scored 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting with two rebounds and three assists. While he shot 64.3% from the field, his teammates shot a combined 44.4%. That was the story of the tournament for Antetokounmpo, with all four teams Greece faced having multiple NBA players while he had to carry the entire load.

Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA stats

Antetokounmpo developed from an unproven, mid-first round pick into a perennial All-Star, MVP candidate and NBA champion over the past 11 years.

His career averages are 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Last season he was even better, posting averages of 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.2 steals.

The Bucks are again expected to be among the contenders in the Eastern Conference when teams take the floor in October. For now, though, Antetokounmpo has earned some much-needed time off.

They’re called field support robots and their job is equipment retrieval!

Developed by Toyota, these robots work with their human friends to pick up and drop off the items that have been thrown (often very far away) by athletes competing in javelin, hammer, shotput and discus. Once an athlete makes a throw, a staffer out in the field grabs the tossed equipment and loads it up into the car. From there, the field support robot uses cameras and sensors to efficiently return the equipment to its designated dropoff location — back where the athletes throw.

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The robots’ presence cuts down time spent retrieving the equipment and reduces the number of people needed out in the field.

These cars, however, are old news for hardcore followers of track and field. The Olympics have been using them for years now — changing up the look each time around — and rugby is getting in on the action, too:

Check out field support robots at the Olympics throughout the years:

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP via Getty Images

ANTONIN THUILLIER/AFP via Getty Images

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Christopher Morris-Corbis/Getty Images

Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

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With all eyes on the ocean during the final day of the 2024 Paris Olympics surfing competition, a whale breached and gave spectators and photographers the Olympic moment of a lifetime.

The whale was a safe distance from athletes Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil and Brisa Hennessy of Costa Rica — who were competing in a semifinal match.

It’s not uncommon for wild animals such as birds, seals and even sharks to appear while surfing around the world.

In Tahiti, where the 2024 Olympics surfing competition was held almost 10,000 miles way from the host city of Paris, whales gather around the islands during mating, birthing and migration season.

Tahiti also has several maritime protected zones. In April, Pacific Indigenous leaders — including some from Tahiti— signed a treaty recognizing whales as “legal persons,” although such a declaration is not reflected in the laws of participating nations.

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This live blog has ended for the day. Follow along with us for the latest updates here.

She crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead over women’s 100m winner Julien Alfred, of St. Lucia, and teammate Brittany Brown.

This is a breaking news update. Read an earlier version of this story below.

Tuesday in Paris, runner Gabby Thomas will push for a gold medal.

Thomas, who grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University, earned two medals in Tokyo — silver in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the women’s 200m.

She posted the fastest time Monday in the 200m semifinal, and she’s a favorite for the gold in Tuesday’s final.

“I feel really good, I feel confident, in control,” she said after the semifinal. “I feel confident that it’ll all come together tomorrow, so I’m excited.”

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“It’s a shock when all of sudden you see it and there’s a picture of them and they’re dressed in their uniform and there’s our shoes on their feet, it’s fabulous,” said Mike Rancourt, owner of Rancourt and Company.

The Lewiston-based company was asked to create a shoe for all 592 American athletes for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Rancourt leads the company that has been in his family for generations.

“At some point, every person in the company had touched the shoes, one way or another, to finish it, bag it, to clean it, whatever it may be,” Rancourt said. “Every person was involved.”

Polo Ralph Lauren came calling in 2023 and asked Rancourt to come up with a white buck suede design for this year’s Olympics. All of the shoes are handmade in the Lewiston factory.

Rancourt said from start to finish, one pair of shoes could be done in about two days.

This isn’t the first time Rancourt has made footwear for Team USA athletes. They also wore them in Rio, in Tokyo and in Beijing for the Winter Games.

“People around us, people that don’t even know us, coming up and having a conversation with me,” Rancourt said. “Most of it relates to how proud they are to live in a community that produce the Olympic shoes.”

But this year has even more meaning. The mass shooting that happened not far from the factory just 10 months ago shook this community. Eighteen people died and dozens of others were injured in the October 2023 rampage.

“They’ve been saddened by it, and they struggle with it, when it comes to thinking in terms of what it means for our community and families,” Rancourt said.

He said he wants people to know that resiliency is what Lewiston is all about.

“I know that this is something, producing the Olympic shoes is something that will bring the whole community some satisfaction, that Lewiston will continue, it’s resilient, it will be there,” Rancourt said.

That feeling has been felt on the factory floor.

“Most definitely,” said Brian Pare, a shoemaker. “A lot of pride. Not many people know how to do this anymore.”

