August 2, 2024, Olympics news and results | CNN (2024)

Our live coverage of the Paris Olympics has moved here.

It’s been a great day for the host nation of France, as medals pour in and records are broken.

Here’s what you should know:

In the pool:

More French excellence:

Track and field gets underway:

US men’s soccer run ends:

Wimbeldon rematch on tap:

Love in the air:

Comeback complete:

Team slams French hijab ban:

Scary moments:

French swimmer Léon Marchand holds his gold medal after winning the men’s 200m individual medley race on Friday.

French swimming phenom Léon Marchand earned his fourth gold medal of the Paris Games in the men’s 200-meter individual medley Friday. His four-for-four Olympic program has Marchand’s name being spoken in the same breath as Michael Phelps — the most decorated Olympian ever.

After his Friday accomplishment, Marchand reflected on the four medals and Phelps.

“It’s been unbelievable. Four gold medals is not what I thought I could possibly do,” he said during a news conference. “I was trying to win one at first. I had four chances of doing it. So, after the 400m IM, I was really relaxed by the crazy race that I just did. Four gold medals is, yeah, I just didn’t know it was possible.”

He said American swim legend Phelps had sent him messages after the 400-meter.

From left, Jackie Dubrovich, Maia Weintraub, Lauren Scruggs and Lee Kiefer celebrate winning the women's team foil event on Thursday.

The USwomen’s team has reigned supreme in the foilfencingcompetition at the Paris Games, becoming the first-ever American team, male or female, to take the gold medal in the team competition.

That came after already earning individual silver and gold earlier this week.

The team of Jackie Dubrovich, Maia Weintraub, Lauren Scruggs and Lee Kiefer sat down with CNN’s Coy Wire to talk about the victory.

“Does it get better than this? Really,” said Kiefer, who is building a case as one of the best US Olympic fencers of all time, with three golds at the Games.

Kiefer, right, competes against Italy's Alice Volpi in the women's foil team gold medal bout on Thursday.

She credited the past several years of work the group has done as a team, reviewing video, training at camps and practicing for the moment.

Scruggs, who is leaving her first-ever Games with two medals, said she had relatively low expectations going into the individual competition.

“The odds were definitely against me,” she said, but she battled through every bout and took home the individual silver medal.

Each fencer said winning as a team meant the world to them.

The 21-year-old Weintraub — who entered the gold medal bout “cold” as a substitute, not having fenced in the Olympics — said she faced “immense pressure” but “knowing that I had this amazing team behind me made it so much easier.”

Australia's Saya Sakakibara races to win the gold medal in the women's BMX final on Friday.

Three years after crashing out of the semifinals in Tokyo, Saya Sakakibara won the gold medal in the women’s BMX final on Friday.

But this time round in Paris, the Australian had no such issues, leading from the start after an electric jump shot her ahead of the chasing pack.

And she never relinquished her place at the front, finishing 0.723 seconds ahead of second placed Manon Veenstra.

Sakakibara celebrates her win.

Upon crossing the finish-line, Sakakibara collapsed as the emotion got the better of her, being consoled by her boyfriend Romain Mahieu who had won bronze just moments before in the men’s race.

It is a fairytale story for Sakakibara after her Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021 was cut short prematurely when she suffered a “pretty bad concussion” in a collision with another racer. She told CNN that she considered quitting the sport afterwards.

She’s probably glad she didn’t.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda celebrates after winning the men's 10,000m final on Friday.

It’s the first day of the track and field competition and the records are already starting to fall.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda just set an Olympic record on his way to a gold medal, finishing the 10,000m run in 26:43.14. That beats the previous record of 27:01.17, which was set at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.

The Stade de France is the home of the athletics events at this year’s Olympics and it looks like it’s going to be the scene of many records falling.

Gold medalist Joris Daudet, center, silver medalist Sylvain Andre, left, and bronze medalist Romain Mahieu, right, celebrate after competing in the men's BMX race final on Friday.

Simply amazing scenes at the BMX stadium, where there has just been a French 1-2-3 in the men’s BMX race.

The trio of Joris Daudet, Romain Mahieu and Sylvain Andre shot out of the blocks the quickest and after Australia’s Izaac Kennedy fell and the pack cleared, there was no question over who was winning.

The three riders, in their white, red and blue uniforms sprinted ahead of the pack, crossing the finish line in almost unison and to the delight of the raucous crowd in attendance.

Daudet was the eventual gold medal winner with a time of 31.422, Andre finished in silver 0.284 seconds behind while Mahieu won bronze.

It was the culmination of years of hard work for 33-year-old Daudet who is competing in his fourth Olympic Games and has previously never won a medal.

For the second consecutive Olympic Games, Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown swept the two women’s individual backstroke events.

The 23-year-old won the 200m backstroke Friday in Paris in an Olympic record time of 2:03.73 at La Défense Arena. She adds the 200m gold to her 100m backstroke gold medal won on Tuesday.

McKeown also swept these two events at the Tokyo Games in 2021.McKeown now owns five career Olympic gold medals and one bronze.

McKeown is chasing another medal in Paris in the women’s 200m individual medley.She had to hand off her gold medal to her coaches after the medal ceremony on Friday to go get ready for qualifiers.

American Regan Smith took silver and Canadian Kylie Masse claimed bronze in Friday’s final.

Chase Budinger of Team USA reacts during a men's preliminary volleyball match on Friday.

Chase Budingeris used to playing in packed stadiums, but never like this.

The former basketball player, who spent seven years in theNBAwith four different teams, now finds himself in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, competing at theOlympicsin a different sport entirely.

Budinger is a professional beach volleyball player these days, and alongside Team USA partner Miles Evans, is hoping for a deep run at the Games in Paris.

As of now, the pair are down but not out of the men’s beach volleyball competition at the Paris Olympics. A straight-sets defeat against Spain on Friday sees them finish third in the group and now hoping to progress as a top third-placed team or via a “lucky loser” match.

With must-win matches ahead, the stakes are high and the nerves are very much present, even for a man used to playing in one of the world’s biggest sports leagues.

Click here to read more about Budinger’s journey.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic plays against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy on Friday.

Novak Djokovic will be out for revenge after setting up what will be a rematch of this year’s Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz after advancing to the final of the men’s singles competition at the Paris Games.

The No. 1 seed beat Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals in straight sets 6-4 6-2 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Djokovic celebrates after winning the match.

It wasn’t an easy affair for Djokovic, needing more than an hour to win the first set before claiming the second set in much more convincing fashion.

The 37-year-old will now face Alcaraz in the final and after losing to the 21-year-old Spaniard last month in Wimbledon’s final, he will have plenty of motivation to go for his first gold medal.

Caeleb Dressel won’t be swimming in the 100-meter butterfly finals this weekend after he failed to finish in the top four of his semifinal heat.

It’s a terribly disappointing – and rather shocking – result for the American, who was aiming to add four gold medals to his trophy cabinet during these Games. He won gold with the USA’s 4x100m medley relay team last weekend, but he’s been dealt two blows tonight.

