The Green Bay Packers are officially in Love.

Coming off a spectacular 2023 campaign, his debut as the Pack’s starting quarterback, Jordan Love is now tied for the title of NFL’s highest-paid player ever, agreeing Friday to a four-year, $220 million extension with $155 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the deal told Tom Silverstein of PackersNews and the USA TODAY Network. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose financial terms of the agreement.

ESPN was first to report the news.

Love becomes the eighth quarterback with a deal averaging at least $50 million annually and ties for the spot of top earner with the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow and Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, who also average $55 million apiece.

Prior to last season, Love signed a one-year, $13.5 million extension that served as a kind of prove-it compromise given what an unknown commodity he was while also sparing the team from picking up the more expensive fifth-year option of his rookie deal.

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Love was a controversial first-round pick out of Utah State in 2020, with Green Bay’s front office drawing the ire of incumbent QB1 Aaron Rodgers – though it sparked a mini-resurrection and two more league MVP awards for him. But Love proved nearly beyond a shadow of a doubt last season that he was a worthy replacement to the since-traded Rodgers while apparently extending the Packers’ virtually incomparable lineage at the position, which also includes Hall of Famers Arnie Herber, Bart Starr and Brett Favre.

Love’s 32 touchdown passes in 2023 trailed only MVP runner-up Dak Prescott (36). More importantly, Love was at the controls for the Packers’ second-half surge after a 3-6 start. They won seven of their final 10 games, including the playoffs, embarrassing Prescott’s Dallas Cowboys on the road in the wild-card round before narrowly losing to the San Francisco 49ers the following week.

Starr, Favre and Rodgers failed to guide the Packers into the postseason in their first years as starters. However each of them eventually led Green Bay to Super Bowl victories, Starr winning five rings (three of them for NFL championships attained right before the Super Bowl era began in 1966). And considering last season’s performance and his new financial station, expectations will certainly be much higher for Love and Co. moving forward.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

PARIS — Paul Juda will forever be an Olympian and that in itself is a cool thing.

As is U.S. men’s gymnastics teammate Frederick Richard always tells him, however, why do the cool thing when you can do the cooler thing? And there are few things cooler than having the meet of your life at the Olympics.

“Today would have been one of those things where I got to say, ‘I got to do the all-around at the Olympics.’ But then to be making the all-around final, I think that’s the cooler thing,” Juda said. “And, you know, the coolest thing is yet to come.”

Juda joining Richard in Wednesday’s all-around final would have seemed improbable not long ago. Not just because it required a dismal performance by three-time U.S. champion Brody Malone, normally one of the steadiest competitors there is.

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Six weeks ago, Juda was firmly on the bubble for the Olympic team. was part of the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2023 world championships, breaking a nine-year medal drought. He also was the NCAA all-around champion in 2022.

But gymnastics is often as much about math as it is skill, and there were scenarios where Juda, who is solid everywhere but not necessarily spectacular anywhere, wasn’t in the highest-scoring team. Juda made himself indispensable to the U.S. team with his steadiness, however.

And boy, did the United States need it Saturday.

Juda was the lead-off on all but one event. It’s a high-pressure spot; do a good routine, and it gets the team off and running. Struggle, or fall, and it puts pressure on the other three gymnasts because teams can only drop one score.

But time and again, Juda delivered. He got the U.S. men going with a solid routine on pommel horse, traditionally one of their worst events, and his 13.6 became more important after Malone fell. He scored 13.333 or better on every event — only Richard did better — and the U.S. counted four of his six scores.

Through four events, he was actually the highest-scoring American.

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“Hard work pays off,” Richard said of Juda, who is also his teammate at Michigan. “Watching someone close to you, watching their hard work pay off, is a very satisfying, exciting feeling.”

Juda finished with 82.865 points, fourth-best after the first of three subdivisions. The top 24 gymnasts, with a maximum of two per country, make the final, so Juda is in good shape, even with powerhouses Japan and China still to come.

The U.S. men were second to Britain. But they, too, should make the eight-team final.

“Once you make that Olympic team, you feel like you have a little bit more to give,” Juda said. “Training has been phenomenal the last couple of days and to be where I am today is just a result of all the people behind me. Myself, my team, everyone. So it was a great day.”

And emotional, too. Though, with Juda, that’s a given.

The 23-year-old was an unabashed puddle when the Olympic team was announced, and he was still teary a day later.

