Breaking News: Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky win more gold for Team USA…

The Paris Olympics rolled on Saturday with some of Team USA’s biggest names winning gold to cement their legacies as all-time greats.

Gymnast Simone Biles took gold in the women’s all-around for the second time in her career, her seventh gold and 10th medal overall. And she’s not ruling out competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In the pool, Katie Ledecky won her fourth consecutive Olympic gold in the 800-meter freestyle, completing her week with her fourth medal in Paris and 14th in her Olympic career. In track, American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson won silver in the 100, losing out to Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred – who claimed her country’s first-ever Olympic medal.

Elsewhere, the women’s soccer team advanced to the semifinals with an extra-time win over Japan and the men’s basketball team routed Puerto Rico.

NANTERRE, France — Relays at the Paris Olympics have galvanized the crowd at Paris La Défense Arena, and Saturday’s mixed 4×100-meter medley relay was no different, as the United States stormed ahead to win gold.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

The Americans finished first with a time of 3:37.43 in a world record, while China won silver in 3:37.55 and Australia won bronze in 3:38.76.

The world record previously belonged to Great Britain at 3:37.58.

The mixed medley relay — added to the Olympic swimming lineup at the 2021 Tokyo Games — requires a bit more strategy than the others with two men and two women competing on each team. For Saturday’s final, Team USA’s lineup was Ryan Murphy (backstroke), Nic Fink (breaststroke), Gretchen Walsh (butterfly) and Torri Huske (freestyle).

NANTERRE, France —Katie Ledecky, the greatest female swimmer of all time, won her fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle Saturday night, completing her week with her fourth medal in Paris and 14th in her Olympic career.

Ledecky’s time of 8:11.04 defeated Australian Ariarne Titmus. American Paige Madden took the bronze.

This was a victory of the moment, but also one 12 years in the making. Ledecky first won the Olympic 800 in a big surprise as a 15-year-old water bug in London in 2012. She won it by a mile in Rio in 2016. She held off Titmus to win it again in Tokyo in 2021. And now this, the four-peat, the first time a woman has won any swimming race in four consecutive Olympics.

Michael Phelps is the only other person to do it, in the men’s 200 individual medley, from 2004-2016. – Christine Brennan

PARIS – Their Olympics couldn’t have started any worse, but the U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team has turned its fortunes around just in time to chase a medal.

Dearica Hamby scored nine points Saturday as the U.S. beat China, 21-13, in a play-in game at La Concordia. They play No. 2-seeded Spain in the semifinals Monday.

The U.S. has won five straight games since an 0-3 start and beat China, the world’s No. 1-ranked team, twice on Saturday.

“Those first couple games I just didn’t think our effort was where it needed to be,” Cierra Burdick said after the women’s first win Saturday. “3×3 is a different sport. As much of it can come down to schemes and tactics, a lot of it is just effing wanting it more and gritting it out and working harder and tougher than your opponents and I think we lacked that the first couple games and I think now we’re starting to realize how hard it is to actually get wins.” — Dave Birkett

American Alex Walsh originally finished in bronze medal position but was disqualified after officials ruled she made a bad turn on her backstroke leg. Walsh won a silver medal in the 200 IM at the Tokyo Olympics. – Michelle R. Martinelli

NANTERRE, France — Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh won her fourth medal and third gold at the Paris Olympics, finishing first in the women’s 200-meter individual medley Saturday at Paris La Défense Arena.

McIntosh out-touched Americans Kate Douglass and Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, winning in an Olympic-record time of 2:06.56. Douglass earned silver with a time of 2:06.92 and McKeown bronze in 2:08.08. – Michelle R. Martinelli

SAINT-DENIS, France — Ryan Crouser told USA TODAY Sports he was going for the Olympic three-peat. He did just that and cemented himself as the best shot putter of all time.

The U.S. shot putter won his third consecutive Olympic gold medal with a throw of 75 feet, 1¾ inches. He’s the only shot put thrower in history to win three Olympic gold medals in the event.

Team USA’s Joe Kovacs finished second, throwing 69 feet, 4¾ inches and Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell came in third with nearly an identical mark but it wasn’t enough to overtake Kovacs.

SAINT-DENIS, France — The U.S. mixed relay lost the 4×400 mixed relay – but just barely.

The Netherlands’ Femke Bol used a tremendous kick in the last 100 to pull in front of American Kaylyn Brown just before the finish line, finishing in 3:07.43. The Americans, a team made up of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Brown, settled for silver after running 3:07.74.
Great Britain finished third, claiming the bronze, at 3:08.01.