First, he finished sixth in the 50-meter freestyle and now he’s failed to even qualify for the final in the 100m butterfly.

Dressel had to swim four times today – twice in morning qualifying and two more times this evening – and one has to wonder if that schedule played a role in his tough night.

France's Léon Marchand, center, competes in the men's 200m individual medley final on Friday.

It’s been 232 years since France has had a king. It’s been 154 years since France had an emperor.

If he wanted to right now, Léon Marchand could probably take either title that he saw fit.

The crowd here at La Défense Arena — French President Emmanuel Macron included — just went absolutely bonkers at their hero’s latest Olympic gold medal performance.

Marchand celebrates after the race.

Marchand never seemed troubled by the competition, just gliding through the water on the strength of his arms and legs and the roars of the French crowd. With cries of “Allez!” every time Marchand surfaced during the butterfly and breaststroke, there appeared to be little doubt from the beginning of the race that the Frenchman would pull this off.

The noise when he hit the wall is beyond description. Ears are ringing round the arena.

It will likely pale in comparison to the singing of “La Marseillaise” that’s about to happen during the medal ceremony.

France's Léon Marchand celebrates after winning the men's 200m individual medley final on Friday.

He’s done it AGAIN! It’s now four gold medals for French swimming superstar Léon Marchand, with this one coming in the 200m individual medley.

The hometown hero, who elicited chants of his name long before he even entered the pool tonight, came just short of a world record — only six-hundredths of a second — but did manage to take another Olympic record from Michael Phelps.

Gold: Léon Marchand (France): 1:54.06

Silver: Duncan Scott (Great Britain): 1:55.31

Bronze: Wang Shun (China): 1:56.00

It’s time for the home nation hero.

Léon Marchand of France is up for the 200m individual medley final, and the crowd here is losing their minds.

He’s going for a fourth gold now.

Australia's Kaylee McKeown competes in the final of the women's 200m backstroke on Friday.

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown just broke American legend Missy Franklin’s 12-year Olympic record in the 200m backstroke, taking home the gold.

American Regan Smith led for much of the race but faded in the final 50 meters, as McKeown was just too strong.

Gold: Kaylee McKeown (Australia): 2:03.73

Silver: Regan Smith (USA): 2:04.26

Bronze: Kylie Masse (Canada): 2:05.57

Cameron McEvoy has taken home the gold in swimming’s fastest race, but it’s veteran Florent Manaudou of France who’s getting the biggest cheers here.

American Caeleb Dressel finished in sixth. It’s the first time Dressel has been in a gold medal race and not won it at the Olympics.

Gold: Cameron McEvoy (Australia) — 21.25

Silver: Benjamin Proud (Great Britain) — 21.30

Bronze: Florent Manaudou (France) —21.56

Ivan Litvinovich celebrates winning the Gold medal during the men's trampoline final on Friday.

Ivan Litvinovich became the first Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) to win a gold medal at the Paris Games after he retained his individual men’s trampoline title on Friday.

Going seventh out of eight gymnasts, the 23-year-old knew he needed a big score to challenge the top of the leaderboard and retain the gold medal he won three years ago in Tokyo.

Litvinovich, who is from Belarus, put in a brilliant performance to earn a score of 63.090 – 18.400 for difficulty, 16.700 for execution, 18.490 for time of flight and 9.500 for horizontal displacement.

The Chinese pairing of Wang Zisai (61.890) and Yan Langyu (60.950) won silver and bronze respectively.

At the 2024 Paris Games, certain qualified athletes with either a Russian or Belarusian passport are competing as AINs.

It’s the soundtrack of the competition in the pool over the last week.

“Lé-on! Lé-on! Lé-on! Lé-on! Lé-on! Lé-on!”

The French fans are in full voice already as their hero is in the third race of the night.

It’s another night of French Olympic hero Léon Marchand, which means it’s about to be another loud and rowdy night in La Défense Arena outside Paris.

Marchand is the top name on the lineup today, but here are tonight’s races and the swimmers we’ll be watching closely:

Novak Djokovic reacts after a point in a semifinal match against Lorenzo Musetti on Friday.

It’s been a slow-burner but finally Novak Djokovic has won the opening set of his semifinal in the men’s singles against Lorenzo Musetti.

It took an hour and 10 minutes for the No. 1 seed to gain the advantage over the Italian on Court Philippe-Chatrier 6-4 thanks to some monster games.

The enticing prospect of a rematch of the 2024 Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz is on the cards if Djokovic can win one more set.

Dylan Schmidt of New Zealand reacts after falling outside of the trampoline on Friday.

A scary moment in the men’s trampoline final as New Zealand’s Dylan Schmidt falls off the trampoline in the middle of his routine.

Thankfully one of Schmidt’s coaches was on hand to move the protective mat to break his fall.

The 27-year-old looked disappointed with the outcome of his appearance in the men’s final, but was able to applaud the crowd to show that he was physically alright.

Slovakia’s Tamara Potocká is taken from the pool deck on s stretcher following a swimming heat on Friday.

Slovakia’s Tamara Potocká was treated at the side of the pool at Paris’ La Défense Arena Friday morning after suffering an apparent medical problem.

Potocká was treated and carried off on a backboard following her performance in the heats of the 200m individual medley.

Ľubomír Souček, a spokesperson for the Slovakian Olympic Committee, told CNN that Potocká is doing much better after the scary scene.

“Tamara is already OK,” Souček said in an email. “After she swam 200m IM (individual medley) she had a serious problem with breathing after making too fast first 50m split in her heat. The medical team in the swimming stadium provided her by oxygen and some medicine.

“Then she was transferred to the Olympic Village hospital and released soon to her room in the (Olympic Village).”

USA’s Shamier Little, right, competes during the 4 x 400m mixed relay on August 2.

Talk about a strong start to the athletics.

Team USA set a new world record in the mixed 4x400m relay on Friday as it eased into the final, more than three seconds ahead of France in second.

The quartet comprised of Bryce Deadmon, Vernon Norwood, Kaylyn Brown and Shamier Little finished their four laps in a time of 3:07.41, surpassing the previous mark of 3:08.80 also set by Team USA last year.

Both France and Belgium qualified for the final with national record performances.

Team USA poses with a time board displaying their world record on Friday.

The mixed 4x400m relay is one of the Olympics’ newer athletics events, having only made its debut in Tokyo three years ago.

Poland won the inaugural gold medal in the format, while the Dominican Republic got silver and Team USA won bronze.

Angela Carini of Italy, left, and Imane Khelif of Algeria compete on Thursday.

Italian boxer Angela Carini apologized Friday for her treatment of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif following Thursday’s Paris Olympics women’s 66kg weight class bout.

Following her loss to Khelif, in which she quit the contest after 46 seconds, Carini did not shake her opponent’s hand.

The fight triggered an onslaught of online abuse, with transphobic commentators incorrectly calling Khelif “a man” because of an alleged physical advantage.

“I’m sorry for my opponent,” she told Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.”

This week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) repeatedly defended Khelif’s right to compete.

