What's new

Paris Olympics (2024) - Discussion Thread

I like how modern Hockey has become fast paced, and competitive at the top.
The top 8 are truly able to push each other to the edge, and anyone can beat anyone!
Huge gap after 8th rank, all thanks to FIH pro league format of the last few years.
They should look to expand the teams in the league
 
Already 10 gold medals for China 🇨🇳 👍


10 🥇 amazing performance China 🇨🇳 10🥇


Keep winning 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 :yahooatleast 20 more 😊🇵🇰🥰🇨🇳
 
jattafridi said:
Already 10 gold medals for China 🇨🇳 👍


10 🥇 amazing performance China 🇨🇳 10🥇


Keep winning 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 :yahooatleast 20 more 😊🇵🇰🥰🇨🇳
Click to expand...
Well China is truly taking over what Soviets and Russians had been doing :p
They did their massive cover up for Tokyo and same swimmers are rocking in Paris.

What to Know About the Chinese Swimming Doping Scandal

As swimming events unfold in La Defense Arena in Nanterre, questions about doping among Olympic athletes, particularly from China, continue.

On July 30, the New York Times reported that two Chinese swimmers, one of whom is competing at the Paris Olympics, tested positive for an anabolic steroid, a banned performance enhancing substance, in 2022 but were allowed to continue competing without sanctions after Chinese anti-doping authorities cleared them.

It’s just the latest revelation of apparent doping violations that the global athletic community are starting to question. Just months after the 2024 World Championships in swimming, a Times investigation revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 had tested positive for a banned substance, trimetazidine (TMZ), at a training camp months before the Olympics. Chinese anti-doping officials determined that the positive findings resulted from contamination of food the swimmers ate and did not sanction or suspend any of the athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which oversees clean sport at major international events like World Championships and the Olympics, agreed with the Chinese group and the athletes were allowed to compete in Tokyo.

In June, the Times reported that in previous years, three of those athletes had tested positive for another banned substance, clenbuterol, which has similar effects to that of a steroid by boosting muscle.

The incidents raised questions from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and American lawmakers about the effectiveness of WADA in establishing and enforcing rules about clean sport. In June, WADA responded to the Times investigation, calling its findings “sensationalist and inaccurate” and characterizing the U.S. calls for action as “highly charged, politically motivated criticism.” The agency went on to cite examples of food-based contamination cases in other countries. For its part, at a press conference in Beijing in April, a China anti-doping agency official said the allegations were “fake news and not factual” and said in a statement reported in the Times that it determined that no doping violations were committed by its athletes and therefore it could not respond to any allegations without the athletes’ permission.

In July, the White House and USADA called for WADA to provide a more detailed account of the circumstances behind the positive tests, and how the agency reached its decision that the tests were the result of contamination.

Those are only the latest volley in a long-standing back and forth between WADA and clean athletes to ensure that athletes are competing on a level playing field. Many athletes believe the agency doesn’t have the impact that it should in detecting and punishing those who use performance-enhancing drugs. Even if every athlete and every substance isn’t caught, stricter sanctions and immediate suspensions while investigations take place could go a long way toward discouraging doping, they say. Because of WADA’s decision not to punish or suspend any of the 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive in Tokyo, nearly a dozen are scheduled to race in Paris.

When asked about the uncertainty over the Chinese swimmers, Katie Ledecky, an 11-time Olympic medalist, said in Paris before the competition started: “I hope everyone here is competing clean this week. That really matters. It also matters [if they] were training clean. Everyone has heard what athletes think. They want transparency. They want answers to questions that still remain. We are here to race, and we will race whoever is in the lane next to us. So we hope that people follow their own rules—that applies to now and into the future. We want to see some change in the future so you don’t have to ask us that question.”

On June 25, swimming legend Michael Phelps and four-time Olympian Allison Schmitt testified before Congress to urge governmental sanctions against WADA, since the U.S. is the largest government supporter of the anti-doping agency (about half of the agency’s funding comes from the International Olympic Committee and half from various governments). “It is clear to me that any attempts of reform at WADA have fallen short, and there are still deeply rooted systemic problems that prove detrimental to the integrity of international sports and athletes’ right to fair competition, time and time again,” Phelps said.

Travis Tygart, president of USADA, noted that China’s contributions to WADA have increased, prompting Sen. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) to question during the hearing: “Did payment from the PRC influence their decision making?”

In a statement responding to the hearing, WADA suggested USADA was trying to “distract from its own failings” and get the U.S. government to divert funding from WADA to USADA. WADA criticized the hearing as “filled with the sort of emotional and political rhetoric that makes headlines but in fact does nothing constructive to strengthen the global anti-doping system.” The organization decried the “politicization” of anti-doping and said it was “being dragged into a much broader struggle between two superpowers. As an independent and largely technical organization, WADA has no mandate to be part of those political debates.”

The main banned substance in question, trimetazidine, is a heart medication for angina that works by improving blood flow to the heart and enhances the body’s ability to use oxygen, which can heighten endurance. It is used outside of the U.S. but not approved in the U.S. The drug last made doping headlines during the Beijing Olympics in 2022, when Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva tested positive for the medication, and Russian officials allowed her to compete after concluding that she unknowingly ingested some of her grandfather’s medication, also in a case of contamination. An independent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) concluded that Valieva’s positive sample, collected at a competition prior to the Olympics, should have disqualified her from the Beijing Games. Her scores were eliminated from the women’s figure skating event as well as the team event, where her removal pushed Team USA to gold. On July 24, the CAS rejected an appeal filed by the Russian Olympic Committee and the U.S. team is scheduled to receive its gold medal in Paris in a special ceremony on Aug. 7.