“In the back of my mind, it represents Lewiston and the good things about Lewiston,” Rancourt said. “And there’s a lot of good things about Lewiston. But this particular event is really a great view of how Lewiston people come together and create this product and enjoy what we do.”

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The rowing star proposed to his girlfriend, Lainey Duncan, live on TODAY in Paris on Aug. 5, in what appeared to be a complete surprise for his longtime partner.

“Lainey Olivia Duncan, you are the love of my life,” Best said as he got down on one knee, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. “You have been with me since day one.”

“I knew you were special — it was the first date. I said to you, ‘I wanted to go to the Olympics,’ and you, without question, said ‘Yeah, absolutely. Go for it,'” he said. “You are stunningly beautiful. ferociously intelligent. Your kindness is bent leaps and bounds — I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love you.”

He concluded: “This is going to be the easiest question of my life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and raise a family together. Lainey, Will you marry me?”

Duncan immediately said yes, before noting that her red lipstick was all over Best’s face. “You look fabulous!” she shouted.

Best, 26, then explained the meaning of the thousands of yellow flowers behind them.

“Each yellow rose represents a day that you and I have been together,” he said. “Obviously we communicated through Snapchat. Our streak is 2,738 right now. So there are 2,738 yellow roses from Snapchat. Our love is truly now immortalized.”

Duncan replied: “I am so, so happy. This is the best day of my life!”

Best, along with his teammates Nick Mead, Michael Grady and Liam Corrigan, brought home the gold in men’s four rowing on Aug. 1 for the first time since 1960.

“I am just as nervous as I was lining up for the start line,” Best said after he proposed. “I don’t know — if I had a heart rate monitor on, it might be like 130 beats per minute.”

TODAY’s Craig Melvin quipped Best got the gold and the girl, leading Best to reply: “I got the gold and the girl — and she got the diamond!”

Best and Duncan celebrated their ninth anniversary earlier this year.

The pair share an affinity for Halloween, and their costumes over the years have ranged from Elvis and Priscilla Presley to Dwight and Angela from “The Office.”

Best got his start in rowing after his parents watched the 2010 film “The Social Network,” according to his Team USA profile. His parents thought he would be good for the sport because of his likeness to the actors who portrayed the Winklevoss twins, as they had “big upper bodies,” and signed him up for a summer camp the next day.

He went on to row for Drexel University and compete in the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Duncan also attended Drexel and graduated with a degree in fashion/apparel design, according to her LinkedIn.

Peacock is streaming the Paris Olympics around the clock. Learn more about accounts here. TODAY earns a commission on purchases. Peacock is owned by our parent company NBCUniversal.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from Today:

• Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles bow on the podium to Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade in lovely moment of sisterhood
• Olympian Ryan Crouser shows off his huge shot put hand and we can’t unsee it
• Why do Olympians bite their medals?

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It’s a wrap on artistic gymnastics in Paris, but Simone Biles couldn’t let it come to a close without earning one more medal. She also celebrated teammate Jordan Chiles winning her long-sought first-ever individual medal — and both women paid special homage to their Brazilian competitor.

On the track in the Stade de France — a day after his electrifying 100m win, Noah Lyles, along with USA teammates Erriyon Knighton and Kenny Bednarek, all easily qualified for their next sprinting final. Gabby Thomas of the U.S. also aced her heat in the semifinal of the women’s 200m.

And in the men’s pole vault, a 24-year-old champion captivated spectators as he set the bar higher — and higher.

The U.S. also racked up medals in surfing, discus, 3×3 basketball and more.

Here’s a look back at medal-winning moments and more top highlights from Day 10 of the Games:

Simone Biles closes out Paris with one more medal

Simone Biles wrapped up her final day of the Paris Olympics with more hardware for the greatest gymnast of her generation.

The woman who didn’t think she’d even be here a couple years ago will leave Paris — and perhaps her final Olympics — with three golds and a silver, earned Monday when she placed second in the floor exercise.

It marked the first time in her career that Biles did not win the floor exercise at a major competition.

For the third consecutive Olympics, a gold medal on the balance beam also eluded Biles. She fell on her tricky acrobatic series, making her first major beam error in Paris. Biles tied her American teammate, Suni Lee, who also suffered a fall, for fifth place.

Jordan Chiles joins Biles and Andrade on podium

Meanwhile, bronze in floor exercise went to American gymnast Jordan Chiles, who was bumped up to the podium when the U.S. coaches asked for a review of her degree of difficulty on the routine.

The review changed her score just enough to push her into third place. Chiles won the bronze with a 13.766, her first individual Olympic medal.

