PARIS — American wrestler Kennedy Blades collapsed to the mat and buried her head in her hands. She was overcome with emotions. Happiness was on top. 

She was trying to process that her latest victory at the Paris Olympics was sending her to the gold-medal match — at her first Games, as an unseeded wrestler and at 20-years-old.

“We’re so close,” Blades said. “Just one more sleep, and then my body’s gonna be feeling really good — although it is right now. But just the rest is gonna make a huge difference. So I’m ready to just blow it through the water.”

The latest of her three victories was against Kyrgyzstan’s Aiperi Medet Kyzy with an 8-6 decision in the women’s freestyle semifinal at 76kg on Saturday night at Champ-de-Mars Arena. Blades will compete for her first Olympic medal — either gold or silver — Sunday against Japan’s Yuka Kagami.

The first three minutes against Medet Kyzy were tight with Blades having a 2-1 advantage. But Blades kept attacking, racking up an 8-2 lead before hanging on to run out the clock and earn the winning decision.

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“She’s been given the freedom to succeed and also fail, but, most importantly, grow,” her coach, Izzy Martinez said. “And she’s grown, and she’s getting better every day, and we’re just so proud of her.”

With her confident demeanor, you’d never know she wasn’t a lock to make the Team USA’s Olympic squad. To get to Paris, she had to defeat Olympic silver medalist and six-time world champion Adeline Gray.

And to get to the gold-medal match, she had to power through Romanian No. 4 seed Catalina Axente and Cuban No. 5 seed Milaimy de la Caridad Marin Potrille, before topping Medet Kyzy.

Paris Olympics live updates: USWNT wins gold, track & field results, medal count

Blades said a “huge” contributing factor for her reaching this point is embracing a “childlike mentality.” She reminds herself she’s young and unseeded, so she doesn’t need to feel the pressure. She just wants to have fun.

“Once I started putting pressure on myself … I just started kind of wrestling differently because I wrestled not to lose,” Blades said.

And while the Chicago native works with Martinez and signed with wrestling powerhouse Iowa, Blades credits Northwestern women’s lacrosse coach — Kelly Amonte Hiller, a 10-time NCAA champ, eight as a coach — with helping her readjust her mental approach. 

“Once she switched my mentality to [a] childlike mentality,” Blades explained, “it was just like, ‘Go out there and have fun. You’ve done this your whole life.’”

But make no mistake: Now that a gold medal is within reach, Blades wants it. Badly. 

“I don’t want to just go back home with a silver; I want gold because that was my mentality the whole time,” she said. “I’m just gonna go out there and have fun and just let it fly.

“No matter what happens, I’m still young. This is my first Olympics, so don’t even put any pressure.”

PARIS — If U.S. women were a nation unto themselves, their results at the 2024 Paris Olympics would make them one of the most dominant athletic countries on earth.

The exhilarating U.S. soccer victory over Brazil Saturday evening added an exclamation point to what already have been a fabulous Olympic Games for the American women. 

They are winning medals at such a terrific rate that if they jettisoned the guys, they would be third in the overall medal standings, behind only the full U.S. team and China. 

That means half of the U.S. team is performing better at the Paris Olympics than the full teams of about 200 other nations, including 85 countries that have won at least one medal.

The U.S. women are having a better Olympics than the full teams from Australia, Japan, host France, Great Britain, Korea, the Netherlands and Germany — and everyone else.

And they are doing this without medals from some traditional  American Olympic women’s powerhouses. The U.S. was shut out of the medals entirely in water polo, golf and beach volleyball, in addition to some disappointments, as there always are when stars don’t win gold or are perhaps shut out of the medals completely in the big three sports: swimming, track and field and gymnastics. 

For the fourth consecutive Summer Olympics, the U.S. women will win more medals than the U.S. men. As of early Saturday evening, American women have won 58 percent of the total U.S. medals. 

“The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been nothing short of extraordinary, showcasing the incredible talent, determination and confidence of the women athletes of Team USA,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a text message earlier this week.

“Seeing young stars dominate their sports is both inspiring and a testament to the impact of Title IX. Their performances are a reminder of how far we’ve come and the boundless potential that still lies ahead. We couldn’t be prouder of their achievements and the example they set for future generations of athletes.”

It’s no secret why this is happening in the United States. It’s what occurs when a nation passes a law — Title IX — that mandates sports participation for all of the children and young adults in the country, not just half of them, the male half. When President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law in June 1972, he opened the floodgates for women and girls to play sports. 