The other performance enhancer that was reportedly found in the three swimmers’ samples in years prior to the Tokyo Olympics is clenbuterol, a drug that is prescribed for asthma to open airways—but not in the U.S. (where it’s only approved for horses). In a statement posted on the agency’s website on June 14, WADA said it was aware of clenbuterol’s use in agriculture, and the “pervasive issue” of “positive sample from an athlete who consumes meat from animals treated in that way.” WADA maintained that the amounts found in the athletes’ samples was six to 50 times lower than current anti-doping minimum levels.

In the larger case involving 23 of the country’s swimmers, both WADA and the international swimming federation World Aquatics agreed that the samples were contaminated. Oliver Rabin, senior director of science and medicine for WADA, said in a statement, “We concluded that there was no concrete basis to challenge the asserted contamination.”

Tygart said the U.S. is turning to legal action to compel greater accountability by WADA, including leveraging a law that provides extra territorial jurisdiction to enforce WADA rules even outside of the U.S. and outside of U.S. players. “Congress and the President at the time saw it was necessary as a means to protect clean sport and the investments made in those sports by the U.S. and U.S. companies,” he says.

Other organizations, including the International Testing Agency that was created as an independent testing group in 2016, after another Russian doping scandal, are also helping to raise questions about doping violations that go unsanctioned. In Paris, ITA reported a positive test for steroids from an Iraqi judo athlete, which led to his suspension from the Olympics.

But it’s clear that existing rules are being followed and enforced in a haphazard way, with some countries taking them more seriously than others. Tygart said USADA has followed the rules and made difficult decisions to strip medals from high profile athletes, including Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones, who tested positive for banned substances. “It’s a difficult decision but it’s what the job requires,” he says. “We at USADA have not changed, but WADA definitely has changed. I think if WADA got good at its job, they are worried that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) might pull funding from them but because if they get too good at their jobs, in cases that potentially have a negative impact on a sport if the depths of cheating are exposed, the IOC would get upset and not fund them any more.”

The solution, he says, is “we’ve got to stop the foxes from guarding the hen house,” noting that many leaders of sports governing bodies also hold positions with WADA. “In USADA, no one who sits on our board can also serve in any capacity for a sports organization,” says Tygart. “The current WADA system is a structure set up to fail.”

As the Paris Games opened, the issue was front and center as the IOC added an amendment to its awarding of the 2034 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City. The change gave IOC the right to move the Olympics to another location if the U.S. did not show full support of the WADA system—likely related to the U.S.’s recent calling for a full accounting of the agency’s actions around the Chinese cases.

The integrity of the system is at stake, and for now, it relies not on the agencies set up to monitor clean sport but on whistleblowers who come forward with evidence of wrongdoing. “People want WADA to be effective, to do the job they are paid to do, and clean athletes expect that,” says Tygart. “Unfortunately, that’s not been the case.”

“We are following all the rules,” Ledecky said. “All that we ask is that those rules are being applied fairly and consistently to everyone.”

time.com

The Chinese Swimming Doping Scandal, Explained

U.S. officials are calling for greater scrutiny of the world agency that oversees doping at the Olympics.
time.com time.com
 
Last edited by a moderator:
1 gold medal and Bharat will leap frog 30 places to Top 15
 

Argentina and France set for grudge Olympics match​


France meet Argentina for a potential grudge match in Bordeaux as the men's Olympics football quarter-finals take place on Friday.

There has been recent animosity between the teams after Argentina players were filmed singing a derogatory song about France's black players in the aftermath of winning the Copa America on 14 July.

It was similar to a song sung by Argentina fans during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar - a tournament in which the South Americans went on to beat France in the final.

At the Olympics, Argentina's rugby sevens players have been booed in each of their games by the home French fans.

"With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals," said Jean-Philippe Mateta, who captained France in their win against New Zealand.

After beating Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final in July, several members of the Argentina squad were filmed singing a song questioning the heritage of France's black and mixed-race players.

Argentina fans had sung a song which was described as both racist and homophobic about France's players at the last World Cup.

The rivalry grew when Argentina beat France on penalties in a thrilling final - with Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick having been only enough for Les Bleus to earn a 3-3 draw.

After that December 2022 game, footage emerged from the Argentina dressing room of the players singing "a minute's silence for" and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shouting "for Mbappe who is dead".

At their celebrations back in Argentina, Aston Villa's Martinez held a toy baby with Mbappe's face on, while fans had a coffin lid with a picture of the forward which they set on fire.

Those issues were stirred up again after Argentina's Copa America final win.

Chelsea have decided not to take any action against their midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was singing and had posted the video to his social media account.

His Blues team-mate Wesley Fofana, a French man with an Ivorian father, called it "uninhibited racism" and has since said he hopes the matter will have educated Fernandez.

www.bbc.com

Olympics football: Argentina and France set for grudge match after racism row

France meet Argentina for a potential grudge match as the men's Olympics football quarter-finals take place on Friday.
www.bbc.com
 
Red-Indian said:
This really hurt. They were not just medal hopes but Gold medal hopes.
Click to expand...
Sindhu will also have to up her game today. She is facing a higher ranked Chinese opponent. Really hope Sindhu and Sen medal up here. Lakshya touchwood is looking excellent!
 
battler said:
Just not clutch enough. Our athletes need a mental conditioning coach, happens with too many of our athletes
Click to expand...
It was just bad day at office bhai, they were considered hot favorites by everyone in Badminton world. Even Chinese will breathe a sigh of relief here. Feels like Nov 19 honestly.
 

Léon Marchand pulls off one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history at the Paris Olympics​


Turns out, those comparisons to Michael Phelps weren’t far fetched at all when it comes to Léon Marchand.

They certainly weren’t a burden for the 22-year-old Frenchman.

Marchand completed one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history Wednesday night, winning the 200-meter butterfly and the 200 breaststroke about two hours apart in front of a home crowd cheering his every stroke.

