The 2024 Paris Olympics keep barreling on Wednesday with a full track and field slate as well as the men’s skateboarding park final, Round 1 of women’s golf, women’s basketball quarterfinals and artistic swimming’s team acrobatic medal event.

The Olympic track and field schedule features four finals, including the women’s pole vault and men’s 400m, and Noah Lyles running in the men’s 200m semifinal. 

Twenty sports in total are in action, and USA TODAY Sports will bring you live results, medal count, highlights, and more throughout the day. Follow along.

USA vs Nigeria score at halftime

The Americans lead 52-33 at halftime in the women’s basketball quarterfinals. They shot 59% from the field, 36% from 3. Breanna Stewart led the U.S. with 13 points, A’ja Wilson putting up 10 and Brittney Griner adding 5.

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

US wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt wins gold medal

PARIS — Over the past four years, Sarah Hildebrandt has established herself as one of the best wrestlers in the world in her weight class. She won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Then silver at the 2021 world championships. Then another bronze, at worlds. Then another.

Yet on Wednesday night, Hildebrandt wasn’t one of the best. She was the best.

And the Olympic gold medal draped around her neck was proof.

Hildebrandt gave Team USA its second wrestling gold medal in as many nights at the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba, 3-0, in the 50-kilogram final at Champ-de-Mars Arena. It is the 30-year-old’s first senior title at the Olympics or world championships – the gold medal she’s been chasing after disappointment in Tokyo. – Tom Schad

Kenneth Rooks wins silver in steeplechase

SAINT-DENIS, France – American Kenneth Rooks, ranked 24th in the world in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, shocked the field with a silver medal Wednesday, clocking a personal-best 8:06.41. After 1,000 meters, Rooks trailed 11 racers, and was running just ninth after 2,000 meters. From there, however, Rooks found another gear and passed the entire field to take the lead with a few hundred meters remaining.

He was overtaken by gold medalist Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco (8:06.05), and Rooks barely beat bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya (8:06.47). Rooks, the only American in the race, earned Team USA’s first men’s steeplechase medal since Evan Jager won silver in the 2016 Rio Games. – Chase Goodbread

Jourdan Delacruz falls short of medal in women’s weightlifting

PARIS — U.S. women’s weightlifter Jourdan Delacruz significantly improved on her finish from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics but fell short of a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics Wednesday.

Competing in the 49 kilograms weight class, Delacruz placed fifth, lifting a combined weight of 195 kilograms, which is nearly 430 pounds – 185 pounds in snatch and 244 pounds in the clean and jerk.

Delacruz, who won bronze at the 2023 world championship, finished last in Tokyo after she unable to complete a lift for the clean and jerk. She had no problem completing her lift in Paris.

China’s Hou Zhizui won gold (206 kilograms or 454 pounds) and set an Olympic record in clean and jerk, lifting 117 kilograms (258 pounds). Romania’s Mihaela Valentina Cambei earned silver and Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao took bronze. – Jeff Zillgitt

USA women’s basketball vs. Nigeria: Live updates and more

Team USA women’s hoops takes on Nigeria with a chance to punch their ticket to the semifinals of the Olympic basketball tournament. USA TODAY Sports will provide highlights, updates and more from the matchup.

Quincy Hall wins men’s 400m in thrilling finish

SAINT-DENIS, France – Take that, Noah Lyles. 

United States runner Quincy Hall won the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter dash Thursday – besting Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith and Zambia’s Muzuala Samukonga and posting a time of 43.40 to set a personal best.

Hall trailed early but a spectacular straightaway dash allowed him to catch Hudson-Smith steps before the finish line.  – Chris Bumbaca

U.S. men’s water polo squad wins a thriller vs. Australia

Alex Bowen came through again for the U.S. men’s water polo squad on Wednesday.

Down a goal late vs. Australia, Bowen netted a game-tying goal that sent the match to a shootout. Team USA would down Australia 11-10 (4-3 in shootout) to advance to the semifinals.

Team USA wins artistic swimming medal for first time in 20 years

SAINT-DENIS, France — Team USA artistic swimmers won their first Olympic medal in the team competition in 20 years, winning silver behind China with gold (996.1389) and ahead of Spain with bronze (900.7319). They entered Wednesday night’s team acrobatic routine and overall final ranked second behind the gold medalists and held on to finish second with a total score of 914.3421.

Team USA’s most recent Olympic medal in the team competition was bronze at the 2004 Athens Games.

The last time Russia (or athletes competing under the Russian Olympic Committee) did not win Olympic gold in artistic swimming’s team competition was at the 1996 Atlanta Games, when Team USA finished first in the event’s Olympic debut.

The team competition is broken into three routines: the team technical routine, the team free routine and the team acrobatic routine. Following the acrobatic routine Wednesday night, the scores from all three routines are added together to determine the final rankings.

After the team technical routine Monday, Team USA was ranked fourth (282.7567) behind China, Spain and Japan. But the Americans stunned in the team free routine Tuesday, finishing second (360.2688) behind China and setting themselves up to contend for their first Olympic medal in 20 years. – Michelle R. Martinelli

Tony Hawk pushing for more skateboarding at Olympic Games

PARIS — Standing outside the park venue Wednesday after American Tom Schaar won the silver medal, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk said he’s been pushing as hard as he can for more forms of skateboarding to be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“It’s LA,” he said. “It’s what people consider the birthplace of modern skateboarding. We should celebrate all styles of skateboarding.”

That includes, of course, his hope that the International Olympic Committee will add a vert competition – the style of skateboarding most associated with Hawk’s tricks.

“I’ve been trying my best to have words with them at every turn here,” Hawk said. – Dan Wolken

British swimmer says there are worms in Olympic village food

There are many things athletes look forward to when hanging out in the Olympic Village.

Unfortunately for one British swimmer, food isn’t one of them.

“The catering isn’t good enough for the level the athletes are expected to perform. We need to give the best we possibly can,” Adam Peaty, who won a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke, said to Inews this week.

Peaty said in other Olympic stops, like Tokyo and Rio, the food was excellent.

“I like my fish and people are finding worms in the fish. It’s just not good enough,’ Peaty said. “The standard, we’re looking at the best of the best in the world, and we’re feeding them not the best.’

American CJ Allen runs out of gas, fails to qualify for 400m hurdle finals

SAINT-DENIS, France — Rai Benjamin cruised through the men’s 400-meter semifinals to Wednesday to secure his spot in the Friday-night finals.  

Benjamin won his heat – almost too easily – with a time of 47.85 second. His best time this season is 46.46 seconds. 

During heats, Benjamin jogged the end of his run – conserving fuel for the races to come. The defending Olympic silver medalist in the event won a gold in Tokyo as part of the men’s 4×400-meter relay team.

Benjamin took his time out of the gates but dialed it up at about the one-third mark and essentially jogged the straightaway once again. 

CJ Allen of the USA took an early lead into the straightaway during the second heat. But he ran out of steam and finished fourth. Allen, the American indoor 400-meter record-holder, did not make the final with a time of 48.44. 