All these years later, look at the results.

PARIS – Alyssa Naeher might as well change the nickname on her Wikipedia page to “Captain America” or “Secretary of Defense” herself.  

The USWNT goalkeeper’s one-handed stop – like a basketball defender blocking someone at the rim – on a header from Brazil’s Adriana in the fourth minute of stoppage time saved the day and preserved the Americans’ 1-0 win in the Olympic gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games. Minutes later, her teammates pounced on her after the referee blew the final whistle, ending more than 10 minutes of stoppage time. 

Naeher was unflappable all match. 

In stoppage time of the first half, the 36-year-old leapt off her line, skyward and to the right. She pawed at the ball floating toward the back of the net and deflected it to the side, her body crashing down, the hopes of a gold medal still intact. Brazil’s Gabi Porthilo had come within inches of breaking a scoreless tie. 

‘We would not be here right now without Alyssa,’ forward Sophia Smith said after the win. ‘And we just wanna remind her that every day because she’s so special.’

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

For much of the Paris Olympics tournament, the USWNT’s defense excelled at a level that allowed Naeher to hardly break a sweat. 

That was not the case in the first half against Brazil. The Americans needed their keeper to be at her best in the gold-medal match Saturday. She was. 

Naeher’s first clutch save of the day came in the second minute of the match. Ludmila, who caused problems for the U.S. back line all afternoon, slithered through the defense and fired the match’s first shot on net. But Naeher was there to swallow up the weakly hit attempt.

And Naeher was there when it mattered most.

Alyssa Naeher saves vs. Brazil

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The United States women’s national soccer team is golden once more.

Team USA defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday at the Parc des Princes to claim gold at the 2024 Paris Games for the first time since 2012. The difference in the game came in the 57th minute when Mallory Swanson jetted down the left side and used her right foot to beat Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena following a pass from Korbin Albert. There was a review to see if Swanson was offside, but the goal was upheld to give the U.S. the lead and an eventual gold medal.

Brazil threatened all the way to the end of the match. American goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher made a one-handed save in stoppage time on a header from Brazil’s Adriana that would have been an equalizer. More on that here.

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Watch: Mallory Swanson’s gold-medal winning goal

It marks U.S. women’s fifth Olympic gold medal. Brazil earns its third silver medal finish.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

What are the results of women’s soccer?

Gold: USA
Silver: Brazil
Bronze: Germany

There is a reason why most live sports broadcasts have a five to 10-second delay before the signal is sent to the television viewer.

Because of live television, viewers don’t know what they are going to hear or see outside the sporting contest they are witnessing.

NBC Sports censors apparently didn’t get the memo or didn’t realize that on Friday during the third round of the women’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics.

Brooke Henderson of Canada hit an approach shot on a par 5 during her round, prompting her to give a fist pump.

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Commentator Morgan Pressel, a former professional golfer herself, was in the mood to celebrate Henderson as well when she dropped what sounded like an ‘F’ bomb on air.

‘Yeah, let’s give Brittany a little pump. She’s (expletive) fired up. You love to see it,’ Pressel seemed to say.

No harm, no foul as the broadcast continued without much of a mention of the apparent slip-up.

Pressel apologized during Saturday’s broadcast of the women’s final round.

‘I just want to take a moment to acknowledge something that I said yesterday during the broadcast,’ Pressel said. ‘I stumbled over my words and unfortunately it sounded as if I said something inappropriate and I’m so sorry that it came across as such because I would never say that on the air in a broadcast.’

The golf competition has been shown on the Golf Channel and Peacock.

PARIS – The United States women’s national soccer team entered the 2024 Paris Olympics with a new coach and a retooled roster. Its track record at the biggest recent international tournaments had been underwhelming. Question marks abounded. 

The Americans’ rebuttal? A gold medal. 

The U.S. defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday to stand back on top of the Olympic podium for the first time in 12 years. Mallory Swanson, part of head coach Emma Hayes’ new front three along with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, scored the game-winner in the 57th minute. Korbin Albert, inserted by Hayes into the starting lineup for the final, set her up with a timely through ball. 

‘I’ve always had belief. I’ve said before, winning is in my DNA,’ Hayes said after the game. ‘… They’ve impressed me immensely, these players.’

