Team USA remains atop the Olympic medal count after picking up six medals on Tuesday. 

Simone Biles led the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to a gold medal in the team final, marking Team USA’s fourth Olympic gold medal of the 2024 Paris Games. The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team also made history on Tuesday in a 14-12 comeback victory over Australia to win bronze, their first ever Olympic medal. 

USA picked up four medals in the pool. Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff won silver and bronze in the women’s 100-meter backstroke, while Bobby Finke picked up a silver in the men’s 800m freestyle. Team USA also raced to silver in the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay final.

In other news, the U.S. men’s soccer team advanced to the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years, but it wasn’t a great day for USA 3×3 basketball — both the U.S. men and women’s team suffered a loss. 

Here’s how Tuesday’s action unfolded at the Olympics in France:

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

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Triathlon races cleared to go ahead on Wednesday

Organizers cleared the Olympic women’s and men’s triathlons to go ahead on Wednesday after the latest Seine river water tests showed lower levels of bacteria, ending days of uncertainty over whether the central Paris swim was viable after heavy rains.

The men’s race had been postponed to Wednesday because of bacteria levels.

‘The results of the latest water analyses, received at 3.20 a.m. (local time), have been assessed as compliant by World Triathlon allowing for the triathlon competitions to take place,’ Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said in a statement Wednesday.

The women’s race is scheduled for 2 a.m. ET (8 a.m. local time) and the men’s race at 4:45 a.m. (10:45 a.m. local). – Reuters

USA Rugby gets big donation for women’s team

Washington Spirit owner Michele Kang will donate $4 million to the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team after the squad took home a historic bronze medal. The gift will help improve resources for players and grow the game in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on home soil, USA Rugby said Tuesday. 

“2024 has been a banner year for women’s sports with record-breaking attendance and viewership, and women’s rugby is no exception,” Kang said in a statement. 

Kang is a trailblazer investor in women’s soccer. She owns the NWSL’s Spirit, as well as European powerhouse Olympique Lyonnais Féminin and the London City Lionesses. 

“I am so happy to support these outstanding athletes to realize their dream in capturing the gold in Los Angeles in 2028,” Kang said. “That work starts now.” – Carrie McDonald

U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball team falls to Serbia

PARIS – Jimmer Fredette – yes, it’s been a while since you heard that name, same guy – and the U.S. men’s 3×3 team lost Tuesday in its first game of pool play at the Paris Olympics. 

The USA fell to Serbia, a country that has won six of eight 3×3 World Cups, 22-14 

Fredette has already made an impact in the 3×3 world and entered the Olympics as the No. 1-ranked player in the world by FIBA. (The team is also ranked first.) Serbia is the second-ranked team and took it to the U.S. over the second half of the 10-minute game that ended with 2:33 to go (first to 21 wins).

With the U.S. down 13-11, the referees reviewed a move under the basket by Canyon Barry, who hit a Serbian player in the face with his elbow. The refs ruled that it was unsportsmanlike, which gave Serbia two free throws and the ball. That margin and string of events was too much for the Americans to overcome. 

Fredette finished with four early points and made his lone attempt from beyond the arc, where he became a college basketball star at BYU with his long-range shots. He was 2-for-4 from one-point range. – Chris Bumbaca

South Sudan men’s basketball beats odds to inspire at Olympics

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France – When South Sudan men’s 5×5 basketball player Peter Jok was 3 years old, his father, Dut, was killed in Sudan’s civil war. His grandfather also was killed in the war, and his family fled to Uganda and Kenya and eventually settled in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jok’s story is not unique to natives of what is now South Sudan.

What is unique is the South Sudan basketball team’s inspiring appearance at the Paris Olympics. Participating in its first Olympics basketball event, South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico 90-79 on Sunday.

“This means a lot to me individually than anything that I’ve ever been part of,” said Jok, who played college basketball at Iowa. “So every time I go out there, I know I got to make them proud and make the whole country proud.”

South Sudan plays the U.S. Wednesday (9 p.m. ET) in a Group C game, and the winner puts itself in great position to advance to the knockout round. The U.S. beat South Sudan 101-100 in an exhibition and South Sudan had a chance for the upset on the game’s final shot. Still, the U.S. is a 30-point favorite. – Jeff Zillgitt

USA wins silver in men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay

NANTERRE, France — Team USA raced to silver in the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay final Tuesday night, coming up just short of Great Britain, which won gold.

The U.S. relay team of Luke Hobson, Carson Foster, Drew Kibler and Kieran Smith finished in 7:00.78, which was 1.35 seconds behind Britain. Australia won the bronze in 7:01.98. – Michelle R. Martinelli

USA’s Bobby Finke wins silver in 800 freestyle

NANTERRE, France — American distance swimmer and two-time Olympian Bobby Finke didn’t defend his 2021 Olympic championship in the men’s 800-meter freestyle, but he still came away from Tuesday’s final with some hardware. 

Finke, the American record holder, finished second with a time of 7:38.75, behind Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen with the gold-medal win in 7:38.19, an Olympic record.  Gregorio Paltrinieri of Italy won bronze in 7:39.38. The 24-year-old Finke is also entered in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle in Paris — heats are set for Aug. 3 with the final on Aug. 4 — and will again look to repeat as the Olympic gold medalist. – Michelle R. Martinelli

USA’s Regan Smith, Katharine Berkoff add two medals in 100 backstroke

NANTERRE, France — The women’s 100-meter backstroke was one of the most anticipated showdowns at the Paris Olympics, and it didn’t disappoint, as Australian Kaylee McKeown out-touched American Regan Smith to win gold.

McKeown finished with an Olympic record time of 57.33, ahead of silver medalist Smith with a time of 57.66 and bronze medalist Katharine Berkoff of the USA in 57.98 at Paris La Défense Arena. – Michelle R. Martinelli

USA Soccer advances to men’s quarterfinals

PARIS – Party like it’s 2000, but only if you’re 23 or younger! 

The U.S. men’s under-23 soccer team advanced to the quarterfinals Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Guinea. The victory guaranteed the Americans would make the knockout round for the first time since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It’s the squad’s first appearance at a Games in 16 years. 

Kevin Paredes earned a brace with goals in each half and Djordje Mihailovic scored in the opening minutes.

The United States finished in second place in Group A behind host France and will face a tough test against Group B winner Morocco in the quarterfinals. – Chris Bumbaca and Safid Deen

Simone Biles’ golden redemption was for herself and Team USA

PARIS — Simone Biles never needed to prove anything to anyone.

Not when she returned in 2023 and became the most-decorated gymnast of all time. Not when she made a third Olympic team. Not when she began the women’s gymnastics team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics by nailing the event that everything went sideways on three years ago.

Not even when she stood atop the podium, the Star-Spangled Banner playing in her honor once again.

This Olympic gold medal? It’s for Biles and her three veteran teammates, each of whom bears her own scars from the Tokyo Games. The haters and the miscreants who criticized Biles three years ago can go pound sand for all Biles cares. They were wrong about her then, ignorant or obtuse to the fact her physical safety was at stake, and they’re no longer entitled to space in her head or on her bandwagon. – Nancy Armour

Simone Biles makes history as USA wins team gymnastics

Team USA took home the gold medal in women’s gymnastics on Tuesday afternoon, beating Italy and Brazil in the all-around event. With the win, Simone Biles vaults to the top of the record books: She now holds the record for most medals by an American gymnast.

USA Soccer has early 2-0 lead vs. Guinea 

Kevin Paredes scored in the 31st minute, and USA Soccer has a 2-0 lead against Guinea with hopes to reach the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics. 