She joined Biles on the podium, along with gold medal-winning Brazilian trailblazer Rebeca Andrade — and the Americans signaled their admiration by offering Andrade a deep bow.

Lyles breezes through 200 heat

Noah Lyles had no problem in his opening 200-meter heat. It was a 20.19-second, no-drama romp around the curve that was routine. So, nothing like his photo finish .005-second victory in the 100m on Sunday night.

Lyles beat defending Olympic champion Andre De Grasse of Canada in the 200 by .11 seconds.

Lyles is trying to become the first man to double since Usain Bolt did it for the third time at the Rio Games in 2016. Carl Lewis is the last U.S. man to pull it off in the 100-200, back in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Also advancing in the 200 were Americans Erriyon Knighton (20.00) and Kenny Bednarek, who ran 19.97 and could very well be Lyles’ biggest challenger for the final on Thursday.

Gabby Thomas shines in women’s 200m semifinal

Team USA’s Gabby Thomas flew across the track once again to finish first in her heat of the first round in the women’s 200m.

She led with a 21.86 time, floating ahead of Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith and France’s Helene Parisot.

Thomas won a bronze in this event at the last Olympics in Tokyo and is considered a favorite at the Paris Games.

US surfer Caroline Marks takes gold

Team USA’s Caroline Marks won the women’s surfing gold medal in her first Olympics on Monday in Tahiti.

The final day of the Paris Olympics surfing competition — just the second Olympics to feature the sport — began Monday morning after two days of delays due to unfavorable conditions. By the afternoon the waves grew larger and more frequent, giving athletes a chance to impress judges with the time they spent inside the barrels. At one point during the competition a whale jumped out of the water as surfers looked on.

Marks beat Tatiana Weston-Webb from Brazil, who was awarded the silver medal. France’s Johanne Defay won bronze.

Allman defends Olympic discus gold

Valarie Allman made it back-to-back golds as the American won women’s discus. She also won at the Tokyo Games.

Allman fouled on her first attempt, landing the discus wide of the right-side boundary, but took the lead on her second try with a throw of 68.74. She put the competition totally out of reach with a 69.50 on her fourth attempt.

US women defeat Canada for 3×3 bronze

The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team, which claimed gold in Tokyo, had to settle for bronze in Paris.

The U.S. defeated Canada 16-13 in the third-place match. The women trailed 12-9 before finishing the game on a 7-4 run. Hailey Van Lith led the team with six points.

It was an ugly, defensive battle. The U.S. didn’t hit any 2s, scoring entirely from 1-point range and the free-throw line.

The Mondo show

Armand “Mondo” Duplantis broke his own pole vault world record Monday night, clearing 6.25 meters (20 feet, 6 inches — about the height of a two-story building) to cap his second straight gold-medal performance on the sport’s biggest stage. Duplantis cleared the mark on his third and final try.

The drama played out over a half hour at the end of the night in the Stade de France, long after the evening’s last race was done. That usually signals a time for folks to start heading for the exits.

But Mondo’s encore was worth staying for, and most everyone did.

It marked the ninth time the Louisiana-born 24-year-old, who competes for his mother’s native Sweden, has broken the record, but the first time at the Olympics. America’s Sam Kendricks won the silver medal and Emmanouil Karralis of Greece took the bronze.

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Faulkner picked up cycling as a hobby while living in New York in 2017. She didn’t go pro until a few years ago. In fact, Faulkner didn’t even qualify for the Olympics until Team USA needed a replacement.

Now, she’s the first American to win a road race medal in 40 years — finishing 58 seconds ahead of one of the greatest female cyclists of all time.

The 31-year-old was a rower throughout high school at Phillips Academy and college at Harvard University.

“Any challenge — no matter how scary or daunting — was like, that was her jam,” former Phillips Academy crew coach Kathryn Green said. “It was obvious she was destined to do great things in cycling — just like in rowing.”

Faulkner was in the first boat all four years at Phillips Academy in Andover — a rare feat for a freshman, according to Green.

Another former rower at Harvard remembers her as the strongest and fastest person on the team.

“When she first joined the team, I was definitely a bit starstruck,” former Harvard rowing teammate Julia Baumel said. “One minute, she’d be on the rowing machine, putting up an insane time, and the next, she’d be smiling and laughing and congratulating anyone who got a personal best.”

Paul Murphy, Faulkner’s former swim coach at Phillips Academy, just returned from wishing her luck in Paris.

“She seemed really just happy and ready to go, and talking about how much she loved her sport and her team and the training, and you know, I knew she was a great athlete,” Murphy said. “Tears are, like, running down my face because it’s just this hugely emotional experience, where this person you know, this incredible human being, is out there doing great things.”