Fans excited for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400-meter hurdle race are likely familiar with Bol. Bol is also a 400 hurdlers, and McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest competition for gold in Paris. – Lindsay SchnellNANTERRE, France — American swimmer Gretchen Walsh advanced to Sunday’s women’s 50-meter freestyle final, touching the wall in 24.17 seconds in Saturday’s semifinals at Paris La Défense Arena. The 21-year-old first-time Olympian enters the final seeded second, behind Swedish swimmer and world record holder Sarah Sjöström.

Sjöström, who won the 100 freestyle earlier this week, set an Olympic record in the second semifinal with a time of 23.66. Sjöström now owns the six fastest 50-meter times in history.

Walsh already has two silver medals at the Paris Olympics, her first Games, in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay and the 100-meter butterfly behind fellow American and gold medalist Torri Huske. She finished eighth in the 100-meter freestyle.

Three-time Olympian Simone Manuel swam earlier Saturday in the 50 free prelims, but with her time of 24.87, she tied for 18th, missing the top 16 semifinals in her only individual event. Manuel, who turned 28 Friday, is a seven-time Olympic medalist, including winning two silver medals at the Paris Olympics in the women’s 4×100 freestyle and 4×200-meter freestyle relays. – Michelle Martinelli
Hailey van Lith scored six points and made a big 3-pointer with just under 3 minutes to play as the U.S. women beat China, 14-12, for their fourth straight win in three-on-three basketball Saturday.

With the win, the women advance to bracket play, where they’ll face China in a play-in game later tonight.

The U.S. opened the Olympics with three straight losses but has rallied for consecutive victories over Spain, France, Canada and China.

They finished 4-3 in pool play, in a four-way tie for second behind top-seeded Germany.
The winner of tonight’s U.S.-China game will play Spain in a semifinal game Monday.

“I think I was probably the most frustrated out of the group (with our start),” Cierra Burdick said. “But just trying to stay optimistic and knowing that when I look back on our World Cup last year, we lost our first game against Canada, too, and I just saw the strides that we made in the time that we were together. So I looked back on that experience and i just believed that the same would happen with this group as we continued to get more reps and chemistry and time together. I knew that we would find a flow and some momentum.”

Dearica Hamby added four points and five rebounds for the U.S. – Dave Birkett

VILLEPINTE, France — Team USA boxer Jahmal Harvey lost his featherweight quarterfinal to Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan but left the ring bewildered by the result.

“I don’t know what (the judges) seen,” Harvey said. “I thought I fought a good fight. Used my jab, check-hooked him off. I stuck to the game plan. I did what I needed to do. I thought I won every round. I controlled it. That’s boxing.”

Harvey, a 21-year old who won gold at the 2021 World Championships in Serbia and the 2023 Pan Am Games in Chile, believed he had a good shot at becoming the first American men’s boxer to win Olympic gold since Andre Ward in 2004.

Instead, his run ends with three of the five judges scoring it 29-28 for Seitbek Uulu while two had Harvey as the winner.

“He held so much, he just lunged in with all his punches,” Harvey said. “He landed no clean shots. Even if he did land something clean it didn’t mean nothing because he jumped in and held. It’s not a clean in your stance punch.”

Despite being disappointed in the judging, Harvey said he was proud of his performance and would consider trying again in 2028. – Dan Wolken

The women’s 100 semifinal featured a couple major surprises.

Sha’Carri Richardson got a slow start in her heat and had to play catch-up. Richardson caught most of the other sprinters but Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was too far in front. Alfred led the race from start to finish and crossed the line in first with a time of 10.84.

The women’s 100 semifinal featured a couple major surprises.

Sha’Carri Richardson got a slow start in her heat and had to play catch-up. Richardson caught most of the other sprinters but Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was too far in front. Alfred led the race from start to finish and crossed the line in first with a time of 10.84.

Richardson placed second at 10.89 to get the second qualifying spot.

However, the biggest shock was a late scratch from Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. – Tyler Dragon

The women’s 100 semifinal featured a couple major surprises.

Sha’Carri Richardson got a slow start in her heat and had to play catch-up. Richardson caught most of the other sprinters but Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was too far in front. Alfred led the race from start to finish and crossed the line in first with a time of 10.84.

Richardson placed second at 10.89 to get the second qualifying spot.

However, the biggest shock was a late scratch from Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. – Tyler Dragon

SAINT-DENIS, France — The fastest woman in the world isn’t Sha’Carri Richardson or Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. It’s Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred.