Djordje Mihailovic scored a goal on a free kick in the 14th minute to spark the first-half advantage for the U.S. men’s national under-23 soccer team. 

France, up 1-0 against New Zealand early, and the U.S. will advance from Group A if the results hold. – Safid Deen

Team USA wins first medal in rugby on final play of game vs. Australia

PARIS — The U.S. women’s rugby team was down to its final opportunity.

Down 12-7 with the bronze medal on the line and under a minute remaining, Alex Sedrick found an opening and sprinted down the field for a game-tying try and she hit the game-winning conversion to put icing on the cake to give the Team USA women their first ever bronze medal in Olympic rugby sevens competition.

Australia got on the board first when Maddison Levi scored a try with a conversion to follow. The U.S. women tied the score 7-7 at the end of the half when Alev Kelter got a try and conversion.

The second half was an offensive struggle until Levi scored what many thought to be the game-winning try for Australia, but the U.S. women had a bronze-medal winning answer.

The U.S. women had finished no better than fifth in Olympic competition. – Tyler Dragon

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Morocco, Argentina advance to men’s soccer quarterfinal

Morocco seized Group B with a 3-0 win over Iraq, while Argentina advanced with a 2-0 win against Ukraine as both winners reached the Paris Olympics men’s soccer quarterfinal.

Amir Richardson (19’), Soufiane Rahimi (28’) and Abde Ezzalzouli (36’) scored first-half goals for Morocco.

Thiago Almada (47’) and Claudio Echeverri (90+1’) scored for Argentina, which finished second in Group B despite controversially losing 2-1 to Morocco in the opening match. – Safid Deen

Olympic fencing: Team USA women epee group falls short of a medal

Anne Cebula, Katharine Holmes and Hadley Husisian fell short of medaling in epee, finishing the competition in seventh place.

They started the day with two losses because securing a win over Egypt in the seventh-eighth matchup.

Team USA goes for gold in women’s gymnastics

Simone Biles and Co. look to add another medal to the tally on Tuesday when they take the floor for the team gymnastics final. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the events.

Olympic water polo: Team USA routs Romania

It was a dominant performance in the pool for Team USA men’s water polo on Tuesday, with a 14-8 win over Romania not as close as the score indicated.

Lead by a scorching power play and a hat trick by Alex Bowen, Team USA went on a 7-0 run to start the game before Romania netted its first goal.

Next up: Team USA faces Greece on Thursday at 4:30 a.m. ET in Group A play.

Dearica Hamby, Team USA women’s 3×3 basketball team falls to Germany

PARIS — For the first minutes of the U.S. women’s 3×3 team’s opening matchup of the Games against Germany, the quest to repeat gold looked to be on track.

There was a lot of game left to play, though. 

The Americans fell to the Germans, 17-12, as the game lasted the full 10 minutes since neither team reached the 21-point mark. 

Team USA began the game with five straight points before Germany could get on the board. The Germans’ first basket didn’t come until three minutes and 12 seconds into the game. But they took a 6-5 lead on a two-pointer from Elisa Mevius.

Dearica Hambry’s and-one tied the game at 11. Sonja Greinacher nailed a 2-point shot to make it 13-11 with 1:52 left and the Germans hung on from there.

The dagger came on a Marie Reichert two that gave Germany its biggest lead at 16-12. The difference was the shooting beyond the arc. Germany went 4 for 10 while the U.S. was 1 for 8.

Hailey van Lith led the U.S. with six points. — Chris Bumbaca

Team USA basketball: Jayson Tatum will play vs. South Sudan

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — After receiving a “did not play – coach’s decision” against Serbia, U.S. men’s 5×5 basketball player Jayson Tatum will play against South Sudan Wednesday, Coach Steve Kerr said.

Kerr’s decision not to play Tatum, a four-time All-NBA selection including in 2023-24, generated a minor controversy.

“The hardest part of this job is sitting at least a couple of guys who are world-class, some of the very best players on earth,’ Kerr said. ‘And on the one hand it makes no sense at all. On the other, I’m asking these guys to just commit to winning one game and then move on to the next one. I have to do the same thing. And so I felt like (against Serbia) those were the combinations that made the most sense. Jason will play (Wednesday).

Kerr anticipated the next question.

“I’m not going to answer your next question, which is if he plays, who doesn’t? Kerr said. “But we’re going to need him. And part of this job for me is to keep everybody engaged and ready because my experience with this is crazy stuff happens.” – Jeff Zillgitt

USA men’s volleyball grits through win, passes ‘great test’

The U.S. improved to 2-0 at the Paris Games with a tense – and pivotal – five-set victory Tuesday over Germany, seizing control of their pool and all but ensuring that the Americans will move into the quarterfinals, regardless of what happens in their final preliminary match against Japan.

Their second win of this tournament looked easy for a while. Except then it wasn’t. After dropping the first two sets, Germany rallied to win the next two and force a deciding fifth set. The U.S. prevailed 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 20-25, 15-11, winning the final set largely because of a 6-0 run that shifted momentum that had built in Germany’s favor. That run was ignited by Holt serving consecutive aces.

“I just felt like we needed a little something extra there,” he said. “… This was a great test for our team. In big Olympic moments, this was huge to keep that poise, keep that composure.” – Gentry Estes

Olympic soccer: Egypt beats Spain 2-1, both advance to men’s knockout stage

Ibrahim Adel had a brace, scoring a goal in each half, to fuel Egypt’s 2-1 win against Spain and a first-place finish in Group C. Both teams will advance to the quarterfinals.

Samu Omorodion scored in the 90th minute for Spain, which began the day with a spot in the knockout round already clinched. Spain enters the knockout stage as the Group C runner-up. 

Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan are both eliminated from the Paris Olympics after their 1-1 draw. – Safid Deen

Team USA BMX riders in prime medal position entering finals

PARIS — Team USA’s freestyle BMX riders are poised to help extend the United States’ lead in the overall medal count after a stellar showing in qualifying Tuesday at the La Concorde Olympic venue. Both men, Marcus Christopher and Justin Dowell, and both women, Hannah Roberts and Perris Benegas, not only qualified for Wednesday’s finals, but all four will be seeded fourth or higher among nine competitors in each division.

Roberts will be the No. 1 seed in the women’s competition after posting an average score of 91.45. Benegas will be seeded fourth. For the men, Christopher took the No. 2 seed and Dowell the No. 4 seed. Medal rides for the women will begin at 1:10 p.m. Paris time, followed by the men at 2:44 p.m.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the United States led all countries in medals with 20, four more than host-country France (16). – Chase Goodbread

Olympic volleyball: Team USA holds off Germany in five-set thriller

Team USA men’s volleyball held off a furious comeback attempt from Germany to win in five sets on Tuesday.

The Americans took the first two sets (25-21, 25-17) before Germany stole the next to to force a deciding fifth set.

In the end, USA emerged victorious and on top of Group C. They play Japan in the final group stage game on Friday, Aug. 2.

Olympic archery: American Catalina Gnoriega knocked out of women’s tournament

Team USA’s Catalina Gnoriega was knocked out in the second round of the women’s archery individual tournament, winning her opening match Tuesday before letting one get away in the round of 32.

Gnoriega swept Germany’s Katharina Bauer 6-0 in the opening round and missed a chance to close out Indonesia’s Diananda Choirunisa before ultimately losing 6-5 in overtime.

On her final arrow of regulation, the 21-year-old Gnoriega had a chance to advance with a score of 9 or better. She ended up with an 8, sending the match a one-arrow shootoff: Choirunisa shot a 10, and Gnoriega followed with an 8.