“I can’t help crying sometimes,” he said then. “Anytime somebody says ‘Olympian,’ you just get that warm and fuzzy feeling.”

On Saturday, Juda heard his girlfriend, fellow Michigan gymnast Reyna Guggino, cheering as he readied for pommel horse. After he finished, he found her in the crowd along with his family and friends, several of whom were waving blown-up photos of his face.

His parents were sporting temporary tattoos of the same photo, and Juda said his Dad had bought new shirts for the trip.

“I got a little emotional right after the pommel horse because I was like, they’re all here. They all flew like hundreds and thousands of miles to come see me and it costs a lot of money. Twenty-plus people here, supporting your dream,” Juda said, choking back tears. “Pretty sweet.”

Doing the cool thing would have been fine. Doing the cooler thing was so much better, both for Juda and the U.S. men.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Katie Ledecky already has seven Olympic gold medals in swimming. But she’s not done yet.

Ledecky, 27, could become the most decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time at the 2024 Paris Games as she competes in four different events: the 400-, 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle, and the 4×200 freestyle relay. With a total of 10 Olympic medals in the pool, Ledecky is just two behind the record held by Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin.

And if she can win three of those events, she’ll break former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s overall women’s record of nine Olympic golds.

First up is the women’s 400-meter freestyle.

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Did Katie Ledecky qualify for the 400 freestyle final?

In her qualifying heat, Ledecky won her heat with a time of 4:02:19 and will go for the gold in the event final later today.

Swimming alongside her top rival in the event, Australian Ariarne Titmus, Ledecky swam a consistent race as Titmus pulled out to an early lead. But Ledecky outkicked her over the final 50 meters to pull out the win by 0.1 seconds.

The USA’s Paige Madden also qualified for the final by swimming the sixth-fastest time in her heat.

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When is the women’s 400 freestyle final?

Katie Ledecky won’t have much time to relax before she swims for her first gold medal in Paris. The final of the women’s 400 freestyle will be held later today.

The top eight swimmers from the qualifying round will battle in the final, which is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. ET (8:55 p.m. in Paris).

Katie Ledecky 400 free results at the Olympics

2016 Rio de Janeiro: Gold (world record, 3:56:46)
2020 Tokyo: Silver (3:57:36)

PARIS — The Les Invalides is a historic landmark in central Paris. It’s a stunning complex featuring a bright golden dome, military history, monuments, even Napoleon Bonaparte’s tomb.

Across the street, they’ll be shooting a whole bunch of arrows at bulls-eyes in the coming days.

An impressive Invalides stadium built to host archery at the Paris Olympics hints at a good time. It has a capacity of about 7,400 and expectations of packed crowds for upcoming sessions. That number of attendees may not sound like much when measured against other sports. But for archery? ‘May well be the biggest live audience for an archery competition in history,’ wrote the World Archery website.

It could be raucous, rowdy and very noisy – all things you wouldn’t expect at an archery event.

And Brady Ellison is here for it.

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The louder the better, said Ellison, the lone men’s United States archer at these Paris Games and a five-time Olympian.

‘I want it to be like the Waste Management Open: You know, the 16th green? Just people throwing crap and just loud,’ said Ellison, referencing his home state of Arizona’s PGA Golf tournament famous for the party atmosphere of its stadium hole in Scottsdale. ‘I want to step into that stadium and have it be so loud that they’ve raised the hair off of my arms. It’s what we’re here for, right? We’re here to put on a show.’

On the practice range Thursday, Ellison shot a 677 (out of a possible 720) to finish seventh out of 64 archers in the men’s ranking round. He’s thus the No. 7 seed in the individual bracket – as well as a part of a third-seeded U.S. tandem with women’s star Casey Kaufhold in the mixed competition.

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Both are opportunities for Ellison, 35, to do what he never has in a long, outstanding career.

Ellison is one of his sport’s all-time best. He has won world championships. He has the best 72-arrow score ever (702), a world record from 2019 that still stands. He’s been up there in the world rankings for years.

He has been to five Olympics in a row. He has also won three Olympic medals, two of them silver.

Ellison has never won gold, though.

‘I’ve had my opportunities,’ he said. ‘I would say this year is probably I’m the least looked at to win that I have been. I haven’t been shooting great this year. Just kind of off. Hopefully, I’m saving all of my luck for in there.’

In discussing a box not yet checked in her career, Ellison passed along what his wife (Slovenian archer Toja Ellison) told him heading into the Paris Games: ‘You’ve done a lot in your career, and I know you really want to win a gold medal. But if you don’t, like, your kids still love you. You’re not a better father. You’re not a better husband.’

