Key events
From one GOAT to another; Katie Ledecky yesterday became the female swimmer with the most medals in Olympic history. She now has eight gold, four silver, and a bronze. One at London 2012, five at Rio 2016, four at Tokyo 2020, and three so far at Paris 2024.
Ledecky is a lock for a medal in the 800m freestyle, a race in which she holds the 29 fastest times in history, and five of the top six times this year.
One night after the 27-year-old American became the first female swimmer to win gold medals at four different Olympics after retaining her title in the women’s 1500m freestyle, Ledecky added a 13th Olympic medal, one more than countrywomen Jenny Thompson, Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin and Australia’s Emma McKeon.
Not for the first time these Olympics (and probably not for the last) we begin our daily retrospective by focussing on Simone Biles. As Andy Bull writes: “With Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps gone, Biles is the last of the great Olympic stars of the 21st century who is still competing in the Games. She is the biggest draw here, the one athlete who can persuade people who do not much like or care for sport to switch on and watch the best to ever do it.”
And Biles has emitted that star power at full wattage in Paris, helping the USA to team gold, then yesterday securing individual all-around gold to secure her status as the greatest gymnast in history. In case you were in any doubt, her bejewelled goat-shaped pendant spoke volumes.
The curated selection of the best images from yesterday’s action includes another beauty from the boxing competition.
Badminton is our first action of the day with play under way at 08:30 local time. At 09:00 action begins in the beach volleyball, 3×3 basketball, golf, volleyball, handball, and shooting.
It’s taken almost a week but the two titans of world sport have finally made their way to the top of the medal table. China lead the competition for golds, thanks to strong performances in shooting and diving, while the USA are way out in front for overall medals, but only a quarter of those have been gold.
The pool is a microcosm of Team USA’s Games so far with a healthy haul of 20 medals but just four golds. Australia, with five visits to the top step of the podium already stand an excellent chance of winning the meet.
France have only finished in the top five at an Olympics once since the war, and that was London 1948, but the hosts are on track for a result to remember following a fast start.
29 national anthems in total have now been heard across the events, with 50 NOCs receiving medals. Among those is Guatemala, a regular at the Olympics since 1968, but with only one silver medal to show for it – until this week. First, trap shooter Jean Pierre Brol became his country’s maiden bronze medallist, then fellow trap shooter Adriana Ruano won Guatemala’s first Olympic gold.
Ruano originally trained as a gymnast, representing Guatemala at the 2010 Pan American Championships, but she suffered a serious back injury, forcing her to train her competitive focus on another sport.
Preamble – Day Seven Schedule
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the seventh official day of competition of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
Day six was dominated by another show stopping performance from Simone Biles who confirmed her greatness with gold in the women’s gymnastics individual all-around. Speaking of US GOATs, Katie Ledecky joined the club in the pool, where there was also more gold for Australia, and a second victory of the Games for the sport’s next big thing, Summer McIntosh.
But amongst the glory there was no shortage of controversy and upsets. In the men’s doubles at Roland Garros there was a career-ending defeat for Andy Murray, and possible career-ender for Rafael Nadal, as well as an almighty upset in the women’s singles with hot favourite Iga Swiatek humbled in the semi-finals. Women’s boxing has become front page news over the participation of a boxer who previously failed gender eligibility tests. The Covid cluster continues to grow (not that anyone seems particularly concerned). And scrutiny over the performance of Chinese swimmers refuses to go away.
So what can we look forward to today?
Medal Events
🥇 Shooting – women’s 50m rifle three positions (from 9:30)
🥇 Rowing – men’s & women’s pairs / men’s & women’s LWT double sculls (from 10:42)
🥇 Diving – men’s 3m springboard synchro (from 11:00)
🥇 Sailing – women’s & men’s skiff / women’s & men’s windsurfing (from 12:13)
🥇 Trampoline – women’s (from 13:50)
🥇 Equestrian – team jumping (from 14:00)
🥇 Badminton – mixed doubles (from 15:00)
🥇 Archery – mixed team (from 16:43)
🥇 Judo – women’s 78kg & men’s 100kg (from 16:00)
🥇 Tennis – mixed doubles gold (from 19:00)
🥇 Fencing – men’s epee team (from 19:30)
🥇 Trampoline – men’s (from 19:50)
🥇 Swimming – men’s 50m freestyle, 200m IM / women’s 200m backstroke (from 20:30)
🥇 Athletics – men’s 10,000m (from 21:20)
🥇 BMX Racing – men’s & women’s (from 21:35)
*(All times listed are Paris local)
Simon Burnton’s day-by-day guide:
Trampoline
Most Olympic disciplines look an awful lot like hard work, involving as they do large amounts of running about and other effortful endeavours. Without for a moment questioning the dedication that goes into mastering it, trampoline is unusually joyful: just watching it is enough to put a spring into anyone’s step. Sadly it’s all over in one day so gorge while you can, as Team GB’s Bryony Page attempts to complete the set after silver in Rio and bronze in Tokyo.
Windsurfing
There has been a major change since the last Olympics, with the RS:X out and the eyecatching iQFoil in. The board is now attached to hydrofoils, which lift it out of the water when it’s going at speed. The Dutch tend to excel in this discipline but keep an eye out for France’s Nicolas Goyard, keeping it in the family after his brother Thomas won silver in Tokyo, and Britain’s Emma Wilson, who is aiming to improve on the bronze she won three years ago.
Judo
France’s legendary judoka Teddy Riner, a three-time Olympic and 11-times (that’s 11 times) world champion, goes for yet another medal. Judo is extraordinarily popular in France – about 10% of eight-year-olds play regularly – and whatever his result Riner will be acclaimed as a hero. The 35-year-old has already said he plans to continue to Los Angeles: “Why would I stop when I love what I do?”
Other unmissable moments include our first look at the athletics track inside the Stade de France. The only track and field medal on offer today is in the men’s 10,000m but other highlights include the first half of the decathlon, and qualification in the wide open women’s high jump and triple jump.
In the pool, Kaylee McKeown is racing for her fifth career gold in the 200m backstroke. The BMX Racing finals will provide an awesome spectacle and deserve attention for some magnificent stories, including those of Mariana Pajon, Alise Willoughby, and Saya Sakakibara. The men’s football quarter-finals include a France v Argentina grudge match. And at Roland Garros Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are in semi-final action.
I’m sure I’ve failed to include something notable to you in this short rundown, so feel free to let me know what’s on your agenda by emailing: jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com or, if you’re still rummaging around in the post-Twitter dumpster fire, find me on X @jphowcroft.
I’ll be around for the first few hours of the blog here in Australia, after which I’m handing over to Martin Belam in the UK.