American teammates Casey Kaufhold and Jennifer Munico will shoot Thursday to reach the round of 16. The USA’s Brady Ellison begins play in the men’s tournament Thursday as well.

The final stages of the women’s archery individual event will be Saturday with the men on Sunday. Kaufhold and Ellison will compete together in Friday’s mixed team event. – Gentry Estes

Team USA women’s rugby team falls to New Zealand, will play for bronze medal

PARIS — Playing in front of a packed house at Stade de France, the U.S. women’s rugby team fell 24-12 to New Zealand in the Olympic semifinal.

The U.S. women’s rugby team knew they were going up against a juggernaut against the defending Olympic champion, and New Zealand outclassed them on the pitch.

Team USA’s Alev Kelter scored the first try of the game. However, New Zealand answered quickly with a try from Stacey Waaka and a conversion to follow.

New Zealand held a slim 7-5 lead at the half.

Waaka opened things up in the second half with another try to push New Zealand’s lead to 12-5 – and the island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean poured it on from there with two more tries.

Kristi Kirshe scored a try late in garbage time for the U.S.

The U.S. women will have a chance to play for the bronze medal against the loser from the Canada vs. Australia match. The bronze medal game is set to begin at 1 p.m. ET. – Tyler Dragon

Bevy of Team USA swimmers advance in Olympic events

Outside of Katie Ledecky’s dominance, a number of Olympic swimmers also advanced in the pool.

In the men’s 200 meter butterfly, Thomas Heilman advances to the semifinal round with a time of 1:55.74, good for 11th place.
Jack Alexy had the fastest time in the 100 meter freestyle heats, posting a 47.57.
In the women’s 100 meter freestyle, Torri Huske (53.53) and Gretchen Walsh (53.54) had the seventh- and eighth-fastest times, punching their tickets to the semifinal rounds.
Josh Matheny (2:10.39) and Matt Fallon (2:10.49) move on the in men’s 200 meter breaststroke, with the 10th and 11th fastest times, respectively.
The Team USA 4×200 meter freestyle relay team of Drew Kibler, Brooks Curry, Blake Pieroni, and Chris Giuliano won their first heat and posted the second fastest time overall, advancing to the final on Tuesday evening.

Coco Gauff eliminated from singles tennis competition following controversial ruling

PARIS – Tennis star Coco Gauff, who was chosen as the Olympic opening ceremony flag bearer for Team USA, is out of the women’s singles competition after losing 7-6, 6-2 to Donna Vekic of Croatia.

It was a loss that was mired in some controversy. Down 7-6, 3-2 in a match that was tightly contested all the way through, Gauff faced a massive break point at 30-40. As she retreated to hit a backhand, the linesperson made an out call before Gauff swung her racket and she immediately decelerated, causing a miss.

But the chair umpire saw it differently, overruling the out call and awarding the point to Vekic.

A five-minute argument ensued in which Gauff called the tournament supervisor and appeared to be crying, while saying “I feel like I’m getting cheated constantly in this game.”

Gauff still has a chance to take home medals in doubles and mixed doubles, but her performance Tuesday was surprising and disappointing given how solid she looked in the first two rounds of the tournament and her strong track record on the clay of Roland Garros during the French Open. – Dan Wolken

Olympic golf: Star-studded pairings feature Scheffler, McIlroy, Rahm, Schauffele

How about these Olympic men’s golf pairings for the first two rounds?

The star-studded group of Scottie Scheffler (USA), Rory McIlroy (Ireland) and Ludvig Aberg (SWE) will tee off together at 4:11 a.m. Eastern time (10:11 a.m. locally) on Thursday and 12:06 p.m. locally on Friday.

In other featured groups: Xander Schauffele (USA) will play alongside Viktor Hovland (Norway) and Jon Rahm (Spain) at 11:55 a.m. locally Thursday.

Collin Morikawa (USA) is in the Thursday 12:06 p.m. pairing with local French favorite Matthieu Pavon (France) and Matt Fitzpatrick (Great Britain) in a group that should enjoy a raucous following at Le Golf National.

And Wyndham Clark (USA) will play at 9:44 a.m. locally Thursday alongside Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) and Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain). – Gentry Estes

Olympic rowing: American moves on to semifinals

Kara Kohler advanced to the semifinals with a second-place finish during the first women’s single sculls quarterfinal. She maintained second place throughout the race and finished in 7:34.96, 4.39 seconds behind Australia’s Tara Rigney. New Zealand’s Emma Twigg had the fastest time in the quarterfinal at 7:26.89. The semifinals will be Thursday.

Katie Ledecky easily qualifies for 1500m finals

Katie Ledecky’s dominance in the 1500-meter freestyle was on full display during Tuesday’s preliminary heats.

Along with fellow American Katie Grimes, Ledecky competed in the third and final heat and easily qualified for Wednesday’s finals by jumping out to an early lead that only got bigger and bigger over the duration of the race. Ledecky won he heat with a time of 15:47.43, nearly 20 seconds ahead of her closest competitor, Li Bingjie of China.

Grimes did not qualify for the finals.

Coco Gauff in action for Olympic tennis

American women’s tennis star Coco Gauff has started her third round match against Donna Vekic of Croatia. Gauff has dominated in Paris so far, dropping a total of only nine games across six sets in three matches — which includes one doubles match with partner Jessica Pegula.

Olympic boxing: Roscoe Hill falls short

American boxer Roscoe Hill was defeated by France’s Billal Bennama in the round of 16 men’s at the 51kg division. Hill lost by split decision, 3-2.

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)

Swimming heats start at 5 a.m. The finals for the women’s 100m backstroke and men’s 100m free are back to back, starting at 4:27 p.m. The final for the men’s 4x200m free relay is at 3:50 p.m. NBC is airing the finals. USA Network is airing heats.
The women’s gymnastics team final is at 12:15 p.m. Follow our live coverage for full results. NBC is airing.
Men’s soccer has eight group play matches: Dominican Republic vs. Uzbekistan (9 a.m.), Spain vs. Egypt (9 a.m.), Ukraine vs. Argentina (11 a.m.), Morocco vs. Iraq (11 a.m.), U.S. vs Guinea (1 p.m.), New Zealand vs. France (1 p.m.), Paraguay vs. Mali (3 p.m.), Israel vs. Japan (3 p.m.).
Men’s basketball has four group stage games: Spain vs. Greece (5 a.m.), Canada vs. Australia (7:30 a.m,.), Japan vs. France (11:15 a.m.), Brazil vs. Germany (3 p.m.).
3×3 basketball opens its slate with eight games starting at 11:30 a.m. and running through 4:35 p.m. NBC is airing the U.S. men’s (4:35 p.m.) and women’s games (11:30 a.m.).
Other sports in action:Archery, badminton, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe slalom, cycling BMX freestyle, equestrian, fencing, handball, judo, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, shooting, surfing, surfing, table tennis, tennis, volleyball and water polo.

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.

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

(All times Eastern)

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team competes in the team final at 12:15 p.m. NBC is airing.
The U.S. men’s volleyball team plays Germany in pool play at 7 a.m.
The U.S. men’s water polo team plays Romania in group play at 10:35 a.m. USA Network is airing.
The U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team plays Germany in pool play at 11:30 a.m. NBC is airing.
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team competes in the team final at 12:15 p.m. NBC is airing.
The USMNT plays Guinea in group play at 1 p.m. USA Network is airing.
The U.S. men’s 3×3 basketball team plays Serbia in pool play at 4:35 p.m. NBC is airing.
The U.S. is competing in men’s beach volleyball against Morocco at 9 a.m. NBC is airing. The Americans compete again against the Netherlands at 2:15 p.m. E! Is airing.
The U.S. women’s rugby sevens team plays New Zealand in the semifinals at 9:30 a.m. ET. The bronze medal match (1 p.m.) and gold medal match (1:45 p.m.) also take place on Tuesday.