American Trevor Bassitt, the eighth-ranked 400-meter hurdler per the world rankings, also finished fourth in the first heat and didn’t make the finals either. 

Norway’s Karsten Warholm, who set the world record in the event at the Tokyo Olympics, won the first heat with a time of 47.67 seconds. Warholm also had the fastest time during heats. 

Frenchman Clement Ducos took second in the first heat to make the finals, much to the delight of the crowd at Stade de France. – Chris Bumbaca

First a steeplechase record, then came a proposal

She quite didn’t make her way to the podium, but either way, French track and field athlete Alice Finot was the one giving out hardware.

After she set a European record but just missed out on a medal Tuesday in the 3000-meter steeplechase, Finot went over to her partner, Bruno Martínez Bargiela, and got down on one knee to propose. But, instead of a ring, she unhooked an Olympic pin that she wore during the race and offered it to him as they embraced to the cheering of the crowd at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. – Lorenzo Reyes

Nelly Korda looks to regain form at Olympics

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – The more celebrated Nelly Korda becomes as a golfer, the more noticeable it is when she seeks to experience life as something else.

It’s all amplified for her. The tournaments in which she doesn’t play. The interviews she doesn’t give. This idea that it’s her responsibility, more than any peer, to expand the LPGA Tour’s popularity.

She may be a reluctant sports star at times, but she’s the biggest one going in the women’s game. And it’s not that the world’s No. 1 player is burned out on golf, she explained after Wednesday’s opening round at the Paris Olympics. It’s that she doesn’t want to become burned out.

“As important as it is to sometimes grind it out,” Korda said, “it’s also important to just put your clubs away and just be a regular human being. … It feels nice when you’re in a groove, but when you play under pressure and you’re in the final group and you feel the emotions that you do, it takes a toll on you mentally.” – Gentry Estes

Team USA snares elusive gold in women’s team pursuit

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France — The U.S. finally has its elusive gold medal in women’s team pursuit.

The U.S. team of Kristen Faulkner, Chloe Dygert, Lily Williams and Jennifer Valente beat New Zealand in the gold medal match of the cycling race Wednesday at the National Velodrome, finishing in 4:04.306.

New Zealand was about 6/10ths of a second behind in 4:04.927, while Great Britain beat Italy for the bronze.

The U.S. is one of the world’s leading powers in team pursuit having medaled in the event in each of the first three Olympics the sport was a part of in 2012, 2016 and 2020. But until this year, the American had never struck gold.

On Wednesday, the U.S. beat Great Britain in a tight first-round heat before nipping New Zealand in the final.

Dygert and Valente also were a part of the U.S.’s silver medal-winning team in 2016 and the group that took in 2020. Dygert also won Olympic bronze in the time trial in road cycling this year, while Faulkner heads home with two golds in her first Olympics after winning the road race on Sunday.

The U.S. won silver in team pursuit at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Great Britain also has medaled every year team pursuit has been part of the Olympics. Just three other countries have a medal in the sport: Germany, Canada and now New Zealand. – Dave Birkett

Olympic track & field events underway: Follow live

Katie Moon, Noah Lyles, Kenny Bednarek and others are in action this afternoon as Olympic track and field events continue. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more for all of Wednesday’s happenings.

Team USA men’s volleyball miss out on gold-medal match again

PARIS — A gold medal escaped the U.S. men’s volleyball team again.

After taking a 2-1 set lead against world No. 1 Poland in the semifinals, the U.S. dropped the final two sets and Poland advanced to the gold-medal game with a 25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 15-13 victory in five thrilling sets Wednesday in an energetic, music-filled environment at South Paris Arena.

Poland will play the winner of Italy-France for gold, and the U.S. will play the loser for bronze.

In the fourth set, the U.S. had a 16-14 lead but could not hold off Poland for the victory and fell short of the gold medal game. Poland carried momentum from its fourth-set win into a strong fifth-set performance. The U.S. trailed 14-10 and made it 14-13 in the fifth set before Poland closed out the game.

In Paris, the U.S. men were 3-0 in preliminary play and beat rival Brazil in the quarterfinals.

The U.S. won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics but finished 10th at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. hasn’t won gold since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. – Jeff Zillgitt

49-year-old skateboarder makes mom proud

PARIS — Dallas Oberholzer came to Paris knowing he would finish last in the men’s park skateboarding competition. He’s 49 years old, for goodness sakes, competing in a sport ruled by Gen Z. He’s also from South Africa, a country where skateboarding has no infrastructure or funding. He’s spent decades traveling the world, funding this journey himself, often barely scraping by in search of the next good vibe.

Before the sport went corporate, before the Olympics, before Tony Hawk and Shaun White, that’s what skateboarding was really all about.

But being here hasn’t been all bad. Even as he approaches his 50th birthday he’s still growing, still learning. He even went to visit an osteopath in the Olympic Village the other day because, well, the knees don’t feel so good these days coming off the board. – Dan Wolken

USA adds skateboarding park silver medal

PARIS — American Tom Schaar can add Olympic medalist to his long list of skateboarding accomplishments.

The youngest-ever X Games gold medalist and the first skateboarder to successfully pull off a trick with 1,080 degrees of rotation in competition, Schaar took silver at the men’s park competition on Wednesday.

Though he had two successful runs, he slightly trailed Australia’s Keegan Palmer. With one more chance to post the best score, Schaar upped the ante but came off the board toward the end of his run, ensuring the gold medal for Palmer.

Palmer’s winning run was scored 93.11, just barely ahead of Schaar’s 92.23. Brazil’s Augusto Akio took the bronze medal.

Palmer also won the first-ever Olympic gold in park three years ago when he was just 14 years old.

Tate Carew, Team USA’s other medal hope, finished fifth.

This event concludes the skateboarding competition for Paris. Team USA will have to wait four more years to Los Angeles to take home its first skateboarding gold. – Dan Wolken

Olympic wrestling: Vinesh Phogat DQed, finishes last

PARIS — A female wrestler from India was disqualified from her gold-medal bout at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday morning after weighing in about 100 grams above the maximum limit for her weight class.

For context: That’s about 0.22 pounds or 3.5 ounces − roughly the weight of a bar of soap.

The shocking news not only knocked Vinesh Phogat out of the 50-kilogram Olympic final against American Sarah Hildebrandt, where she would’ve been guaranteed to win no worse than a silver medal. Under international wrestling rules, Phogat’s failure to make weight resulted in a full disqualification. She will technically finish dead last. – Tom Schad

Hampton Morris secures USA’s first men’s weightlifting medal in 40 years

PARIS — For the first time in 40 years, an American man has won an Olympic medal in weightlifting.

Hampton Morris, a 20-year-old who trains primarily out of the garage at his family’s Georgia home, ended the decadeslong drought by winning bronze at the 2024 Paris Games on Wednesday.

Morris was sitting in fifth place after his snatch but he leapfrogged into medal position thanks to the second lift of competition, clean and jerk, where he is the reigning world-record holder in his weight class. Between the two lifts, the 135-pound Morris hoisted a combined weight of 298 kilograms, which is about 657 pounds. – Tom Schad

Nelly Korda score: Follow women’s Olympic golfer here

Nelly Korda is looking to defend her 2021 Olympic gold medal in the women’s golf tournament this week. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates and more for Korda’s defense.