‘If it happens, it happens,’ Ellison added. ‘I’d like to get a couple more medals, and that’s the goal. But I’m just going to go in there and try to walk out with my head held high, knowing I didn’t make a mental mistake and I gave it everything I’ve got.’

Reach Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.

The 2024 Paris Olympics have officially begun, and there is a full day of men’s soccer Saturday.

Soccer has actually been underway for a few days already, with a couple group matches out of the way. At the Olympics for men’s soccer, the senior national teams do not compete. Instead, most countries send their Under-23 men’s national teams to take the stage. That means many big-name players, such as Lionel Messi, will not be there. However, it is a great opportunity to see young stars in action and evaluate countries’ talent for the future.

The U.S. men’s national team, Argentina and host France are among the most interesting teams competing Saturday. Follow live updates, scores and highlights below.

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Olympic men’s soccer games today

Here is the full schedule of game today.

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Group B — Argentina 3, Iraq 1
Group C — Spain 3, Dominican Republic 1
Group B — Ukraine vs. Morocco | 11 a.m. | NBC Universo, Peacock (Digital Only)
Group C — Uzbekistan vs. Egypt | 11 a.m. | Peacock (Digital Only)
Group D — Israel vs. Paraguay | 1 p.m. | NBC Universo, Peacock
Group A — New Zealand vs. U.S. | 1 p.m. | Telemundo, USA Network (Fubo), Peacock
Group A — France vs. Guinea | 3 p.m. | Telemundo, Peacock
Group D — Japan vs. Mali | 3 p.m. | Peacock (Digital Only)

How to watch Olympic soccer: TV channel, streaming

TV channel: USA Network | NBC Universo | Telemundo

Streaming options: NBCOlympics.com | NBC app | NBC Olympics app | Peacock | Fubo (free trial)

Final: Argentina back on track after 3-1 win vs. Iraq

Their first game was memorable for all the wrong reasons. But Argentina is back on track at the Paris Olympics. Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernández each scored goals to help Argentina beat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday.

It was a far cry from the dramatic, 2-1 loss they endured to Morocco earlier this week after fan interference and a two-hour VAR disallowing a goal and draw. Argentina, Morocco and Iraq each have three points in Group B, ahead of Ukraine with zero points.

Final: Spain 3-1 win over Dominican Republic

Fermín López, Álex Baena and Miguel Gutiérrez scored as Spain cruised to a 3-1 win over the Dominican Republic. Spain takes command in Group C with six points ahead of Egypt, Uzbekistan and DR.

Ezequiel Fernández goal: Argentina 3, Iraq 1

Argentina will cruise to victory in their second match after Ezequiel Fernández scored in the 85th minute to secure a 3-1 lead over Iraq.

Luciano Gondou goal: Argentina 2, Iraq 1

Luciano Gondou’s header in the 62nd minute has given Argentina a 2-1 lead over Iraq in the second half.

Spain 3, Dominican Republic 1

Fermin Lopez opened scoring for Spain in the 24th minute, but the Dominican Republic responded with a 38th-minute goal from Angel Emmanuel. Then, disaster struck and the DR received a red card. Edison Azcona was forced to exit the match after kicking up at an opponent. They will play a man down the rest of the match. Spain retook the lead in minute 55 with a goal from Alejandro Baena. Miguel Gutiérrez scored in the 70th minute for Spain.

Aymen Hussein goal: Argentina 1, Iraq 1

Aymen Hussein’s header against Argentina’s right post was impossible for the goalkeeper to reach. Ahmed Hassan with the assist in stoppage time before halftime.

Thiago Almada goal: Argentina 1, Iraq 0

Thiago Almada shot from the left side to open scoring in the 13th minute. Julián Álvarez got the assists after chesting the ball down to the ground for Almada.

Is Messi, Neymar or Mbappe playing at the Olympics?

No. Messi is not playing with Argentina. Neymar is not playing with Brazil. And Kylian Mbappe is not playing with France.

The Olympic soccer tournament is an under-23 affair, despite three players over the age of 23 allowed on each team.

Messi has an ankle injury after Copa America, but was not going to play. Neymar is still recovering from knee surgery. Mbappe, although healthy, is with Real Madrid.

Argentina vs. Iraq, what to expect

Argentina was a gold-medal favorite entering the Olympics but finds itself in a difficult position entering this match after the video reply fiasco during their group play opening loss to Morocco.