What Olympic medals can be won today?

(All times Eastern)

Gymnastics: women’s team final (12:15 p.m., NBC)
Swimming: women’s 100m backstroke (2:57 p.m.), men’s 800m free (3:03 p.m.), men’s 4×200 free relay (3:59 p.m.) NBC airing all the finals.
Surfing: men’s bronze (8:12 p.m.), women’s bronze (8:53 p.m.), men’s gold (9:34 p.m.), women’s gold (10:15 p.m.) NBC airing the finals.
Shooting: 10m air pistol mixed team bronze (3:30 a.m.), 10m air pistol mixed team gold (4 a.m., USA Network), trap men’s final (9:30 a.m.).
Fencing: epee team bronze match (1:30 p.m.), women’s epee team gold match (2:30 p.m.)
Rugby Sevens: women’s bronze match (1 p.m. E!), women’s gold match (1:35 p.m., E!)
Judo: Six medal matches (11:18 a.m. start)
Table tennis: mixed doubles bronze (7:30 a.m.), mixed doubles gold (8:30 a.m.)
Triathlon: men’s (2 a.m., USA Network)

Olympic swimming schedule today

(All times Eastern)

Heats for the following events start at 5 a.m.: men’s 200m fly, 100m free, 200m breaststroke, 4x200m free relay; women’s 1,500m free, 100m free
Semifinals for the following events start in the afternoon: men’s 100m free (2:30 p.m.), men’s 200m fly (2:41 p.m.), women’s 100m free (3:25 p.m.), men’s 200m breaststroke (3:46 p.m.)
Today’s finals: women’s 100m backstroke (2:57 p.m.), men’s 800m free (3:03 p.m.), men’s 4x200m free relay

When does Katie Ledecky swim next?

With one medal already secured, American swimming star Katie Ledecky goes for her first gold of the 2024 Paris Games as the overwhelming favorite in the 1500-meter freestyle.

Ledecky, 27, is undefeated in the 1500 in her professional career, having won five world titles and the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Because of the length of the race and the endurance it requires, the 1500 free preliminaries and final will be held over a two-day span, with heats being held Tuesday.— Steve Gardner

Men’s triathlon postponed due to Seine pollution levels

PARIS — Pollution in the Seine river forced Olympic organizers on Tuesday to postpone the men’s triathlon event, threatening to derail a centerpiece of the Paris Games where a massive, $1.5 billion clean-up effort aimed to allow athletes to compete in the notoriously dirty waterway that runs through the heart of the city.

A statement issued by Paris 2024 and World Triathlon said tests showed the water quality in the Seine was still below an acceptable standard for a race day. The men’s race has been postponed to Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. local time (4:45 a.m. ET), immediately following the women’s event, which is scheduled for 8 a.m.

Both triathlons remain subject to water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming, and the original contingency competition day of Friday, Aug. 2 also remains in place, the World Triathlon statement said. — Kim Hjelmgaard

Olympic swimming today: What to watch

In the pool, American Bobby Finke is the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 800-meter free. In Paris he likely will be challenged by Australia’s Samuel Short and Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen.

Olympic gymnastics today: What to watch

It’s the day of the women’s team final and the Americans have had this one circled on their calendars. In Tokyo, Simone Biles withdrew from the team event after struggling on vault. The Americans went on to win silver behind Russia (or ROC as the team was called). It was the first time since the 2010 world championships that the Americans did not win the team title at a worlds or Olympics. For the Paris Olympics, Russia is not allowed to compete as a team. Led by Biles, the U.S. won the gold at the 2023 world championships followed by Brazil (silver) and France (bronze).

How Stephen Nedoroscik delivered on pommel horse to seal US gymnastics’ Olympic bronze

PARIS — Hours before the men’s gymnastics team final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Stephen Nedoroscik solved a Rubik’s Cube in 9.32 seconds. It’s a hobby of his. And that time, for context, is quite impressive. ‘Good omen,’ he wrote on Instagram.

It was indeed.

In arguably the most pressure-packed situation that one could imagine in men’s gymnastics − the last routine of the last rotation of the Olympic final − Nedoroscik delivered in a big way Monday night, putting together a smooth, confident showing on pommel horse that wrapped up the bronze medal for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team. — Tom Schad

Best of ‘ArtButMakeItSports’ at the Olympics

Among them is the social media account @ArtButMakeItSports. — Austin Curtright

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

NANTERRE, France — American Regan Smith versus Australian Kaylee McKeown never seems to get old, whether they’re competing in the same race or on opposite sides of the globe. 

And Tuesday’s women’s 100-meter backstroke final — one of the most highly anticipated swimming showdowns at the 2024 Paris Olympics — didn’t disappoint. McKeown out-touched Smith by .33 seconds to win her second consecutive 100 back Olympic gold. 

Smith, 22, won silver with a time of 57.66, and fellow American Katharine Berkoff, 23, won bronze with a 57.98 swim at Paris La Défense Arena.

McKeown, 23, broke her own Olympic record with a time of 57.33, lowering the mark by .14 seconds, and became the first swimmer to successfully defend her 100 back Olympic title since American Natalie Coughlin at the 2004 and 2008 Games.

“She’s one of one,” Smith said about McKeown. “She is an absolutely incredible racer, and she knows what to do when it matters.”

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

Of the medalists, Smith was first off the block and was tied for the lead at the 50-meter mark with Canada’s Kylie Masse. McKeown was fourth at the turn before exploding on the last 25 to take the lead and ultimately gold.  

“You wait for that moment so much, and then you get to the race and you finish the race, and I can’t even remember it now,” said McKeown, who’s also the defending OIympic champion in the 200-meter backstroke. 

“But I knew it would come down to that last 25 meters. It’s something that I’ve been practicing for, and something that the Americans and myself are really good at — is finishing our races strong. So it’s just gonna be whoever had it in that last five, 10 meters.”

While the 2021 Olympic record fell — albeit to the previous owner — Smith’s 57.13 world record remains intact. But she and McKeown have been fighting over it for a while. 

In the last five years, both swimmers have broken the 100 back world record twice. Smith broke it in 2019, McKeown took it in 2021 before lowering it again in 2023, and Smith reclaimed it in June at U.S. Olympic trials. 

“I want to call it a rivalry because we have traded world records,” Smith said, “but she’s always good at getting it done when it matters. So I want to give her the credit where it’s due. 

“But with that being said, yeah, I’m incredibly proud that we have really solidified ourselves as the two fastest women in backstroke history, and that’s really special to be a part of. … She’s a very genuine and respectful person, and I think we have a really great relationship.”

The 100 back final was always going to be a close race in the latest chapter of the decades-old storied USA-Australian swimming rivalry with Smith, McKeown and Berkoff, respectively, qualifying within .30 seconds of each other in Monday’s semifinals. 

Masse — the 2021 Tokyo silver medalist and 2016 Rio bronze medalist in the 100 back — finished fourth, and Australia’s Iona Anderson was fifth. 

A two-time Olympian, Smith won her fourth medal at the Games, but she’s still racing for her first gold. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she was the 100 back bronze medalist and won two silvers in the 200-meter butterfly and women’s 4×100-meter medley relay. 