Alfred shocked the world by winning the women’s 100 final at the Paris Olympics in rainy conditions at Stade de France. The Saint Lucian sprinter ran a national record 10.72 to win gold.

It’s the first ever Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.

“It means a lot to me,” Alfred said. “I definitely knew that Saint Lucians would be watching and hoping that they would get their first Olympic gold medal and first Olympic medal. And it came as a gold. I’m sure they are celebrating right now.”

Olympic track recap: Sha’Carri Richardson gets silver in women’s 100M in shocking race
Portrait of Tyler DragonTyler Dragon
USA TODAY

SAINT-DENIS, France — The fastest woman in the world isn’t Sha’Carri Richardson or Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. It’s Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred.

Alfred shocked the world by winning the women’s 100 final at the Paris Olympics in rainy conditions at Stade de France. The Saint Lucian sprinter ran a national record 10.72 to win gold.

It’s the first ever Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.

“It means a lot to me,” Alfred said. “I definitely knew that Saint Lucians would be watching and hoping that they would get their first Olympic gold medal and first Olympic medal. And it came as a gold. I’m sure they are celebrating right now.”

Sha’Carri Richardson placed second with a 10.87 and Melissa Jefferson’s time of 10.92 was good enough for bronze.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Alfred revealed that she woke up early Saturday morning and wrote down ‘Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.’ It turns out her note to self came to fruition.

“I think just believing in myself and trusting I could do it is what really mattered to me,” Alfred said.

Richardson was the heavy favorite going into the final. Her time of 10.71 set at the U.S. Olympic Trials is the fastest time in the world this year. But Alfred upset Richardson to win gold at her first ever Olympics.

The women’s 100 final was missing plenty of star power due to the absence of Jamaica’s three stars. Elaine Thompson-Herah suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 100 just before the Olympic track and field competition was set to begin and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce shockingly scratched just before the start of the semifinal.

Alfred, who competed collegiately for the University of Texas, had the third fastest time in the world entering the Paris Olympics. She won the 100 at the 2022 NCAA track and field championships while with the Longhorns.

The 2022 NCAA champion is now an Olympic champion, and the first Olympic medalist in Saint Lucia’s history

Olympic track recap: Sha’Carri Richardson gets silver in women’s 100M in shocking race
Portrait of Tyler DragonTyler Dragon
USA TODAY

SAINT-DENIS, France — The fastest woman in the world isn’t Sha’Carri Richardson or Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. It’s Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred.

Alfred shocked the world by winning the women’s 100 final at the Paris Olympics in rainy conditions at Stade de France. The Saint Lucian sprinter ran a national record 10.72 to win gold.

It’s the first ever Olympic medal for Saint Lucia.

“It means a lot to me,” Alfred said. “I definitely knew that Saint Lucians would be watching and hoping that they would get their first Olympic gold medal and first Olympic medal. And it came as a gold. I’m sure they are celebrating right now.”

Sha’Carri Richardson placed second with a 10.87 and Melissa Jefferson’s time of 10.92 was good enough for bronze.

2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.

Alfred revealed that she woke up early Saturday morning and wrote down ‘Julien Alfred, Olympic champion.’ It turns out her note to self came to fruition.

“I think just believing in myself and trusting I could do it is what really mattered to me,” Alfred said.

Richardson was the heavy favorite going into the final. Her time of 10.71 set at the U.S. Olympic Trials is the fastest time in the world this year. But Alfred upset Richardson to win gold at her first ever Olympics.

(From left to right) Bronze medalist Melissa Jefferson, gold medalist Julien Alfred and silver medalist Sha’carri Richardson celebrate after the women’s 100 meters during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The women’s 100 final was missing plenty of star power due to the absence of Jamaica’s three stars. Elaine Thompson-Herah suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 100 just before the Olympic track and field competition was set to begin and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce shockingly scratched just before the start of the semifinal.

Alfred, who competed collegiately for the University of Texas, had the third fastest time in the world entering the Paris Olympics. She won the 100 at the 2022 NCAA track and field championships while with the Longhorns.

The 2022 NCAA champion is now an Olympic champion, and the first Olympic medalist in Saint Lucia’s history.

SAINT-DENIS, France — Julien Alfred looked the best through the qualifying rounds.

Alfred beat Sha’Carri Richardson in the semifinal and carried the momentum into the final.

The Saint Lucian runner got out the blocks fast and had an early lead. She extended her lead during her drive and acceleration phases. At 60 meters, Alfred had a stride lead ahead of Richardson and the rest of the sprinters. Then Alfred’s speed maintenance to close final 20 meters to the finish line was too much for the rest of the competitors to handle.