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s one-handed save on a header by Adriana in the fourth minute of stoppage time saved the day. And she was unflappable all match.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Brazil came out as the aggressor and the U.S. relied on Naeher to quell the attack. The final stat sheet said she made four saves. It felt like 14, and every one was huge – none more than her stop in stoppage time of the first half on Gabi Portihlo kept the match scoreless. Defender Naomi Girma continued to be something of a brick wall on the backline.

Although the first half ended with them on their heels, the Americans flipped the script early in the second. They fended off Brazil’s desperation the rest of the way and when the referee blew the final whistle, arms went up, hugs were given, and the celebration was on for the Olympic champions. 

‘I think this group really just came together from the beginning of our pregame to know, we’ve grown so much,’ Swanson said after. ‘That’s really cool to me, seeing that on and off the field. I think most importantly, you’re probably hearing it, we’re playing with joy. We’re having so much fun. I’m just so happy.’

‘I didn’t think I was gonna cry,’ Rodman said, ‘But, oh my gosh, that was the hardest, most exhausting experience of my life, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I think honestly, my legs were crying more than my eyes, but it was so amazing. To be able to hug all my teammates, I’m so happy for Mal. Her alone made me cry to see what she’s been through to be here. I was emotional for others as well as myself, but it was just everything. I’m so happy.’

U.S. players dogpiled each other as ‘Born in the USA’ played, followed by ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘Surfin’ USA.’ The Americans then shook hands with the Brazilians and circled up near midfield, where Naeher and Hayes, whose sense of humor and demanding style has already built trust with the team, spoke to them.

‘It’s a dream come true and the best feeling ever,’ Smith said. ‘A relief.’

Emma Hayes sends message with Olympic gold medal

Emma Hayes may not call herself a miracle worker, but it’s hard to think of a better description.

By winning the Olympic gold medal Saturday – its fifth, for those keeping track – the U.S. women’s national team sent a message to the rest of the world that last summer’s World Cup debacle, and the sluggishness at the Tokyo Games, were aberrations. There is still work to be done, to quote one of Hayes’ favorite mantras, but they are very much back on the right track.

And Hayes has officially been on the job for just three months. Give her another three years, which is when the next World Cup is, and the USWNT is likely again to be the standard by which the rest of the world is measured.

What Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith said after winning Olympic gold

Trinity Rodman: ‘I think joy and belief’s the two biggest words for us. We’ve been having so much fun. But I think we still push each other really hard. I think there’s a misconception of, oh they laugh and dance all the time in training, they’re not serious, but we just proved to everyone that we are and we take this very serious.’

Mallory Swanson: ‘I don’t think I’ve processed it yet. It’ll probably hit in a couple days when I’m on my flight back home what happened. I’m just so thankful that I was able to do it with this group.’

Sophia Smith: ‘It’s a dream come true and the best feeling ever. A relief.’

Mallory Swanson goal vs. Brazil

Welcome to the Summer of Mal. Mallory Swanson gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute on a signature run down the left side. Korbin Albert, starting in place of Rose Lavelle, delivered the through ball for either Sophia Smith or Swanson. Smith would have likely been ruled offside if she touched it. But Swanson swooped in and made a beeline for the net, and her right-footed blast beat Brazil’s keeper Lorena to break the scoreless tie. 

Alyssa Naeher saves vs. Brazil

US women’s soccer Olympic gold medals

If it’s an Olympics, you can find the U.S. women’s national team on the medals podium. The Americans have won five golds at the Olympics (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2024), more than any other team, and also have a silver from Sydney in 2000 and a bronze from Tokyo. Do the math, and that means the USWNT has won a medal at every Olympics except 2016. Oh, and another fun fact? Three of the USWNT’s golds have come after playing Brazil in the final in both 2004 and 2008.

USWNT Olympic wins 

The USWNT is 33-7-4 all-time at the Olympics, including four gold medals, won in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2024.

Emma Hayes calls Naomi Girma the best defender she’s ever seen

Emma Hayes paid Naomi Girma the ultimate compliment. Girma, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is widely recognized as one of the best centerbacks in the world. But Hayes said there’s no need for the qualifier.“She the best defender I’ve ever seen. Ever,” Hayes said after Girma’s stone-wall defense helped secure the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Germany that sent the Americans into the gold medal match. “I’ve never seen a player as good as her in the back.’

USA vs. Brazil score at halftime: 0-0

For the U.S., the first half of both the quarterfinals and semifinals were scoreless (and all of regulation, for that matter). The final against Brazil was no exception. 