A win is a must to get back into position to advance past the group stage, so Argentina will be coming out motivated. Iraq beat Ukraine in its opener, so it atop the Group B table with Morocco, both with three points.

Explaining Argentina vs. Morocco offside, VAR mess

Unruly soccer fans disrupted an Olympic match between Argentina and Morocco on Wednesday, turning a 2-2 draw to a 2-1 win for Morocco after Argentina’s late goal scored was disallowed after video review.

The chaotic scene created shockwaves, especially with players from both teams re-emerging to finish the match in an empty stadium after a delay of about two hours.

Referees took away the equalizer from Cristian Medina, after VAR showed Argentina was offside. The teams played for three minutes and 15 seconds after VAR completed its review and disallowed the goal.

‘The biggest circus I’ve ever seen in my life,’ Argentina coach Javier Mascherano said.

Why is men’s soccer a U-23 event at the Olympics?

The rule came to be in advance of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. At the time, the Olympics was undergoing fundamental changes, shifting from a strictly amateur event to one that allowed professional athletes to compete (the 1992 Games, perhaps most famously, featured the ‘Dream Team’).

Given that switch, FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, put various barriers in place for players competing in the Olympics, which it didn’t want to possibly usurp the World Cup as the premier international soccer showcase. One of those measures was an age restriction. Additionally, since the Olympics are not a FIFA-sanctioned competition, club teams have the right to deny a player from taking part. Many clubs will forbid their players from competing in the Olympics and the Euros or Copa America in a single summer.

This reality makes men’s soccer drastically different than women’s soccer at the Olympics, as the women’s side has no such age limits. Read more.

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PARIS – A rain that turned into a downpour at times could not dampen the magic of the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The boat cruise down the Seine featured the host country’s history and culture in a variety of creative ways that honored France, the people and the Games. 

The commentary on NBC? Well, that left a lot to be desired. 

Peyton Manning and Kelly Clarkson joined Olympics host Mike Tirico as official co-hosts for the event. NBC had promoted their presence for months before the opening ceremony. The gamble by executives – an attempt to draw a broader audience with the inclusion of the Season 1 ‘American Idol’ winner and the Pro Football Hall of Famer – was a fine idea in the boardroom. 

In practice, it could not have gone worse.

Tirico is the best of the best when it comes to hosting and play-by-play, and he was his typical self. But Manning and Clarkson were distracting at best and brutal to listen to at worst. 

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

Olympics fans watching at home aren’t tuning in to hear a talk-show host (Clarkson) and football analyst (Manning) discuss things outside of their spheres of influence. They want substantive information about the countries and international athletes’ stories.

Clarkson saying she finds the rain “magical” twice in a span of 15 seconds and Manning doing a bit with a quarterback wristband didn’t elevate the broadcast. At least Manning appeared to have done some reporting by talking with athletes and relaying some anecdotes. By the end of the (way-too-long) show, it felt like they had both been benched, particularly Clarkson. 

When NBC needed her most, to evaluate Celine Dion’s performance to cap the show, Clarkson literally said: ‘I actually can’t talk.’

NBC’s saving grace may have been Snoop Dogg. The rapper will be featured heavily in the coverage over the next two weeks, and his timing was effective. On Friday, the comedy he provided was desperately needed. 

The most disappointing part of the broadcast was that it did not provide a proper reflection of what was happening in Paris. A dance party – a borderline rave – on one of the barges that went on for 20 minutes received little attention. 

Even in the rain, many of the visual elements of the boat parade impressed and resonated. A metal scene featuring French band Gojira was an early highlight (and followed an ode to “Les Miserables”), while a dozen headless Marie Antoinette mannequins appeared in the Conciergerie. French singer Aya Nakamura and the Republic Guard’s performance intertwined history and modern music. A mock fashion show and nod to Louis Vuitton were other Parisian hallmarks that came through successfully on TV. The Eiffel Tower light show at the end, the Celine Dion performance under the landmark and the cauldron lighting were historic. Lady Gaga helped the festivities begin appropriately. 

The vibes from the fans who braved the elements created a festive atmosphere on the ground. But the television broadcast struggled to convey that – the perils of having to focus on the boats and the immediate action on the river. 

NBC didn’t adequately highlight the American boat and interviews with Maria Taylor, a capable reporter who actually asks questions (something that’s becoming rare on TV these days). That type of exclusive access should have been played up more. An opportunity to highlight athletes beyond big names like A’ja Wilson, Noah Lyles, Joel Embiid and Steph Curry went wasted.  

