Paris 2024 weekend roundup: Five thousandths of a second
A weekend round up from Paris 2024. Noah Lyles wins the men’s 100m Olympic title by five thousandths of a second, Novak Djokovic finally wins tennis gold and Team GB win several medals including gold in the men’s eight rowing.
TOP STORY - FIVE THOUSANDTHS OF A SECOND
The USA’s Noah Lyles has won the men’s 100m Olympic title after what is being described as the best final in the event’s history.
Lyles only finished second in his semi-final but saved his best performance for the blue-ribbon event of the Olympics.
He initially got off to a slow start and was last in the first 30m. However, Lyles stormed back in the final 70m but it was too close to call as the athletes crossed the finish line.
The athletes had a nervous wait while the umpires checked the photo finish to determine the medalists.
After what felt like an age the results were finally declared. Lyles won in 9.79 and edged out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second to add the Olympic title to the 100 and 200m world title he won in Budapest last year.
It is the first of three Olympic golds that Lyles is aiming for in Paris. His bid for immortality continues in the 200m and men’s 4x100m relay later in the week.
Fred Kerley won the bronze medal. British duo Louie Hinchcliffe and Zharnel Hughes were knocked out in the semi-finals.
MORE ATHLETICS
On Saturday, Julien Alfred of St Lucia won the women’s 100m title in a time of 10.72 despite poor weather. The run broke a national record and won St Lucia’s first Olympic medal.
World champion Sha’Carri Richardson had to settle for silver after a slow start. Her American teammate Melissa Jefferson edged out Great Britain’s Daryll Neita to win the bronze.
It was an open final after Jamaican’s Shelly-Anne Fraser Pryce and Shericka Jackson withdrew earlier in the competition.
Great Britain’s mixed 4x400m relay team won bronze in a national record time of 3:08.01. Dutch superstar Femke Bol ran a brilliant last leg to break the European record and secure gold for the Netherlands. The USA took silver despite breaking the world record in the semi-finals.
Elsewhere, several British track stars are safely through to their respective semi-finals.
Daryll Neita and Dina Asher-Smith recovered from their 100m disappointments to qualify for the women’s 200m. Matt Hudson Smith and Charlie Dobson also won both their 400m heats.
Josh Kerr has qualified for Tuesday’s 1500m final after a fascinating semi-final duel with rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Keely Hodgkinson has qualified for Monday’s 800m final.
TENNIS
Novak Djokovic finally won an Olympic gold medal after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at Roland Garros.
Both sets were decided on a first to seven tie-break after they couldn’t be separated in normal play.
The Serbian comfortably won both and there were emotional scenes at the end as he celebrated with his team and supporters.
Djokovic becomes only the 5th player in history to win the golden slam in singles competition. Before the Paris games only Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal had won all four majors and the Olympic title.
Lorenzo Musetti of Italy won bronze.
GYMNASTICS
Simone Biles won her third gold medal of the Olympics after winning the vault. Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade once again pushed Biles all the way but just couldn’t get the better of the American.
Biles won with a score of 15.300 with Andrade taking the silver with 14.966. USA’s Jade Carey won bronze.
Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghan won the men’s pommel horse final with a score of 15.533. McClenaghan has now won every major championship after winning three European, two worlds, a commonwealth and Olympic title.
Max Whitlock could only finish fourth in his last competition but ends an excellent career after winning six Olympic medals including three golds.
Harry Hepworth became the first British gymnast to win an Olympic medal on the vault after securing bronze. Jake Jarman came fourth in the vault but then won bronze on the men’s floor.
SWIMMING
Katie Ledecky won the women’s 800m freestyle title for the fourth time to become America’s most decorated female Olympian.
The win was her fourth medal in Paris. It was also Ledecky’s ninth Olympic gold and 14th medal overall.
Léon Marchand won his fifth medal of the games when his French team won bronze in the men’s 4x100m relay. China won gold and USA won silver.