Two grueling races. Two very different strokes. Two Olympic records. Two gold medals.

Take that, Phelps, who did several doubles of his own while claiming a record eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I’m a really shy person,” Marchand said. “I was kind of the center of attention during those two races. I was trying to get the energy from the whole crowd. They’re amazing to me, pushing me in every final.”

Thrilling the French fans and claiming the spotlight even on a night when Katie Ledecky romped to another gold medal, Marchand notched his second and third victories at La Defense Arena and stamped himself — with the Olympics not even a week old — as one of the faces of the Paris Games.

After rallying to beat world-record holder and defending Olympic champion Kristóf Milák in the 200 fly with a finishing kick for the ages, Marchand made it look easy in the 200 breast.

He led all the way, touching in 2 minutes, 5.85 seconds as more than 15,000 fans — many of them holding up cardboard cutouts of his smiling face — nearly blew the roof off La Defense Arena.

apnews.com

Léon Marchand pulls off one of the most audacious doubles in swimming history at the Paris Olympics

Turns out, those comparisons to Michael Phelps weren’t farfetched at all when it comes to Léon Marchand. They certainly weren’t a burden for the 22-year-old Frenchman.
apnews.com apnews.com
 
In Badminton doubles, boxing (Nikath) and archery team events, we lost 3 high probability medals. As for rest of the tournament is concerned

Shooting 25m pistol men & women 50% chance
Boxing 20% chance
Javelin 90% chance
Hockey 20% chance
Badminton 20% chance
Wrestling 50% chance
Archery 10% chance
weight lifting and rest of the sports 1% chance
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
In Badminton doubles, boxing (Nikath) and archery team events, we lost 3 high probability medals. As for rest of the tournament is concerned

Shooting 25m pistol men & women 50% chance
Boxing 20% chance
Javelin 90% chance
Hockey 20% chance
Badminton 20% chance
Wrestling 50% chance
Archery 10% chance
weight lifting and rest of the sports 1% chance
Click to expand...
Tokyo medal tally is looking good now :p
 

Manu Bhaker becomes first Indian with two medals in same Games​

Sharpshooter Manu Bhaker has become the first Olympic athlete from India to win two medals in the same Games. Bhaker, 22, won bronze in both the women’s 10-meter air pistol and later the mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh.

As of Thursday, India has three medals, with another bronze in men’s 50-meter shooting from Swapnil Kusale.

NBC News
 
Polish top seed Iga Swiatek saw her 25-match winning streak on the Paris clay ended by China's Zheng Qinwen in the Olympics semi-finals.

Swiatek, 23, has won the past three French Opens at Roland Garros, but was beaten 6-2 7-5 by sixth seed Zheng at the same venue.

Losing there for the first time since 2021 was a tough blow for the long-time world number one to take.

Swiatek was visibly upset when she tried to speak to broadcast journalists about an hour after the match and decided not to speak to written journalists - as she is entitled to do under Olympic rules.

Zheng, 21, lost in the Australian Open final earlier this year and now has a shot at earning the biggest title of her career.

The world number seven will play either Croatia's Donna Vekic or Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in Saturday's gold medal match.

Source: BBC
 
Terrible day for India. After winning the bronze early in the day we lost everything.
Nikhat, Sift kaur Samra, Sat-Chi and Sindhu. All 4 were medal prospects and all gone in a day.
 
US catching up quickly in Gold medal tally. They are already way ahead in total medals
 
McIlroy two shots off medal spot after opening 68

Rory McIlroy is two shots outside the medal positions after a three-under 68 in the opening round of the Olympic men's golf event in Paris.

McIlroy carded five birdies and an eagle but his progress was hampered by four bogeys, including one on the 18th hole to leave him in a tie for 15th.

The Team Ireland golfer is five shots adrift of leader Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, who recorded eight birdies in a bogey-free round of 63 to lead at Le Golf National.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who recently became the first player to win The Open and US PGA Championship in the same year since McIlroy in 2014, is second, two shots behind Matsuyama.

American Schauffele and Spain's Jon Rahm were among the late finishers in a round that was temporarily suspended because of the threat of lightning.

Chile's Joaquin Niemann, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and South Korea's Tom Kim are tied for third after rounds of 66.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, Great Britain's Tommy Fleetwood and Rahm were among those a further shot off the pace.


www.bbc.com

Rory McIlroy: Team Ireland star two shots off medal spot after opening 68 at Olympics

Rory McIlroy is two shots outside the medal positions after an opening 68 left him sharing 15th place at the Olympic men's golf event in Paris.
www.bbc.com
 
battler said:
Terrible day for India. After winning the bronze early in the day we lost everything.
Nikhat, Sift kaur Samra, Sat-Chi and Sindhu. All 4 were medal prospects and all gone in a day.
Click to expand...
We missed only 2. Nikhat n satwik duo.

Sindhu and Simran are not medal contenders. Don't go by media.
 
Biles wins all-around title for sixth Olympic gold

Simone Biles won the all-around gymnastics title for her second Olympic gold in Paris and sixth overall to cement her place back at the top of her sport with yet another sparkling slice of history.

The American, who won the title at Rio 2016 and had been favourite at Tokyo 2020 before she pulled out, became the oldest winner of her sport's blue-riband event for 72 years in front of another celebrity-studded crowd.

Brazil's Rebeca Andrade claimed silver at the Bercy Arena, with defending champion Sunisa Lee taking bronze.

The world's most decorated gymnast, Biles put on a sparkly goat necklace while celebrating - as if there was any doubt about her status as the GOAT (greatest of all time).

"It's a little ode... a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made," she said.

"The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It's just a special part of me that I have here.

"In the [athletes'] village I have a stuffed goat. Just to get a reminder, like 'You can go out there, you can do it. You've done it before. So let's go'."

