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Day 14 of the Paris Olympics brought a new set of memories with US triumph and frustration on the court, France winning a thriller to advance to the women’s basketball gold medal game, and the Olympic debut of breakdancing. No other Olympics has featured a giant boombox as a venue backdrop, and perhaps never will again.
Here are the top five stories of the day:
Sha’Carri Richardson wins first gold in women’s 4×100 meter relay
After missing out on individual gold medals in Paris and Tokyo, Sha’Carri Richardson won her first Olympic gold medal with the U.S. women’s 4×100 relay team. Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Gabby Thomas and Richardson finished with a time of 41.78, beating Great Britain (41.85) and Germany (41.97). Thomas won her second Olympic gold medal with the result.
Rainy conditions and some extra caution in passing the baton left Team USA slightly behind in the final stretch of the race. But Richardson as anchor provided the final push, providing a memorable image as she looked back on the race with the confidence of someone who knows she won.
US Rai Benjamin wins gold in men’s 400m hurdles
Rai Benjamin finally broke through on Friday, winning gold in the men’s 400m hurdles after winning silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 World Championships, and bronze at the 2023 World Championships.
In what can be seen as a revenge match, Benjamin defeated Norway’s Karsten Warholm (who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the 2023 World Championships) to take his coveted gold with a winning time of 46.46.
Benjamin was shocked when he landed awkwardly after the seventh hurdle. Yet he did not fall, despite his stride pattern being disrupted. After the tenth hurdle, Benjamin knew he had gold when he saw no one next to him.
Team USA women’s basketball advances to gold medal game
The U.S. women’s basketball team secured a dominant 85-64 victory over Australia in the semifinals. The victory was the final step in the quest for an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, and Team USA rose to the challenge with gusto.
The US played well on offense, with Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young leading the team with 16 and 14 points respectively, and with the team making 7 of 16 3-pointers. The US defense was particularly strong, with 10 steals and five blocks and 19 points off turnovers. The US also operated well on a faster pace, with 26 fast-break points.
Team USA has extended its winning streak to 60 games, a streak that dates back to 1992. The United States now faces France, who defeated Belgium in the semifinals, on Sunday in the gold medal match.
Team USA disqualified from men’s 4×100 meter relay due to failed handoff
The U.S. men’s 4×100-meter relay team was already at a disadvantage, as Noah Lyles was unable to run after contracting COVID-19. Still, a known issue ultimately resulted in Team USA being disqualified.
Between the first and second legs of the relay, Kenny Bednarek started early and slowed down to avoid disqualification. Christian Coleman eventually collided with Bednarek because of the delay. When they finally passed the baton, the two were outside the transition zone. The US finished seventh, but that didn’t matter because of the disqualification.
Canada won gold in 37.50 seconds, while South Africa took silver and Great Britain took bronze.
For Team USA, this was the latest instance of botched handoffs that cost the team dearly. Baton-passing issues caused the Americans to fail to qualify for the 4×100-meter relay finals at the 2008 and 2020 Games, and the U.S. was disqualified in 2016 for a pass outside the designated zone.
Track and field legend Carl Lewis says major changes need to be made to the American track and field system following this latest accident.
It’s time to blow the system up. This remains completely unacceptable. It’s clear that EVERYONE at @usatf is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should have to step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom. https://t.co/Re6THj8QTm
—Carl Lewis (@Carl_Lewis) August 9, 2024
Breaking makes his Olympic debut
With just days to go before the Olympics, Friday brought the long-awaited debut of breaking, the official name for Olympic breakdancing. In an entertaining, eventful, and often viral competition, 17 B-girls competed on the women’s team for a chance to compete for the sport’s first gold medal.
In the end, B-girl Ami from Japan won gold by defeating Lithuanian B-girl Nicka — the gold medal favorite heading into the Olympics — in a head-to-head competition. Ami won all three rounds, defeating Nicka by a score of 16 to 11. Nicka won silver, while the Chinese B-girl 671 took bronze after a 19-8 victory over Dutch B-girl India.
Team USA Medals
Highlight of the day
After the spectacular clutch shotmaking between the US and Serbia in the men’s basketball semifinals on Thursday, France and Belgium provided another thriller on the women’s side. Belgium eventually lost 81-75, but the biggest shot came from Emma Meesseman, who forced overtime with her late 3-pointer.
One more thing
When breaking made its debut, there was one contestant in particular who stood out: Australia’s Rachael Gunn, better known as B-girl Raygun, whose “unique” moves quickly caught the internet’s attention.
Another notable aspect was her attire: While other B-girls wore baggy pants, crop tops, sweatsuits, durags and other classic hip-hop drips, Gunn wore a standard Australian uniform with her shirt tucked in. “I didn’t get the memo,” Gunn told Yahoo Sports.
Gunn, a 36-year-old university lecturer who studies dance and breakdance culture, qualified for the Olympics as the best from Oceania, which is hardly a hip-hop hub. She leaned on some of her “unique style”: flopping like a fish, doing a crab walk, doing a not-quite-vertical handstand, plus a few other moves that weren’t half bad but weren’t quite up to the level of her other competitors.
She didn’t score a single point in the competition and lost all three round-robin battles 18-0. But Gunn could laugh about it afterwards.
“It was amazing. Such an amazing experience,” she told Yahoo Sports.