Again, it’s worth pointing out how much the rain caused noticeable difficulties throughout the broadcast and likely impacted the ability to throw it to Taylor on the boat. But if this was the plan all along, she would have been better off sitting next to Tirico as a co-host. 

Speaking of better options for the co-hosting gig, why not Rebecca Lowe, who led the pre-ceremony coverage? Or Snoop?

At one point, Manning’s audio sounded like he’d dipped his microphone into the Seine. “TODAY” show host Hoda Kotb promised a FaceTime call with Simone Biles while interviewing her family on a bridge over the Seine. That promise went unfulfilled, and Kotb disappeared from the broadcast for nearly three hours. Her co-host, Savannah Guthrie, finished one of the “TODAY” segments by saying that she couldn’t hear anything, and the network abruptly inserted its first commercial of the broadcast. NBC did keep the first hour of the broadcast commercial-free, as it said it would. 

An opening ceremony such as this one was always going to be a challenge to produce. NBC Sports Olympic president and executive producer Molly Solomon said that from a television perspective, it was going to be the most-complicated event ever taped. 

“It’s audacious, it’s bold, it’s daring and it’s going to be unforgettable,” Solomon told USA TODAY Sports in May. 

Unfortunately for viewers in the U.S., and for NBC, it might be mostly for the wrong reasons. 

CHATEAUROUX, France − While organizers for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles are making plans to move shooting events outside of the city, two current members of Team USA said they hope the venue is close enough that they still can enjoy the Olympic Village experience.

‘I’m hoping in L.A. that shooting can stay in the main village as everybody else cause I’d love to get to know the rest of Team USA and all those people,’ Rylan William Kissell said Saturday. ‘I mean, 3 ½ hours out. We’re all the way down here.’

All shooting events at the 2024 Paris Olympics are being held at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, about a 2 1/2-hour train ride from Paris in the middle of France.

Athletes competing in Chateauroux stay at one of four satellite villages made for the games. The village in Chateauroux consists of two separate living areas and houses about 340 Olympians. The main village was built to accommodate more than 14,000 athletes.

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Kissell said athletes staying in Chateauroux are free to travel to Paris, but the six-or-so-hour roundtrip commute makes that impractical during competition.

‘I can’t really speak to (what it’s like) staying with everybody else, but (at the Pan American Games) it was fun,’ he said. ‘It’s the same kind of deal, you’re staying with everybody else. Definitely got to know some people there, so it’s definitely – I’m missing out on the experience but it’s also kind of nice to be in our own little secluded area where it’s like, ‘All right, all I have to worry about is what I’m doing, that’s it.”

Mary Carolynn Tucker, Kissell’s partner in the 10-meter air rifle mixed competition, praised the accommodations in Chateauroux and called the shooting range ‘very nice.’ Still, Tucker said athletes who stay there are missing out on the full Olympic experience.

‘Looking at my interviews from Tokyo I always said that my favorite part was being in the village and that still kind of is true,’ she said. ‘We don’t get that experience of being with the other teams, with the other sports, all those things, getting to see the rings everywhere and stuff like that.’

Tucker won a silver medal in the 10-meter mixed competition in the 2020 Tokyo Games, but failed in her bid with Kissell to qualify for the medal round in the same event Saturday. She said she didn’t trust herself enough on the range, and that ‘part of my not knowing what was going to happen kind of came from’ having a different village experience.

‘Cause in Tokyo I arrived in the village and it was like amped up,’ she said. ‘Like right away I was like, ‘Wow, this is it. There’s so many things here, it’s so cool.’ But here it was kind of just like, ‘Cool, I’ve been here before and there’s not very many people.’ So it was definitely different, but hopefully we will be in the main village again.’

Tucker said she plans to relocated to the main village on Aug. 9 once shooting competition ends, but Kissell won’t have the same luxury after he landed a new job this summer as assistant rifle coach at Army.

Kissell, who graduated this spring from Alaska Fairbanks, said his report date at West Point is Aug. 17, six days after closing ceremony. He still plans to compete internationally during coaching.

‘It’s always nice to have something to do after big competitions like this, cause I think some people get kind of lost afterwards where it’s like, ‘Well, this big thing just got done, now I don’t have anything else to do,” he said. ‘It’s like well, I’d rather kind of keep my life moving along at the same time, so if I have the opportunity to do that I’m going to do it.’