Team USA women’s springboard divers fail to qualify for semifinals

Both Team USA divers Sarah Bacon and Alison Gibson failed to qualify for the women’s 3-meter springboard top-18 semifinals after finishing 19th and 28th, respectively, in Wednesday’s prelims. 

Gibson had a scary start to her prelims and struggled to recover from a rough zero-score first-round dive, finishing with a total score of 198.30. 

A two-time Olympian, Gibson’s first dive was an inward 2 1/2 somersaults in the pike position. But mid-air at the end of her final rotation, the 25-year-old diver smacked her feet on the board and fell into the water. Thankfully for her, she only hit her feet, and she was able to continue competing. But it was a frightening moment that left at least her right foot a little cut up and bloody. 

Gibson received zeros across the board for the dive, essentially leaving her to try to qualify for the semifinals in her only Olympic event on four dives when everyone else had scores for five.

Meanwhile, Bacon’s best of her five rounds was her first dive, earning a score of 64.50 off an inward 2 1/2 somersaults in the pike position with a 3.0 degree of difficulty. But a low-scoring third round ensured it would be difficult for her to qualify for the semifinals, finishing with a score of 264.40.

Bacon, a 27-year-old first-time Olympian, previously won silver at the Paris Olympics in the women’s synchronized 3-meter springboard with partner Kassidy Cook. 

China’s Chen Yiwen qualified first with a score of 356.40, while Australia’s Maddison Keeney was second (337.35) and Mexico’s Aranza Vazquez Montano was third (321.75). – Michelle R. Martinelli

51-year-old Andy Macdonald puts on Tony Hawk-approved skateboard showing

If you grew up on the X-Games, ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’ or maybe even picked up a board yourself, Andy Macdonald is a name that conjures up some nostalgia.

The very same and now 51-year-old skateboarder qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics and participated in the men’s park preliminaries on Wednesday. Fellow skateboarding legend Tony Hawk was in attendance, and clapped his hands and pumped his fists in approval of Macdonald’s run.

Macdonald will finish out his run with a 77.66 for 18th place in the heat. He wouldn’t make the final, but he would make plenty of skateboarding fans smile.

Meet the youngest Olympian competing in Paris. She’s 11.

What were you doing during the summer when you were 11 years old?

Chances are you were not competing on the world’s biggest stage at the Olympics trying to win a medal, but that’s exactly what 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao is doing. And to think, she only took up the sport five years ago, soaring through the rankings to earn her spot at the Olympics.

Zheng is representing China during the 2024 Paris Games and was the youngest athlete competing, in becoming her country’s youngest Olympian. She doesn’t turn 12 until Sunday and is currently 26th in the World Skateboarding Ranking. − Scooby Axon

High jumpers who shared gold in Tokyo share another moment in Paris

PARIS — The track and field bromance that took center stage at the Tokyo Olympics is once again in the spotlight three years later.

Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy and Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim shared the gold medal in the high jump at the last Summer Games. The pair, whom are adversaries on paper but also friends thanks to nearly 15 years of competing against one another in the same meets, decided to share the gold rather than do a jump-off to decide a winner – taking advantage of a loophole in the World Athletics rulebook.

The reaction was priceless, with Tamberi leaping onto Barshim and wrapping himself around the Qatari. 

On Wednesday, during high jump qualifying, the duo was back at it in the heartwarming sense. Barshim began his run for liftoff over the bar but pulled up lame and immediately grabbed for his left calf. Tamberi was the first person to Barshim’s side on the ground and helped him stretch the calf.

The extent of Barshim’s injury is unknown, but he did qualify for the final by clearing 2.27 meters. − Chris Bumbaca

19-year-old skateboarder going for gold

PARIS – Some skateboarding experts thought the Americans had a chance to sweep the podium in the men’s park skateboarding event, but only two of the three Team USA members advanced to the finals that will be held later Wednesday.

Tate Carew, a 19-year old from San Diego, came into the Paris Games ranked No. 1 in the world in park and didn’t have to sweat too much as his best score of 90.42 was enough for fourth in qualifying, comfortably within the top-eight needed to make the finals.

Tom Schaar, a 24-year old from Malibu, Calif., who made his X Games debut when he was just 12, posted the second-highest qualifying score at 92.05. This is his first Olympics.

The big upset was Gavin Bottger, ranked No. 3 in the world, failing to reach the finals. Bottger, 17, only finished one error-free run in his three attempts. His score of 86.95 looked like it might be enough to hold up for the eighth spot, but he got passed by skaters in the third head and dropped below the qualifying line to 10th place.

The Americans will have to deal with No.2-ranked Keegan Palmer from Australia, who posted the top qualifying score, and three strong Brazilian skaters if they want to make the podium.

Alex Sorgente, who was born in Florida but has dual citizenship through his father, is competing for Italy and also made the finals. − Dan Wolken

Jamaica’s track star motivated after thrilling 100m finish

SAINT-DENIS, France — Some athletes adopt the mindset that they don’t lose, they learn. Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson is one of those athletes.

Thompson, who still owns the best 100 time in the world this year, came into the Paris Olympics as a gold-medal favorite. But he came in second behind Noah Lyles by five-thousandths of a second in the most competitive men’s 100 final in Olympics history during which all eight runners finished under 10 seconds for the first time ever, according to World Athletics.

The race was so close that Lyles thought Thompson had won.

‘I did think Thompson had it at the end,’ Lyles said. ‘I went up to him when we were waiting and I said, ‘I think you got that one big dog.”

Thompson told USA TODAY Sports, that he wasn’t sure who had won immediately after the race.

‘Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I won. I knew it was close between first and second,’ Thompson said. ‘I know I cleared the person on my exact right, and I saw I was in front of the person on my left. But I wasn’t too sure if I got it. It was that close.’

Nobody inside Stade de France knew who won until the photo view results were displayed on the video board seconds after the race. − Tyler Dragon

US women advance to gold medal in team pursuit

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – The U.S. is guaranteed to keep its medal streak alive in women’s team pursuit.

The U.S. team of Kristen Faulkner, Chloe Dygert, Lily Williams and Jennifer Valente beat Great Britain in the third heat of the first round at the National Velodrome on Wednesday to advance to the gold medal match later today.

The U.S finished the 4,000-meter race in 4:04.629 and will meet New Zealand in the finals. The time was just short of Germany’s world record (4:04.242) set at the Tokyo Olympics.

Great Britain will race against Italy for the bronze after finishing in 4:04.908.

New Zealand finished its heat Wednesday in 4:04.818.

Both the U.S. and Great Britain have won medals in women’s team pursuit every year since it started as an Olympic sport in 2012. The U.S. won silver in 2012 and 2016, and bronze in 2020.