At the age of 27, Biles is the first gymnast to win non-consecutive all-around Olympic titles - a demonstration of her longevity in a gruelling sport traditionally dominated by teenagers.

The past 12 Olympic all-around women's champions were teenagers, and even the last non-teen, Ludmilla Tourischeva, had turned 20 only a few weeks before she won in 1972.

How Biles won her latest gold

Biles' intention was clear from the outset of Thursday's session.

Starting with her 'Biles II' vault - the hardest in women's gymnastics - proved a good decision as she needed that extra buffer of points when she made an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars.

"Thank God we did the double pike today [on vault] as I wasn't planning on it," she said.

She was behind Andrade after two rotations but pulled off a difficulty-packed beam routine, fighting off gravity to stay on the 10cm-wide apparatus, to score 14.566 and bring the crowd to their feet as she went back to the top of the standings.

Taking a lead of 0.166 into the final rotation on floor, Biles was last to perform and delivered a flawless demonstration of some of her best skills to post a total of 59.131.

That meant she finished a comfortable 1.199 ahead of Andrade, who could only applaud and enjoy what her rival had done, as did everyone else in the packed arena.

Great Britain's Alice Kinsella came 12th after a marked improvement on her qualifying performance, and compatriot Georgia-Mae Fenton was 18th.

A gold for herself - but it was 'stressful'

Biles helped the United States reclaim the team title two days ago, but Thursday evening was about her trying to once again take the prize of world's best gymnast after the turbulence of Tokyo.

The pressure of expectation she faced going into the Games three years ago, her struggles without her family there because of the pandemic restrictions and her withdrawal from several finals when she suffered the disorientating mental block that gymnasts call the 'twisties' are all well-documented.

Biles, who returned to the sport after a two-year break last summer, told reporters she had weekly therapy sessions for the past three years and at other times during these Games.

"It means the world to me," she said of her victory.

"I'm super proud of my performance and the fight that I've had for the last three years - mentally and physically - just to get back."

But she did not have the easiest ride to gold, saying: "I've never been so stressed before - thank you Rebeca."

She went as far as to say she never wanted to compete against the Brazilian again, although that will be hard in Paris as they have both qualified for the vault, beam and floor finals.

"I've never had an athlete that close - it definitely put me on my toes and brought out the best athlete in myself," she said of Andrade, who was also the silver medallist in Tokyo.

A huge gasp sounded round the arena - where Kendall Jenner and basketball star Stephen Curry were among those attending - when she made a mistake when making a transition to the lower bar, needing to bend both knees to avoid touching the ground, and missed a connection to score 13.733 on uneven bars.

But that is traditionally the 'weakest' of her four pieces - and after some quick reassurance from her husband that she could still win she made up ground and stretched ahead with 14.566 on beam and 15.066 on floor.

The stats that show Biles' brilliance

Biles has said she does not keep count of her statistics; instead saying it is all about going out there and doing what she loves.

It could be said, of course, that with so many records, it actually is genuinely hard to keep track. Although she did correct someone at the news conference who said she had nine Olympic golds rather than nine medals.

This final alone was historic; it was the first time two female Olympic all-around champions had gone head-to-head for a second title, with Biles facing team-mate Lee - the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist.

Biles was already the most decorated gymnast coming into the Paris Games.

Her tally of world and Olympic medals stood at 37 - and she has now taken that to 39, with chances to add to it in the floor, beam and vault finals in the coming days.

With the team gold on Tuesday that took her to eight Olympic medals, she overtook Shannon Miller as the most decorated American Olympic gymnast - and she has now made that nine.

Biles also holds the record for most women's all-around world titles (six) and most World Championships medals (30).

She had the chance to set another record on Thursday - had she performed a new skill on bars that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation she would have been the only active gymnast to have skills named after her on all four apparatus.

But she did not attempt it - and did not need to since her arsenal of other unique and high-value skills were more than enough to seal the gold.

When does Simone Biles compete next?

She is in the vault final on Saturday (15:20 BST), then the beam (11:38 BST) and floor (13:23 BST) finals on Monday.

BBC
 
Biles wins all-around title for sixth Olympic gold

Simone Biles won the all-around gymnastics title for her second Olympic gold in Paris and sixth overall to cement her place back at the top of her sport with yet another sparkling slice of history.

The American, who won the title at Rio 2016 and had been favourite at Tokyo 2020 before she pulled out, became the oldest winner of her sport's blue-riband event for 72 years in front of another celebrity-studded crowd.

Brazil's Rebeca Andrade claimed silver at the Bercy Arena, with defending champion Sunisa Lee taking bronze.

The world's most decorated gymnast, Biles put on a sparkly goat necklace while celebrating - as if there was any doubt about her status as the GOAT (greatest of all time).

"It's a little ode... a lot of people love it. They always call me the GOAT, so I thought it would be really special if I got one made," she said.

"The haters hate it, but I like that even more. It's just a special part of me that I have here.

"In the [athletes'] village I have a stuffed goat. Just to get a reminder, like 'You can go out there, you can do it. You've done it before. So let's go'."

At the age of 27, Biles is the first gymnast to win non-consecutive all-around Olympic titles - a demonstration of her longevity in a gruelling sport traditionally dominated by teenagers.

The past 12 Olympic all-around women's champions were teenagers, and even the last non-teen, Ludmilla Tourischeva, had turned 20 only a few weeks before she won in 1972.

How Biles won her latest gold

Biles' intention was clear from the outset of Thursday's session.

Starting with her 'Biles II' vault - the hardest in women's gymnastics - proved a good decision as she needed that extra buffer of points when she made an uncharacteristic mistake on the uneven bars.

"Thank God we did the double pike today [on vault] as I wasn't planning on it," she said.