Both teams had their fair share of scoring chances – Brazil’s more consistent compared to the Americans – but neither side had anything to show for it. 

Brazil’s Ludmila has been a handful for the U.S. back line to deal with. It looked like she put Brazil up in the 16th minute when she beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box, but luckily for the U.S., the offside flag went up. Alyssa Naeher came up huge during stoppage time to save a Gabi Porthilo strike. 

Mallory Swanson had the United States’ best chance of scoring on a long, speedy run with the ball. 

The match has been physical despite referee Tess Olofsson’s willingness to let play continue. Brazil was whistled for nine fouls compared to seven for the U.S. Possession had been nearly even for most of the match, but Brazil largely dominated the end of the half and ended up controlling the ball 54% of the time. 

Mallory Swanson’s speed almost leads to goal 

Mallory Swanson turned on the burners – and it almost led to the match’s first goal. Tierna Davidson cleared the ball from the U.S. defensive zone and Swanson found herself one-on-one with a Brazilian defender. Swanson took a couple of huge touches to win the footrace down the field and record a shot on net in the 26th minute – but it wasn’t the best angle. The subsequent U.S. rebound effort also came up empty. 

VAR review – no penalty

Speaking of physicality – there has been plenty more where that came from. Referee Tess Olofsson called for a VAR review in the 21st minute that would have led to a penalty shot from Brazil. The review revealed no foul on the U.S. in the box, however.

Brazil’s Ludmila called offsides

What looked like an early deficit for the Americans turned out to be offsides by Brazil. The flag went on Ludmila, who beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box and fired one past Naeher. Amid the cries of celebration for the Brazil fans in the stands, the referee’s arm went in the air and the side judge on the far end of the field had the flag up.

USA vs. Brazil Olympic final fouls so far

The play has been physical and referee Tess Olofsson has been mostly keeping the whistle in the pocket. Lindsey Horan had a strong tackle near midfield in which she extended her arms but play went on, even as the U.S. won the ball back. Then Mallory Swanson went down after contact at the top of the box, but again, Olofsson let play continue.

Megan Rapinoe in the house

USWNT starting lineup today

There’s a big surprise in the USWNT lineup for the Olympic final against Brazil: No Rose Lavelle in the starting lineup. Lavelle has started each of the previous five games in the tournament. But she was replaced in the lineup by Korbin Albert. Lavelle is not injured, and is available as a sub. The rest of the lineup remains unchanged:

Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey
Forwards: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman 

This game will be the 100th appearance for Swanson, who has fully recovered from a devastating knee injury last year. Available subs: Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, Casey Murphy.

Mallory Swanson’s 100th cap

Mallory Swanson is the 44th player in team history to reach the 100-cap milestone.

USWNT schedule Olympics

Here are all the games the U.S. women have played at the Paris Olympics.

July 25: USWNT 3, Zambia 0
July 28:USWNT 4, Germany 1
July 31:USWNT 2, Australia 0
Aug. 3:USWNT 1, Japan 0
Aug. 6: USWNT 1, Germany 0

USWNT’s pink hair tradition

Even though she’s retired, Megan Rapinoe still has influence with the USWNT. 

Trinity Rodman has been wearing pink braids throughout the Olympic tournament. Rapinoe, of course, was famous for her vibrant pink hair during the 2019 World Cup, which also was played in France. The USWNT won that World Cup that year, with Rapinoe picking up both the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player and the Golden Boot as its top scorer. 

‘I guess we needed some color somewhere and pink’s the color,’ Rodman said Thursday. ‘Pink, purple, whatever. So yeah, I guess we’ve got to continue that moving forward.’ 

US women’s soccer coach Emma Hayes

Part of the reason the Americans feel like they have been able to be themselves? Emma Hayes’ sense of humor. She’s been called “hilarious,” her one-liners and zingers frequent. She is demanding, to be sure, but her ability to crack jokes puts her players at ease.

‘I think the one thing I love most about Emma is that she has the perfect balance of being serious but then you also see her goofy side too,’ Mallory Swanson said . ‘I think seeing that side of a coach helps a lot because we’re all human and she does such a good job of showing that.’

USWNT matchday kit

Here is what the Americans are wearing for the gold medal game against Brazil.

USWNT vs. Brazil prediction

The road for Brazil to reach this point has been … interesting. Marta, the legend, took a red card in Brazil’s final match of group play and served a two-match suspension. The only way she could have returned to this tournament – said to be her last on the international stage – was if her teammates found a way to reach the gold-medal match. They did, and Marta will have at least one final moment in front of the globe. 