Dygert and Valente were on the 2016-20 teams and can tie Great Britain’s Laura Trott-Kenny as the only three-time medalists in the sport. − David Birkett

Nelly Korda looks to defend her Olympic gold medal

Nelly Korda, the women’s world No.1 player and defending gold medallist, headlines a strong field in Paris. But it’s Lilia Vu of the US who has stormed atop the leaderboard (-3) through nine holes at Le Golf National. She is tied with Celine Boutier of France for the lead. Korda is even par thru 17 holes.

Australian field hockey player arrested trying to buy cocaine

PARIS — An Australian athlete has been taken into custody by French authorities for attempting to buy cocaine, according to reports.

The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office told 9News Australia an unidentified member of the men’s field hockey team was involved in an alleged ‘cocaine transaction at the foot of a building in the city’s 9th arrondissement’ Tuesday. Police officers witnessed the incident, according to the 9News report.

The Australian Olympic Committee confirmed an arrest to Reuters but did not confirm the player’s identity. − Chris Bumbaca

American runner shows grit to earn a spot in the 800m final

SAINT-DENIS, France – With a time of 1:46.15, Hobbs Kessler of Team USA finished third in his heat to advance to the semifinals of the men’s 800-meter event at the Paris Olympics’ track and field venue at Stade de France. In a preliminary that required a top-three finish to automatically qualify, Kessler found himself in fourth place and trailing Italy’s Simone Barontini halfway through the race, but overtook Barontini to earn the qualification.

Also qualifying was American Bryce Hoppel, who opened an early lead in the event’s final heat and finished second with a time of 1:45.24. Kessler and Hoppel will compete in semifinals Friday morning, and if they advance, in medal finals Saturday night.

Americans who qualified in other events at the morning session included Shelby McEwen (men’s high jump), Alaysha Johnson, Masai Russell and Grace Stark (women’s 100m hurdles), and Graham Blanks and Grant Fisher (men’s 5,000m). − Charles Goodbread

There will be no ‘next Michael Phelps’

PARIS — The term GOAT is so often tossed around in sports. Not always carelessly, but frequently enough that it’s diminished the original meaning behind the greatest of all time acronym. 

But in some instances, GOAT truly applies, and few would disagree that Michael Phelps deserves the label. GOAT swimmer. GOAT Olympian.

Over the years, especially since Phelps retired following the 2016 Rio Games, many have been deemed “the next Michael Phelps.” At one point, it was American Caeleb Dressel. At the Paris Olympics, it’s France’s Léon Marchand. 

However, there’s a huge difference between a superstar and “the next Michael Phelps,” and Dressel agreed, calling Phelps “not even a once-in-a-lifetime” swimmer but “maybe once in a, I don’t know, end-of-the-world type guy.” − Michelle Martinelli

American sport climber advances to men’s final

American sport climber Colin Duffy has advanced to the men’s boulder-and-lead finals set for Friday at the Paris Olympics.

Duffy, a 20-year-old from Colorado, entered the competition Wednesday in 11th place after the boulder semifinals on Monday. His strong performance in lead lifted him into seventh place overall, and the top eight climbers qualified for the finals.

“Just very proud,’’ said Duffy, who finished seventh at the Tokyo Games in 2021 in sport climbing’s Olympic debut. “I wanted to go out and give a climb that I could be proud of and I was able to do that.’’

Fellow American Jesse Grupper, a 27-year-older from New York making his first appearance at the Olympics, finished 18th among the 20 climbers in the boulder-and-lead semifinals.

Also, Poland’s Aleksandra Miroslaw won the gold medal in the women’s speed climb while China’s Lijuan  Deng took silver and Poland’s Aleksandra Kaluka took bronze Wednesday. American Emma Hunt reached the quarterfinals but slipped during her heat and failed to advance to the semifinals. – Josh Peter

Greek pole vaulter out of Olympics after doping test

Greek pole vaulter Eleni-Klaoudia Polak has been provisionally suspended after testing positive at the Paris Olympics, according to the IOC.

Polak, 27, competed in qualifying, clearing a jump of 13 feet, 9 ¼ inches but didn’t advance to the final. Paris was her second Olympics as she didn’t make it out of qualifying at the Tokyo Games.

At the world championships, Polak’s best result was 22nd at the 2022 worlds held in Eugene, Oregon. According to her bio on the IOC web site, she took up the sport at age 14 after a coach saw her training in gymnastics and encouraged her to try pole vault.

Carson Tyler earns spot in men’s 3m springboard diving finals

Team USA diver Carson Tyler improved significantly from his prelims performance and finished seventh in Wednesday’s men’s 3-meter springboard semifinals, advancing to the final among the top-12 divers. 

Tyler, a 20-year-old first-time Olympian, finished with a score of 438.00 – his prelims score was 389.80 – and will try to make the podium in the final set for Thursday. His highest-scoring dive came in the fifth and sixth rounds, the final two – first a reverse 3 ½ somersaults in the tuck position with a 3.5 degree of difficulty, followed by a reverse 1 ½ somersaults with 3 ½ twists in the free position with a 3.5 degree of difficulty – earning him scores of 78.75. 

Two-time Olympic diver Andrew Capobianco, 24, placed 15th with a final score of 407.65, missing the cut for the final. The 24-year-old American struggled through the semifinals, but he earned his best score of 83.60 on his sixth-round dive: a forward 4 ½ somersaults in the tuck position with a degree of difficulty of 3.8.

At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Capobianco finished 10th in the men’s 3-meter springboard, but he earned a silver medal in the men’s synchronized 3-meter springboard competition. 

The divers to beat in the men’s 3-meter springboard are the three defending Olympic medalists from the 2021 Tokyo Games: Xie Siyi, who won gold, Wang Zongyuan with silver and Jack Laugher with bronze. 

Wang and Xie, representing China, enter finals ranked first (537.85) and second (505.85), respectively, while Great Britain’s Laugher is ranked third (467.05). 

The men’s 3-meter springboard final is set for Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. — Michelle Martinelli

American duo move on to men’s 5000m finals

SAINT-DENIS, France — Americans Graham Blanks and Grant Fisher advanced to the medal finals of the men’s 5,000-meter race at the Stade de France track and field venue of the Paris Games on Wednesday. Blanks made up some critical ground over the last 1,000 meters to finish sixth in a time of 14:09.06 in Heat 1. He made his move just early enough to avoid a calamitous tumble that occurred right behind him, as one racer tripped, fell, and triggered falls for three others.

The top eight in each of two heats qualified for the finals, and Blanks was running 10th after 4,000 meters. In Heat 2, Fisher finished fourth with a time of 13:52.44 to give Team USA two runners in a medal-finals field of 16. American Abdihamid Nur was in fourth place after 4,000 meters, but a late fall cost him a last-place finish of 14:15.00. — Chase Goodbread

Three Americans advance to semis for women’s 100m hurdles

There will be a heavy Team USA presence Friday in the semifinals of the women’s 100 hurdles event at the Paris Games’ Stade de France venue for track and field. Three of four Americans competing earned automatic qualifications in the preliminaries on Wednesday, including Alaysha Johnson, Masai Russell and Grace Stark.

Johnson placed second in Heat 1 with a 12.61 clocking, while Russell tied for the win in Heat 3 (12.53, same as the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser). Stark ran in the final heat and posted a 12.72 time to finish third.