Khelif is seen after her fight against Carini on Thursday.

Carini told the Italian sports outlet she regretted not shaking hands with Khelif after the bout and would “embrace” the Algerian if the pair met again.

“It wasn’t something I intended to do,” Carini said.

“Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke,” she said.

Khelif is scheduled to be back in the ring for a quarterfinal bout on Saturday.

To read more about Khelif, click here.

Veronica Fraley poses with her bronze medal after placing third in the women's discus throw final in the US Olympic Team Track & Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon, on June 27.

Olympic gloryis thrilling, but it doesn’t always pay the bills.

Veronica Fraley, a discus thrower on Team USA, shared as much earlier this week, when she told her followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she was struggling to make ends meet.

“I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent,” shewroteon X, punctuating with an emoji wearing an incredulous expression.

Enter Flavor Flav, the“hype man”of the US water polo teams, and Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian. The men, who’ve beencheering on Team USAat the Paris Olympics all week, banded together to not only pay Fraley’s rent for the month but cover her rent for the rest of 2024.

Read the full story here.

France's Teddy Riner reacts after beating South Korea's Kim Min-jong in the men's judo +100kg final on Friday.

One of France’s Olympic legends continues to write his name into the history books.

Cheered on by a raucous crowd inside the Champ-de-Mars Arena, Teddy Riner won his fourth gold medal — the most by a judoka in Olympic history — in a memorable men’s +100kg judo final.

Riner, who lit the Olympic flame to conclude the opening ceremony, took on the world No. 1 and reigning world champion, Kim Min-jong of South Korea.

The Frenchman scored an ippon in impressive fashion to seal the win and delight the home crowd. He was respectful in victory, raising Kim’s hand after the bout.

Riner and Kim compete on Friday.

With the win, Riner claims his third Olympic individual gold after triumphs in London and Rio. He also has a 2020 mixed team gold to his name as well as bronzes won in Beijing and Tokyo. His six medals make him the most decorated judoka ever — and he can add to his tally tomorrow in the mixed team event.

Riner also confirmed his plans to compete for a record-extending gold in four years’ time.

Tajikistan’s Temur Rakhimov and Alisher Yusupov of Uzbekistan took the bronzes in this event.

This post has been updated with quotes from France’s Teddy Riner.

China's Liu Yuchen proposes to his national team teammate and girlfriend Huang Yaqiong after leaving the podium at the mixed doubles badminton medal ceremony on Friday.

You might think winning a gold medal would be the highlight of an athlete’s Olympic Games. But for China’s badminton star Huang Yaqiong, she has two pieces of silverware to commemoratea special day.

Huang was part of the mixed doubles pairing with Zheng Siwei to win gold earlier on Friday. And shortly after she receivedher medal, she was in for a surprise.

Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong celebrate after defeating South Korea in their mixed doubles badminton final on Friday.

Huang’s boyfriend and fellow national team badminton player Liu Yuchen dropped to a knee, pulled out a ring and proposed to her — of course, she said yes.

Huang returns home to China a gold medalist having won silver three years ago and engaged.

Afterwards, Huang said that she was “surprised” by the proposal and revealed that the ring fit well.

It’s not the first proposal the Paris Games has seen after two of Argentina’s athletes — handball’s Pablo Simonet and hockey’s Maria Campoy — got engaged in the Olympic Village, according to Olympics.com.

This post has been updated with quotes from China’s Huang Yaqiong.

Brazil's Beatriz Souza reacts after winning gold in women's judo +78kg on Friday.

Beatriz Souza took Brazil’s first gold of the Olympics, claiming victory in the women’s +78kg judo final.

She defeated Raz Hershko of Israel to claim the top prize.

Souza scored a quick waza-ari to steal the advantage and Hershko wasn’t able to make any inroads in the remainder of the bout.

The two bronze medals went to Kim Ha-yun of South Korea and the host nation France’s Romane Dicko.

Egypt's Doaa Elghobashy, left, and Marwa Abdelhady talk during their beach volleyball match against Spain on Thursday.

Members of the Egyptian women’s beach volleyball team have spoken out against France’s hijab ban for its athletes after competing in an Olympic beach volleyball match wearing modest clothing.

Marwa Abdelhady and Doaa Elghobashy represented Egypt at the Paris Olympics, wearing hijabs, black long-sleeved shirts and black ankle-length leggings in a women’s beach volleyball match against Spain.

If they had been playing for France, the pair would not have been allowed to wear their hijabs. The host of this year’s Olympics has banned its athletes from wearing any “ostensible religious symbols” while competing.

Speaking to CNN’s Swedish affiliate Expressen Thursday, Abdelhady said that she “doesn’t like” the hijab ban for French athletes.

Elghobashy told Expressen that it should be okay for athletes to wear whatever they want, as long as their culture and religion are respected.

In January 2022, the French senate voted to ban the wearing of the hijab and other “ostensible religious symbols” in sports competitions.

In September last year, it was confirmed that this ban would also apply to French athletes competing in the Paris Olympics, when French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said that the country would favor “a strict regime of secularism, applied rigorously in the field of sport.”

Click here to read more.

South Korea's Lim Si-hyeon competes alongside teammate Kim Woo-jin in the archery mixed team gold medal match against Germany on Friday.

South Korea’s dominance of Olympic archery continued on Friday as Lim Si-hyeon and Kim Woo-jin won gold in the mixed team event.

The pairing of Lim and Kim never looked in trouble in the final against Germany, easing to a 6-0 victory at Les Invalides and their second gold medal each of these Games..

It is South Korea’s third gold medal in archery at the Paris Games so far, having already won the men’s and women’s team events.

Gold in the mixed team event means South Korea has won every edition of mixed teams and women’s team event since both were introduced: women’s teams introduced in 1988 and mixed teams in 2020. In the men’s team event, South Korea has won three straight golds and six in seven Games.

The German pairing of Michelle Kroppen and Florian Unruh won silver while bronze was won by Team USA’s Brady Ellison and Casey Kaufhold of the USA.

This post has been updated with quotes from South Korea’s Kim Woo-jin.

Zheng Siwei, left, and Huang Yaqiong of China in action during their badminton mixed doubles final against South Korea on Friday.

After picking up the silver medal at Tokyo, China’s Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong claimed gold in Paris with a brilliant performance against South Korea in the mixed doubles final.

The celebrations from the Chinese pair after clinching the straight sets win showed just how painful it was when falling short at this hurdle three years ago.

It was somewhat of a partizan crowd at La Chapelle Arena, with huge support for the Chinese duo coming from all angles of the arena, with the country’s flag waving all around.

“We have been waiting for this for many, many years and now is the day when our dreams come true,” Zheng said afterwards.

This post has been updated with sound from China’s Zheng Siwei.

Sofiane RAHIMI of Morocco and teammates celebrates during Paris 2024 Olympic Games match between Morocco U23 and United States U23 - Quarter-Final at Parc des Princes on August 2, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport)

It’s all over here in Paris: both in this match, and the US men’s soccer team’s run in the Olympic tournament.