She was behind Andrade after two rotations but pulled off a difficulty-packed beam routine, fighting off gravity to stay on the 10cm-wide apparatus, to score 14.566 and bring the crowd to their feet as she went back to the top of the standings.

Taking a lead of 0.166 into the final rotation on floor, Biles was last to perform and delivered a flawless demonstration of some of her best skills to post a total of 59.131.

That meant she finished a comfortable 1.199 ahead of Andrade, who could only applaud and enjoy what her rival had done, as did everyone else in the packed arena.

Great Britain's Alice Kinsella came 12th after a marked improvement on her qualifying performance, and compatriot Georgia-Mae Fenton was 18th.

A gold for herself - but it was 'stressful'

Biles helped the United States reclaim the team title two days ago, but Thursday evening was about her trying to once again take the prize of world's best gymnast after the turbulence of Tokyo.

The pressure of expectation she faced going into the Games three years ago, her struggles without her family there because of the pandemic restrictions and her withdrawal from several finals when she suffered the disorientating mental block that gymnasts call the 'twisties' are all well-documented.

Biles, who returned to the sport after a two-year break last summer, told reporters she had weekly therapy sessions for the past three years and at other times during these Games.

"It means the world to me," she said of her victory.

"I'm super proud of my performance and the fight that I've had for the last three years - mentally and physically - just to get back."

But she did not have the easiest ride to gold, saying: "I've never been so stressed before - thank you Rebeca."

She went as far as to say she never wanted to compete against the Brazilian again, although that will be hard in Paris as they have both qualified for the vault, beam and floor finals.

"I've never had an athlete that close - it definitely put me on my toes and brought out the best athlete in myself," she said of Andrade, who was also the silver medallist in Tokyo.

A huge gasp sounded round the arena - where Kendall Jenner and basketball star Stephen Curry were among those attending - when she made a mistake when making a transition to the lower bar, needing to bend both knees to avoid touching the ground, and missed a connection to score 13.733 on uneven bars.

But that is traditionally the 'weakest' of her four pieces - and after some quick reassurance from her husband that she could still win she made up ground and stretched ahead with 14.566 on beam and 15.066 on floor.

The stats that show Biles' brilliance

Biles has said she does not keep count of her statistics; instead saying it is all about going out there and doing what she loves.

It could be said, of course, that with so many records, it actually is genuinely hard to keep track. Although she did correct someone at the news conference who said she had nine Olympic golds rather than nine medals.

This final alone was historic; it was the first time two female Olympic all-around champions had gone head-to-head for a second title, with Biles facing team-mate Lee - the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist.

Biles was already the most decorated gymnast coming into the Paris Games.

Her tally of world and Olympic medals stood at 37 - and she has now taken that to 39, with chances to add to it in the floor, beam and vault finals in the coming days.

With the team gold on Tuesday that took her to eight Olympic medals, she overtook Shannon Miller as the most decorated American Olympic gymnast - and she has now made that nine.

Biles also holds the record for most women's all-around world titles (six) and most World Championships medals (30).

She had the chance to set another record on Thursday - had she performed a new skill on bars that she had submitted to the International Gymnastics Federation she would have been the only active gymnast to have skills named after her on all four apparatus.

But she did not attempt it - and did not need to since her arsenal of other unique and high-value skills were more than enough to seal the gold.

When does Simone Biles compete next?

She is in the vault final on Saturday (15:20 BST), then the beam (11:38 BST) and floor (13:23 BST) finals on Monday.

BBC
 
This has to be the worst olympics ever. Apparently there is a man identifying as a woman is allowed to compete in women’s boxing. This is assault!

Western woke culture is a cancer spreading across the globe. It needs to be stopped before it’s too late for the human race.
 
big_gamer007 said:
This has to be the worst olympics ever. Apparently there is a man identifying as a woman is allowed to compete in women’s boxing. This is assault!

Western woke culture is a cancer spreading across the globe. It needs to be stopped before it’s too late for the human race.
Click to expand...

lol that boxer is from the famously woke country of *checks notes* Algeria, she is not trans. Im pretty sure its not even legal in Algeria.

Hers is a chromosomal or hormonal issue like Caster Semenya was many years back.
 
oatmeal said:
lol that boxer is from the famously woke country of *checks notes* Algeria, she is not trans. Im pretty sure its not even legal in Algeria.

Hers is a chromosomal or hormonal issue like Caster Semenya was many years back.
Click to expand...

S/He was banned from competing in 2023 because of failing gender identity test. Then IOC dissolved the body which used to do gender identification and as per IOC guidelines s/he was allowed even while failing gender identification test.

If it’s a medical condition then it’s unfortunate and my sympathies to him/her. However, he/she can’t be allowed to compete in women’s sport’s, if anything form a different sport for such participants.
 
big_gamer007 said:
S/He was banned from competing in 2023 because of failing gender identity test. Then IOC dissolved the body which used to do gender identification and as per IOC guidelines s/he was allowed even while failing gender identification test.

If it’s a medical condition then it’s unfortunate and my sympathies to him/her. However, he/she can’t be allowed to compete in women’s sport’s, if anything form a different sport for such participants.
Click to expand...

Nothing to do with being trans or being woke though. This is a chromosomal abnormality. Look up Caster Semenya, the exact same thing happened with her. There was an indian athlete too who won a medal in CWG or Asian games and was later stripped off it.

She is not trans. its the sporting body's decision to allow or not after checking her chromosomal abnormality gives her unfair advantage or not.
 
Mateta insists ‘all French are touched by’ Argentina song before Olympic clash

The Olympic men’s football quarter-final between France and Argentina has been described as personal to every French citizen by the striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after uproar over footage of Argentina players singing racist chants.

There have been tensions between the nations since the circulation of a video after last month’s Copa América final, in which Argentina’s squad are seen singing about French players with African heritage.