Spirit won’t be enough for the Brazilians against the U.S. though. The American back line, led by Naomi Girma, is stout. Alyssa Naeher has been solid in net. Although the U.S. has not flexed the offensive firepower in France, it has at least scored enough to reward the defense. Take your pick of The Triple Threat, The Big Three, “Triple Espresso” – whatever your preference is for the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith – to find the back of the net.

Score prediction: USA 2, Brazil 0 

USWNT players

Forward: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman, Crystal Dunn.
Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher.
Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett.
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams. 

Brazil’s Marta is getting a fitting sendoff

Marta, the Brazilian great, is playing her final international match today, when Brazil faces the U.S. It’s the fourth time in her career Marta has made the final at a major tournament, and third at the Olympics. The Brazilians lost to the USWNT in 2004 and 2008. They also lost to Germany at the 2007 World Cup.

“We all wanted to play the final at the Olympics regardless of the circumstances. But of course this is an extra motivation,” Angelina said Friday. “We want to give this medal to Marta. She has given us so much throughout her career. She’s given everything she has to us and women’s football. She really deserves to play in the final.”

USWNT vs. Brazil Olympic history

The USWNT and Brazil have some history at the Olympics. The teams faced each other in the final in both 2004 and 2008, with the USWNT winning each time. Although no one from those USWNT teams is left, Brazilian icon Marta played in both games. Brazil scored one goal in those two games, by Pretinha in 2004. 

‘What happened in the past is far away,’ Brazil coach Arthus Elias said Friday. ‘Football deserves great games and we should stop whining and talking about the past. We have new ingredients, new things to talk about rather than be thinking about the past. 

‘I’m not worried at all about what happened in the past,’ Elias added. ‘I feel we are close to our dream coming true and that our players will do their very best tomorrow.”

SAINT-DENIS, France – The Olympic medal drought for the U.S. men’s 4×100 relay is going to continue on to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The U.S. men’s 4×100 squad was disqualified Friday for running out of the zone. The U.S. has now had 11 dropped batons, disqualifications or bans in the Olympics and World Championships since 1995, according to Reuters. The team hasn’t medaled in the 4×100 relay since taking silver at the 2004 Athens Games. The team’s last gold medal was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Canada took full advantage of Team USA’s latest 4×100 mishap. Canada finished first at 37.50, South Africa took second, running a 37.57 and Great Britain clocked in at 37.61 to take bronze.

USA TODAY Sports breaks downs what went wrong with the men’s 4×100-relay team at Stade de France:

Poor chemistry

Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kyree King and Courtney Lindsey made up the squad in the opening round. They had decent baton exchanges on the way to a first-round winning time of 37.47 to advance to the final.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

The USA coaches elected to replace Lindsey with Kenny Bednarek. Furthermore, they changed the order. The team decided to keep Coleman at leadoff, but put Bednarek at second leg, King at third leg and Kerley ran anchor. The substitution, plus leg changes hurt the team’s chemistry going into the final. It’s not a coincidence that the disqualification happened between Coleman and Bednarek, who was added on for the final.

The 4×100 relay is as much about chemistry and timing as it is pure speed.

Kenny Bednarek took off too early

Bednarek at the second leg is taught to take off once the first-leg runner (Coleman) reaches a certain spot. Bednarek began to accelerate too early which caused the handoff to be out of the zone. It is almost always the outgoing runner’s fault when the gap doesn’t close for the baton to be exchanged.

The gap between Coleman and Bednarek widened, which forced Bednarek to nearly stop. However, it was too late because the infraction was already committed.

Kyree King, Fred Kerley slow exchange

The final handoff would prove to be inconsequential because the U.S team was disqualified at the end of the race for ‘passing the baton outside the takeover zone.’ But the handoff between King and Kerley was poor. The anchor leg is supposed to retrieve the baton with forward running momentum. But King passed the baton off to Kerley as the anchor had hardly any forward momentum.

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LE BOURGET, France — About 30 minutes after the women’s boulder and lead combined final ended Saturday, Brooke Raboutou’s face hurt from smiling. She tried to relax and keep a straight face, but it didn’t last long.

The American sport climber had just won her first Olympic medal, silver, at her (and the sport’s) second Games, along with becoming the first Team USA climber to medal in sport climbing.