Team USA’s Ebony Morrison ran a 12.93 to finish sixth in Heat 2.

Medal finals in the event are scheduled for Saturday. — Chase Goodbread

Olympics schedule today

Here are some Olympic schedule highlights. Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds in Paris.

(All times Eastern)

Track and field prelims and qualifying rounds start at 4:05 a.m. The evening session opens with the women’s pole vault final and ends with the men’s 3,000m steeplechase. In addition, the marathon race walk relay starts at 1;30 a.m. NBC is airing the evening session. USA Network is airing the morning session.
Women’s basketball holds four quarterfinal games today, Australia vs. Serbia at 5 a.m. (E!), Belgium vs. Spain at 8:30 a.m. (USA Network), France vs. Germany at noon and the U.S. vs. Nigeria at 3:30 p.m. (USA Network).
Volleyball is in the semifinals, where the U.S. men will play Poland at 10 a.m.
Skateboarding holds prelims (6:30 a.m., USA Network) and finals for men’s park (11:30 a.m., USA Network).
Beach volleyball wraps up the quarterfinal round today. The U.S. men’s team of Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain plays Qatar at 4 p.m.
Men’s water polo gets into the quarterfinal round today. The U.S. men’s team plays Australia at 1 p.m.
Other sports in action: Taekwondo, golf, canoe sprint, handball, diving, sport climbing, table tennis, wrestling, sailing, track cycling, field hockey, artistic swimming, weightlifting and boxing.

How to watch Olympics today

NBC is airing and streaming the Paris Olympics from all angles: Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds; NBC, USA Network, CNBC and E! are carrying various live events and replays throughout the day. Here are 6 tips and tricks for getting the most out of Peacock during the Olympics.

Medal count today

Our 2024 Paris Olympics medal count tracker updates after every single medal event.

Tallying up gold, silver, bronze for each country in Paris
How many medals has Team USA won?
Which country has won the most golds?
How many gold medals does Team USA have so far?

Which U.S. teams are playing at the Olympics today?

The U.S. women’s golf team opens play with Round 1, which starts at 3 a.m. Team USA tee times: Rose Zhang, 3:44 a.m.; Nelly Korda, 3:55 a.m.; Lilia Vu, 5:55 a.m.
The U.S. men’s volleyball team plays Poland in a semifinal at 10 a.m.
The U.S. men’s water polo team plays Australia in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m.
The U.S. women’s basketball team plays Nigeria in a quarterfinal at 3:30 p.m.
The U.S. men’s beach volleyball team of Andrew Benesh and Miles Partain plays Qatar in a quarterfinal at 4 p.m.

What Olympic medals can be won today?

Track & field: women’s pole vault (1 p.m.), men’s discus (2:25 p.m.), men’s 400m (3:20 p.m.), men’s 3,000m steeplechase (3:40 p.m.). NBC is airing the finals.
Skateboarding: men’s park final (11:30 a.m., USA Network)
Boxing: Four semifinal bouts (3:30 p.m., 3:46 p.m., 4:02 p.m., 4:18 p.m.), two final bouts (4:34 p.m., 4:51 p.m.)
Marathon: Race walk mixed relay (1:30 a.m., USA Network)
Artistic swimming: team acrobatic routine (1:30 p.m., E!)
Taekwondo: Four bronze medal contests (2:19 p.m. start), two gold medal contests (3:23 p.m. and 3:39 p.m.)
Cycling track: men’s team pursuit bronze (12:25 p.m.), men’s team pursuit gold (12:33 p.m.), women’s team pursuit gold (12:57 p.m., E!)
Sport climbing: women’s speed final (6:55 a.m., E!)
Wrestling: six medal events (1:30 p.m. start, runs through about 4 p.m.)
Weightlifting: men’s 61kg (9 a.m.), women’s 49kg (1:30 p.m.)

Olympic track and field schedule today

Qualifications: men’s high jump (4:05 a.m.), women’s javelin throw group a (4:25 a.m.), women’s javelin throw group b (5:50 a.m.), men’s triple jump (1:15 p.m.)
Repechage rounds: women’s 1,500m (6:45 a.m.)
Round 1s: women’s 100m hurdles (4:15 a.m.), men’s 5,000m (5:10 a.m.), men’s 800m (5:55 a.m.)
Semifinals: men’s 110m hurdles (1:05 a.m.), men’s 400m hurdles (1:35 p.m.), men’s 200m (2:02 p.m.), women’s 400m (2:45 p.m.)
Finals: marathon race walk mixed relay (1:30 a.m.), women’s pole vault final (1 p.m.), men’s discus final (2:25 p.m.), men’s 400m (3:20 p.m.), men’s 3,000m steeplechase (3:40 p.m.)

Olympic track today: What to watch

Quincy Hall could be one to watch in the men’s 400. Hall ran hurdles at the University of South Carolina but had a breakout performance at last year’s world championships. In Budapest last August, Hall ran a personal-best 44.37 in the men’s 400 final, taking the bronze. He went on to run the opening leg of the men’s 4×400 relay that won gold.

Olympic golf today: What to watch

The women’s tournament gets under way with Nelly Korda, the Tokyo Olympic champion, expected to play in Paris. Korda recovered from a double bogey in the final round in Tokyo, finishing two-under 69 and one shot ahead of Japan’s Mone Inami and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko.

Olympic skateboard today: What to watch

Jagger Eaton is ranked No. 2 in men’s park leading up to the Paris Olympics. The skater from Mesa, Arizona, is expected to compete in both street and park events. The park competition, with the prelims and final on Aug. 7, is held on a course of ramps, bumps and jumps designed to what athletes would see at a skatepark.

India’s Vinesh Phogat out of gold medal bout vs. American after failing to make weight

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified before the women’s 50kg freestyle final at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday after failing to make weight, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said.

Phogat had been set to lock horns with Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States for the gold medal.

‘It is with regret that the Indian contingent shares news of the disqualification of Vinesh Phogat from the women’s wrestling 50kg class,’ the IOA said in a statement.

‘Despite the best efforts by the team through the night, she weighed in a few grams over 50kg this morning.’

The disqualification means Phogat will not receive a medal.

United World Wrestling, the international governing body of the sport, has yet to issue a statement. — Reuters

Enjoy this era of U.S. men’s basketball Olympic superstars while you still can

PARIS — If the United States is about to relinquish its stranglehold on Olympic men’s basketball this week, they’ve nicely hidden the plot twist.

Watching this U.S. team at full force inspires nostalgia for simpler NBA times, back in the days you knew before the season started that Golden State and Cleveland were going to be in the Finals. It also keeps a thought in the back of your mind: This is an end more than a beginning. — Gentry Estes

USWNT’s latest Olympic win shows ‘heart and head’ turnaround

LYON, France — Exactly one year ago, the U.S. women’s national team was at the lowest point in its illustrious history, knocked out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals in what was the team’s earliest exit ever at a major international tournament.

On Tuesday, they reached the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they will face Brazil, which beat Spain 4-2 to advance.