In the opening days of the Games in Paris, Argentina’s football and rugby sevens teams were roundly booed by fans and France and Argentina players have acknowledged the heightened emotions before Friday evening’s game in Bordeaux.

Mateta said the game had become a national talking point. He said: “Argentina are the last world champions, a team that always ends up in the final of the tournaments they play. With what happened recently, all the French are touched by it. We’ll see what happens in the quarter-finals.”

The French football federation filed a complaint last month with Fifa over “racist and discriminatory remarks” made by Argentina players. Similar chants had been sung by Argentina fans before France and Argentina met two years ago in the men’s World Cup final, which Argentina won.

The Argentina and Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández, who shared a video on social media of the team singing the racist chants after the Copa América final, apologised and made a donation to an anti-discrimination charity.

One of Fernández’s Chelsea teammates, the French defender Wesley Fofana, had described the video as “uninhibited racism” when it was first published but subsequently accepted his teammate’s statement of regret.

There has been no such forgiveness shown by much of the French support in the Olympic arenas, with Argentina’s national anthem widely jeered, raising concerns of ugly scenes on Friday evening.

Argentina’s goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli said: “We already know where we come from and how they will treat us in France, but have no doubt that we will do everything possible to carry our flag at the highest level again”.

There will be tight security around the game and the France forward Arnaud Kalimuendo said he expected an “electric match” at the 42,000-capacity Stade de Bordeaux.

“We are focused on what we want to achieve as a group,” Rulli said. “The goal is to go all the way and we won’t go into detail about that. What happened outside, the federation takes care of that.”

France’s defensive midfielder Joris Chotard said his team would need to be focused. He said: “It could be a little revenge, let’s say; it’s up to us to take it. In any case, France-Argentina, it’s a big game and it’s a great match.”

France’s coach, the former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, has only hinted at the background to the game and its elevated importance to some of his players. “There is another tournament starting,” he said after France’s qualification for the quarter-finals.

THE GUARDIAN
 
big_gamer007 said:
S/He was banned from competing in 2023 because of failing gender identity test. Then IOC dissolved the body which used to do gender identification and as per IOC guidelines s/he was allowed even while failing gender identification test.

If it’s a medical condition then it’s unfortunate and my sympathies to him/her. However, he/she can’t be allowed to compete in women’s sport’s, if anything form a different sport for such participants.
Click to expand...
Sorry, doesnt work that way.

She has an advantage, good for her. If michael phelps gets a biliogical advantage and no one says anything, so why cry here?

Its ok to be whatever u in mens sport, but when there is women sports, you have all these totestrone limits and chromosome limits?
 

Injury threatens Djokovic Olympic dream as Murray slips into retirement​


Novak Djokovic faces an anxious wait to find out if a knee injury will derail his Olympic gold medal dream after reaching the semi-finals on Thursday as old rival Andy Murray slipped into retirement.

On a dramatic day at Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen ended Iga Swiatek's 25-match unbeaten streak in Paris to become the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles final.

Defending men's champion Alexander Zverev was knocked out and took a bitter swipe at the crammed Games schedule.

Djokovic said he was "hoping for the best" after aggravating his injured right knee, which had required surgery in June, during his 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.

The 37-year-old needed on-court treatment and a painkiller after slipping on the baseline of Court Philippe Chatrier.

He recovered from 0-4 and then 2-5 down in the second set, saving three set points in the ninth game, before racing away with the tie-break.

The Serb faces Italy's Lorenzo Musetti on Friday in the last four.

- 'Concerned' -

"I'm concerned about the state of the knee. I have to go and examine it with medical staff and then let's see," said Djokovic.

"I'm playing at 7:00 pm tomorrow, which gives me slightly more time. But I'm hoping I can be ready and be optimistic. I have to be."

The 24-time Grand Slam title winner is still looking for a first Olympic gold medal, having so far managed just a bronze in Beijing in 2008.

He is through to his fourth Olympic semi-final.

Musetti stunned Zverev 7-5, 7-5 as the world number 16 became the first Italian to reach the semi-finals since tennis returned to the Olympics at Seoul 1988.

Zverev said illness was partly responsible for his defeat but also blasted the schedule as "a disgrace" after playing his quarter-final less than a day after his last-16 tie.

Alcaraz, back at Roland Garros where he won a maiden French Open in June, became the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Djokovic in 2008.

The second seed saw off 13th-ranked Tommy Paul of the United States 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after recovering from a break down in the second set and saving a set point in the tie-break.

"It's all about the fight," said Alcaraz, 21, who was playing the day after he and Rafael Nadal suffered a heartbreaking doubles loss in what was probably the veteran's final appearance at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat sixth-seeded Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open runner-up, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3.

Murray's career came to an end when he and Dan Evans lost to American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4 in the men's doubles quarter-finals.

Former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner Murray, 37, had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event.

- 'Proud' Murray -

"I'm proud of my career, my achievements and what I put into the sport," said Murray.

"Obviously it was emotional because it's the last time I will play a competitive match. But I am genuinely happy just now. I'm happy with how it finished."

Seventh-ranked Zheng triumphed 6-2, 7-5 over world number one Swiatek and will face Donna Vekic in Saturday's gold medal match.

Croatia's Vekic breezed past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0.

"If you ask me to play another three hours for my country, I would," said Zheng, who had played back-to-back three-hour matches to make the semi-final.

Swiatek, 23, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, had defeated Zheng in all of their six previous meetings but she was hit off court by the powerful 21-year-old Australian Open finalist.

Zheng is the first Chinese man or woman to reach an Olympic singles gold medal match, bettering the run of Li Na, who finished fourth in the women's event at Beijing in 2008.