And she did it all surrounded by a close community of good friends, particularly Slovenian gold medalist Janja Garnbret.

‘We have an incredible friendship where we both want each other to do our best,’ said Raboutou, the 23-year-old American, who trained in Slovenia. ‘So that’s what happened today, and that feels really good to share that with somebody. …

‘To share that connection as both a friend and an idol is incredible. I look up to her so much, and I’m so grateful for the support she’s given me as well.’

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Garnbret, the favorite, finished first with 168.5 total points, followed by Raboutou with 156.0 and Austria’s Jessica Pilz with 147.4 points for bronze at Le Bourget Climbing Venue.

‘With Brooke, this was our wish,’ said Garnbret, who added she was relieved when it was finally over. ‘This was our pact … that we would stand on the Olympic podium together.’

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Between the World Cup circuit, some climbers training together and, of course, being at the Paris Games, they’re a community of athletes who are competitive but support each other. Before the boulder portion during an observation period, some of them appeared to work together to solve the problems.

Pilz, 27, said she felt the World Cup events are ‘a bit more friendly and open’ compared with the Olympics, where she ‘could feel the pressure and tension this time.’ But she chalked that up to the atmosphere and still praised the ‘good community’ of climbing pals.

‘The climbing community is absolutely incredible,’ Garnbret said. ‘Of course, we are competitors. But still, we have so much respect for each other, and we are so happy for each other.

‘And it’s still so beautiful because we have observation together; we all talk about the boulder. … So It’s fantastic, and I hope it stays like this.’

For the lead portion, once each climber was done competing, they collapsed into chairs in front of the wall, watching and cheering as they all finished.

Raboutou had a standout lead climbing performance and made it about three-quarters of the way up the wall, collecting 72 points and guaranteeing herself a medal.

Garnbret previously won Olympic gold at the 2021 Tokyo Games in the women’s combined – a different format compared with the Paris Olympics when the one event featured boulder, lead and speed. Raboutou finished fifth in Tokyo, and Pilz was seventh.

‘So many of the girls in finals, we’re really close, and I hope that they were able to enjoy their climbing today because everyone deserves to be here,’ Raboutou said. 

‘(The feeling of community is) unlike any other sport. I think climbing is so special in that we truly do want the best for each other, and we’re friends. Obviously, we’re competitive, but we want to compete against each other at our best, and that’s what pushes us and pushes our sport.’

PARIS – The United States women’s national soccer team entered the 2024 Paris Olympics with a new coach and a retooled roster. Its track record at the biggest recent international tournaments had been underwhelming. Question marks abounded. 

The Americans’ rebuttal? A gold medal. 

The U.S. defeated Brazil 1-0 on Saturday to stand back on top of the Olympic podium for the first time in 12 years. Mallory Swanson, part of head coach Emma Hayes’ new front three along with Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, scored the game-winner in the 57th minute. Korbin Albert, inserted by Hayes into the starting lineup for the final, set her up with a timely through ball. 

‘I’ve always had belief. I’ve said before, winning is in my DNA,’ Hayes said after the game. ‘… They’ve impressed me immensely, these players.’

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher’s one-handed save on a header by Adriana in the fourth minute of stoppage time saved the day. And she was unflappable all match.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Brazil came out as the aggressor and the U.S. relied on Naeher to quell the attack. The final stat sheet said she made four saves. It felt like 14, and every one was huge – none more than her stop in stoppage time of the first half on Gabi Portihlo kept the match scoreless. Defender Naomi Girma continued to be something of a brick wall on the backline.

Although the first half ended with them on their heels, the Americans flipped the script early in the second. They fended off Brazil’s desperation the rest of the way and when the referee blew the final whistle, arms went up, hugs were given, and the celebration was on for the Olympic champions. 

U.S. players dogpiled each other as ‘Born in the USA’ played, followed by ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and ‘Surfin’ USA.’ The Americans then shook hands with the Brazilians and circled up near midfield, where Naeher and Hayes, whose sense of humor and demanding style has already built trust with the team, spoke to them.

Emma Hayes sends message with Olympic gold medal

Emma Hayes may not call herself a miracle worker, but it’s hard to think of a better description.

By winning the Olympic gold medal Saturday – its fifth, for those keeping track – the U.S. women’s national team sent a message to the rest of the world that last summer’s World Cup debacle, and the sluggishness at the Tokyo Games, were aberrations. There is still work to be done, to quote one of Hayes’ favorite mantras, but they are very much back on the right track.