“I’m proud that I was able to drop [time] from semis,” said Smith, who shaved off .31 seconds in the final. “That’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot in the past, and I stayed in my own lane, I executed my race plan and I left it all in the pool.”

First-time Olympian Berkoff made history of her own in Tuesday night’s final. Her bronze was both Team USA’s 3,000th Olympic medal and USA Swimming’s 600th OIympic medal, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. 

She’s also not the first member of her family to earn some hardware at the Games. Her father, David Berkoff, is a four-time Olympic medalist and won the men’s 100 back silver in the 1988 Seoul Games and bronze in 1992 in Barcelona.

“He’s been very supportive, just trying to remind me to stay in my own lane, remember why I’m doing what I’m doing and just do it for myself and no one else,” Berkoff said. 

“I’m so grateful that he got to be here to watch it.”

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Seven teams have already advanced to the Olympic men’s soccer knockout stage, and one more country will join them as the group stage concludes Tuesday.

The U.S., competing in its first Olympics since Beijing 2008, has reached the knockout stage for the first time since Sydney 2000. They will face a tough test against Group B winner Morocco in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Host France won Group A, Morocco and Argentina are moving on from Group B, Egypt and Spain have advanced from Group C, and Japan is in the knockout round from Group D.

Here’s everything you need to know about the final Group Stage day in Olympic men’s soccer with live updates brought to you by USA TODAY Sports:

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

Olympic men’s soccer games scores today

Group A – United States 3, Guinea 0

Group A – France 3, New Zealand 0

Group B – Argentina 2, Ukraine 0

Group B – Morocco 3, Iraq 0

Group C – Egypt 2, Spain 1

Group C – Dominican Republic 1, Uzbekistan, 1

Group D – Paraguay 1, Mali 0

Group D – Japan 1, Israel 0

USA Soccer advances to Paris Olympics men’s soccer quarterfinals, highlights

USA Soccer is in the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics.

Kevin Paredes earned a brace with goals in each half, Djordje Mihailovic scored in the opening minutes, and the U.S. beat Guinea 3-0 on Tuesday.

The U.S. men’s national under-23 team finished second place in Group A behind host France, and will face a tough test against Group B winner Morocco in the quarterfinals.

France advanced after a 3-0 win against New Zealand, and will face Group B runner-up Argentina in the quarterfinals – a juicy matchup after Lionel Messi’s Argentina beat Kylian Mbappé’s France at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Paris Olympics men’s soccer quarterfinals games on Friday

Here are Olympics men’s soccer quarterfinal games for Friday, Aug. 2

∎Morocco vs. United States (9 a.m. ET)

∎Japan vs. Spain (11 a.m. ET)

∎Egypt vs. Paraguay (1 p.m. ET)

∎France vs. Argentina (3 p.m. ET)

Japan, Paraguay advance to Olympic men’s soccer quarterfinal

Japan and Paraguay concluded Group D play on Tuesday, each winning 1-0 to advance to the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics.

Mao Hosoya scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time to help Japan win the group, and set up a quarterfinal against Spain on Friday.

Paraguay hung on after Fabian Fernandez’s goal in the fifth minute to beat Mali, and will face Egypt in the next round.

Morocco, Argentina advance to men’s soccer quarterfinal

Morocco seized Group B with a 3-0 win over Iraq, while Argentina advanced with a 2-0 win against Ukraine as both winners reached the Paris Olympics men’s soccer quarterfinal.

Amir Richardson (19’), Soufiane Rahimi (28’) and Abde Ezzalzouli (36’) scored first-half goals for Morocco.

Thiago Almada (47’) and Claudio Echeverri (90+1’) scored for Argentina, which finished second in Group B despite controversially losing 2-1 to Morocco in the opening match.

Egypt beats Spain 2-1, both advance to men’s soccer knockout stage

Ibrahim Adel had a brace, scoring a goal in each half, to fuel Egypt’s 2-1 win against Spain and first-place finish in Group C. Both teams will advance to the quarterfinals.

Samu Omorodion scored in the 90th minute for Spain, which entered the day with a spot in the knockout round already clinched, but enter the knockout stage as the Group C runner-up.

Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan are both eliminated from the Paris Olympics after their 1-1 draw.

Kevin Paredes’ second goal gives US Soccer 3-0 lead vs. Guinea

Kevin Paredes has a brace after his second goal in the 75th minute to give U.S. Soccer a 3-0 lead against Guinea.

The U.S. will face a stiff challenge against Morocco in the quarterfinal Friday if the result holds.

Arnaud Kalimuendo goal helps France take 3-0 lead vs. New Zealand

France adds another as Arnaud Kalimuendo scores in the 74th minute to take a 3-0 lead against New Zealand.

France will go on to punch its ticket to the quarterfinal, where Argentina awaits Friday. The countries met at the 2022 World Cup.

Désiré Doué goal: France goes up 2-0 vs. New Zealand

Désiré Doué scored in the 71st minute, and France has doubled its lead against New Zealand.

With France and the U.S. both up 2-0, they will advance to the knockout stage in the Paris Olympics.

Kevin Paredes goal: USA Soccer has 2-0 lead vs. Guinea

Kevin Paredes scored in the 31st minute, and USA Soccer has a 2-0 lead against Guinea with hopes to reach the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics.

Djordje Mihailovic scored a goal on a free kick in the 14th minute to spark the lead.

France, up 1-0 against New Zealand early, and USA Soccer will advance from Group A if the results hold.

Jean-Philippe Mateta goal gives France 1-0 lead vs. New Zealand

France is on the board early after a goal by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the 19th minute to take a 1-0 lead against New Zealand.

France and USA Soccer would advance from Group A if the results from both matches hold.

Djordje Mihailovic’s free kick goal gives USA Soccer 1-0 lead vs. Guinea

USA Soccer is off to a fast start after Djordje Mihailovic’s goal from a free kick in the 14th minute to take a 1-0 lead against Guinea.

Claudio Echeverri goal: Argentina takes 2-0 lead late vs. Ukraine

Argentina has punched its ticket to the knockout stage after Claudio Echeverri’s goal in stoppage time secured a 2-0 lead against Ukraine in the closing minutes.

USA men’s soccer Olympic team starting lineup vs. Guinea

Here’s the starting lineup for USA Soccer’s match today vs. Guinea at 1 p.m. ET on USA in English, Telemundo in Spanish.

Thiago Almada goal: Argentina leads 1-0 vs. Ukraine in second half

Thiago Almada has scored in the 47th minute for Argentina’s 1-0 lead to begin the second half against Ukraine. A win puts Argentina into the knockout stage at the Paris Olympics, but it still trails 3-2 in goal differential to Morocco.

Halftime: Morocco up 3-0 vs. Iraq, while Argentina vs. Ukraine is scoreless

Morocco is on its way to punching a ticket to the Olympic men’s soccer quarterfinal with its 3-0 start against Iraq.

Amir Richardson (19’), Soufiane Rahimi (28’) and Abde Ezzalzouli (36’) have scored in the first half for Morocco, which has taken the lead in Group B with a 3-1 edge in goal differential over Argentina.

Argentina and Ukraine are scoreless at halftime, with either team needing a win to join Morocco in the knockout stage.

Morocco on fire with 3-0 start in first half vs. Iraq

Abde Ezzalzouli has scored in the 36th minute to help Morocco’s 3-0 start against Iraq. Morocco has taken a 3-1 goal differential lead over Argentina in Group B.

Amir Richardson has scored in the 19th minute, and Soufiane Rahimi scored a header in the 28th minute earlier in the first half.

Morocco needs a win or draw to advance to the knockout stage out of Group B.