China's only Olympics tennis gold came thanks to Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the women's doubles at Athens in 2004.

uk.sports.yahoo.com

Injury threatens Djokovic Olympic dream as Murray slips into retirement

Novak Djokovic faces an anxious wait to find out if a knee injury will derail his Olympic gold medal dream after reaching the semi-finals on Thursday as old rival Andy Murray slipped into retirement.He is through to his fourth Olympic semi-final.
uk.sports.yahoo.com uk.sports.yahoo.com
 

GB's Laugher & Harding win synchro 3m bronze​


Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding claimed a fine bronze for Great Britain in the men's synchronised 3m springboard diving at the Olympic Games in Paris.

The pair only began working together in late 2021 but have won European, Commonwealth and world medals in their time together.

They can now add an Olympic medal to that tally, having saved their most difficult two dives until the final two rounds to keep themselves into contention.

The pair leapt into each other's arms after their final dive guaranteed a medal, with team-mates celebrating wildly in the crowd as the results were confirmed.

It is a fourth Olympic medal for Laugher, who won gold and silver at Rio 2016 and a bronze in Tokyo in 2021, and a first for Harding.

It also gives Britain a fourth diving medal of the Paris Games.

China's Wang Zongyuan - who won this event in Tokyo three years ago with a different partner - and Long Daoyi recovered from a wobbly start to secure gold with 446.10 points.

Mexico's Juan Celaya and Osmar Olvera took silver with 444.03, much to the delight of the fans inside the Paris Aquatics Centre, with Laugher and Harding's 438.15 ensuring them bronze.

Laugher has spoken openly about the impact the 2019 World Championships - where he went from first to third after a poor final dive - had on his mental health.

He even considered quitting the sport before the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.

A medal there reignited his love for diving and his new partnership with Harding, who is competing at an Olympics for the first time, has brought instant rewards.

The Britons had maybe looked a touch nervous in the warm-ups, but the practice session seemed to allow them to shake off any extra tension.

They kept themselves in medal contention throughout and were second at the halfway stage, jostling with China and Mexico in the top three.

The duo performed their most difficult dive, rated 3.9, in the penultimate round, which ensured they kept pressure on their rivals.

After a strong, solid showing with their final dive - a 3.8 difficulty - the pair just had to wait to see which colour the medal would be.

It is a best start to a diving competition at a Games for Britain, who have won a medal in all four events so far.

Tom Daley and Noah Williams took silver in the men's synchro 10m platform, with bronzes for Yasmin Harper and Scarlett Mew Jensen in the women's synchro 3m springboard and Lois Toulson and Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix in the women's synchro 10m platform.

Laugher will compete in the individual 3m springboard later in the week, with heats held from 6 August.

www.bbc.com

Olympics diving: Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding win bronze for GB in men's synchronised 3m springboard final

Jack Laugher and Anthony Harding claim a fine bronze for Great Britain in synchronised 3m springboard diving at the Olympic Games in Paris.
www.bbc.com
 
India's come bursting out of the gates 2-0 against Australia in Hockey. We're in the quarters already but Important game this to avoid the top 2 from the other group in the quarters.
 
FearlessRoar said:
Manu Bhaker qualifies into the women's 25m final, can she make it a hat-trick of medals?
Click to expand...
Shooting is a very random sport, there is no guarantee till a medal is won, there is no ranking as well here. She has a decent chance to win a medal but again needs a calm head, finals is tomorrow. A break can do so many things. I already started reading things like 8 brands are after Manu with crores of remuneration on offer, hope it does not distract her!
 
shooting is singlehandedly carrying the entire country. next big hope is at javelin and an outside chance in Hockey
 
oatmeal said:
Nothing to do with being trans or being woke though. This is a chromosomal abnormality. Look up Caster Semenya, the exact same thing happened with her. There was an indian athlete too who won a medal in CWG or Asian games and was later stripped off it.

She is not trans. its the sporting body's decision to allow or not after checking her chromosomal abnormality gives her unfair advantage or not.
Click to expand...

I know Caster semenya, actually there was a thread open here for her as well.

I don’t believe either her or this person should have been allowed to compete.
 
Major said:
Sorry, doesnt work that way.

She has an advantage, good for her. If michael phelps gets a biliogical advantage and no one says anything, so why cry here?

Its ok to be whatever u in mens sport, but when there is women sports, you have all these totestrone limits and chromosome limits?
Click to expand...

Women’s sports are for women.
Women are humans with XX chromosomes.

That’s the 2 facts, if any person by abnormality and no fault of their own have traces of XY chromosomes then they should not compete in woman’s sport.

If any organiser allows such a person to compete against woman in contact sports such as boxing then those organisers should be charged with assault.

Michael phelps case was totally different, he was a man competing in men’s sport. No women should be allowed to compete in men’s sport and vice versa in events such as olympics.
 
When you think of it the margins are so fine....0.1 between Mannu Bhaker and Silver, and also 0.something between her and Gold...geez....these differences change taqdeers!!
 
big_gamer007 said:
Women’s sports are for women.
Women are humans with XX chromosomes.

That’s the 2 facts, if any person by abnormality and no fault of their own have traces of XY chromosomes then they should not compete in woman’s sport.

If any organiser allows such a person to compete against woman in contact sports such as boxing then those organisers should be charged with assault.

Michael phelps case was totally different, he was a man competing in men’s sport. No women should be allowed to compete in men’s sport and vice versa in events such as olympics.
Click to expand...
This women lost 9 times to other females, does that mean that those other 9 were not women?

A person is biologically a women, now you are going to bring in chromosome factor? Again, why allow Phelps to compete if he is also getting a biological advantage.

Basically, the point you are making is, if a man has a biological advantage, its ok to have to when competing with men. But if a women has an advantage, you can insult her, call her a man and whatever you want and claim the advantage to be unfair.