After qualifying for its first Olympics since 2008, Team USA made an inspiring charge here in France to get out of the group stage and into the knockout rounds.

But Morocco, backed by tens of thousands of raucous fans here at the Parc des Princes, simply played the Americans off the pitch Friday afternoon.

The 4-0 defeat will be a bitter pill to swallow for these young players — most of whom are under 23 years old, making it a different US squad from the World Cup and other competitions — after their first Olympic tournament. But after promising displays against New Zealand and Guinea, the USA simply couldn’t get a hold of the game.

Morocco dominated from the early stages and took the lead in the 29th minute when Soufiane Rahimi buried a penalty. The Moroccans kept the ball much of the rest of the half and the US never really looked like they would threaten the Atlas Lions.

The second half started with much of the same. The Moroccans looked the more threatening side, but the half largely started off drab. It exploded into life in the 63rd minute when Morocco winger Ilias Akhomach put his side two goals ahead.

Akhomach finished off a cross sent in after a surging run down the left flank by forward Abde Ezzalzouli. The pass was inch-perfect, and Akhomach simply buried it.

Achraf Hakimi — the Moroccan captain who was playing on the home turf of his club team, Paris Saint Germain — made a winding run in the 70th minute that was finished off with a brilliant shot that found its way into the bottom left corner. Twenty minutes later, one last penalty was scored by forward Mehdi Maouhoub.

The Moroccans will play the winner of Japan vs. Spain, which has just kicked off.

Mehdi Maouhoub ofMoroccocelebrates scoring their fourth goal.

And now it’s a shellacking.

Morocco just went up 4-0 after forward Mehdi Maouhoub buried a spot kick that was awarded after a US defender was whistled for a handball.

It appeared to be just a corner kick, but after a video review, the referee confirmed the defender had his hand in an unnatural position.

We’re into stoppage time at the end of the second half here, and the Americans have been played off the pitch. A brutal way to end what had been a wonderful story from these Games for Team USA.

Achraf Hakimi ofMoroccoscores their third goal.

A sharp counterattack by Morocco and it’s 3-0.

Defender Akram Nakach just made an incredible run down the right side of the pitch, weaving in toward the right channel and slotted the ball home near the inside post.

It’s looking bleak for the Americans with 20 minutes to play.

Ilias Akhomach ofMoroccocelebrates scoring their second goal.

Well, the reprieve didn’t last long.

Morocco winger Ilias Akhomach has just put the Atlas Lions two goals up after finishing off a cross sent in after a surging run down the left flank by forward Abde Ezzalzouli.

The pass was inch perfect and Akhomach simply buried it.

A video review confirmed the goal and the USA has now made a couple of substitutions to answer. Off come forward Griffin Yow and midfielder Djordje Mihailović and on come forwards Taylor Booth and Duncan McGuire. The US going fully on the attack now.

Walker Zimmerman of the United States challenges Morocco's Soufiane Rahimi.

Defender Walker Zimmerman just saved the US from facing an even steeper hill to climb.

Zimmerman managed to cleanly tackle the ball away from Soufiane Rahimi just as the Atlas Lions striker appeared in on goal. But just yards from the top of the 18-yard box, Zimmerman’s sliding tackle hooked the ball away and cleared the chance.

What a game we’ve got at the Parc des Princes!

Old photos of Italian Olympic gymnast Giorgia Villa with wheels of parmesan cheese have sparked interest in the region where it's made.

The Olympics are a spectacle of athleticism, hard work, peak performance – and perhaps, for some, eating parmesan cheese.

Italian gymnast Giorgia Villa, who was part of the team taking the silver medal in the women’s gymnastics – Italy’s first medal in the event in 96 years – has swiftly become better known for her love of cheese than her moves on the mat.

The 21-year-old from Lombardy in northern Italy was sponsored by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano (Consortium of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese) in 2021.

Photos taken to celebrate the pairing have now gone viral, after resurfacing following Villa’s Olympic glory.

The gymnast is seen in her leotard, sitting on a pile of giant wheels of cheese, and doing the splits over a line of the wheels.

She was also shot doing handstands beside the cheeses, cartwheeling in their presence and reclining next to a large chunk of parmesan, with tantalizing flakes where it had been hewn off from the reel. In one photo, she is hugging a cheese wheel close to her chest. In others, she cannot resist anymore and is cramming chunks of the crystal-filled cheese into her mouth.

Other photos show her doing truly impressive work on the bars, but none have caught the public imagination in the same way that the cheese-fueled images have.

Click here to read more.

Trainers were just on the pitch to help Moroccan goalkeeper Munir El Kajoui, who had just punched the ball clear from a US attack.

It appeared the keeper, known simply as Munir, had done something to his shoulder, and it looked like trainers may have been trying to adjust it back into proper alignment. Something to keep an eye on in this second half.

Miles Robinson of USA and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco battle for the ball at Parc des Princes on Friday.

The second half has kicked off as the US tries to come back from a 1-0 deficit against Morocco.

It’s a tall task – the Atlas Lions have dominated play and the US has hardly created a true chance yet.

More Olympic news, this time from the Winter Games.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)announcedFriday that it had dismissed the appeal from Canadian appellants regarding the reordering of the results from the figure skating team event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Originally, the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) won gold in the event, with the US winning silver and Japan earning bronze.

However, none of the athletes received their medals in Beijing, as it emerged that ROC athlete Kamila Valieva had tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medication which can boost endurance.

In January, the International Skating Union (ISU) announced the reordering of the teams following Valieva’s disqualification, with the US, Japan and ROC winning the Olympic medals in the event, in that order – dropping the ROC from gold to bronze. Canada remained in fourth, one point behind the ROC.

In February this year, Canadian appellants filed a case with CAS regarding the method used to reorder the results, seeking to move up to bronze position.However, it was unsuccessful.

“While we are disappointed that the ruling does not award Canada the bronze medal, we stand by the efforts and performances of our athletes,” Skate Canada said in a statement Friday.

“Their dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship throughout this entire process exemplify the spirit of Canadian figure skating.”

Last week, CAS also dismissedappeals from the Russian side, whichclaimed its ROC team should be moved back up into gold medal position.

CNN’s Jill Martin and David Close contributed reporting.

Gold medalists Scott Brash, Harry Charles and Ben Maher of Team Great Britain celebrate in Versailles on Friday.

Team GB continued its successful outing in the equestrianism arena on Friday, winning gold in the team jumping event.

The pressure had been piled on Team GB by their US counterparts after a clean run from McLain Ward, riding on Ilex, saw Team USA rise to first in the standing with just Scott Brash left to go.

But the British riders showed no signs of nerves, with Brash, riding on Jefferson, producing an almost flawless performance – with one time penalty and no jumping faults – to put Team GB first and win the gold at Château de Versailles.

After the three runs, Team GB – comprised of Brash, Harry Charles and Ben Maher – finished on 237.47, with Team USA winning silver on 229.90. France won bronze.