Adam Peaty’s GB team finished fourth in the race. Peaty’s future remains uncertain after he suggested that he may retire after Paris.
ROWING
The Great Britain’s men’s eight won the Olympic title after a thrilling race on the last day of the rowing competition.
Team GB and the Netherlands were neck and neck for half of the race, but the British took control with 700m to go. They eventually crossed the line a second ahead of the Dutch and were physically exhausted after the race. The USA won bronze.
In the women’s eights, Great Britain edged out Australia to win a bronze medal. Romania won gold and Canada took silver.
It is a fitting end for GB’s rowers who failed to win a single gold in the last Olympics in Tokyo.
They fought back superbly in Paris, winning eight medals to make it their best overseas Olympics.
JUDO
Judo superstar Teddy Riner has won his second gold in Paris after his French team beat Japan 4-3 in the mixed team judo final.
France and Japan were tied 3-3 going into the deciding fight. Riner dramatically scored an ippon to beat Tatsuru Saito and defend the title France won in Tokyo.
It has been the perfect week for Riner who lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony and won the +100kg Olympic title on Friday.
CYCLING
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel won the men’s road race despite suffering a puncture and having to change bikes with three kilometers to go. It was Evenepoel’s second gold of the games after winning the time trial title earlier in the week.
The USA’s Kristen Faulkner won the women’s race.
SHOOTING
Great Britain’s Amber Rutter won silver in the women’s skeet after a controversial shoot-off.
Rutter and Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid were tied on 55 out of 60 shots and in the third round of the shoot-off.
Then, in the fourth round, one of Rutter’s shots was controversially ruled a miss despite replays showing she hit the clay.
Despite protesting the call, the judges stuck with their initial decision. Chadid hit her remaining shots to win gold.
The USA’s Austen Smith won bronze.
GOLF
There was an exciting end to the men’s singles at Le Golf Nationale with Scottie Scheffler and Tommy Fleetwood tied on 19 under par on the 17th hole.
However, the American narrowly won gold after Fleetwood bogied on the 17th and then made a mistake on the 18th. Fleetwood settled for silver with 18 under par.
Scheffler secured the Olympic title with 19 under par. The bronze medal went to Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, finishing on 17 under par.
EQUESTRIAN
Great Britain’s equestrian team have now won five medals at Paris 2024.
Lottie Fry won bronze in the individual dressage on Sunday after also winning bronze in Saturday’s team dressage event. Carl Hester and Becky Moody also starred in the team.
WINDSURFING
Team GB’s Emma Wilson won a bronze medal in Windsurfing’s winner takes all final.
Wilson won eight out of 14 of the qualifying races and finished comfortably at the top of the standings.
However, unlike other sailing events the final is contested as a winner takes all race rather than taking other results into account.
Wilson finished third after starting well but then struggled later in the race. Italy’s Marta Maggetti won gold and Israel’s Sharon Kantor won silver.
BOXING
Team GB’s Lewis Richardson is guaranteed at least a bronze after beating Zeyad Eashash by split decision in the men’s light middleweight division. His semi-final will be on Tuesday when the medal bouts move to Roland Garros.
Cindy Ngamba is also guaranteed a bronze medal in the women’s middleweight division after beating French fighter Davina Michel by unanimous decision.
HOCKEY
Great Britain men’s Hockey team are out of the Olympics after a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to India in the quarter finals.
India were reduced to ten men after Amit Rohidas was sent off for catching William Calnan in the face with a high stick.
However, it was India who took the lead when Harmanpreet Singh scored against the odds. Lee Morton equalised for team GB and then dominated the 3rd and 4th quarters without reward.
The game went into a penalty shoot-out and it was India who prevailed 4-2 after Conor Williamson and Phil Roper were denied by the Indian goalkeeper.
It is a sad end for Great Britain who had hoped to win their first Olympic medal since 1988 in Seoul.