Again, how will you defend the Irish women that defeated Imane last year?
 
india beat Aus 3-2...i'd say they were much superior than that actual scoreline, that second aus goal was so chancy- a fluke leg leading to a stroke...any ways, first win agains aus since 1972 Munich...gee whiz...Aus have been our kryptonite in olympics for so long...good to get the monkey off our back...Go indiaaaaa!!!!!
 
India beat australia 3-2 in hockey

This is big!

They will end up as top 2 going into knockouts now.

They need to win against gbr / esp in quarter finals now. This is better than playing against ger/ ned so adv of aussie win will kick in 😀
 
Josh said:
That was some game. India dominated Australia. Indian hockey is back , well done
Click to expand...
Unless we win an olympic gold or world cup, you can't say we are back. We are good right now. Yesterday we lost 1-2 to belgium.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
India beat australia 3-2 in hockey

This is big!

They will end up as top 2 going into knockouts now.

They need to win against gbr / esp in quarter finals now. This is better than playing against ger/ ned so adv of aussie win will kick in 😀
Click to expand...
Yes huge win! Real chance of a medal now.
 

Alcaraz thrashes Auger-Aliassime to reach Olympic final​


Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz thrashed Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to reach the Olympic men's singles final.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz won 6-1 6-1 against 13th seed Auger-Aliassime at Roland Garros and will now contest his third major final in two months.

The 21-year-old won the French Open at the same venue in Paris in June, before triumphing at Wimbledon last month.

Alcaraz will face either Serbia's Novak Djokovic or Italian Lorenzo Musetti in Sunday's showpiece, with the pair set to play their semi-final at 18:00 BST on Friday.

Top seed Djokovic - a 24-time Grand Slam winner - is seeking a first Olympic gold medal and the one major title missing from his illustrious collection.

If the 37-year-old overcomes 11th seed Musetti, he will set up a repeat of last month's Wimbledon final against Alcaraz, which the Spaniard won in straight sets.

www.bbc.com

Paris Olympics tennis: Carlos Alcaraz thrashes Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach men's final

Spanish second seed Carlos Alcaraz breezes past Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets to reach the Olympic men's singles final.
www.bbc.com
 
They did it. Bharat in Archery semi final
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Major said:
This women lost 9 times to other females, does that mean that those other 9 were not women?

A person is biologically a women, now you are going to bring in chromosome factor? Again, why allow Phelps to compete if he is also getting a biological advantage.

Basically, the point you are making is, if a man has a biological advantage, its ok to have to when competing with men. But if a women has an advantage, you can insult her, call her a man and whatever you want and claim the advantage to be unfair.

Again, how will you defend the Irish women that defeated Imane last year?
Click to expand...



It doesn’t matter if she lost to other women or not.

S/he has male chromosomes, s/he shouldn’t be allowed to compete in women’s sports.

hypothetically, if phelps had XX chromosomes he shouldn’t be allowed to compete in men’s competition even though he could could beat all men.

Simple as that.

Not blaming the athlete here, it’s not her fault for her biological issue, IOC can make new category for these athletes to be fair to them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The most amusing thing was every casual and their dog becoming an overnight Boxing expert
 
Ind lose to usa in mixed archery bronze Medal match.

This is the first time they reached semis. Well done and good luck for next olympics.

We are turning a page almost in archery with compound also getting added, it's going to be fun in Los Angeles
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Ind lose to usa in mixed archery bronze Medal match.

This is the first time they reached semis. Well done and good luck for next olympics.

We are turning a page almost in archery with compound also getting added, it's going to be fun in Los Angeles
Click to expand...
all hopes on Manu and Neeraj Chopra now.
 
Pakistan government sleeping 🛌 😴 💤

That’s how u improve watch and learn 😝

3 gold medals still possible 🇮🇳

Neeraj chopra gold medal 🥇 👑

Indian hockey 🏒 🥅 gold medal 🥇

Lashay sen 🏸🥇🤔
 
Michaela Walsh says she "doesn't know" what will come next for her in boxing after exiting the Paris Olympics

The Belfast featherweight was defeated by Svetlana Staneva of Bulgaria in the last-16.

The 31-year-old was competitive throughout the bout but the judges went in favour of the experienced Staneva in all three rounds.

"I'll come back and sit with my team and see what there is," Walsh told BBC Sport NI.

"But for now I'll just enjoy the rest of the village."

Four judges awarded the first round to the Bulgarian, who then unanimously claimed the next two rounds as Walsh admitted she had to "try and chase it back".

Walsh said she wished her opponent the best for the rest of the tournament but said she disagreed with the unanimous verdict.

"She is a brilliant opponent and I knew it was going to be a very tough fight, but that's what the judges went for unfortunately.

"I feel good. I'm happy enough with my own performance.

"I don't think the scores read what the fight was. Unanimous - I think it was closer than that.

"But at the end of the day, I'm not a judge and I wish her all the best. I hope she can go on and get a medal."

www.bbc.com

Paris 2024: Boxer Walsh unsure of future after exit in Paris

Michaela Walsh says she "doesn't know" what will come next for her in boxing after exiting the Paris Olympics.
www.bbc.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Major
Why has India failed to win a Gold Medal in the Paris 2024 Olympics
2 3
Replies
236
Views
5K
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
France to host 2030 Winter Olympics & Paralympics
Replies
0
Views
237
FearlessRoar
FearlessRoar
BouncerGuy
Pakistan's chances in Paris Olympics 2024 - Discussion Thread
Replies
69
Views
2K
AamchiMumbaikar
AamchiMumbaikar
KingKhanWC
IOC faces calls for investigation into inclusion of child rapist at Olympics
Replies
23
Views
480
Champ_Pal
C
BouncerGuy
  • Poll
[VIDEOS] Was the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony the last 'nail in the coffin' of Christianity in Europe?
Replies
11
Views
628
Technics 1210
Technics 1210
Back
Top