All Alfred’s phases in rainy conditions were superior to any other sprinter in the women’s 100 final.

“I’m thinking of God, my dad, who didn’t get to see me. He passed away in 2013. Dad, this is for you. I miss you. I did it for him, I did it for my coach and God,” Alfred said.SAINT-DENIS, France — The U.S. mixed relay lost the 4×400 mixed relay — but just barely.

The Netherlands’ Femke Bol used a tremendous kick in the last 100 to pull in front of American Kaylyn Brown just before the finish line, finishing in 3:07.43. The Americans, a team made up of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon and Brown, settled for silver after running 3:07.74.

Great Britain finished third, claiming the bronze, at 3:08.01.

Fans excited for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 400-meter hurdle race are likely familiar with Bol. Bol is also a 400 hurdlers, and McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest competition for gold in Paris. — Lindsay Schnell

SAINT-DENIS, France — Weather could be a factor Saturday. It is sprinkling at Stade de France and in the low 70s.

In a video posted on social media, Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was a late scratch in the 100-meter semifinals, appears to be explaining to someone why she’s being denied access to the warm-up area.

“She said they changed the rule yesterday,” Fraser-Pryce says in the video. “How you going to change the rule and then not say? So you’re asking all the athletes who, for whatever reason, don’t stay in the (athlete) village, they can’t come through the gate? We came through this gate yesterday and went through security and it was OK. They want us to go all the way up to where everybody is exiting … that’s crazy!”

In an email, the Paris 2024 press office confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that, “in reference to videos circulating online, Paris 2024 can confirm that some athletes tried to enter the warm-up track at Stade de France through the wrong gate. They were redirected to the correct entrance and were able to access the venue.”

Reuters spoke with Jamaican chef de mission Ian Kelly, who told the outlet Fraser-Pryce was “not able to compete due to an injury sustained during her final warmup.” Kelly did not provide details about the injury.

The 100 was going to be Fraser-Pryce’s only individual event at the 2024 Paris Games, as she did not qualify in the 200. (She won silver in the 200 at the 2012 London Olympics.) If healthy, she could still run in the 4×100 relay, where the Jamaicans are the defending gold medalists. — Lindsay Schnell
The final in the women’s 100 is at 3:20 p.m. ET.

Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred beat Sha’Carri Richardson in her second semifinal heat, and it turns out she has the fastest time (10.84) entering the final.

Richardson and Jamaica’s Tia Clayton both ran a 10.89 to have the second-fastest times of the semis. Great Britain’s Daryll Neita posted a 10.97 and Team USA’s Melissa Jefferson ran 10.99 to round out the top five fastest times entering Saturday’s final.

The women’s 100 semifinal featured a couple major surprises.

Sha’Carri Richardson got a slow start in her heat and had to play catch-up. Richardson caught most of the other sprinters but Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia was too far in front. Alfred led the race from start to finish and crossed the line in first with a time of 10.84
Richardson placed second at 10.89 to get the second qualifying spot.

However, the biggest shock was a late scratch from Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.

SAINT-DENIS, France — Jamaican star Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was scratched from the women’s 100 meters just before the women’s semifinal.

Fraser-Pryce was not among the women on the track in the second semifinal heat. She was supposed to run in lane five.

Fraser-Pryce is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 100

The semifinals in the women’s 100 is at 1:50 p.m. ET. There are three heats in the semifinal. The top two in each heat, plus the next two fastest times advance to the final.

Richardson is the gold-medal favorite in the women’s 100, especially after Jamaican star Shericka Jackson scratched from the race earlier this week.
Richardson’s main competition for gold is expected to be Jamaican veteran sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou Smith and Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.

Fraser-Pryce, 37, is a three-time Olympic champion. She won the 100 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and at the 2012 London Games. She has eight Olympic medals in her standout career.

Ta Lou Smith had the top qualifying time in the opening round at 10.87 and Fraser-Pryce’s 10.92 was the second fastest time of the first round.

Alfred ran a 10.95 and has the fifth fastest time entering the semifinals. Alfred’s season-best time of 10.78 is the third fastest time in the world this year.

Richardson, Fraser-Pryce and Alfred are in semifinal heat two, which promises to be an exciting race
Richardson is running in the 100 and 4×100 relay at the Paris Olympics.

Richardson placed fourth in the 200 at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials and didn’t qualify for the Olympics in the event.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

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