It was a particularly momentous victory for Charles, who wins gold 12 years after his father Peter did in the same event at the London Olympics in 2012. Maher and Brash were part of the gold medal winning team 12 years ago alongside Peter Charles.

Friday’s gold medal comes after Team GB won the gold in the team eventing a few days prior.

This post has been updated with sound from Team GB’s Scott Brash and Ben Maher.

Well, all Morocco in that first half.

The US men’s team had a few offensive chances but much of the play appeared on the opposite end of the field as the Moroccans controlled the tempo and had the best opportunities.

The penalty that led to Morocco’s goal might have been a bit harsh. American defender Nathan Harriel was attempting to clear the ball when Soufiane Rahimi of Morocco also lunged at the ball. Harriel kicked Rahimi’s leg and the referee blew the whistle and pointed to the spot.

That penalty is still the game’s only goal. Forty-five minutes left and a spot in the semifinals at stake.

Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece drives to the basket during a match against Australia at Stade Pierre Mauroy on in Lille on Friday.

Led by two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greece men’s basketball team won its first game of its Olympic campaign, taking down Australia 77-71.

It appeared that the Greece was easing to victory at one point, building up a 17-point lead. The squad appeared to take its foot off the gas a bit too much though, allowing the Boomers to cut the lead to two in the final minutes of the game.

However, couple of clutch triples by Vassilis Toliopoulos and Thomas Walkup allowed Greece to cling on to its lead for its first win, after falling to Canada and Spain in its first two matchups.

Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 20 points, while Houston Rockets big man Jock Landale had 17 for Australia.

Simone Biles’ confirmation of her standing as the undisputed great of gymnastics was emphasized on Thursday, not only with sealing the all-around title but with a sparkling GOAT necklace!

While attention is focused on the present, there is hope that she will firmly remain a part of the USA set-up in the future, according to USA Gymnastics president and CEO Li Li Leung.

Asked by CNN’s Amanda Davies on Friday as to whether she sees a role for Biles in the organization going forwards, Leung replied: “Absolutely! How could we not like her to be involved? I hope she sees even beyond the performance side in terms of competing in the field of play. I hope gymnastics is a part of her life for a long time going forward.”

“We haven’t yet discussed in terms of what would happen after the sport. I don’t think that she’s really decided if she’s going to retire after Paris. Only time will tell on that but we look forward to working really closely with her in the future.”

The world’s most decorated gymnast clinched her sixth Olympic gold medal on Thursday with the hope of more to come at these Games.

Amanda Davies speaks with Li Li Leung (President and CEO, USA Gymnastics) following Simone Biles' victory in the all-around competition on Thursday.

Her profile and that of her teammates has seen the likes of Vanity Fair and Vogue give prominent cover to the sport.

“I think gymnastics has come onto the scene in terms of mainstream pop culture now. Our women have been global ambassadors for not only the sport of gymnastics but for sports. They have been role models for other sports as well and I couldn’t be happier for the way that the world is seeing them and their displaying their courage on the world stage too,” said Leung.

Leung took over as president and CEO of the organization in February 2019 in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal that sent shockwaves in the USA and beyond.

Since then, she says the organization has been on a path towards reform.

When asked how confident she was that sexual abuse cases had been eradicated from USA gymnastics, Leung said: “It’s impossible to say across all sports that sexual abuse or any sort of abuse will be eradicated across the board because abuse happens across society and sports happens to be a microcosm of society as well.”

Team USA’s success in the men’s and women’s gymnastics in Paris has inevitably led to talk about what then team can achieve at the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Has Leung and the organization already mapped out the goals for four years’ time?

Team USA now has a deficit to overcome in this quarterfinal.

Moroccan striker Soufiane Rahimi just buried a penalty in the lower left corner to put his team up 1-0.

Smoke bombs are going off around the stadium as the Moroccan fans are in exultations.

USA's Chase Budinger and Miles Evans take on Spain's Pablo Herrera Allepuz andAdrián Gavira in the preliminary phase of the men's beach volleyball competition at the Paris Olympics.

Chase Budinger is used to playing in front of big crowds, but perhaps not like this – on a sandy volleyball court in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

Budinger had a seven-year career in the NBA, playing more than 400 games for several teams, before turning his attention to volleyball, which he played avidly growing up.

This is the 36-year-old’s first Olympics, and, alongside partner Miles Evans, he is hoping to make it past the preliminary phase with Team USA.

Having won their first game and lost their second, the pair now have a crucial match-up against Spain in order to progress. They’re currently trailing in the first set, but there’s plenty of US support to help them on their way.

Patrick Schulte just made a truly incredible leaping save to keep the Moroccans from scoring the opener here in the 13th minute.

The Morocco had a well-worked corner kick that resulted in a close-range effort, which needed something special to keep it out, and Schulte pulled it off somehow.

All the momentum is with the Moroccans at the moment after a back-and-forth start to the game.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic receives medical treatment at the Roland Garros Stadium on Thursday.

Novak Djokovic has admitted that he is worried about his knee as he prepares to take on Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals of the men’s singles tennis tournament in Paris.

The Serbian superstar suffered a meniscus tear at Roland Garros earlier this year, forcing him to withdraw from the French Open. He recovered to reach the final at Wimbledon, where he ultimately lost to Spanish wunderkind Carlos Alcaraz.

“Obviously, I’m concerned about the state of the knee,” he said after beating Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Thursday. “I cannot give you exact information because I don’t have it. I have to go and examine the knee now with my physio and with the medical staff of the tournament, and then let’s see.

“At the beginning of the second set, [I had] sharp pain that stayed with me for three, four games,” he said.

The 37-year-old said that he was “optimistic” that he would be ready for his semifinal later today.

Alina Zmushka ofAINbefore the 100m breaststroke final on July 29.

Following Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya’s silver medal in the women’s trampoline, the Paris Olympics have seen the first Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) to win a medal.

But what exactly is an AIN?

At the 2024 Paris Games, certain qualified athletes with either a Russian or Belarusian passport are competing as AINs.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which was supported by Belarus – in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be prohibited from competing in international sporting events.

In January 2023, the IOC announced its intention to allow these athletes to compete as neutrals, in a similar way to how Russian and Belarusian tennis players are presented at ATP, WTA and grand slam events without any reference to their nationality.

The Russian Olympic Committee was then suspended entirely by the IOC in October 2023 when it absorbed Ukrainian regional sports organizations in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.

There has been much debate around whether Russian and Belarusian athletes should be permitted to take part in the Olympics, with Ukrainian athletes in particular voicing their concerns.

However, the IOC Executive Board ruled that it would be unfair to punish athletes based on their passports alone, thereby allowing some to compete in Paris, albeit under very strict conditions.

No reference to either country will be made at the Games through the athletes’ participation. Though AINs are eligible to compete and win Olympic medals, they will not be displayed in the medal table of nations.

There are no Russian or Belarusian representation in team events, with participation limited to individual competition.

Per the IOC, athletes who actively support the war or who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be eligible to be entered or to compete. The same stipulation applies to support personnel.