Faulkner’s Olympic campaign isn’t over. She’ll be back on track Tuesday for the team pursuit.

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Luana Alonso, a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who was competing at the Olympics for her native Paraguay, according to the report, is a specialist at the 100m butterfly. She debuted in the Tokyo Olympics placing 28th in the 100m butterfly. During the Paris Olympics, Alonso took part in the same competition, but she did not advance to the semifinals, coming in 6th place.

However, it wasn’t her performance during the Paris Olympics that has shined a spotlight on the 20-year-old. Rather it is her alleged behavior, including her leaving the Olympic Village, that was not to the liking of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee.

After announcing she was retiring from swimming during the Paris Olympics, Alonso was allegedly seen taking in the sites of the City of Lights and even going to Disneyland Paris, all this while still staying at the Olympic Village.

Larissa Schaerer, mission head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, asked for her to immediately leave the Olympic Village, saying that her presence “had created an inappropriate environment for the Paraguayan team,” according to the report.

NBC New York reached out to the Paraguayan Olympic Committee for comment.

Andrade became the first gymnast to beat Biles in a floor final in a major international competition.

The Brazilian gymnast has proven to be a force to be reckoned with during the Paris Games, taking home four medals, including the gold in the floor final — beating out the incomparable Biles, who medaled silver and Chiles, who took home bronze.

Andrade finished first and took home the floor final with a score of 14.166. This win comes after her winning silver in the all-around and vault, and bronze in the team event with Brazil.

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During the women’s artistic gymnastics floor medal ceremony, Biles and Chiles, who were standing on either side of Andrade on their respective podiums, did something no one was expecting.

The young women bowed down to Andrade.

Biles and Chiles said afterward it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

“It was just the right thing to do,” Biles said.

Andrade said she appreciated the support.

“We can show the Black Power,” Andrade said after claiming the gold medal.

The trio later posed for selfies on the podium.

It was Andrade’s first gold at the Paris Games, after two silvers and a bronze, always behind Biles. Until now.

But as we all know, Biles has plenty to be happy about. She added four new Olympic medals to her collection with her performances in Paris.

Ana Barbosu is sending a message to her supporters.

The Romanian gymnast reflected on her experience competing at the 2024 Olympics, where she momentarily earned the bronze medal in floor but was bumped to fourth after Team USA star Jordan Chiles’ routine was reevaluated.

In her Aug. 5 Instagram Stories, Barbosu shared a video of herself during the women’s gymnastics floor final and wrote, “Thank you to everyone who encouraged me before, during, and after the competition.”

She also reposted a Stories from retired Olympian Sandra Izbasa-Bianca, who praised the hard work put in by the country’s gymnastics team.

“I hear more vividly than ever the words that the coaches repeated to us almost daily in the training room,” she wrote in Romanian. “‘You, as Romanians, must be more than perfect in order not to leave room for interpretations!’ And here, it proves itself once again! Girls, head up and back straight! Keep believing in your dreams! Go Romania!”

During the floor final, Barbosu ended the competition with a 13.700, which first earned her bronze. However, a score inquiry was entered for Chiles’ routine, which was upped to 13.766 after the initial score — 13.600 — didn’t include her tour jeté full, which she added at the last minute.

When the momentous change occurred, Barbosu, 18, was waving the Romanian flag before looking back at the scoreboard to see that she wouldn’t be on the winners’ podium with gold winner Rebeca Andrade and silver winner Simone Biles, leading her to walk off, sobbing while being comforted by one of her coaches.

Laurie Hernandez — who provides commentary for NBC and Peacock’s Paris Olympics coverage on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team finals — shared that it’s not uncommon for athletes to request a reevaluation.

“That’s why inquiries happen,” she said on the live stream. “Sometimes, they do miss it, and they’re able to go back and double check.”

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Watch: Dazzling performances on gymnastics' last day and more Day 10 highlights

2024 Paris Olympics Aug 5

Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles bowed to Brazil's Rebeca Andrade on the podium. Here's why

When Chiles received her new score, she was seen crying over the news, later telling reporters, “I just wanted to come out and do the best I could… I have no words — I’m just very proud of myself.”

Following their wins, Biles and Chiles couldn’t help but bow towards Andrade at the podium. And Biles gushed over the Brazilian gymnast, telling cameras afterward, “I have such respect for her; she’s such a good competitor.”

The 30-year-old old track and field star won Dominica’s first Olympic medal — and a gold, at that — in the triple jump on Aug. 3.