Samu Omorodion’s goal gets Spain on the board vs. Egypt

Samu Omorodion scored in the 90th minute for Spain, which entered the day with a spot in the knockout round. If the result holds, they’ll enter the quarterfinals as the Group C runner-up behind Egypt.

Alisher Odilov goal: Uzbekistan ties it up vs. Dominican Republic

Alisher Odilov has scored in the 58th minute to help Uzbekistan draw even against Dominican Republic. With Uzbekistan already eliminated, DR needs to go on a major scoring run to have the goals needed to touch Egypt and Spain.

Ibrahim Adel’s brace gives Egypt 2-0 lead vs. Spain

Egypt standout Ibrahim Adel has a brace, scoring his second goal of the match against Spain. A reminder, Egypt and Spain will advance out of Group C if this result holds, but Spain would enter as the group runner-up.

Rafael Núñez scores penalty goal, Dominican Republic takes 1-0 lead vs. Uzbekistan

Rafael Núñez converted a penalty kick in the 51st minute to help the Dominican Republic take a 1-0 lead to begin the second half.

Ibrahim Adel goal: Egypt takes 1-0 vs. Spain

Ibrahim Adel has given Egypt a 1-0 lead with his right boot in the 40th minute. Egypt needs a win or draw to advance with Spain to the knockout stage out of Group C.

Men’s soccer Olympic groups for Paris, updated standings

Group A

France | 9 points 
United States | 6 points 
New Zealand | 3 points (eliminated)
Guinea | 0 points (eliminated)

Group B

Morocco | 6 points
Argentina | 6 points
Ukraine | 3 points (eliminated)
Iraq | 3 points (eliminated)

Group C

Egypt | 7 points
Spain | 6 points  
Dominican Republic | 2 points (eliminated)
Uzbekistan | 1 point (eliminated)

Group D

Japan | 6 points 
Paraguay | 3 points 
Mali | 1 points 
Israel | 1 points 

Olympics 2024: Men’s soccer knockout rounds schedule

∎Friday: Quarterfinals

∎Monday: Semifinals

∎August 8: Men’s bronze medal match, 11 a.m.

∎August 9: Men’s gold medal match, Noon

NANTERRE, France — American Regan Smith versus Australian Kaylee McKeown never seems to get old, whether they’re competing in the same race or on opposite sides of the globe. 

And Tuesday’s women’s 100-meter backstroke final — one of the most highly anticipated swimming showdowns at the 2024 Paris Olympics — didn’t disappoint. McKeown out-touched Smith by .33 seconds to win her second consecutive 100 back Olympic gold. 

Smith, 22, won silver with a time of 57.66, and fellow American Katharine Berkoff, 23, won bronze with a 57.98 swim at Paris La Défense Arena.

McKeown, 23, broke her own Olympic record with a time of 57.33, lowering the mark by .14 seconds, and became the first swimmer to successfully defend her 100 back Olympic title since American Natalie Coughlin at the 2004 and 2008 Games.

“She’s one of one,” Smith said about McKeown. “She is an absolutely incredible racer, and she knows what to do when it matters.”

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

Of the medalists, Smith was first off the block and was tied for the lead at the 50-meter mark with Canada’s Kylie Masse. McKeown was fourth at the turn before exploding on the last 25 to take the lead and ultimately gold.  

“You wait for that moment so much, and then you get to the race and you finish the race, and I can’t even remember it now,” said McKeown, who’s also the defending OIympic champion in the 200-meter backstroke. 

“But I knew it would come down to that last 25 meters. It’s something that I’ve been practicing for, and something that the Americans and myself are really good at — is finishing our races strong. So it’s just gonna be whoever had it in that last five, 10 meters.”

While the 2021 Olympic record fell — albeit to the previous owner — Smith’s 57.13 world record remains intact. But she and McKeown have been fighting over it for a while. 

In the last five years, both swimmers have broken the 100 back world record twice. Smith broke it in 2019, McKeown took it in 2021 before lowering it again in 2023, and Smith reclaimed it in June at U.S. Olympic trials. 

“I want to call it a rivalry because we have traded world records,” Smith said, “but she’s always good at getting it done when it matters. So I want to give her the credit where it’s due. 

“But with that being said, yeah, I’m incredibly proud that we have really solidified ourselves as the two fastest women in backstroke history, and that’s really special to be a part of. … She’s a very genuine and respectful person, and I think we have a really great relationship.”

The 100 back final was always going to be a close race in the latest chapter of the decades-old storied USA-Australian swimming rivalry with Smith, McKeown and Berkoff, respectively, qualifying within .30 seconds of each other in Monday’s semifinals. 

Masse — the 2021 Tokyo silver medalist and 2016 Rio bronze medalist in the 100 back — finished fourth, and Australia’s Iona Anderson was fifth. 

A two-time Olympian, Smith won her fourth medal at the Games, but she’s still racing for her first gold. At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she was the 100 back bronze medalist and won two silvers in the 200-meter butterfly and women’s 4×100-meter medley relay. 

“I’m proud that I was able to drop [time] from semis,” said Smith, who shaved off .31 seconds in the final. “That’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot in the past, and I stayed in my own lane, I executed my race plan and I left it all in the pool.”

First-time Olympian Berkoff made history of her own in Tuesday night’s final. Her bronze was both Team USA’s 3,000th Olympic medal and USA Swimming’s 600th OIympic medal, according to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. 

She’s also not the first member of her family to earn some hardware at the Games. Her father, David Berkoff, is a four-time Olympic medalist and won the men’s 100 back silver in the 1988 Seoul Games and bronze in 1992 in Barcelona.

“He’s been very supportive, just trying to remind me to stay in my own lane, remember why I’m doing what I’m doing and just do it for myself and no one else,” Berkoff said. 

“I’m so grateful that he got to be here to watch it.”

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Amy Wilson-Hardy of Great Britain’s rugby women’s sevens team faces investigation for an alleged racist message sent to an anonymous recipient on social media.

The British Olympic Association (BOA) confirmed on Tuesday that Wilson-Hardy had withdrawn from the 2024 Paris Olympics ‘on medical grounds.’

‘The British Olympic Association has confirmed that Amy Wilson-Hardy has been withdrawn on medical grounds from the Paris 2024 rugby sevens placement matches and will be replaced by Tokyo 2020 Olympian Abi Burton,’ the BOA said, per BBC.

The BOA also said the matter will have further investigation. ‘As confirmed last night, the BOA continues to investigate this matter.”

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

A screengrab of the message thread shows a photo of Wilson-Hardy in a black facemask. The recipient follows up by responding, ‘Genuine chocolate face x’ to which Wilson-Hardy replied, ‘Thought I’d have a better chance with the blacks x.’

The conversation tagged Wilson-Hardy and mentioned the Great Britain rugby sevens team by name. The initial poster of the message has since deleted the account.

Wilson-Hardy has not released a statement.

For the second consecutive year, Jack Flaherty was dealt to a contending team at the trade deadline. This time around, he should have a far bigger impact on his new squad.

Flaherty was traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers minutes before Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline, giving the National League powerhouse a crucial weapon for their tattered rotation. The Detroit Free Press was first to report that the Dodgers acquired Flaherty.

Flaherty will join Tyler Glasnow at the front of their rotation, with hopes that, come playoff time, veterans Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw will be healthy and youngsters Gavin Stone and River Ryan will still be viable options. For now, though, the addition of Flaherty is a significant sign of relief for the Dodgers, who enter Tuesday’s play with a 6 ½-game lead in the National League West.