And Hayes has officially been on the job for just three months. Give her another three years, which is when the next World Cup is, and the USWNT is likely again to be the standard by which the rest of the world is measured.

Mallory Swanson goal vs. Brazil

Welcome to the Summer of Mal. Mallory Swanson gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute on a signature run down the left side. Korbin Albert, starting in place of Rose Lavelle, delivered the through ball for either Sophia Smith or Swanson. Smith would have likely been ruled offside if she touched it. But Swanson swooped in and made a beeline for the net, and her right-footed blast beat Brazil’s keeper Lorena to break the scoreless tie. 

Alyssa Naeher saves vs. Brazil

US women’s soccer Olympic gold medals

If it’s an Olympics, you can find the U.S. women’s national team on the medals podium. The Americans have won five golds at the Olympics (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2024), more than any other team, and also have a silver from Sydney in 2000 and a bronze from Tokyo. Do the math, and that means the USWNT has won a medal at every Olympics except 2016. Oh, and another fun fact? Three of the USWNT’s golds have come after playing Brazil in the final in both 2004 and 2008.

USWNT Olympic wins 

The USWNT is 33-7-4 all-time at the Olympics, including four gold medals, won in 1996, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2024.

Emma Hayes calls Naomi Girma the best defender she’s ever seen

Emma Hayes paid Naomi Girma the ultimate compliment. Girma, the reigning U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is widely recognized as one of the best centerbacks in the world. But Hayes said there’s no need for the qualifier.“She the best defender I’ve ever seen. Ever,” Hayes said after Girma’s stone-wall defense helped secure the USWNT’s 1-0 victory over Germany that sent the Americans into the gold medal match. “I’ve never seen a player as good as her in the back.’

USA vs. Brazil score at halftime: 0-0

For the U.S., the first half of both the quarterfinals and semifinals were scoreless (and all of regulation, for that matter). The final against Brazil was no exception. 

Both teams had their fair share of scoring chances – Brazil’s more consistent compared to the Americans – but neither side had anything to show for it. 

Brazil’s Ludmila has been a handful for the U.S. back line to deal with. It looked like she put Brazil up in the 16th minute when she beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box, but luckily for the U.S., the offside flag went up. Alyssa Naeher came up huge during stoppage time to save a Gabi Porthilo strike. 

Mallory Swanson had the United States’ best chance of scoring on a long, speedy run with the ball. 

The match has been physical despite referee Tess Olofsson’s willingness to let play continue. Brazil was whistled for nine fouls compared to seven for the U.S. Possession had been nearly even for most of the match, but Brazil largely dominated the end of the half and ended up controlling the ball 54% of the time. 

Mallory Swanson’s speed almost leads to goal 

Mallory Swanson turned on the burners – and it almost led to the match’s first goal. Tierna Davidson cleared the ball from the U.S. defensive zone and Swanson found herself one-on-one with a Brazilian defender. Swanson took a couple of huge touches to win the footrace down the field and record a shot on net in the 26th minute – but it wasn’t the best angle. The subsequent U.S. rebound effort also came up empty. 

VAR review – no penalty

Speaking of physicality – there has been plenty more where that came from. Referee Tess Olofsson called for a VAR review in the 21st minute that would have led to a penalty shot from Brazil. The review revealed no foul on the U.S. in the box, however.

Brazil’s Ludmila called offsides

What looked like an early deficit for the Americans turned out to be offsides by Brazil. The flag went on Ludmila, who beat Naomi Girma off the dribble in the box and fired one past Naeher. Amid the cries of celebration for the Brazil fans in the stands, the referee’s arm went in the air and the side judge on the far end of the field had the flag up.

USA vs. Brazil Olympic final fouls so far

The play has been physical and referee Tess Olofsson has been mostly keeping the whistle in the pocket. Lindsey Horan had a strong tackle near midfield in which she extended her arms but play went on, even as the U.S. won the ball back. Then Mallory Swanson went down after contact at the top of the box, but again, Olofsson let play continue.