In exactly 366 days — 2024 is a leap year, you know — the Americans have gone from the despair of that shocking exit to playing for another major title. What a difference a year makes. — Nancy Armour

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PARIS – Steph Curry throwing alley-oop lobs to LeBron James, and James returning the favor, delivering a pass to Curry for a 3-pointer.

Curry in a USA Basketball team meeting announcing James as the male flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Curry and James celebrating each other and relishing this opportunity as teammates on the U.S. men’s 5×5 Olympic basketball team.

Those moments and the burgeoning friendship would not have been possible eight years ago.

Not when James and Curry were locked into fierce competitions in the NBA Finals, seeking MVPs and jockeying for the “best player on the planet” title – all at the other’s expense.

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

They wanted the same things, and they both could not have them, not simultaneously. Now, they can achieve the same goal – an Olympic gold medal. The U.S. plays Serbia Thursday at 3 p.m. ET in a semifinal game, and the winner will play the winner of France-Germany for gold.

For four consecutive seasons – 2015 to 2018 – it was Cleveland vs. Golden State, but it was also LeBron vs. Steph.

It was a rivalry that did not scream friendship, and the tension was apparent. Curry called it a “healthy resentment of somebody who’s standing in your way.”

It was similar to the Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger rivalry of the 1980s, when they each wanted to be the top box office action hero and there was a feud. Curry and James were the NBA’s box office stars. They both wanted top billing.

Just like Stallone and Schwarzenegger finally appeared in movies together, the tension dissipated.

“The game of basketball doesn’t last forever, and you don’t want to waste the opportunity to be able to have a relationship with someone,” James said, explaining where he and Curry are today.

The river of time smooths the sharp rocks.

“I feel like they’ve always been friends,” said Kevin Durant who is friends with both players. “When you compete against each other in a series, of course you’re not going to be that buddy-buddy. … I think they’ve become better friends once they went through that experience of competing with one another and being rivals, as you would call it.”

And James even seemed to indicate the competitiveness of those Finals matchups hid a behind-the-scenes relationship.

“LeBron versus Steph, they should never smile against each other on the court. They should hate each other. We get it,” James said. “We understand that a lot of y’all maybe grew up in a (Larry) Bird-Magic (Johnson) era and they shouldn’t like each other, but I’m also old enough to know that Isiah (Thomas) and Magic hugged each and kissed each other on the floor too because it was just mutual respect. You know what I’m saying?

“I’m also old enough to know that they say Michael (Jordan) never talked to any of his opponents, but I’m also smart enough to know that him and Charles (Barkley) had a lot of conversations during the ’93 Finals and also played golf once against each other.”

So maybe it wasn’t as heated. But still. At a James Halloween party in 2016, after the Cavaliers had come back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in the Finals, James had a drum kit with “3-1 Lead” on it and had cookies shaped like tombstones with Curry and Klay Thompson’s names on them. Then, at Harrison Barnes’ wedding the following year, it appeared Curry mocked a James workout video, though Curry said he wasn’t.

“Through it all, there’s obviously the utmost respect for who he is as a person and a player, and how good he is and the challenge of trying to beat him and trying to solve that problem every year,” Curry said.

Curry acknowledged the edge began to soften when James left Cleveland for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. “The dynamic changed,” Curry said. “Even when we played in the play-in game in 2021, you could feel it, but it wasn’t the same. … Even the next year, our team was different, and the build-up wasn’t the same.”

You could start to sense a change – at least publicly – in the relationship when the NBA started using captains to select All-Star rosters, and James and Curry were the captains. They had fun together picking teams on the TNT broadcast, and then in 2021, they played on the same All-Star team.

“I was just trying to find Steph, like the whole first quarter, dribble handoffs to him, letting him step back, hit shots, whatever the case may be,” James said.

It was the first indication that playing together on the 2024 Olympic team might be a thing, and last summer, James and Curry discussed the idea in a phone call.

“I get to see a little different side of him and the work that he puts in and how he approaches practice, the way he talks and communicates,” Curry said. “I get to see that side of it, which is really, really dope. He gets to see that from me as well.

“But we’re all trying to put it together where I see how our games complement each other and I think there’s an appreciation at the highest level for what this six week experience is going to be and how our relationship can kind of evolve and deepen from that.”

Said James: “I know how much he loves to win and how much he loves to be in competition, so that’s going to be cool. But just being around him off the floor, we’ve always had these short moments — either an All-Star Game where we had these short pockets of time together, and it’s been super organic and easy. So looking forward to that.”

James and Curry have started every game in the exhibition schedule, and they often run a play together where Curry sets a screen for James , making the defense choose: give Curry an open 3-point shot or let James drive to the basket against a smaller defender.

“We do it a little bit in Golden State, where you have somebody else having the ball and me setting it, and I have a lot of different actions you can run,’ Curry said. ‘But if you get (LeBron) going downhill, good luck to anybody trying to stop him and having me come off into space.

“Just try to make teams make decisions. And the more decisions you can make a defense make, the better chance you have to create confusion.”

And it makes you wonder if these Olympics aren’t the last time James and Curry run pick-and-rolls together on the same team.

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PARIS — Sport as an expression of art seems like an abstract concept. But take a well-designed goal in soccer or hockey, for example – the angles involved, the creativity required. Suddenly, the two opposites are bridged.  

After all, sport, like art, is entertainment. And the newest Olympic sport, breaking, is an ideal example of how two forms of expression, dancing and athletics, are not as dichotomous as people may think. 

USA TODAY Sports asked the U.S. Olympic breakers, along with those who have been involved around breaking for decades, whether they saw themselves more as athletes or artists. The easy answer is “both.” The truth lies somewhere along that bridge.  

“How do you blend them?” asked Victor Montalvo, “B-boy Victor,” about art and sport. “I don’t know. I have no problem blending both.” 

Arguably the most important factor judges base their scores on in breaking is creativity. Copying another person’s moves – called “biting” in the breaking world – is sacrilegious. 

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

Style is an inherent part of breaking, from the way one comports him or herself before and after battling to the competitor’s wardrobe. 

“The culture aspect of breaking, it’s always to me, it’s always about style and originality first,” said Jeffrey Louis, B-boy Jeffro, of Team USA. “Even in a sports sense, I still have to have my own style and originality.” 

For Sunny Choi, aka B-girl Sunny, “there’s no doubt in my mind this is a sport.” 

But that’s not all. 

“Dance, art, sport – all together,” she said. 

The original breakers, the “OGs” as they are called, sometimes look down on the current generation of breakers for stretching, Montalvo said. He feels that breaking has emerged from the “culture side” of society and into the sports section. 

“We’re learning a lot, and we’re training more like athletes,” he said. 

Some of the knowledge they have gained since becoming Olympians has ranged from nutrition to strength and conditioning and mental health. Going under the umbrella of Team USA has been helpful. 

“Because a couple years ago, maybe five, 10 years ago, we weren’t on that,” he said. “So we were our own nutritionist. We were our own strength and conditioning coaches. And we didn’t know what we were doing. So now that we get those resources, it’s really helpful.” 

Breaking battles at the Olympic level can last from 30 seconds to a minute, depending on the track and the competitor’s moves. Each Olympian will go at least six rounds in the round-robin first part of the tournament. Then it moves into a best-of-three knockout setup. 

Performing dynamic movements for that long requires a professional level of physical fitness, Louis said. At the same time, breakers are creating. 

“This is hip-hop,” he said. “You have to have your own style. You have to have your own flavor. How do you do that? By being artistic.” 

For London Reyes, a member of the New York City Breakers during the 1980s, breaking culture reminds him of basketball culture – and the former Nike entertainment executive within the basketball division would know. 

“Why can’t breaking be a sport and a culture as well?” Reyes asked. “So that’s what it is. It could be two things at once – you can walk and chew gum at the same time.” 

The physical element is why the Olympics deemed it worthy of inclusion in Paris, even if it was left off the 2028 Los Angeles Games program. “You have to eat well, you have to train, you have to stretch, you have to take care of your body,” Reyes said. “You have to be strong mentally, physically, spiritually. 

“Everything is about the competition, and it’s no different than the dance, and that’s the beauty of it.” 

How far breaking has come physically, artistically 

Where can breaking go from a technical standpoint in the next 20 years? Reyes isn’t sure.

“They would have to fly, I guess,” he said. 

In all seriousness, he thinks the ability to perform all moves both clockwise and counterclockwise will be essential. He can also see a difficulty system similar to gymnastics being ingrained in the judging.  

Back in the day, Reyes said, when the “OGs” did head spins, they were just called “one-shots” or “pencils’ because they only did one rotation. Now the head spins are “continuous.”   

“Now they bring their legs in, they bring them out, they go reach over, they grab their leg,” Reyes said. “It’s just different variations of it. It’s just incredible, what they do today.” 

The same thing applies to footwork. What started as simple steps is done with speed, agility and flexibility in the present day. 

“So they just keep elevating and keep just doing different creative things out of it,” Reyes said. 

And for anybody who says it’s not a sport? 

“I would tell them, ‘Try to do a tenth of what we do.’ That’s what I would say,” Louis said. “And you would see how much athleticism, how much creativity, artistry, style, that goes into it.”

PARIS – The disappointment in missing out on a chance to win gold is mitigated by a chance at bronze.

“It’s better than nothing,” U.S. men’s volleyball star Matt Anderson said after losing to Poland in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics. “A bronze medal is something that’s still really proud to have, still really proud to win. It’s a medal that you’re winning because you have to win that last match to get it, and I don’t want to leave with nothing.”

The U.S. will play the loser of Italy-France for bronze, though it would rather be playing the winner for gold.

World No. 1 Poland defeated USA 25-23, 25-27, 14-25, 25-23, 15-13 in an exciting five-set game at South Paris Arena. The U.S. had a 16-14 lead in the fourth set but couldn’t hold on for the victory, and cut Poland’s lead to 14-13 in the final set.

Anderson, a 37-year-old veteran competing in his fourth Olympics, said to pick the expletive to describe what he was feeling. He settled on the more profane version of “crappy.”

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

“We put a lot of effort into this three-year quick turnaround,” Anderson said. “A lot of us older, and it takes more preparation. We were primed. We were playing at a really high level, and it’s tough when you give it your all and it’s just unfortunately not enough at the moment.”

U.S. coach John Speraw acknowledged the thrilling five-set game, but said “We didn’t come here to give it a sporting event. We came here to win. And so I’m pretty disappointed.”

Speraw pointed to the middle of the fourth set as the game-changer. “When a team is down, you beat them in the third (set) and are up 2-1 and then a team has nothing to lose at that point so they get very aggressive. They got aggressive with their serves, and they were successful. When you have servers like they have that start to be real successful, it’s very, very challenging.”

The U.S. won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics but finished 10th at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The U.S. hasn’t won gold since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“It’s going to be their last opportunity to go compete together with this group,” Speraw said of the bronze medal game. “A lot of guys are on the back end of their career and who knows. That’s what makes the Olympics so … special and valuable. It only happens once every four years so there’s not many opportunities like this, which makes it so great when you win and heartbreaking when you lose.”

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PARIS — A female wrestler from India was disqualified from her gold-medal bout at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday morning after weighing in about 100 grams above the maximum limit for her weight class.

For context: That’s about 0.22 pounds or 3.5 ounces − roughly the weight of a bar of soap.

The shocking news not only knocked Vinesh Phogat out of the 50-kilogram Olympic final against American Sarah Hildebrandt, where she would’ve been guaranteed to win no worse than a silver medal. Under international wrestling rules, Phogat’s failure to make weight resulted in a full disqualification. She will technically finish dead last.

U.S. wrestling icon Jordan Burroughs, who is on the call for NBC in Paris, described the situation on Twitter as ‘tragic.’

‘She has looked amazing this week, and deserved to be on that podium,’ Burroughs wrote.

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

The Indian Olympic Association’s chief medical officer, Dinshaw Pardiwala, said in a statement that Phogat used ‘all possible drastic measures’ to lose weight during a sleepless night − including spending time in a sauna, restricting fluids and even cutting off her hair. She was the first Indian wrestler to reach an Olympic final, and her gold or silver would’ve been the best finish for an Indian athlete at the Paris Games to date.

Phogat’s sudden disqualification sent shockwaves across the wrestling world and particularly in India, where high-ranking sports and political officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have weighed in publicly on the story.

But it also casts a bright spotlight on what recently-crowned Olympic gold medalist Amit Elor described to USA TODAY Sports earlier this year as ‘the dark side of the sport,’ particularly in women’s wrestling: Cutting weight.

‘It’s something that a lot of times, if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, it can be really promoted and it’s very unnecessary − especially from a young age,’ said Elor, who won gold at 68 kilograms on Tuesday night.

‘For women, I think weight cutting is very unhealthy and not recommended. Not only physically but mentally, I think it can ruin your relationship with the sport. It makes it less about wrestling and more about sweating and dieting and feeling hungry and tired and weak − and those things are unnecessary, especially when you’re just starting out.’

While weight management is an instrinsic part of wrestling across genders, it poses a particular challenges for women, who are both more likely to develop eating disorders and more likely to experience body image dissatisfaction issues than men, according to statistics curated by the National Eating Disorders Association.

Elor, 20, said she is thankful that her parents did not let her cut weight when she was first getting started. At the elite and professional level, however, it is commonplace.

At Champ-de-Mars Arena in Paris this week, for example, any wrestler who gets into the mix for a medal winds up competing over parts of two days. They are required to weigh in each morning to ensure they are below the maximum allowable weight in their division, but they can then eat and drink as needed after that to recover their energy.

For Phogat, that schedule led to a frantic and perhaps dangerous rollercoaster of weight gains and losses over a span of 24 hours, according to information released by Indian Olympic officials and reported by Indian news outlets. According to news reports, she easily made weight Tuesday morning but then gained about 2.7 kilograms − or roughly 6 pounds − over the course of the day while rehydrating and refueling after three bouts.

Pardiwala, the Team India medical officer, said that Phogat’s nutritionist had anticipated she would gain only about half that amount. The team soon realized that their normal weight-cutting measures − such as ‘a calculated restriction of food and water’ and ‘sweating from exercises and sauna’ − would not work. After a reportedly sleepless night, they resorted to cutting her hair. But to no avail.

After not making weight, Team India said, Phogat was hospitalized for possible dehydration and had blood tests performed. She ‘feels perfectly well’ but is disappointed, the Indian Olympic Association added.

‘After three tough matches against world class opponents, no athlete should have to spend the night preparing for a Gold medal in this manner,’ Burroughs wrote in another tweet, before later lobbying for Olympic organizers to give Phogat a silver medal.

Phogat is one of the many wrestlers in Paris who had to switch out of their usual weight class to compete at the Paris Olympics, where only six weight classes are offered in women’s wrestling rather than the usual 10 that are contested at world championships.

Hildebrandt will instead face Yusneylys Guzmán of Cuba at Champ-de-Mars Arena on Wednesday night.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.

PARIS — The U.S. women’s basketball team, led by WNBA two-time MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, is facing Nigeria in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans are seeking an unprecedented eighth consecutive gold medal, and have not lost a game at the Olympics since 1992. Diana Taurasi is also trying to become the first Olympic basketball player to win six gold medals.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing the latest updates, results, highlights and more throughout the game. Follow along.

USA women’s basketball takes the court for warmups

The Americans took the court for warmups around 2:30 p.m. ET. They tip off against Nigeria at 3:30 p.m. ET.

USA basketball game today

The Americans face Nigeria in the quarterfinals today in Paris. USA Network is airing the game against Nigeria, Peacock is live streaming it.

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

US women’s basketball schedule

July 29:USA 102, Japan 76
Aug. 1: USA 87, Belgium 74
Aug. 4: USA 87, Germany 68
Aug. 7: USA vs. Nigeria, 3:30 p.m. ET
Aug. 9: semifinals, 11:30 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET
Aug. 11: bronze medal game, 5:30 a.m. ET
Aug. 11: gold medal game, 9:30 a.m. ET

Brittney Griner more grateful than ever in Paris Olympics

She knows what you see — the goofy grin, the 6-foot-9 big kid who loves skateboarding and off-roading, the intimidating shot-blocker on the basketball court — is only a fraction of the truth. 

To outsiders it looks like Griner has moved on quickly from her 10-month detention in Russian custody, a terrifying and isolating stretch of time that would’ve broken most people. When she poses for photos with fans, easily banks in an eight-footer, it looks like things are back to normal. But they’re not, and she’s not. 

“It’s always with me, and there’s definitely moments of like, oh wow this could be totally different — I could be seeing this beautiful view through bars,” Griner said Saturday from USA practice. “It doesn’t go away. It makes you appreciate everything a little bit more too.” 

Breanna Stewart-Sabrina Ionescu connection at Olympics

When she’s sprinting up the floor in transition, Breanna Stewart knows Sabrina Ionescu is looking for her. 

The two have played together so long – nearly 70 games with the New York Liberty over two seasons, plus 17 games together on Team USA – that their knowledge of the other is practically intrinsic. Ionescu knows where Stewart wants the ball. Stewart knows which passing lane Ionescu prefers when she wants to fire an assist Stewart’s way. 

The obvious magnetism between teammates like Stewart and Ionescu can’t be faked or developed overnight. It comes organically, built over hundreds of practices with each other. And it’s giving the Americans a big advantage as they go for their eighth consecutive gold medal in women’s basketball.

‘It’s really helpful,’ said U.S. coach Cheryl Reeve. ‘You can see when Sab is running the flor, she’s looking for Stewie. Her eyes are up, she knows when Stewie’s cutting (to the basket). Synergy with your (WNBA) teammates, that’s a natural thing.’

USA women’s basketball roster

The U.S. women’s basketball roster is made up of eight WNBA champions, three WNBA MVPs and five WNBA Rookies of the Year.

Guards: Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Jackie Young
Forwards: Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier
Center: Brittney Griner

Diana Taurasi Olympic gold medals

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) are the only two American women’s basketball players to win five Olympic gold medals. Taurasi can become the first to earn six gold medals in Paris. 

USA women’s basketball prediction vs Nigeria

Nigeria has been the feel-good story of Olympic women’s basketball, but that ends tonight against the Americans’ dynasty of depth. Ezinne Kalu has been playing great for Nigeria but being defended by Chelsea Gray and company is a different beast. Team USA should run away with this one, 101-72.

A’ja Wilson’s basketball dominance is driven by joy

A’ja Wilson will keep piling up double-doubles, pushing the boundaries of what a forward in this game can do and, if all goes according to plan, lead the U.S. women’s basketball team to a record eighth straight Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Maybe the crowning of the latest U.S. dynasty, led by an exceptional talent, will make you tune in. If not, Wilson figures, that’s your loss. 

“Forwards, centers, whatever you want to call us, we don’t get the love we should,” Wilson told USA TODAY Sports. “But I don’t pay it any mind because the true fans, the ones who really understand and love the game, they understand how forwards and centers are a huge part. So yeah, I feel like we’re under appreciated. But I love my position.”

Still, the best player in the world knows there’s likely to be more eyeballs than ever on women’s basketball this summer. She can’t wait to put on a show.

USA women’s basketball Olympic gold medals

USA women’s basketball has medaled in every Olympics it has participated, winning a total of 11 Olympic medals, including nine gold, one sliver and one bronze. Here’s how the U.S. women have performed since 1976, when women’s basketball debuted at the Montreal Olympics:

2020, Tokyo: Gold (90–75 win over Japan) 
2016, Rio: Gold (101–72 win over Spain) 
2012, London: Gold (86-50 win over France) 
2008, Athens: Gold (92–65 win Australia) 
2004, Athens: Gold (74–63 over Australia)
2000, Sydney: Gold (76–54 over Australia) 
1996, Atlanta: Gold (111–87 win over Brazil)
1992, Barcelona: Bronze (88–74 win over Cuba in bronze medal game)
1988, Seoul: Gold (77–70 win over Yugoslavia)
1984, Los Angeles: Gold (85–55 win over South Korea) 
1980, Moscow: USA boycotted Olympics due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
1976, Canada: Silver (83–67 loss to Czechoslovakia)

France vs Germany basketball game

The French women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Olympics Wednesday with an 84-71 quarterfinal win over Germany, and will take on Belgium next. Given the major home court advantage France has here — Bercy Arena is packed with locals and they’re loud — there is no question they will be able to push the Americans if they meet the U.S. in the final (and Diana Taurasi said as much before the Games started).

France is led by two players WNBA fans will be familiar with. Marine Johannes (24 points vs. Germany) and Gabby Williams (15 points, six rebounds) have played terrific in these Olympics, and their pro experience means they won’t back down against A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and company. if they play each other for gold.

Olympic basketball scores today

There are four women’s games on today’s slate.

Australia 85, Serbia 67
Belgium 79, Spain 66
France 84, Germany 71
United States vs. Nigeria, 3:30 p.m. ET

Olympic basketball bracket

Here is the full women’s basketball bracket for the Paris Olympics.

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