Her brother, Navy defensive end Chreign LaFond, heard the good news during a football practice.

In a video shared by Navy Football, a coach calls Chreign LaFond out at practice in front of the whole squad.

“Hey, your sister just won a gold medal,” the coach says.

After hearing of his sister’s victory, Chreign LaFond seems to stumble as he gives one of the coaches a hug. Almost immediately, the rest of the team cheers and huddles around Chreign LaFond in excitement.

Amid the clapping and jumping, players can be heard shouting, “Let’s go! Let’s go!”

“The moment when you find out your sister won a gold medal at the Olympics!” Navy Football captioned the video. “Congratulations Thea LaFond!”

The newly-minted gold medalist was born in Dominica, a Caribbean island of about 72,000 people. There are no track and field facilities on the island, per the Washington Post.

Thea LaFond immigrated to the United States at 5, living in New Jersey then Maryland, per her Olympics bio. The runner became a track and field star in high school, then competed at the University of Maryland.

At Maryland, Thea LaFond placed among the top ten in both women’s high jump and triple jump at NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2013, the school shared.

That same year, she was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Mid-Atlantic Field Athlete of the Year. During her senior year in 2015, she was named Big Ten’s Field Athlete of the Year.

The Paris Games marked Thea LaFond’s third Olympics representing Dominica. She previously competed at the Tokyo and Rio Games. In March, she won the triple jump title at the World Indoor Championships.

After her historic win, Thea LaFond told the Washington Post her ties to the island, which she visited often growing up, remained strong.

“I was never allowed to ever forget where I came from,” she said.

Thea LaFond knows her medal will be celebrated.

“Oh, God, my country is never going to stop partying, are they?” Thea LaFond told the Washington Post. “And it’s a Saturday? Just cancel work on Monday, guys.”

“They deserve this as much as I do,” LaFond said. “And I hope they are partying enough for the both of us. I don’t know what I’ve done in life to deserve this. I don’t know how everything worked out — I’m not going to say I don’t know. We worked for this.” 

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from Today:

• Rebeca Andrade, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles form Olympic gymnastics’ 1st all-Black podium
• Olympian Ryan Crouser shows off his huge shot put hand and we can’t unsee it
• Olympian rower Justin Best surprises girlfriend with proposal on live TV: ‘I got the gold and the girl’

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Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

Follow along below for live updates on Day 12 of the Paris Olympics.

U.S. stars Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles made the most of their last routines on the floor at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday.

Biles and Chiles secured silver and bronze spots on the podium in the women’s floor exercise final with scores of 14.133 and 13.766, respectively. That bumped Biles up to four medals earned in Paris while Chiles captured two.

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade collected her first Olympic gold medal with a score of 14.166.

The remarkable outcome for Biles comes just an hour after the star had a disappointing showing in the balance beam final. Her 13.100 score placed her fifth when the event concluded.

Nonetheless, Biles is headed back home with 11 total Olympic medals to her name, still making her the most decorated U.S. gymnast of all time. As for Chiles, she is officially an individual Olympic medalist.

Why was Jordan Chiles’ floor exercise score changed during the 2024 Olympics?

In a shocking turn of events, Chiles suddenly earned bronze on the floor.

But what happened?

As Romania’s Ana Barbosu was celebrating her apparent bronze medal, it was announced Chiles, who originally captured fifth, had earned it instead. 

Chiles originally scored 13.600 but Team USA submitted an inquiry, saying that one of her leap’s difficult level should have been a D instead of a C — a grade that would award the American more points for execution.

The inquiry was indeed approved and Chiles’ new score was 13.766, narrowly ahead of Barbosu’s 13.700.

How does the scoring work for gymnastics floor exercises?

The 90 routine classicly includes three or four tumbling passes with gymnasts trying to showcase their best moves with precise execution.

Classicly, the most difficult passes are performed first in the routine.

Gymnasts then receive a score based on difficulty and another based on execution before the two scores are added together. 

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The American tandem lost its beach volleyball knockout match against Norway’s Anders Mol and Christian Sorum in straight sets (21-16, 21-14) at the Eiffel Tower Stadium.

Budinger, a former NBA player, and Evans went 1-2 to start out their Olympic debut before winning in the men’s lucky loser round. Their win over Australia set them up with a matchup against Sorum and Mol, who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Mol and Sorum will face Spain’s Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera in the quarterfinals.

Team USA still has another duo in the tournament. Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh will face Italy’s Samuele Cottafava and Paolo Nicolai at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT on Monday in the round of 16.

Watch Live: Partain/Benesh vs. Cottafava/Nicolai