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PARIS — Simone Biles thought she owed Aly Raisman an apology.

After winning the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials in June, the 27-year-old Biles thought back to her first Olympics and her joking references to Raisman, who was just 22 at the time, as ‘grandma.’

‘I definitely have to apologize to Aly,’ Biles said with a laugh. ‘I’m way older now than me calling her grandma when we were younger.’

Behind Biles’ good-natured ribbing of her one-time teammate was an inadvertent nod to what had long been the reality in women’s gymnastics. For decades, teenagers reigned on the world stage while athletes in their early or mid 20s were already considered to be past their athletic peaks.

It’s a stereotype that has since started to crumble − in large part because of Biles, who is as dominant as she’s ever been entering the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will be her third trip to the Games.

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Biles 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 in an interview after the Olympic trials.

‘I felt like it was just something that was put into gymnasts’ mind − that, ‘Maybe I can’t do it because they told me my typical time to be done is through this age.’ But now I feel like my eyes are open. People can see, ‘Oh, well, that’s not true.”

Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist, has said she likes to use the phrase ‘aging like fine wine.’ After taking a hiatus from the sport following her withdrawal from almost all of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to a case of ‘the twisties,’ which caused her to feel disoriented in the air, she returned to competition a little more than a year ago at 26.

Biles’ comeback is part of a broader shift that has taken place throughout women’s gymnastics over the past decade − a change similar to that seen in women’s figure skating, where it has also become more common for athletes to continue skating past their teenage years.

‘She’s old in the gymnastics world − quote, unquote − but in real life, she’s still young,’ said Chiles, one of Biles’ teammates at World Champions Centre. ‘So I think that gives that (younger) generation (the message of), ‘OK if she can do it, I can do it.”

The paradigm shift is not just happening in the United States. That U.S. women’s gymnastics team is just fifth-oldest among the 12 teams at these Games.

While some countries, such as China and Romania, have teenage-heavy rosters, medal contender Brazil is fielding a team with an average age (25.2) that is three years older than that of the United States. And the Netherlands has three gymnasts on its five-woman team who are north of 30.

‘I think the preconceived notion of, ‘You’re only good at gymnastics until you’re 16, 17, 18′ − that has changed drastically,’ said Alicia Sacramone Quinn, the women’s strategic lead for USA Gymnastics.

Sacramone Quinn said she encountered that preconceived notion herself following the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she was on the team that won silver. When she decided to return to competition the following year, a few months shy of her 22nd birthday, she recalled hearing surprise from some corners of the gymnastics community. An injury ultimately derailed her chances of making the 2012 Olympic team.

‘The older you get, the easier it becomes,’ Sacramone Quinn explained. ‘You’re starting to go on autopilot. And you know your body better. … The older you are, the more in tune with that.’

In the women’s team competition, which starts with qualifying Sunday, the U.S. will try to prove as much: Showing up-and-coming gymnasts who age can actually be a strength rather than a flaw to overcome.

‘I feel like as we’ve all gotten older, we’ve all gotten better,’ said Lee, the reigning Olympic all-around champion. ‘It’s not (just) for the little girls.’

CHATEAUROUX, France −Team USA will have to wait for its first medal of the Paris Olympics.

Both American pairs entered in the 10-meter air rifle mixed competition failed to advance past the qualifying stage Saturday at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.

Mary Tucker and Rylan Kissell finished 13th in the qualifying round with a combined score of 626., and Sagen Maddalena and Ivan Roe were 18th with a score of 624.9.

‘I’m a little bit disappointed because Rylan and I have been training together and I trust him a lot and I feel like he has a lot of potential and he’s been shooting very, very well. And on my end, I’ve been shooting very well in practice also, I just didn’t really know how it was going to manifest in the match,’ Tucker said. ‘So I think both of us kind of knew like we could win this, but we also didn’t know how we were going to win it. So it was kind of like, you can’t be super disappointed cause we did walk away learning something and we know what to do and we do have two more events, but also obviously we could have made the final and could’ve done very well.’

Tucker was part of Team USA’s silver medal performance in 10-meter mixed at the Toyko Games, along with Lucas Kozeniesky.

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

All four American shooters have two events remaining in this year’s games, the 10-meter rifle individual and 50-meter rifle three position.

China faces South Korea for the gold medal later this morning, while Kazakhstan and Germany meet for the bronze. China won the gold medal in Tokyo in 2020 and the world championships in 2023.