The Tigers will receive Class A catcher Thayron Liranzo and Class AAA infielder Trey Sweeney in exchange for Flaherty. 

A year ago, Flaherty, the 28-year-old right-handed starter, was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the Baltimore Orioles, yet the return for St. Louis was minimal and the expectations low in Baltimore. That’s because Flaherty had a 4.43 ERA and 1.55 WHIP for the Cardinals, and while he made the Orioles’ playoff roster, he was stashed deep in the bullpen.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Things should be different this time around.

Two full years removed from 2022 shoulder surgery, Flaherty was excellent this season for the Tigers, striking out 133 batters in 106 ⅔ innings, posting a 2.95 ERA and completing at least six innings in 12 of his 18 starts. His 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and 7.00 strikeout-walk ratio are the best of his career.

In anticipation of a deal, the Tigers scratched Flaherty from his scheduled start Monday night against Cleveland. After signing a one-year, $14 million deal with Detroit, Flaherty will once again be a free agent after the season.

PARIS – The U.S. women’s gymnastics team had framed it as a redemption tour. But in the end, it was more of a clinic, a showcase – a dominant show of twisting and acrobatic force.

Led by the incomparable Simone Biles, the Americans coasted to yet another Olympic gold medal Tuesday night at Bercy Arena, finishing atop the podium for the third time in the four most recent trips to the Summer Games. They finished nearly six points ahead of the silver medal winners Italy, with Brazil grabbing bronze. It was never really close.

‘It was super exciting. We had fun. We enjoyed each other’s time out there, and we just did our gymnastics,’ Biles said.

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Less than 48 hours after overcoming calf pain in qualifying, Biles competed – and excelled – in all four events, starting the night with a soaring Cheng vault and ending it with her signature floor routine, set in part to the music of Taylor Swift.

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

‘I think it speaks volumes of her strength,’ said Chellsie Memmel, technical director for the U.S. women. ‘What she was able to come back from with the whole world watching — and a world watching with a magnifying glass again, just waiting to see what she was going to do.

‘We all knew she could do it like. That wasn’t ever a question in my mind that she could do it, and it continues to just solidify her place as the greatest gymnast of all the time.’

Biles’ teammates also more than did their parts. Suni Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champ, was masterful on balance beam and strong on uneven bars. Jordan Chiles, like Biles, competed in all four events and finished with just one notable mistake, on balance beam. And Jade Carey, who has been nursing an illness, hit a terrific vault in her only event of the night. (Hezly Rivera, who competed in qualifying, did not participate in the three-up, three-count format.)

“Having this opportunity definitely felt really good,” Chiles said. “And being able to be a part of winning this gold medal and everything that I’ve just gone through, it’s just been an amazing experience. So, I’m really just proud of each and every one of us that are up here. This smile is always gonna be smiling because it’s just been an amazing experience.”

After the Fierce Five and the Final Five, this group – led by Biles – had talked about wanting to redeem itself after taking home silver at the 2021 Tokyo Games. ‘The four of them called it their redemption tour — that they certainly did,’ Memmel said.

It was at those same Olympics, and in this team final, where Biles withdrew from competition abruptly with what she later revealed was a case of the ‘twisties,’ which left her feeling disoriented and unsafe while twisting through the air. Perhaps it was fitting then that, in her first event of the final, she was back on vault – and back twisting with confidence in her Cheng vault, which is one of the most difficult in the world.

‘As soon as I landed vault, I was like, ‘Oh yeah we’re gonna do this,” Biles said.

It was clear, from the start, that tonight would be different. All four gymnasts who competed for Team USA were also on the team in Tokyo, where restrictive COVID-19 measures had left the arena mostly and eerily empty. So after the U.S. won gold on Tuesday night, one of Biles’ coaches, Cecile Landi, was asked what it too to get here over the last three years — for Biles and the team.

‘A lot. That’s all I have to say. A lot. It’s been a roller coaster over the past three years, with a lot of good times and very difficult times,’ Landi said. ‘So today’s just amazing.’

On Tuesday, Biles’ parents and husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens, were able to watch and cheer for the Americans from the bleachers. The crowd also featured big-name celebrities and sports figures, including Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, Natalie Portman and Nicole Kidman. Chants of ‘U-S-A’ rang out sporadically after almost every rotation, and American flags waved throughout the stands.

They had plenty to cheer for, of course, thanks to Biles and company. With Tuesday’s gold, the 27-year-old passed Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. She now has eight – and perhaps a few more on the way over the next week, with the all-around and apparatus finals still to come.

‘We know if they do their normal gymnastics, it should be good enough and that’s what we really focused on,’ Landi said.

Simone Biles, USA gymnasts built a bond that led to Olympic gold

Simone Biles and this U.S. women’s gymnastics team has talked about powering through those obstacles, in part, by relying on each another.

Even while they were competing against one another in individual competitions over the course of the year, there were always signs of the genuine relationships that had grown between the returning members of this team. At the national championships earlier this summer, Biles noticed that Lee was struggling and walked across the gym during the competition to talk with her about it. In between rotations, it was normal to see Biles and Carey chatting, with Biles bursting out into laughter.

‘Even (Monday) night, we were all having a little powwow − (Chiles, Lee and I) in the room, just talking about our age, what we’re going through, how hard the Olympics is and all that stuff,’ Biles said. ‘… I think it translates out of the gym, as well. And once we’re good and close and tight knit outside, then you see what you saw tonight. It was pretty good. It was fun. And we supported each other.’ Read Tom Schad’s full story on the bond the U.S. women’s gymnastics team has.

Simone Biles has more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast

Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s gymnastics team winning gold in the team final gives Biles more Olympic medals than any other American gymnast. She has eight Olympics medals in three Games, breaking the tie she had with Shannon Miller. It also gives her 38 combined Olympic and world championships medals, which is more than all other teams combined.

‘Honestly, I would’ve had to Google that, I’m not really sure, I don’t keep count, I don’t keep stats,’ Biles said Tuesday night. ‘I just go out here and do what I love. It’s amazing now that I hear it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the depth of it until I walk away from the sport.’

Jordan Chiles showed out in a big way to help US win gold

The Olympic gold medal around Jordan Chiles’ neck more than makes up for the disappointment of missing out on the women’s gymnastics all-around final. She will forever be an Olympic champion, and she knows that the U.S. women wouldn’t have won this title without her contributions. She competed on all four events Tuesday night, leading the Americans off on three of them.

“Having this opportunity definitely felt really good,” Chiles said. “Being able to be a part of winning this gold medal … it’s just been an amazing experience.”

Simone Biles’ floor routine

Simone Biles closed out the entire Olympic women’s gymnatics team final on floor and got a standing ovation from the crowd. She scored a 14.666.

Simone Biles’ beam score

Biles appeared to almost lose her balance on a wolf turn, then did lose her balance on an aerial, clinging to the edge of the beam with her toes. But she didn’t let the wobble turn into a fall, and ultimately, her score of 14.366 was still be one of the higher marks of the night.

Simone Biles‘ uneven bars score

Simone Biles isn’t a big fan of the uneven bars, nor is she quite as dominant on that apparatus as the other three. But she was smooth and steady in her routine, nearly sticking the landing en route to a score of 14.400. And she was grinning wide as soon as her feet hit the ground.

The U.S. gymnasts look almost relaxed as they reach the midway point, while some of their would-be rivals have already suffered mistakes. Both Brazil and China had falls on the balance beam in this rotation, which could only widen the gap between Team USA and the rest of the field.