Read more about Individual Neutral Athletes here.

The atmosphere at these Games is just truly off the charts across events. But usually it’s the home nation’s fans making a lot of the noise.

The Moroccans are the ones showing their voice here today, and every pass is greeted by a roar.

When the United States’ John Tolkin went down with an injury, the gap in play was filled with Moroccan singing. It’s intense here.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts to beating Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in their men's singles semi-final tennis match on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Stadium on Friday.

Carlos Alcaraz booked his spot in the final of the men’s singles competition after a convincing, straight sets victory over Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday.

The 21-year-old Spaniard eased past Auger-Aliassime 6-1 6-1 on Court Philippe-Chatrier in just over an hour, continuing his excellent form on the clay court circuit having won the French Open earlier this year.

No. 2 seed Alcaraz broke Auger-Aliassime in the third game of the match and never relinquished his advantage in the first set easing to a one-set lead in just 40 minutes.

After a short break, his dominance continued against the Canadian, breaking him again in the third game of the second set before closing out his victory in impressive fashion.

In reaching his first Olympic final, Alcaraz became the youngest men’s singles finalist since 1988, per the International Tennis Federation.

Alcaraz will face either Novak Djokovic or Lorenzo Musetti in the final at Roland Garros, with the pair playing later on Friday.

To huge cheers (and jeers for the Americans), both teams are on the field and we’re ready for kick-off.

The atmosphere is electric as a mostly-full Parc des Princes hosts some soccer matches in this tournament.

It appears a tall task for this young American team today in France.

It’s clear that the hosts of the Olympics want to be friendly to everyone and encourage cheers for all the teams.

But, wow, did they just show off the difference in support here.

After leading the Moroccan fans in a chant, organizers turned their attention to American fans. An attempt to lead the US fans in a chant of “U-S-A!,” so often deafening at these Games, was immediately drowned out by whistles and jeers.

It’s going to be a tough atmosphere for the Americans. We’re about 10 minutes from kick-off here.

BryonyPageof Great Britain is seen in action at Bercy Arena on Friday.

Competing at her third Olympics, Bryony Page managed to win gold and complete a full medal set in the women’s trampoline.

She was a silver medalist in Rio in 2016 and a bronze medalist three years ago in Tokyo and headed into Paris aiming to stand atop the podium.

Going sixth, Page produced an almost flawless routine, being awarded a score 56.480 by the judges – 15.000 for difficulty, 16.400 for execution, 15.580 for time of flight and 9.500 for horizontal displacement.

While she waited for her results to be read out, Page could be seen saying, “Please, please,” in anticipation.

Page described to reporters afterwards being “really, really nervous” waiting for those scores to comes through.

The 33-year-old didn’t have to wait long as her first-place score was announced, falling to her knees knowing that she was assured at least a silver medal.

And when the final athlete to compete, China’s Hu Yicheng, fell off the mat ending her routine, Page’s gold medal was secure and the emotion began to flow.

After missing out twice before, the two-time world champion now is an Olympic champion.

As for the future, Page says she’s keeping her options open, with one eye on the Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

Viyaleta Bardzilouskaya, an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) from Belarus, won silver with a score of 56.060 while Canada’s Sophiane Méthot won bronze.

This post has been updated with quotes from Team GB’s Bryony Page.

Ezzalzouli ofMoroccoduring the warm up before a match against the United States on Friday.

The Parc des Princes is technically a neutral ground for all Olympic teams not from France during this tournament.

But, oh boy, does this feel like an away game for the Americans.

Morocco, which gained full independence from France in 1956, is fully represented here inside the Paris Saint Germain home stadium. And Moroccan captain Achraf Hakimi will feel right at home – the right-back plays for the Parisian giant.

The Moroccan fans are in full voice early and, compared to the rest of the sports here at the Olympics, the contingent of American fans appear few and far between.

Diego Chever and Florian Trittel Paul of Spain compete on their way to gold in at Marseille Marina on Friday.

Diego Botín and Florián Trittel claimed victory on the waters of Marseille in sailing today, winning the men’s skiff to earn Spain’s first gold medal of these Games.

The pair started well in the medal race and didn’t look back, finishing on 70 points, ahead of New Zealand’s Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie, who took silver.

Team USA added to its Games-leading total medal tally, with Ian Barrows and Hans Henken coming home to take bronze.

Parc des Princes is seen prior to the men's quarterfinal match between Morocco and the United States at Parc des Princes on Friday.

The doors are open at the Parc des Princes, home of French soccer giant Paris Saint-Germain, and fans are starting to file in for the quarterfinal men’s match-up between the US and Morocco.

The men’s tournament is a little under the radar here at the Olympics because the teams mostly consist of players who are under 23, though each team is allowed three overage players. That makes for some relative unknown prospects playing in the tournament as the top players in the world get ready for their club seasons.

Still, the fact that the US team is even into the knockout stage is notable. The men’s soccer team hadn’t even qualified for the Olympics since Beijing in 2008 and was dealt a big loss to host nation France in its opening match last week.

But two thumping wins over Guinea (3-0) and New Zealand (4-1) have propelled the US team into this famous stadium where until recently Kylian Mbappé starred.

All indications outside the ground are that this is going to be a very hostile crowd for the Americans today. Moroccan jerseys were spotted everywhere around the Parc des Princes and their fans were singing and chanting hours before kick-off.

The game gets going at 9 a.m. ET.

Hailey van Lith of United States in action against Myriam Djekoundade of France on Friday.

After starting the competition 0-3, the Team USA is showing signs of life in women’s 3x3 basketball.

Cierra Burdick, Dearica Hamby, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith picked up a gritty 14-13 victory over host nation France.

This moves Team USA to 2-3 after picking up its first victory yesterday against Spain as it attempts to turn its performances around in order to reach the knockout stage.

France was inefficient from behind the arc, only going 2-for-12 in the 10-minute matchup.

Hamby scored the game winner in the hard-fought contest.

This post has been updated with quotes from Team USA’s Dearica Hamby and Cierra Burdick.

Great Britain's Emily Craig and Imogen Grant celebrate with their gold medals at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday.

Rowing pair Emily Craig and Imogen Grant won Great Britain’s seventh gold medal of the Games, taking victory in the lightweight women’s double sculls event.

The duo missed out on a medal by 0.01 seconds three years ago but crossed the finish line with a time of 6:47.06, over a second clear of their nearest competitors, Romania.

Craig has a poster at home of the photo finish that saw them come fourth in Tokyo, using it as motivation to take into Paris.

Romania’s Gianina Elena van Groningen and Ionela Livia Cozmiuc took silver with a time of 6:48.78, with Dimitra Kontou and Zoi Fitsiou of Greece grabbing bronze, coming home in 6:49.28.

Lightweight rowing has been cut from the Olympic program for the 2028 Games in LA, meaning that Grant and Craig are the last gold medalists in the women’s lightweight sculls event – for now.

This post has been updated with quotes from Team GB’s Emily Craig and Imogen Grant.