Megan Rapinoe in the house

USWNT starting lineup today

There’s a big surprise in the USWNT lineup for the Olympic final against Brazil: No Rose Lavelle in the starting lineup. Lavelle has started each of the previous five games in the tournament. But she was replaced in the lineup by Korbin Albert. Lavelle is not injured, and is available as a sub. The rest of the lineup remains unchanged:

Goalkeeper: Alyssa Naeher
Defenders: Crystal Dunn, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, Emily Fox
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Lindsey Horan, Sam Coffey
Forwards: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman 

This game will be the 100th appearance for Swanson, who has fully recovered from a devastating knee injury last year. Available subs: Casey Krueger, Lynn Williams, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, Jaedyn Shaw, Rose Lavelle, Casey Murphy.

Mallory Swanson’s 100th cap

Mallory Swanson is the 44th player in team history to reach the 100-cap milestone.

USWNT schedule Olympics

Here are all the games the U.S. women have played at the Paris Olympics.

July 25: USWNT 3, Zambia 0
July 28:USWNT 4, Germany 1
July 31:USWNT 2, Australia 0
Aug. 3:USWNT 1, Japan 0
Aug. 6: USWNT 1, Germany 0

USWNT’s pink hair tradition

Even though she’s retired, Megan Rapinoe still has influence with the USWNT. 

Trinity Rodman has been wearing pink braids throughout the Olympic tournament. Rapinoe, of course, was famous for her vibrant pink hair during the 2019 World Cup, which also was played in France. The USWNT won that World Cup that year, with Rapinoe picking up both the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player and the Golden Boot as its top scorer. 

‘I guess we needed some color somewhere and pink’s the color,’ Rodman said Thursday. ‘Pink, purple, whatever. So yeah, I guess we’ve got to continue that moving forward.’ 

US women’s soccer coach Emma Hayes

Part of the reason the Americans feel like they have been able to be themselves? Emma Hayes’ sense of humor. She’s been called “hilarious,” her one-liners and zingers frequent. She is demanding, to be sure, but her ability to crack jokes puts her players at ease.

‘I think the one thing I love most about Emma is that she has the perfect balance of being serious but then you also see her goofy side too,’ Mallory Swanson said . ‘I think seeing that side of a coach helps a lot because we’re all human and she does such a good job of showing that.’

USWNT matchday kit

Here is what the Americans are wearing for the gold medal game against Brazil.

USWNT vs. Brazil prediction

The road for Brazil to reach this point has been … interesting. Marta, the legend, took a red card in Brazil’s final match of group play and served a two-match suspension. The only way she could have returned to this tournament – said to be her last on the international stage – was if her teammates found a way to reach the gold-medal match. They did, and Marta will have at least one final moment in front of the globe. 

Spirit won’t be enough for the Brazilians against the U.S. though. The American back line, led by Naomi Girma, is stout. Alyssa Naeher has been solid in net. Although the U.S. has not flexed the offensive firepower in France, it has at least scored enough to reward the defense. Take your pick of The Triple Threat, The Big Three, “Triple Espresso” – whatever your preference is for the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith – to find the back of the net.

Score prediction: USA 2, Brazil 0 

USWNT players

Forward: Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Jaedyn Smith, Trinity Rodman, Crystal Dunn.
Goalkeepers: Casey Murphy and Alyssa Naeher.
Defenders: Tierna Davidson, Emily Fox, Naomi Girma, Casey Krueger, Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett.
Midfielders: Korbin Albert, Sam Coffey, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams. 

Brazil’s Marta is getting a fitting sendoff

Marta, the Brazilian great, is playing her final international match today, when Brazil faces the U.S. It’s the fourth time in her career Marta has made the final at a major tournament, and third at the Olympics. The Brazilians lost to the USWNT in 2004 and 2008. They also lost to Germany at the 2007 World Cup.

“We all wanted to play the final at the Olympics regardless of the circumstances. But of course this is an extra motivation,” Angelina said Friday. “We want to give this medal to Marta. She has given us so much throughout her career. She’s given everything she has to us and women’s football. She really deserves to play in the final.”

USWNT vs. Brazil Olympic history

The USWNT and Brazil have some history at the Olympics. The teams faced each other in the final in both 2004 and 2008, with the USWNT winning each time. Although no one from those USWNT teams is left, Brazilian icon Marta played in both games. Brazil scored one goal in those two games, by Pretinha in 2004. 

‘What happened in the past is far away,’ Brazil coach Arthus Elias said Friday. ‘Football deserves great games and we should stop whining and talking about the past. We have new ingredients, new things to talk about rather than be thinking about the past. 

‘I’m not worried at all about what happened in the past,’ Elias added. ‘I feel we are close to our dream coming true and that our players will do their very best tomorrow.”