Simone Biles’ vault score

Simone Biles didn’t do her signature Yurchenko double pike, opting for the second-hardest difficult vault being done these days. Biles scored a 14.9 for her Cheng, which included a small hop on the landing. She smiled and exchanged high fives with coach Laurent Landi and then Cecile Landi, who is both Biles’ co-coach and coach of the U.S. women here in Paris. 

That Biles opted for the ‘easier’ vault isn’t a surprise. First, the U.S. didn’t need it. Though the Yurchenko double pike is worth 0.8 points more than the Cheng, they still posted 44.1 points on the rotation. Second, Biles tweaked her left calf in qualifying. There’s no reason to push it. 

Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles beam scores

The Americans gave themselves enough of a cushion on vault and uneven bars that they could have afforded to make a mistake or two — and still win gold. That meant Jordan Chiles’ fall when mounting the beam wasn’t reason to panic. Chiles recovered from the mistake and was relatively clean for the rest of her routine for a score of 12.733, and Suni Lee then followed with an outstanding performance and a 14.600.

Suni Lee’ bars routine

Suni Lee, who specializes on uneven bars, got a deduction for her feet touching the floor. She still scored a 14.566.

Jordan Chiles’ bars routine

Jordan Chiles killed it on bars, scoring a 14.366, and she let out a huge scream after. We’re verging into the territory when the competition becomes a coronation.

How many rotations in gymnastics final?

There are four. Here was the complete run-of-show for the U.S. women.

Vault: Jordan Chiles (14.400), Jade Carey (14.800) and Simone Biles (14.900)
Uneven bars: Jordan Chiles (14.366), Simone Biles (14.400) and Suni Lee (14.566)
Balance beam: Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Simone Biles
Floor exercise: Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Simone Biles

Simone Biles’ calf was wrapped, but she was walking normally

Simone Biles was walking normally but had a wrap that covered almost her entire left calf. Remember, she tweaked the left calf on floor exercise warmups during qualifying, and briefly left the floor before returning and getting her ankle heavily taped. She remained in the competition and showed no ill effects, posting the highest individual score. Coach Cecile Landi said afterward it was a flareup of an injury that occurred several weeks earlier, but that it wasn’t a cause for concern.

Who is Simone Biles married to?

She is married to NFL player Jonathan Owens, who is in the arena, sitting with Biles’ parents and wearing a T-shirt with ‘BILES’ on it and a huge photo of his wife in action on it. He landed in Paris on Tuesday morning. In addition to the team final, Owens will be able to watch Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, Aug. 1.

During the first rotation, Owens was seen with a pen in hand, possibly recording scores, as Biles performed her vault routine. Mic’ed up on NBC’s broadcast, Owens let out a healthy “let’s go!” after Biles recorded a 14.900 on the vault, the highest score among the three U.S. gymnasts.

What are the twisties?

Biles missed most of the Tokyo Olympics after developing a case of “the twisties,” which caused her to lose her sense of where she was in the air and jeopardized her physical safety.

How does Olympic gymnastics scoring work?

A gymnastics routine gets two scores: One for difficulty, also known as the D score or start value, and one for execution. Every gymnastics skill has a numerical value, and the D score is the sum total of the skills in a routine. The execution score, or E score, reflects how well the skills were done. A gymnast starts with a 10.0, and deductions for flaws and form errors are taken from there. Add the D and E scores together, and that’s your total for an apparatus. (Vault scores will always be higher because it’s a single skill.)

Simone Biles, U.S. women got huge welcome from crowd

The teams are being introduced to the crowd, Simone Biles and the U.S. women receiving the biggest of all from the crowd. Biles forgot they were supposed to pose and started walking onto the floor before catching herself. Her and Jade Cade were cracking up.

Simone Biles’ moves named after her: What to know

Simone Biles has left her mark on the sport of gymnastics. In addition to her record number of medals — she has 37 at the world championships and Olympics, more than any other gymnast, male or female — Biles has five skills named after her. Skills are named after the first gymnast to do them in a major international competition, like the world championships or Olympics. She has two on vault, two on floor exercise and one on balance beam. Here’s are the Simone Biles moves named after her. — Nancy Armour

Simone Biles’ Yurchenko double pike: What to know

The Biles II is also known as the Yurchenko double pike, one of five moves named after Simone Biles. Vaults are categorized by “families,” which are based on the entry. On Yurchenko vaults, a gymnast does a roundoff onto the takeoff board and a back handspring onto the table. Biles then follows it with a double somersault in the piked position.

Few men even try this vault, which is so difficult because of the power it takes to get two somersaults as well as its lack of a bailout. If something goes awry, more likely to land on her head or neck than her knees.

Biles began doing this vault in 2021 but didn’t do it at a worlds or Olympics until the 2023 world championships. With a 6.4 difficulty value, it is the hardest vault in the women’s code.

When Biles did the vault last year, she took a half-point deduction for having coach Laurent Landi standing on the landing mat, ready to step in and redirect her into a safe position if it looked as if she was headed for a scary landing. But neither Biles nor Landi feel the need for him to do that anymore.

The most difficult vault commonly executed by other gymnasts is valued at 5.6, eight-tenths lower than the Biles II, so doing it gives Biles a huge scoring advantage.

Is Simone Biles the greatest gymnast of all time?

Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. She has consistently dominated the sport for over a decade, which would have been an unimaginable feat just a few years ago as most gymnasts reach their peak in their late teens. Her ability to win is in a class of its own. With 37 Olympic and world championship medals — 27 of which are gold — Biles has won the most of any gymnast in history. She has also not lost an all-around competition since 2013. 

Biles redefines the possibilities of her sport not just in her record-breaking number of wins and medals, but also in the unmatched difficulty of the skills she completes. Biles has no less than five skills named after her — two on the vault and floor and one on the balance beam — because she was the first, and in most cases, the only athlete to complete them in competition. 

How many Olympic medals does Simone Biles have?

Biles has won eight Olympic medals, five of which are gold. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three individual golds in the all-around, vault and floor exercise and led Team USA’s “Final Five” to the team gold. She also added a bronze medal on the balance beam. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles added a silver medal in the team event and an additional bronze medal in the balance beam to her hardware collection. 

How many Olympics has Simone Biles been to?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are Simone Biles’ third Olympic Games.

Where Simone Biles trains and what it’s like to train with her

Simone Biles trains at Champions Centre World, which is owned by Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron and is just outside Houston, has become one of the premier gyms in the country. WCC has two gymnasts on the five-woman US team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Biles and Jordan Chiles, with Joscelyn Roberson a traveling alternate and Tiana Sumanasekera a non-traveling alternate. It also sent the most gymnasts, five, to the Olympic trials, and had three more at the US championships.

‘Training with Simone is, like, once in a lifetime,’ said Roberson, who moved to WCC after the US championships in 2022. ‘She’s always so bubbly in the gym. Plus, she can hit. All the time. Like, she never has a bad day, which is insane to me.’

How Simone Biles, US Olympic women’s gymnastics shattered age stereotype

Simone Biles, 27, is seeking to become the oldest all-around Olympic champion in women’s gymnastics in 72 years, and she is one of four athletes on the U.S. team who fit what used to be a rare mold, as repeat Olympians in their 20s. The other three − Jade Carey (24), Jordan Chiles (23) and Suni Lee (21) − all competed in college between their two Olympic appearances, which also used to be uncommon. (Hezly Rivera, 16, rounds out the team.)

With an average age north of 22 years old, it will be the oldest U.S. women’s gymnastics team to compete at the Olympics since 1952, according to USA Gymnastics.

‘The longevity of this sport has been totally changed. Simone has changed that,’ Chiles said. not to control everything that I can’t control anymore,” Biles said.