Annette Duetz ofNetherlandsand Odile van Aanholt ofNetherlandscelebrate their win in Marseille on Friday.

The Netherlands duo of Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz did enough in the final skiff race to win overall gold.

The Dutch boat finished third in the medal race but had done enough in the previous 11 races to take overall first place ahead of Sweden in second.

France finished with the bronze medal.

Australian Ben Lowe has been removed from his role as a surfing judge at the Games after a photo circulating on social media generated controversy.

Lowe was pictured with Aussie surfer Ethan Ewing and team coach Bede Durbidge in Teahupo’o on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, where the competition is taking place. The picture, which had reportedly been posted on Durbidge’s Instagram Stories, was considered to be a breach of the International Surfing Association’s (ISA) impartiality policy.

CNN has attempted to reach out to Lowe through Surfing Australia for comment on the decision.

Lowe is an experienced judge and has spent 18 years on the World Surf League’s global tour. He was part of the judging panel in Tokyo three years ago.

“This decision is not related to this judge’s performance here at the Olympic Games. The ISA has communicated with all judges and teams to remind them of their responsibilities regarding appropriate behavior,” the statement added.

China's Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan compete in the men's synchronised 3m springboard diving final on Friday.

It was an incredible final for the crowd at the Aquatics Centre in Paris. Long Daoyi and Wang Zongyuan win China’s fifth ever gold medal in this event in a magnificent performance.

The duo’s final forward 4.5 somersaults dive earned them 95.76 points, putting them on 446.10 and earning them top spot on the podium.

Mexico earned its first medal in the event as its duo of Juan Manuel Celaya Hernández and Osmar Olvera Ibarra pushed China to the limit, finishing only 2.07 points behind the champions.

“This is what we’ve been working (for) all day, all night. We’ve been sleeping, we’ve been dreaming about this moment, and being able to make it reality, being able to feel the cheer of the people, our support of the whole country behind your backs is amazing,” Celaya Hernández said.

Team GB won the bronze to earn the country’s fourth diving medal at these Games.

Impressively, China has won every single diving gold so far these Olympics. What an achievement from the Asian nation!

This post has been updated with quotes from Mexico’s Juan Manuel Celaya Hernández.

Paris 2024's archery venue, Les Invalides, is seen on July 31 in Paris.

Here’s a contender for one of the most picturesque venues at the Olympics: the archery at Les Invalides.

The Eiffel Tower looms behind one stand, the glass dome of the Grand Palais – the exhibition hall hosting fencing events at these Games – sits behind the target and the golden dome of Les Invalides, an extravagant French military museum, provides a stunning backdrop to the rear of the competitors.

It’s part of organizers’ attempts to situate these Olympics around famous Parisian landmarks in the very heart of the city, and many other sports – skateboarding, beach volleyball and judo to name a few – are just a stone’s throw from here.

Even in the middle of competition, athletes have occasionally been able to enjoy the view.

“It is a nice backdrop,” said USA archer Brady Ellison, who won his opening match in the mixed team event alongside Casey Kaufhold.

“We were actually talking about that when we were being introduced. I was like, you know, I didn’t really realize it when shooting individuals, but we look back and that view is kind of impressive.”

The atmosphere is also lively, with many more fans than most international archery events.

“The crowd is huge,” said Kaufhold. “This is probably the biggest crowd I’ve ever shot in front of. But it’s really cool to see the people in the stands cheering for every country.

“I feel like every match, whether it’s the smallest country or the biggest, they’ve had somebody cheering for them, so it’s super cool to see. It brings everybody together, and it’s great to see the US flags out there.”

After defeating Uzbekistan 6-0 in their opening match, Ellison and Kaufhold will face Japan in the quarterfinals.

Ireland's Fintan McCarthy and Paul O'Donovan celebrate winning gold at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday.

Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan added to their already impressive list of achievements by winning Ireland a gold medal in the men’s lightweight doubles sculls.

The Irish duo went into the final as the reigning Olympic champions and have also won three world titles together.

The pair finished almost three seconds ahead of their nearest rival; Italy won the silver medal after narrowly beating Greece who walked away with the bronze.

This post has been updated with quotes from Ireland’s Fintan McCarthy.

Netherland's Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester celebrate gold in the women's pair rowing final on Friday.

The Netherlands put on a rowing masterclass in the women’s pair, crushing the field to win a remarkable gold medal.

Ymkje Clevering and Veronique Meester, who are the reigning world champions, finished almost five seconds ahead of second place. The pair had won silver in the same event back in Tokyo.

Romania was the best of the rest, winning the silver medal ahead of Australia in bronze.

Gold: Netherlands – 6:58.67

Silver: Romania – 7:02.97

Bronze: Australia – 7:03.54

Sha'Carri Richardson, center, crosses the finish line to win the women's 100m heat at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on Friday.

US sprinting star Sha’Carri Richardson looked to be in impressive form as she crushed her opening 100m heat of the Paris Games.

The American eased out of the blocks with a safe start and still seemed to have the race won by the halfway point, finishing in a time of 10.94 seconds – 0.2 seconds faster than her nearest competitor in Heat 1.

The competition will get much harder as the rounds progress, but it’s job done for Richardson so far who looked very smooth.

Martin Sinković and Valent Sinković of Croatia celebrate winning gold at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Friday.

The rowing races at this year’s Games are becoming known for dramatic finishes and there was yet another one to add to the list on Friday.

This time it was Croatian pair Martin Sinković and Valent Sinković who pipped their British rivals at the line, finishing just 0.45 seconds ahead.

The British boat had led for much of the final but couldn’t hold off the late charge from the Croatian brothers, who claim their second consecutive gold medal in this event.

Meanwhile, his brother and teammate was struggling to come to terms with yet another success.

Switzerland finished just behind in the bronze medal position.

This post has been updated with quotes from Croatia’s Martin Sinković and Valent Sinković.

Sha'Carri Richardson is seen after competing in the women's 200 meter semi-final at the US Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 28.

US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson will be taking to the track shortly for the women’s 100m heats, hoping to prove she is the fastest woman in the world.

The 24-year-old is the reigning 100m world champion but will face an uphill challenge taking on her Jamaican rivals who have traditionally dominated Olympic sprinting.

The American is also looking for redemption after being suspended from the Tokyo Games due to a positive test for THC – the active ingredient in marijuana – ahead of her departure.

All eyes will be on the charismatic sprinter at the Stade de France this morning for what should be a routine qualification into the next round.

David Smith of USA is seen in action during the Volleyball International Friendly Tournament match between Poland and USA in Gdansk, Poland, on July 21

For David Smith, playing the sport he loves has come with adaptations.

Smith was born with severe hearing loss in both of his ears and relies on lip-reading to understand what his volleyball teammates and coaches are saying.

And so, the team has come up with a simple plan: “When David yells for it, David gets it.”

Smith is part of Team’s USA volleyball squad at the Paris Olympics, which has won its opening two games of the pool stage.

His disability comes with its own unique set of challenges, one which Smith describes as “hard work. It’s frustrating sometimes.”

Read the full story here.

AdamPeatyof Great Britain is seen after winning the men's 100m breaststroke semifinal in Nanterre on July 27.

Swimming star Adam Peaty is set to miss the 4x100m medley relay heats today after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday.

The Team GB star had to settle for silver in his signature 100m breaststroke event on Sunday after Italy’s Nicolò Martinenghi surprisingly won the gold, pipping the British swimmer at the line by 0.02 seconds.

It later came out that Peaty woke up with a sore throat on Sunday morning, but he refused to blame his feeling under the weather for the loss, lauding Martinenghi’s performance and saying afterwards: “These are not excuses, these are just things that athletes have to go through everyday and never would I have an excuse for what is there.”

While the GB swimmer is missing today’s heats, he could still form part of the defending champions’ quartet if they qualify for the final on Saturday.

Andy Murray of Britain waves to spectators in Paris on Thursday.

It’s the day after the night before and recently retired tennis player Andy Murray has a message for all his fans.

“Thank you for all of your support over the years. It’s been bit of a rollercoaster at times but the support I’ve had from you guys has been extremely special, particularly when I’ve been competing at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in London. It was incredible,” he said in a video message posted on social media by Team GB.

Before play got underway in Paris, Murrayannounced the Games would be his final tournament. He retires after winning three grand slam titles and two Olympic gold medals.

Saya Sakakibara considered quitting BMX racing after her brother – also a BMX racer – sustained a traumatic brain injury. She also suffered two severe concussions, one of which cost her a chance at a medal in Tokyo.

Now though, the Australian is through to the semifinals in Paris after dominating the competition in the preliminary rounds. She crossed the line first all three of her runs in the quarterfinal heats to make it to the semis as the top qualifier.

She also posted the fastest overall time of 34.376 seconds, quicker than Tokyo 2021 winner Beth Shriever (34.421) and world champion Alise Willoughby (35.033).

It has been a long road back to the Olympics for Sakakibara.

Despite admitting that fear plays a role while competing, Sakakibara, who is a two-time BMX World Cup winner, said the “feeling of unfinished business” persuaded her to carry on competing and that she “wouldn’t change anything” about her career.

“Everything I did led me to this point,” she added.

Read more about Sakakibara’s career here.

Chiara Leone of Switzerland celebrates winning gold at Chateauroux Shooting Centre on Friday.

Friday has barely begun, but we already have the first gold medal of the day.

Switzerland’s Chiara Leone came out on top of the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions final, setting an Olympic record in the process.

Leone finished 31st in the world championships last year but managed to up her game to win gold in Paris, with a score of 464.4.

American Sagen Maddalena claimed silver with 463.0 points, while reigning world champion Zhang Qiongyue of China won bronze with 452.9.

It is Switzerland’s first gold medal of the Games so far.

“It’s just amazing. I don’t know what happened on the last shot, but I somehow managed to be almost in the center. It was perfect, and I’m really, really happy right now,” Leone said after the final.

This post was updated with quotes from Switzerland’s Chiara Leone.

WNBA great and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, expressed “joy and relief” following the historic prisoner swap between Russia, the US and other Western nations, in a statement on Friday.

“We are overwhelmed with joy and relief for the four U.S. citizens who returned safely to America today,” the statement read. “The Biden-Harris Administration showed true leadership once again by doing whatever it took to bring Americans home. Every American returned is a win.

Simone Biles competes in the balance beam event of the artistic gymnastics women's all around final on August 1.

The competition was fierce and the Olympic medal race stayed tight, but as is so often the case, Thursday’s stories from the 2024 Summer Games can’t be told with statistics alone.

Yesterday, we saw two US legends cement their already impressive legacies, and we bid an emotional farewell to one of the greatest British athletes of all time.

Now thunder, lightning and pouring rain have arrived in Paris — delaying some late events and giving the day’s action an even more dramatic feel.

Let’s look back at the day that was:

Simone Biles completes her comeback: The American mega-star is once again the Olympic gold medalist in individual all-around gymnastics, after winning one of the most dramatic finals of these Paris Olympics.

Biles held off a spirited challenge from brilliant BrazilianRebeca Andrade, who once again won silver, and Biles’ teammate Suni Lee took the bronze. Andrade was a more-than-worthy challenger, energizing the throngs of Brazilian fans who made the trip. She later celebrated her silver medal with them by running a lap of the entire arena floor carrying the country’s flag.

But it was Biles’ day in the end: the most decorated American Olympic gymnast ever has added yet another gold medal to her career achievements, and completed her epic comeback following her widely publicized withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics.

Katie Ledecky rises to new heights: The American swimmeris now the most decorated female US Olympian of all time after Team USA won silver in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Ledecky won her first gold of the Games in spectacular fashion earlier Thursday, with a new Olympic record in the 1500m freestyle.

Canadian 17-year-old superstar Summer McIntosh also won her second gold medal of the Games.

Thanks for the memories, Andy: They say all good things have to come to an end, and that’s now the case for Andy Murray’s tennis career.

The three-time grand slam champion announced he would retire at the end of this year’s Olympics and now, after a remarkable tournament, he’s lost. Murray shed some tears as he waved goodbye to fans following his and partner Dan Evans’ defeat to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul, who beat Team Great Britain in straight sets to advance.

Murray, who is considered one of the greatest British athletes of all time, cracked wise on social media, which was filled with tearful goodbyes: “Never even liked tennis anyway,” he wrote.

From left: Team USA's Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, and Team Belgium's Antonia Delaere react during their women's preliminary round group C basketball match on August 1.

More from today’s action:

Team USA's Brittney Griner, left, and Team Belgium's Emma Meesseman compete for a rebound during their women's preliminary round group C basketball match on August 1.

The US women’s national basketball team has now won an incredible 57 games in a row, but Thursday’s victory over Belgium will go down as one of the toughest.

Belgium had a virtual home court advantage with loads of fans in attendance cheering them on.

But luckily for Team USA, they have Breanna Stewart. The New York Liberty star was on fire early, going a perfect 6-for-6 to start and scoring 15 in the first half.Stewart finished with a game-high 26 points.

Team USA was only up seven entering the fourth quarter but pulled away in the final period to win 87-74, booking a spot in the quarterfinals.

The US women have not lost at the Olympics since 1992. They will wrap up group play Sunday against Germany.

A tearful Andy Murray leaves the court after he and doubles partner Dan Evanslost in the quarterfinalson August 1.

Andy Murray was in tears as he walked off the court following his final professional match on Thursday.

He and British teammate Dan Evans had just lost in straight sets in the men’s doubles tournament, marking the end of Murray’s playing career.

Social media was immediately awash with emotional messages about the 37-year-old, considered one of the greatest British athletes of all time.

Murray, meanwhile, offered up a perfect, cheeky parting message:

You’d imagine he’s been cooking that post up for a while.

CNN is tracking every country in the race for the most gold medals in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Check back throughout the two weeks ofeventsfor the number of golds by country.

Below is the medal count, so far: