2024 Paris Olympics: Sha’Carri Richardson and 4x100 relay team win gold; Team USA women in basketball final (2024)

What's coming Saturday

The United States won three gold medals — including the women’s relay in which Sha’Carri Richardson was able to glance at the competition on her way to victory — bringing its total to 33.

China has caught up when it comes to just gold medals and also had 33 at the end of Day 14 of competition at the Paris Games. Australia is next with 18.

Overall, the U.S. has 111 medals: 33 gold, 39 silver and 39 bronze. It continues to lead all other nations and groups in the overall medal count.

Alison Palaia and Eric Quinlan grew up not far from New York City in the 1980s, just when breaking was becoming a thing in the Bronx.

“I remember kids in my school throwing down cardboard boxes on the floor and doing all of these moves,” said Quinlan, 50, now a software engineer who lives in Norwalk, Conn. “And so to see it at the Olympics all these decades later is just amazing.”

The married couple have become quite the breaking fans since buying their tickets.

“We’ve watched a lot of breaking over the past year, and that final was everything we hoped for,” said Palaia, 48, who works as an artist. “I love the way the athletes get in each others’ faces in a theatrical way, but then after they finished they were hugging and laughing. You can tell they all know each other.”

Like others leaving the final, they are dismayed the sport won’t be at L.A. 2028.

“We’re pretty bummed out about it, especially because breaking was invented in the U.S, in New York City,” she added. “I just hope they bring it back for the next one.”

PARIS — Friday night was a “powerful moment for hip hop” and a “powerful moment for dance,” as one of the first-ever Olympic breaking hosts put it after Japan’s Ami was crowned the winner of an arduous day of dance battles.

She faced off against Lithuania’s Nicka in the final, proving her worth and her standing entering the arena as a two-time breaking, or breakdancing, world champion.

Today, Ami added another medal to that list.

Read the full story here.

Paris itself soared to Olympic heights during the two weeks of the Olympic Games. A look at the starring roles of the athletes and the city itself.

Rai Benjamin's winning streak for 2024 continues.

With gold in the 400m hurdles in Paris, his undefeated streak lives on. He's won all nine of his races at any distance so far this year.

He bestedKarsten Warholm of Norway to grab his first global gold medal in the event today.

It was a familiar scene for Team USA in the men’s 4x100-meter relay, as their formidable speed was halted once again by a botched baton pass.

In their quest to win their first Olympic gold medal in the event in 24 years and end a 20-year Olympic medal drought, they not only finished off the podium but were disqualified after they flubbed the first exchange.

American track legend Carl Lewis, who haslong been calling for a coaching overhaulon the men’s side, condemned the program’s repeated failure to meet the moment.

“It is time to blow up the system. This continues to be completely unacceptable,” Lewiswrote on X.“It is clear that EVERYONE at USAFT [USA Track & Field] is more concerned with relationships than winning. No athlete should step on the track and run another relay until this program is changed from top to bottom.”

Read the full story here.

After the U.S. team of Christian Coleman, Kenneth Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley suffered a baton bungle in the 4x100 relay and were disqualified, King said they gave it their all.

“We came out here and we had the mind-set of no risk, no reward, so we went out there and went big. It didn’t happen,” King said.

The baton handoff problem was between Coleman and Bednarek.

The history of sports is littered with legendary curses — the Chicago Cubs’ 108-year World Series hoodoo, only broken in 2016, is one particularly famous example. When the Team USA men’s 4x100-meter relay team advanced to tonight's final there was hope they could break a decades-long streak of bad luck.

Since taking silver in Athens back in 2004, Team USA has failed to win a single Olympic medal in this event, and in the last 20 years, the team has been its own worst enemy, with a litany of mistakes and a doping scandal putting pay to its chances of an Olympic medal.

In 2008, the baton was dropped during the exchange between Doc Patton and Tyson Gay in the heats. A silver medal for the team in London in 2012 was retracted after Gay returned a positive drug test after the Games. Another botched baton exchange in Rio in 2016 — this time the baton passed outside of the legal area — again saw Team USA disqualified. And it was more of the same in Tokyo, with a bungled exchange between Fred Kerley and Ronnie Baker seeing the team failing to progress to the final.

But the team, without individual 100-meter champion Noah Lyles, couldn't break through. Christian Coleman's pass to Kenny Bednarek set the team back, with Coleman appearing to run into Bednarek, and Team USA could not catch up.

The U.S. finished in seventh, far behind winner Canada, but the fumbled baton pass meant they were disqualified.

There was trust on both sides of a crucial baton handoff as the U.S. women powered to a gold medal in the 4x100 relay in Paris.

It happened between Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson in the final handoff of the race, and each had faith in the other, they said.

“I just remember trusting Gabby and knowing that she’s gonna put this stick in my hand no matter what, and to leave my best on the track,” said Richardson, who blew past her competitors to finish the race.

Thomas expressed a similar faith in her teammate.

“Obviously, passing the baton to Sha’Carri is a very special and unique thing. She is so fast,” Thomas said. “We know we’re in good hands as soon as she gets her hands on the baton. I felt very proud.”

The United States won the women’s 4x100m relay after Sha’Carri Richardson came from behind in the anchor leg to take the race. Teammates Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry and Gabby Thomas ran the first legs of the race.

Reporting from Paris

Americans played one electric quarter of basketballtoday and that was more than enough to send them to the women’s gold medal game.

Jackie Young,A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Copper Kahleah all scored in double figures as the U.S. cruised to a 85-64 victory over Australia in a semifinal game at Bercy Arena.

The Americans, going for their eighth consecutive gold medal, will play at 3:30 p.m. Sunday local time against France or Belgiumin what will likely be the last competition of these Olympics.

Read the full story here.

Anna Hall called coming in fifth in the heptathlon “very bittersweet,” and found some things to be proud of after the disappointing finish.

“I did everything that I could do, so I’m trying really hard to be proud of myself,” Hall said. “It definitely hurts really bad, but I’m really proud of how hard we fought in order to come as far as we came.”

Hall came in first in the final event of the heptathlon today, the 800-meter run, but overall she came in fifth and missed the podium.

The heptathlon involves seven events.

Hall said she gave everything that she had.

“This is the most tired I’ve ever been in my entire life,” she said. “Absolutely hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

While tango originated in Argentina, the beloved dance form arrived in Paris in the early 1900s and quickly caught on. Tango music was influenced by styles from places like Europe and Africa. NBC News explores open-air dances in Paris that attract people from all over the world.

Reporting from Paris

If the United States beats France tomorrow night, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry will get to put an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case and join a small club.

At this moment, only eight players can boast of having an NBA championship ring, regular season MVP honor,finals MVP award and Olympic gold.

That group includes Curry’s Team USA colleagues LeBron James and Kevin Durant. The others are Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal.

Olajuwon, known as “The Dream,” was born in Nigeria, immigrated to the United States to attend the University of Houston and became a naturalized American citizen in 1993.

Fans might wonder why 11-time NBA champ Bill Russell's name isn't on this list? That's because the finals MVP honor wasn't in existence until the final year of Russell's legendary career — and it was won that season by Jerry West.

And in a fun historical twist, that postseason honor is now called the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award.

When the Olympic flame is extinguished at the Olympic Closing Ceremony, the City of Light will go dark. But in two weeks, another showcase will begin: the Paralympics.

Reporting from Paris

Not far from the Olympic action in Paris is nearby Giverny, where Claude Monet’s gardens inspired some of his most famous paintings.

Olivia Reeves claimed gold in her Olympic debut, making her the first U.S. weightlifter, male or female, to win gold since 2000.

The 21-year-old from Tenesses is also the first U.S. weightlifter, male or female, tofinish an event in first placesince Chuck Vinci won gold in 1960.

She is the youngest American weightlifter to win gold sinceIke Bergerin 1956.

Her final total was 262 kg, five kg better than Sanchez.

Reevesalso set an Olympic record in the snatch (117kg).

Beatrice Chebet on Kenya stormed to victory in the women’s 10,000m today, completing her sweep of the distance double. With this medal added to her 5,000m gold, she is the third woman in history to pull of the double feat.

Team USA’s Helen Maroulis pins her opponent in 24 seconds to earn bronze in women’s 57kg freestyle wrestling. The bronze is Maroulis’ third Olympic medal.

Reporting from Marseille, France

NBC News’ Keir Simmons takes a break from the Paris Olympics to visit Marseille for a taste of authentic France. He enjoys bouillabaisse, or “fish soup,” with an American travel writer while discussing the history of France’s second-largest city.

Adrian Carambula has one of the most unorthodox serves in men’s beach volleyball. Watch the Italian’s “sky ball” serves from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin defeated Sweden 3-0 on in the men’s Olympic team table tennis gold medal match. China has won every edition of team table tennis since it debuted in the Olympics in 2008.

NBC’s Olympic prime-time host Mike Tirico joins "TODAY" with a breakdown of Team USA’s impressive medal haul at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Reporting from Paris

Just moments after Imane Khelif won her gold medal, the Algerian boxer reflected on the years of hard work that made this moment possible.

"That’smy dream!! I dreamed of a gold medal," she told NBC News.

"I prepared 8 years in USA, in Europe, all over the world for this victory."

Khelif thanked her coach and her Algerian teammates for this support. She appeared to be riding on his shoulders after winning the bout. Khelif was so pumped up after the victory she was doing air punches and nearly hit the doctor trying to check her out.

Reporting from Paris

Algerian Imane Khelif won welterweight gold in a unanimous decision against China’s Yang Liu, after more than a week of opponents accusing her of being a man.

Despite those false allegations from an isolated Russian boxing body,Khelif was backed by throngs of Algerian fans who filled much of Roland-Garros Stadium and have rallied to her side this week.

Defending silver medalist Raven Saunders could not keep their title today. After heavy rain made throwing conditions hard, Saunders was in 10th after their third throw and ineligible to get three more throws.

Germany's Yemisi Ogunleye took the gold, New Zealand's Maddison-Lee Wesche the silver and China's Song Jiayuan the bronze.

Ogunleye and Wesche traded the lead throughout the competition, but Ogunleye took it for good in the last round. It's Ogunleye’s first Olympic medal, and the first medal for Germany in the event since 2004.

Meanwhile Wesche continues a Kiwi tradition. This is the fifth straight Olympics in which a woman from New Zealand has won a medal in the event.

Song completed a medal run for China in throwing events. The nation has medaled in every single throwing event this Games.

American Jaida Ross, who was briefly in third, fell out of podium contention, coming in fourth.

Two athletes are awarded bronze medals in combat sports and martial arts, but why is that?

Boxing was the first sport to award two medals, scrapping bronze medal bouts from the 1952 Olympics onwards. The reason is that it was deemed unnecessary for fighters to once again put their health at risk to fight for a medal having already been beaten, so each of the four semifinalists are guaranteed at least a bronze medal.

The martial arts events are a little bit more complicated. They use a repechage system, which is essentially a second chance bracket for those who are eliminated from the competition.

Reporting from Paris

The mood seemed unanimous among the throngs flooding out of the venue and into the Paris night: The first breakdancing Olympic finals had been an epic success.

The one sour note: Thesport won’tbe returning for Los Angeles 2028.

“I know, I heard that this morning and Icouldn’tbelieve it,” said Ava Rodriguez, 44, who works as a data analyst in the French capital. “Breaking is so fantastic becauseit’sfreestyle and creative.It’snot like other sports.”

The competitive yet collegiate spirit among competitors differentiated it from many other sports, she said.

“I love that they hugged at the end,” Rodriguez added. “It’sso good that we saw this tonight, and to see women doing it, too.”

The U.S.' Olivia Reeves took gold in 71-kilogram weightlifting, setting a new Olympic record in the process.

Reeves, 21, lifted 117 kilograms in the snatch, taking the record. She attempted a 150 lift in the clean and jerk but stumbled. However, she lifted a 145 in the clean and jerk. Her score added up to a total of 262 kilograms.

Colombia's Mari Leivis Sánchez took silver, lifting a total of 257 kilograms. Ecuador's Angie Paola Palacios lifted only 1 kilogram less, taking bronze with 256 kilograms.

Reeves won the U.S.' first Olympic title in the event since Sydney in 2000.

After a devastating loss in Tokyo, American Rai Benjamin bested reigning Olympic champion Karsten Warholm of Norway to win the 400-meter hurdles gold.

"Rai Benjamin has conquered the viking," one NBC commentator said.

Salif Mane, whose pre-competition routine includes listening to voicemails his father left him in December 2019 before he died of Covid, came up short in the triple jump event.

He saved his best for his last, jumping 17.41 meters. But he wound up finishing sixth.

Jordan Alejandro Díaz Fortún of Spain won the gold, followed by Pedro Pichardo of Portugal and Andy Diaz Hernandez of Italy.

Kenya's Beatrice Chebet came in first place in the women's 10,000-meter race. Italy's Nadia Battocletti took silver and the Netherlands' Sifan Hassan will take bronze.

It was a good effort for the Americans, who stayed together throughout the race in the lead pack, and American Parker Valby was in the front of the whole pack for a few minutes. But ultimately, the U.S. did not prevail.

Americans Weini Kelati came in eighth, Karissa Schweizer in ninth and Valby in 11th.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

“You will never forget this night,” said Portuguese breaking host Max. And he may well be right.

“Thank you for embracing this moment that we will never forget,” he told the rapt crowd, his voice croaking after a ferocious night of announcing and hype-man theatrics.

After they had finished breaking, and before they knew who won, Ami and Nicka embraced. And although the Japanese dancer won gold, there was a genuine sense of shared victory among the athletes, with the Lithuanian silver medalist holding her arms aloft, celebrating just as much as the victor, on this newfound stage for the discipline.

They won't get medals but American DJ Fleg and Poland's Plash One did not put a stylus wrong all night. And though a lucky 7,500 people got tickets tonight, a further few hundred were gathered in the open space outside the arena, craning their heads to catch a glimpse of the big screens inside.

Ami is no stranger to a final, having won the world title in both 2019 and 2022.

But Nicka wanted this bad, sprinting out to the stage one final time and wasting no time before showing off her skills in the first round.

In this case, it was experience that prevailed.

Both breakers are incredibly well-rounded, showing off an even mix of style, power and technique. Arms around each other, they waved to a cheering crowd, who just witnessed history.

After the results were announced, Ami, who looked serious throughout the evening, showed off a toothy smile and tons of personality, hugging her team in celebration and high-fiving the crowd, showing peace signs to the camera and signing autographs for fans.

As the announcers put it, tonight was a "powerful moment for hip-hop" and a "powerful moment for dance."

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

In more than two weeks covering the Olympics, your NBC News live blogger has rarely, if ever, seen a more packed press area than the one right now at the B-Girls breaking finals.

It's standing room only, and there are a lot of people standing.

The only event that's comparable with this level of demand was Team USA's men's basketball quarterfinal and semifinals. It's a truly life-affirming atmosphere here, as the audience feeds off the mix of athletic prowess and adversarial yet respectful competitiveness.

History was just made.

671 won the first-ever medal in Olympic breakdancing, earning bronze. She won the battle 2-1.

India couldn't quite match the top-seeded Chinese athlete's power, though both teenagers proved that stamina is a crucial component in today's game.

It was still a stunning finish for the Dutch breaker. She had to battle in to earn the 16th seed ahead of the round-robin, then, against all odds, prevailed to the bronze medal match.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

Paris has made a big deal about how much of its Olympics infrastructure is temporary, ready to be dismantled as part of these "sustainable" Games.

Laudable as that may be, the bleachers at La Concorde are literally swaying as the hosts whip up the crowd into an arm-waving frenzy ahead of the B-Girls' breaking final.

After a win in the final heptathlon event, the 800-meter, American Anna Hall was aiming to become the first U.S. woman to make the Olympic heptathlon podium since 2008. In the end, she was forced to settle for fifth.

Hall medaled in the event at the last two world championships and ended the first day in bronze medal position, but veteran Olympians overtook her.

Nafi Thiam of Belgium became the first woman to win three gold medals in the event, defending her golds from Rio and Tokyo. Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson took silver.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

The sun may have set, but the temperature just went up at La Concorde. That semifinal between China’s 671 and Lithuania’s Nicka could have been a final, with some simply breathtaking power moves and "down-rock" action that at times stretched the bounds of human physiology.

Among a host of borderline impossible moves, 671 attempted some sort of ... backflip? Which somehow resulted in her landing on her back. I'm not quite sure how she did it, either.

And some of the postures adopted by Nicka had me genuinely worried about her neck. We must assume these athletes know what they’re doing. Or at least have a good chiropractor.

The final will be between Ami (Japan) and Nicka (Lithuania), with both guaranteed a medal.

India (Netherlands) and 671 (China) will battle for the bronze next.

Seeds one and two faced off for a spot in the gold medal battle, but ultimately, Nicka prevailed, 2-1. As the announcers said, she was "showing breaking in its proper form."

She collapsed to the stage when the results were revealed.

671 started off strong, busting out early power moves, like a tricky windmill variation and a head slide, while Nicka showed off her "vocabulary," high technique in a variety of breaking elements.

Both women were interacting throughout, having fun with each other and the crowd, clearly excited to be showing what they've got on this stage. Both showcased tons of personality, from 671 shaking her hips to Nicka's huge smile throughout.

“This is what a battle looks like," the commentators said.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

An absolute nail-biter in the first breaking semifinal between India, from the Netherlands, and Japan's Ami.

It really felt like the momentum in the arena was with India for much of that contest, as she whirled around the floor as if propelled by some otherworldly force.

But it was the last round that clinched it for Ami, world champion in 2019 and 2022. She is the evening's first finalist.

It was a battle for a spot in the final, and Ami won out. She's guaranteed a medal.

A chance at the gold was an unlikely feat for India just hours ago, but her youth, stamina and fresh moves proved she is one of the best in the world. She will face the next battle's loser for the bronze.

Ami fought hard, ending her third round turn staring dead at India. Her personality proved to prevail in a crucial battle.

In the end the judges gave two rounds to Ami and one to India.

Reporting from Paris

Despite a valiant effort by host nation France to come back to force extra time, Spain scored twice to secure the gold medal.

The fifth and final goal from Spain came from Sergio Camello in 120’ +1. Spain, which is fresh off winning the European Championship earlier this summer, took silver at the Tokyo Olympics.

This was Spain's fifth medal in soccer but their first gold since 1992 when they hosted the Games in Barcelona.

Today's match was also the highest-scoring gold medal match since 1912 when Great Britain defeated Denmark 4-2.

Battle 1: Ami (Japan) vs. India (Netherlands)

Battle 2: 671 (China) vs. Nicka (Lithuania)

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

The win from Lithuania's Nicka shook the temporary bleachers constructed on the cobbles of this historic plaza. It turns out there are a lot of people from the small Baltic nation here.

With that victory, the country's national colors of red, green and yellow surfaced among these seats in the form of flags, face paint and tie-dyed T-shirts throughout the three-sided bowl arena.

The light rain that peppered the early evening has gone, the sun is out and starting to dip below the Paris skyline, and we're now into the semifinals.

Christian Coleman, who was part of the botched baton handoff that led to the U.S. men's disqualification from the 4x100 relay, told reporters in Paris that the team "had the speed" to win, but couldn't put it together when it counted.

"It's a little disappointing, especially for America, because we wanted to bring it home," Coleman said. "We knew we had the speed to do it ... but we are human beings, too. We've been through ups and downs in life. This is just another one of those times where we just got to keep our head down and just keep pushing."

He looked ahead to the L.A. 2028 Olympics, but said the team cherished the rare opportunity to work together despite the loss.

“In track and field, you know, it’s an individual sport, so we are our own biggest critic,” Coleman said. “So I think when we come together as a team, that’s the fun part of it.”

Nicka has entered the arena the same way for each showing today: in a full sprint.

Her quarterfinal performance was another sprint, as she bested Ying Zi to win all three rounds. She showed no signs of exhaustion through the battle.

Nicka, who holds the second seed, was a heavy favorite in this battle, but will face top-seeded 671 next in the semifinal.

Ying Zi showed off a lot of variety and personality in her moves, while Nicka kept it traditional, nailing the elements that make up breaking.

The U.S.' Olivia Reeves is on track for gold in Paris, lifting 117 in her third snatch attempt.

She is leading the field and is on track for gold.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

That seemed so close between China's 671 and Kate, from Ukraine. That is, until the final round.

It started off personal, with 671 and Kate in each other’s faces before 671 kicked off her first round. It ended less so, with a hug and 671 heading to the semifinals.

Kate, known for her style, was telling a story in what would become her last round in Paris, often mocking 671’s moves —a key component of this sport.

671, on the other hand, leaned on power and dynamic, showing off spins and plenty of down rock, or floor, moves with high difficulty.

The Chinese teenager, who is the first Olympian without a single letter in their name, won the first two rounds 6-3 and 5-4. But the final round, in which she completed an outrageous, physics-defying head slide, was unanimous.

A gold medalist in last year's Asian Games, she'll be hoping for a repeat under the setting Parisian sun tonight.

Before Weini Kelati was running 10,000 meters to a finish line, she was running long distances to school in Eritrea.

Born in Tsada Christian, a small village in the central region of Eritrea, Kelati, 27, said it wasn’t unusual for kids to walk four to five hours to get to school every day — or to run, if they were tardy.

Running would eventually take her far beyond the African country to Oregon, where her journey to become an American Olympian started 10 years ago and where thatdream was cementedin June with a first-place finish at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

Read the full story here.

India is here to win, and she's one step closer after a stellar quarterfinal performance. She bested Ayumi 2-1.

Ayumi focused on originality and details in her throw downs, but it was India's stamina in Round 3, when she showed off intense and dizzying spins, that helped her prevail.

India almost didn't make it here. She was seeded 16th ahead of the day and had to face off in a pre-qualifiers battle against the 17th seed to earn her place. She's proving she's worth it.

The rain made for difficult conditions on the field today, making the throwing circle slippery. As some athletes slipped, it made conditions hard for all.

Raven Saunders fell victim to the rain, with their first throw a foul and their additional two not landing far enough to allow them three extra opportunities to throw the shot and raise their score.

Saunders' best score was 17.79, bringing them to 10th place.

The U.S.' best hope in the event is Jaida Ross, currently in third after her first throw was 19.28 meters.

France's last hope of the day, Syssy, was knocked out of the final by Japan's Ami, who took the first battle of the quarterfinal 3-0. She will advance to the semifinal.

While it looks like Ami changed her outfit for this round, she didn't change her skills, which she brought out strong, showing off head spins and freezes galore. The announcers also noted her "clean style," which is "legible" and "easy to read."

Syssy, only 16, will surely be back in the world of breaking. But the French crowds were not happy to see her lose today.

The knockout rounds will feature three rounds in each battle, compared with two rounds in the round-robin, proving an exhausting feat for each athlete. The best of the three moves on.

The sportsmanship today has been on point. After the battles, the women often shake hands or hug their opponent.

Reporting from Paris

A chip shot by Spain's Sergio Camello in the 100th minute puts Spain back in front 4-3.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

She may have gotten eliminated by Japan's Ami, but France's Syssy brought the home crowd to its feet with a few power moves, spinning on her head and hands for so long it seemed like she may never return to Earth.

Even with all the other events going on tonight, this historic event feels like the place to be in Paris. There's a line of journalists waiting to get in outside; thankfully your NBC News live blogger has managed to bag a prime spot overlooking the stage.

The action is already getting to be too much for one of the hosts, Portugal's Max, who seems to be losing his voice. Let's hope not, as there's a long evening of breaking and battling to come yet!

Women's 400-meter favorite Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic won gold in 48.17, setting a new Olympic record and becoming the first Dominican woman to win Olympic gold.

Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain got silver and American Alexis Holmes took bronze.

Eight women will battle it out for a spot on the first-ever breakdancing podium as the final is about to begin.

The final will be formatted as a knockout round. Each battle will comprise three rounds. The winner of the battle moves on.

Raven Saunders is in eighth place after their second attempt in shotput.

The athlete walked out in a sunglasses and mask, fouling on their first throw. The second one was 16.92 meters, leaving them eighth in the rankings.

Athletes get three throws, and the top three shot putters get an additional three tries.

The Canadian men won the 4x100 final in a stunning upset, their first win in the event since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. South Africa took silver and Great Britain bronze.

For the fifth consecutive Games, the U.S. men failed to meet the moment. They finished in seventh and were disqualified due to a baton pass error.

Reporting from Paris

France came all the way back to tie it at 3 in stoppage time after a penalty strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

France was down 3-1 with less than 30 minutes played, but two quick goals nearing the end of the match puts us on the verge of extra time.

The penalty was awarded after a video review confirmed that Spain's Juan Miranda fouled Arnaud Kalimuendo.

Christian Coleman, Kenneth Bednarek, Kyree King and Fred Kerley suffered a disastrous baton fumble on their first pass in the 4x100 relay.

The reigning world champions attempted to win their first Olympic gold medal in the event in 24 years and end a 20-year Olympic medal drought, but fell short again in Paris.

Reporting from Paris

Maghnes Akliouche's goal following a free kick from Michael Olise puts France down only 3-2 with about 10 minutes left in the match.

Sha'Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Melissa Jefferson and Twanisha Terry won gold in the 4x100 relay final.

Despite a baton bobble in the qualifying round, the U.S. women braved a wet track in rainy conditions to win their 12th Olympic medal in the event. Today's gold is an improvement on their silver medal relay finish in Tokyo.

Richardson anchored the U.S. effort, earning her first Olympic gold medal.

After winning a silver medal in her primary event Saturday, the 100-meter dash, Sha'Carri Richardson could finally become the golden girl many expected to show up in Paris.

Richardson turned on the gas as the U.S. anchor for the women's 4x100 relay in the qualifying round, running a sub-10 split with a sublime 9.99 time.

She posted the fastest split of the day, clinching the top qualifying spot for the U.S. women, whose final time was 41.94 seconds.

Reporting from Paris

Host nation France has just 45 minutes to stage a comeback against Spain as the second half kicks off and France is down 3-1.

Reporting from La Concorde, Paris

That was a scene like no other in Olympics history: competitive breakdancing in Paris' Place de la Concorde.

Before crowds even got into the arena they could tell something extraordinary was afoot, as the break beats and MCs' whoops and cheers reverberated down the archways of the Rue de Rivoli.

Inside the venue, a three-sided amphitheater looked down on a small round stage, where impossibly young B-girls faced off against each other in adversarial style. Like many of Paris' urban arenas, this all played out against a vista of iconic landmarks: the colonnades of La Madeleine church and the centerpiece of the Place de le Concorde itself, the Luxor Obelisk.

When the French acquired that Egyptian artifact in the 1830s, they probably didn't imagine that in 200 years it would be the backdrop of a breaking competition between women from Morocco, China, the United States and Afghanistan. And as far as the Olympic tradition goes, Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Athens anymore.

Reporting from Paris

Breanna Stewart scored 16 points and Jackie Young added 14 more as the United States cruised past Australia, 85-64, and advanced to the gold medal game.

The Americans, seeking their eighth consecutive women’s basketball gold medal, will play France or Belgium at 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday.

As the U.S. women's basketball team chased the chance to earn an eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal, celebrities cheered them on in their semifinal match against Australia.

Vanessa Bryant, wife to the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, was in attendance with her children. The Bryants were joined by NBA stars Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo, as well as retired All-Star Carmelo Anthony.

Battle 1: Syssy (France) vs. Ami (Japan)

Battle 2: Ayumi (Japan) vs. India (Netherlands)

Battle 3: 671 (China) vs. Kate (Ukraine)

Battle 4: Ying Zi (China) vs. Nicka (Lithuania)

The winner of each battle will move on to the semifinals.

Breaking began in the U.S., but the origin country couldn't prove it was medal-worthy at the sport's first Olympic showing.

Logistx claimed three wins in the round-robin, but it wasn't enough to push her to one of the top two spots in her group that made the quarterfinal.

Sunny earned her only two wins of the day in her final battle, where she looked like she was having the time of her life.

The men will compete tomorrow, where USA's B-Boy Victor is the reigning world champ.

It's perhaps a shock, given the sport's origins, but the competition was fierce today.

Sunny and Vanessa had one last shot to show what they're made of as neither will advance to the quarterfinal.

Sunny took Round 1, her first win of the day, with a smile plastered to her face. She looked like she was having fun through the second round, which she also won.

Reporting from Paris

The Americans are 10 short minutes away from playing for women’s basketball gold.

The heavily favored United States holds a 66-40 lead over Australia, based largely on the Americans’ ability to force and cash in on turnovers.

The U.S. is outscoring Australia, 16-5, on points off turnovers.

Kristina Teachout of the United States fell to Hungary’s Viviana Marton in the women’s taekwondo 67-kilogram quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics.

No. 1 seed 671 has been decisive today but was bested by 16-seed India, who had to battle it out to even earn a spot in the round-robin.

This puts India up 6-0 in her group and clinches her spot in the quarterfinals.

671 will take the second spot for this group in the quarterfinals with four wins throughout the round-robin.

Neither of the final two competitors, Sunny and Vanessa, had won any round heading into their final battle, meaning they can't beat 671's 4 points.

Kate and Stefani, both from Ukraine, entered this round tied with three wins each.

After two more rounds, they were tied again, each winning one round in this battle. The decision went to votes, where Stefani prevailed, with 10 votes in the battle to Kate's 8.

But over the course of the round-robin, Kate earned a total of 35 points while Stefani only earned 30, which means Kate snags a spot in the quarterfinals.

The teammates met for a long embrace after the decisive battle. Either way, it's a win for Ukraine.

Reporting from Paris

A free kick by Alex Baena of Spain was perfectly placed with goalie Restes not even moving as the ball sailed by his right to make it 3-1 Spain in the 28th minute.

Reporting from Paris

Fermin Lopez scored again as he cleaned up a rebound to score his second goal in just seven minutes.

Spanish striker Abel Ruiz had a shot from in front of the goal after a cross into the box from Juan Miranda, deflected by French goalie Guillaume Restes but directly at Lopez.

Reporting from Paris

Bercy Arena game managers are desperate to keepfans engagedin this semifinal blowout.

They blasted Journey’s classic "Don't Stop Believin'" as loud as possible on the PA just before the start of third-quarter play.

Fans enjoyed the impromptu karaoke. But whether that helps Australia cut into the big U.S. lead is another matter.

Ayumi needed two wins to secure her quarterfinals spot. She got them.

She faced off against Italy's Carlota, who won't advance after winning no battles today.

Ayumi showed off intricacy in her moves, and what Carlota put up wasn't enough to outshine her.

Carlota blew a final kiss to the crowd, tears in her eyes, as she walked offstage.

Italy's Anti and Morocco's Elmamouny gave everything they had in their final battle, but it won't be enough for either to clinch a quarterfinals spot.

Personality and style were on display this round, as the announcers said. The two women hugged it out when they finished the battle, and Anti walked off in tears.

Despite falling to Ami in the first battle of this round, Ying Zi had enough points in earlier battles to earn the second place spot in this group.

Reporting from Paris

A series of quick passes by Spain resulted in a tying strike from Fermin Lopez as the match is level at 1-1.

The goal was in the 18th minute, letting France sit in the lead for just six minutes at the Parc de Princes stadium.

Reporting from Paris

The French take an early lead over Spain 1-0 in the gold medal game after forward Enzo Millot's strike bounced off goalie Arnau Tenas' hands and over the line in the match's 12th minute.

France is seeking its first gold medal in soccer since 1984.

Ami is moving on. She beat China's Ying Zi 2-0 in her final battle of this round.

But Ying Zi's exceptionally strong showings in her first two battles could keep her in contention for the next round.

Reporting from Paris

The Americans might as well play“Sweet Georgia Brown” on the loudspeakers.

After missing some easy early shots, the United States put it in gear and opened up a 45-27lead at intermission over the overmatched Australians.

In one particularly ridiculous play, Chelsea Grey drove the lane, picked up two defenders and flipped the ball back behind her head to Breanna Stewart, who stepped back for a crowd-pleasing 3-pointer.

Jackie Young has energized the Americans with 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.

It's likely over for Team USA in breaking, after Syssy edged out Logistx in their final battle of the round-robin.

Logistx jam-packed her first round with quality and musicality, despite Syssy's explosive showing, and ultimately prevailed.

Despite missing two freezes at the end of round two, which Logistx was quick to call her on, Syssy grabbed the win. She only needed one round to push her to the second-place spot in her group and clinch her place in the quarterfinals.

The first of eight to make it to the quarterfinals, Nicka, from Lithuania, proved why she's the reigning world champ.

She won 5 of 6 rounds she battled today, losing one to France's Syssy.

Her final opponent, Australia's Raygun, didn't win any of her rounds, but represented her country in style.

Reporting from Paris

Australia won't have much of a chance if the Americans keep hitting their 3s.

Sabrina Ionescu and Jewell Loyd hit consecutive jumpers from deep and the Americans, who had an early 10-point lead cut to just a bucket, are back up 30-16.

The top 16 breakdancers have one more round in the round-robin to prove they're knockout-worthy.

USA's B-Girl Sunny needed a win to stay in contention for the knockouts, but she didn't get it.

India, from the Netherlands, is the only athlete to have performed three times already, having to battle it out in a pre-qualifier round to get to the round-robin.

She bested Sunny 2-0 and 18-0 votes, almost definitely securing her spot in the quarter finals. Sunny only has one more chance to perform, but after 2 losses, it's unlikely she'll move on.

Sunny seemed to be studying her opponent during her first round, and responded with a thumbs-down before rallying the crowd to get on her side.

Darja Varfolomeev of Germany, who won five golds at the 2023 World Championships, took the top spotin the individual final at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris.

Bulgaria’s Boryana Kaleyn got the silver medal. Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli, who won the 2022 world all-around title, claimed bronze.

Rhythmic gymnastics is a female-only event that made its Olympic debut at the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Each gymnast performs four routines: with a hoop, a ball, clubs and a ribbon. Judges give a difficulty score and an execution score.

Reporting from Paris

The Australians have to be delighted finishing the first period down just 20-16 to the United States in this women’s semifinal game.

The faster, bigger Americans scored 14 of this contest’s first 18 points but Australia managed to stem the tide thanks to 2-for-4 shooting from long distance.

Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young has 8 points, making all of her field goal attempts.

The U.S. women's basketball team led Australia by four points after the first quarter of Friday's semi-final. Their male counterparts had a surprisingly narrow win over Serbia yesterday, so Team USA appears to be on high alert today.

The U.S. held onto its narrow lead in the third set winning 25-23, with TJ DeFalco securing the bronze in the second match point.

The U.S. was knocked out of gold and silver contention in the semifinals against Poland, but came through with redemption, winning three straight sets today.

The 3-0 score does not reflect the closeness of the match, however, during which the Italian team put up a fight that forced the team to play the second set to 30 points.

The teammates embraced each other as they soaked in their victory. It’s the first bronze for the U.S. since 2016, and the last for this iteration of the team, from which some players are likely retiring.

“It’s nice because have something to show for all the work that we put in,” Micah Christenson told NBC Sports after the match. “But it’s bittersweet because we might be saying goodbye to some of these guys for the U.S. team.”

Player Matt Anderson, who said he would not be retiring, said that the team took some space the day after the semifinals to grieve not being in gold-medal contention. Anderson processed by “diving into the work.”

“We trained for the gold, taken away from us in the semifinal, but I’m proud of the way we regrouped,” he said. “We just let each other have that space so when we come out here today we’re 100% for what we have to do.”

It was another easy win for 671 from China, who bested Portugal's Vanessa 2-0. She also claimed 14 of the 18 votes and almost definitely has clinched a spot in the knockouts.

B-Girl 671 exploded into her first round, but Vanessa responded by signaling 671 needed to put in headphones and listen to the music — something she does particularly well.

Both breakers showed a ton of personality this time around, but ultimately, 671's tricks earned her the win. The two hugged when their battle finished.

Stefani from Ukraine only needed 2 votes to inch ahead of Japan's Ayumi in her group, and she got them.

She bested France's Carlota 2 rounds to 0, proving her worth with good combinations and swift moves. The announcers noted she can do every kind of windmill, and she showed off a lot of them today.

Ukraine's Kate came for Japan's Ayumi in their battle —each one won round, but Kate earned 12 votes to Ayumi's 6.

A strong response from Kate to Ayumi's first round pushed her over the edge to claim the first round, in what could be considered an upset.

In her second round, Kate pounded her chest, indicating "it's mine." It was, indeed.

Kate now sits at the top of her group.

China's Ying Zi is proving she deserved a higher seeding than she was given — 14th.

In her second battle of the day, she easily bested Italy's Anti (seeded 6th) 2 rounds to 0, taking 16 of 18 available votes.

Anti again showed off her "funky" top rock while Ying Zi wowed the judges with her power moves.

Germany won its fifth Olympic medal in women’s soccer Friday after a 1-0 victory over reigning World Cup champions Spain.

They won gold in 2016 and also claimed the bronze in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

The only goal of the match was scored by Giulia Gwinn from the penalty spot. The U.S. bested Germany in the semifinals and are set to face Brazil for the gold medal on Saturday.

Ami, from Japan, took another strong win against Morocco's Elmamouny, setting her up for success, and a likely place in the knockouts, after two of three battles.

The two athletes shook hands and hugged after their battle, despite the unanimous win for Ami.

Ami brought great form in her power moves, expected from a seasoned breaker.

France's Syssy — only 16 years old —easily swept her second battle of the day against Raygun from Australia, who is likely out of the knockouts after two of three battles for the day. She sits in last place in her group.

Even though she didn't earn the points she needed to remain in the game, she showed off some sass, yawning during Syssy's second round.

Syssy commandeered the stage with strong power moves and exciting flips, but Raygun showed off creativity.

After an incredibly close second set punctuated by several stretched-out rallies, the U.S. takes its second set 30-28, making the current match score 2-1.

The match now enters its third set. If the U.S. wins this one, it will earn the bronze.

Lithuania's Nicka won her next battle against USA's Logistx 2-0, earning 15 of the 18 available points. Nicka keeps her place in first in her group.

Nicka and Logistx really got in each other's faces this round and were dancing along while the other performed their throw down.

Logistx, another former gymnast, leaned on flips in her turn, but it wasn't enough to prevail.

India from the Netherlands, who had to battle in a pre-qualifier round earlier today to even make the round robin, beat her friend and rival Vanessa, from Portugal, 2 rounds to 0.

The pair performed a handshake on stage in addition to their other moves, and hugged for the camera as they exited.

Team USA's Sunny had a tough first battle against China's 671, who was quick to bust into air flares as Sunny danced along to cheer, or egg, her on.

Round one went 8-1 to 671, as did round 2. Sunny still has a chance to move on, though. The top two women from each round will move to knock-outs.

Sunny showed off a ton of personality throughout, in addition to tricky footwork. She might not have the power moves 671 has, but her top and down rock proves where she has the edge.

She also included gymnastics moves, showcasing where she came from.

In every diving event in Paris so far, China has won gold.

Chen Yiwen's win in Friday's women's 3M springboard final is the country's 10thconsecutive gold medal in the event and seventh Paris diving victory.

China will attempt to sweep the diving events and go eight-for-eight in Paris, culminating in Saturday's men’s 10m platform final at 9 a.m. ET.

Kate from Ukraine, who the commentators pointed out leans on classic moves to create her own signatures, won both rounds and 15 of 18 votes against France's Carlota.

The home crowd went wild for Carlota, though, who showed up strong.

It was an exciting round that even breaking novices would be able to realize was full of some of the best moves out there.

A simple move from Kate: She had to tie her shoe between her first and second throw down.

Japan's Ayumi narrowly won the battle against Ukraine's Stefani. Each won one round, but Ayumi earned 10 votes to Stefani's 8.

Both breakers were battling to win, showing off intense power moves and high drama.

Ayumi is the oldest breaker in today's competition at 43. When she isn't battling it out, she's teaching kindergarten. She showed off some handcuffs in the first round, which are windmills with your hands behind your back, and are particularly difficult to execute.

Australia was the heavy favorite to run away with the men’s K-2 500-meter, but the Germans showed up with an incredible effort to snatch away the gold in dominant fashion.

Morocco's Elamouny — the reigning African champ — was bested by China's Ying Zi in two rounds.

Ying Zi took all 18 votes and both rounds. She grew up doing athletics until she found breaking at university and pursued the sport from here.

A head slide into a freeze surely earned her some votes.

The U.S. is leading the bronze medal match against Italy 1-0.

The Americans are hoping to win a medal for the first time since the 2016 Rio Games.

It was a near unanimous win for Ami, who took both rounds with 17 of the 18 possible votes. She showed off an elbow air flare among other smooth moves.

Italy's Anti, the sixth-seeded breaker, appeared to show off some ballroom-style moves in her top rock (moves performed while standing), which the commentators pointed out are typically "funky."

Making the competition ever more tricky, the breakers aren't sure which tracks they'll be throwing down to before they hit the stage, ready for battle.

Music plays a huge role in this sport, as breakers have to choreograph and show off their moves in real time to the beat of whatever the DJs are blasting through the speakers.

Logistx unanimously won her first round-robin matchup against Raygun from Australia, unanimously winning both rounds with 18 votes on her side.

She's currently ranked seventh in the world and looks ready to plow ahead to the knockouts later today.

Jordan Chiles is “that girl.”

The mantra that led her to the Olympic podium was lifted from the discography of her idol, Beyoncé.

“It’s not the diamonds, it’s not the pearls, I’m that girl,” the song goes.

Chiles’ Team USA leotard was bedazzled with just under a thousand pearls and 3,500 crystals when she won her third Olympic medal in Paris. Her floor routine was, naturally, underscored by Beyoncé.

“There needs to be the art side of it, that’s why it’s called artistic gymnastics,” Chiles told NBC News after returning from Paris. “I like to entertain. I’ve been an entertainer ever since I was young ... I think I’m an artist.”

Read the full article here

You might catch the break dancers today getting in each other's faces during their battles. While this kind of personal contact is typically discouraged in other sports, it's welcome in breaking.

It is a battle, after all.

Nicka of Lithuania and Syssy of France tied after their first battle, each taking one round, but Nicka ultimately earned 11 votes from the judges across both throw downs and Syssy only 7.

When the rounds are tied, the votes will be the deciding factor in scoring.

India bested Talash in three out of three pre-qualifier rounds to head to the round-robin, where she will compete as the 16th seed.

Let's get this party started!

In the last round of the pre-qualifiers, breaker Talash, from Kabul, Afghanistan, and representing the refugee delegation, took off her black sweatshirt to reveal a blue cape emblazoned with the message "Free Afghan women."

She is "competing for women around the world," according to NBC’s broadcast commentary.

The women's Olympic breakers are dripping in swag. Each is in a totally unique uniform resembling street clothes that show off their personal styles with the inclusion of accessories like head scarfs and sunglasses.

Loose fitting clothing is perfect for the sport that takes place a lot of the time on the ground, or in gravity-defying body contortions.

No, I will never be as cool as these women.

The U.S. men's volleyball team is facing off with Italy for bronze.

Neither team has won a medal since the 2016 Rio Games, when Italy won silver and U.S. bronze.

Italy is hoping to become the first nation to win seven Olympic medals in the sport. The U.S. would become the fourth nation to win six volleyball medals if they come out triumphant.

Hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg graced the breaking stage ahead of breaking's Olympic debut.

He brought the coup de baton to the arena to signal that the sport can officially begin.

With breaking's roots in hip-hop, it makes sense that Snoop would want to see what the Olympic sport is all about.

France’s surfing gold medalist Kauli Vaast celebrated his Olympic victory by surfing on the Seine this morning. With his gold medal around his neck, the Olympic champion from French Polynesia showed off his impressive skills by surfing for an hour on the small waves created by a boat on the Paris river.

Vaast flew from Tahiti to Paris after having won gold in the men’s competition on Tuesdayand was seen literally surfing on the crowd in the French fan zone.

The Prefecture of the Île-de-France region commented on X that the Frenchman's feat in the Seine "transformed the Seine into a surf spot for a unique show right in the heart of Paris!" adding that "'Impossible' is not French, especially with a board under your feet!"

Quincy Wilson said he "wasn't 100%" after a sluggish leg in his Olympic debut put the U.S.'s 4x400-meter relay squad on the back foot.

Wilson, 16, became the youngest male track and field athlete to represent Team USA at the Olympics when he ran earlier today. Running the opening leg for the team, Wilson handed over in seventh after a leg of 47.27 seconds, fading in the final 150 meters to land the team nearly three seconds behind at the changeover. The squad went on to recover to finish third to qualify for tomorrow night's final.

“I wasn’t 100% myself, but my team came out here and did it for me,” Wilson said after the race, declining to elaborate. “I knew I had a great three legs behind me and knew it wasn’t just myself. Because if it was myself, we’d be in last place. But these guys came out there and gave it their all.”

The teenage phenomenon, whose family was in the stands at the Stade de France this morning, earned his place on the team after impressive showings at the U.S. Olympic trials in June, twice breaking the under-18 400-meter world record with times of 44.66 and 44.59.

Breaking kicks off today with the women's round-robin. Here's how it works.

All Olympic breakers were pre-seeded to determine four round-robin groups. Each group consists of four athletes who will each compete in three battles in this stage.

In the women's competition, 17 made the Olympic cut. Seeds 16 and 17 will battle it out in a pre-qualifier round to make it to the round-robin.

The battles will consist of two turns each — called "throw downs" —and will be scored by a panel of judges.

The top eight breakers will then move on to the quarterfinals, and so on.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Nikola Dedović scored four goals while teammate Nikola Jaksic added three more as two-time-defending champion Serbia pulled away from a determined United States, 10-6, in the water polo semifinals at Paris La Défense Arena.

Marko Vavic, from Rancho Palos Verdes, California, paced the American attack with two goals while goalkeeper and UC Berkeley alum Adrian Weinberg made 15 saves against Serbia’s25-shot attack to keep the U.S. as close as possible.

The Americans will play for bronze on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. local time, 4:35 a.m. ET against the loser of Hungary vs. Croatia.

Breaking, or breakdancing, is making its Olympic debut in Paris, and it could be the only time the dance-battle sport has a showing on the world’s biggest stage.

Team USA comprises four breakers: Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny), Logan Edra (B-girl Logistx), Victor Montalvo (B-Boy Victor) and Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro),

They, along with breakers from other countries, will face off in solo dance battles as they go for gold.

Montalvo, who has been breaking for most of his life, said the sport is “all about peace, love, unity and having fun.”

Montalvo was the first American to qualify for Paris after he won the 2023 World Championships. Choi followed closely behind and qualified after she won gold at the 2023 Pan American Games.

Team USA’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone joins "TODAY" to celebrate becoming the first woman to repeat as Olympic champion in the 400-meter hurdles — and breaking her own world record.

Reporting from Nanterre, France

Two-time-defending champion Serbia has its hands full in this semifinal contest as the upstart Americans will not go away.

Southern California native Marko Vavic has scored two goals and goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg has stopped 10 of 18 shot to keep America close.

Serbia leads, 8-6, with one period to go.

It's halftime in the men's semifinal between Team USA and Serbia, and Team USA have work to do in the second half with Serbia ahead 6-4 at the break.

Marko Vavic got Team USA on the board early with the opening goal of the match, picking off where he left off after his starring role in the U.S.'s shootout victory over Australia in the quarterfinals. It was an evenly balanced first quarter, with the two sides trading goals to end the first quarter at 2-2.

Serbia, the defending gold medalists from both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, pulled away in the second quarter — Nikola Dedovic scoring twice as he helped his team open up a 6-4 lead over the U.S. at the half.

There are only a handful of Olympic sports in which the U.S. has never medaled. They include badminton, handball, rhythmic gymnastics (not to be confused with artistic gymnastics, in which the U.S. women excel), table tennis and trampoline.

Another small group rounds out the sports in which the U.S. has never earned gold: field hockey, modern pentathlon, skateboarding and sport climbing. However, Americans did medal in skateboarding and sport climbing in Paris.

Skateboarding and sport climbing are newcomers to the Olympic roster, having made their debuts at the Tokyo Games. The U.S. won a gold in surfing, the third and final sport that debuted in Tokyo. American Caroline Marks won gold in surfing at these Games.

The rhythmic gymnastics are currently underway, with no American women having qualified for the individual all-round final. Germany's DarjaVarfolomeev, who won five golds at the 2023 WorldChampionships, is among the favorites, as is Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli. Stay with us for the results.

Breakers will face off in head-to-head dance battles at the Paris Games, taking turns — or throwdowns — to show off their fiercest moves and tricks.

Each battle will include a set number of throwdowns from each competitor, which can’t be longer than 60 seconds. But breakers won’t face penalties for turns that are too short or too long.

A panel of judges will rate each of the performances on six criteria — creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality.

The criteria carry different weights when it comes to scoring a battle, with technique, performativity and creativity counting for 60% of the total score and variety, musicality and personality making up the remaining 40%.

After each round, the judges will submit their scores and the breaker with the highest points wins and moves on to the next round.

For Ice T, who emerged as a hip-hop artist in the 1980s, the inauguration of breaking as an Olympic sport is a moment savor, as he told his followers on X.

A look back on the most recent days of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Team USA stars like Quincy Hall taking home the gold.

German world champions Jacob Schopf and Max Lemke won a closely-contested men’s kayak double 500-meter.

Bence Nadas and Sandor Totka of Hungary, who set the world’s best time in the event back in 2017, came second.

Australia’s Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen, who won gold in the K-2 1000m event in Tokyo, took the bronze medal.

Jonas Ecker and Aaron Small of the U.S. placed seventh.

Team USA's Colin Duffy has narrowly missed out on a medal in the men's boulder and lead climbing final after finishing fourth overall.

Sitting second after the bouldering section of the event, Duffy could only post the seventh-highest score in the eight-man field on the lead climb. The 20-year-old missed out on a bronze medal by just three points overall.

Great Britain's Toby Roberts was the eventual gold medal winner with Japan's Sorato Anraku in silver. Austria's Jakob Schubert, who posted the highest score on the lead climb, narrowly edged out Duffy for bronze.

The Paris prosecutor's office has confirmed to NBC News that an Egyptian man born in 1998 and "said to be a wrestler with the Olympic delegation" was arrested at around 5:00 am local time on Friday.

"He is accused of having put his hand on the buttocks" of another customer of a bar in Paris, the Paris prosecutor's office said. The investigation has been entrusted to the criminal investigation department.

Egypt's Olympic committee did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.

Team USA star Steph Curry says the team is preparing for France to play the 'game of their life' in tomorrow's gold medal match with the squad ready to take on a hostile crowd at Paris' Bercy Arena.

After Curry inspired a huge comeback against Serbia last night in the semifinals, Team USA will take on the host nation, headlined by NBA stars Victor Wembanyama and Evan Fournier, tomorrow night with the team looking to win their fifth straight gold medal.

When asked by NBC News what the team is expecting from the host nation tomorrow, Curry said: "You expect them to play the game of their life, because they're gonna have the adrenaline. They're riding a big momentum these last two games. You got to expect them to play great, but we expect that from ourselves as well."

"We know the crowd is going to be loud and obnoxious, as they should be, and we got to be able to handle the emotions of it all."

"I'm sure each one of us can probably think of a building that we've gone into in our career; a hostile environment and nobody likes you, nobody wants to see you and you have got to channel that energy and just be ready for whatever happens."

See all the angles of Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s historic 400m hurdles run, in which she became the first person to win two gold medals in the event and broke her own world record in the process.

Four athletes have tested positive for prohibited substances and been disqualified from competition at the Paris Olympics, according to the International Testing Agency (ITA) and Paris 2024 organizers.

Iraqi judoka Sajjad Sehen and boxer Cynthia Temitayo Ogunsemilore of Nigeria were tested ahead of the start of competition. Afghan judoka Mohammed Samim Faizad was tested after losing in an elimination round. Greece’s Eleni-Klaoudia Polak was disqualified from the women’s pole vault for a doping violation after competing in heats.

Midway through the games, over 2,682 athletes from nearly all countries represented in Paris had been tested. That’s almost a quarter of all competitors. The plan is to test about 6,000 samples, according to the ITA, the body in charge of managing the anti-doping program.

The agency says it assesses which sports and countries are "high risk," as well as any intelligence it receives, and carries out tests that are "targeted" and "unannounced."Russia, which was banned from the Tokyo Olympics because of a vast, state-sponsored doping program, is banned from Paris 2024 after invading Ukraine, although 15 Russian athletes are allowed to compete as neutrals.

U.S. heptathlete Anna Hall finished the first day of the women’s event strong with a solid performance in the 200m. That places her third overall heading into the back half of the competition, which gets underway later today, at 2:25 p.m. ET and 8:25 p.m. local time.

Reporting from Paris

Rapper Travis Scott has been arrested following an alleged fight involving a security guard and his own bodyguard at a luxury hotel in central Paris, French authorities said on Friday.

“I can confirm that on August 9, 2024, police officers were called to the George V hotel and arrested the rapper nicknamed Travis Scott for assaulting a security guard,” the Paris prosecutor’s officer said in a statement.

“The security guard had intervened to separate the rapper from his bodyguard. The Paris public prosecutor’s office has referred the case to the 1st district of the judicial police,” the statement said, without adding any further details.

Scott, 33, whose real name is Jacques Bermon Webster II, was pictured in the crowd at the men’s Olympic basketball semifinal on Thursday, in which the U.S. team came from behind to secure a narrow 4-point victory and proceed to the final and a shot at winning gold.

Read the full article here

C.J. Nickolas hardly looks like one of the most lethal fighters in the world. He’s wearing baggy jeans covered in large colorful patches with pink socks and carrying a yellow Pikachu backpack. His brilliant smile illuminates like the New York City skyline behind him.

And yet there he is, at 22, the U.S.’ best chance at a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games in taekwondo, a Korean martial art in which fighters use mostly their feet and hands.

He arrives in the evening, before sunset, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza after a full day of media obligations, but, lean and 6-foot-1, he is a tower of energy. He readily switches into his U.S. fight gear to display his signature — and devastating — soaring midair double kick, a maneuver that delivers a blow to his opponent while he is in flight and a second strike as his body is contorted and suspended in air, parallel to the ground.

He displays this dexterous maneuver and others all with a smile and a youthful buoyancy because he is not in competition. In a match, Nickolas, the No. 2 fighter in the world in his weight class, sheds his lighthearted nature and transitions into a focused and violent attacker.

Read the full story here.

The French men’s basketball team narrowly got past Germany in the semifinals to advance to the gold medal game at the 2024 Paris Olympics. They'll face Team USA in that game tomorrow

Team USA's Colin Duffy sits in the silver medal position after the bouldering section of the men's bouldering and lead combined event.

The event sees athletes compete in bouldering, in which athletes score points by trying to get to the top of four bouldering walls as quickly and in as few attempts as possible, while lead climbing has athletes having one attempt to get as high up a 15-meter wall as possible.

Duffy, the youngest climber in the field when he competed in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, was able to make it to the top of two of the four bouldering walls, putting himself into contention for a medal. He sits one point behind Japan's Sorato Anraku heading into the lead climbing round.

British kiteboarder Elanor Aldridge won the first-ever Olympic medal awarded in her sailing class on Thursday. France’s Lauriane Nolot took silver and Annelous Lammerts of the Netherlands edged out U.S.’ Daniela Moroz for bronze.

American skateboarder Nyjah Huston was an early winner in Paris, placing third in the men’s street skateboarding final on July 29. But he says his bronze medal is already looking the worse for wear.

"These Olympic medals look great when they’re brand new," Huston, 29, said in an Instagram story. "But after letting it sit on my skin with some sweat for a little bit and letting my friends wear it over the weekend, they’re apparently not as high quality as you would think."

"I mean, look at that thing," he continued, turning the medal over in his hand. "It’s looking rough, even the front. It’s starting to chip off a little."

More than 5,000 medals were created for the Paris Games based on a design by the French jewelry company Chaumet. Each medal contains 18 grams (0.04 pounds) of iron that was salvaged from the city’s iconic Eiffel Tower during renovations.

"I don’t know, Olympic medals," Huston said. "You’ve got to maybe step up the quality a little bit."

Team USA finished third in their heat of the men's 4x400m relay to just about make it through to tomorrow night's final.

Quincy Wilson, who is still in high school and now becomes the youngest ever male track and field athlete to represent Team USA at the Olympic Games, opened the race for the U.S. but faded in the last 150 meters to hand over in seventh place, three seconds behind the leaders. But Team USA did not panic, with strong legs from the other American runners seeing the U.S. recovering to finish third.

With plenty of depth in their roster, expect to see Team USA's line-up undergo changes for tomorrow's final, with individual 400-meter gold medalist Quincy Hall and Michael Norman likely to come in. Team USA has won gold in four of the last five Olympics. It's worth noting that, should the U.S. medal, the heat runners would also earn medals even if they don't run in the final.

Team USA are through to tomorrow night's women's 4x400m relay, after winning their heat this morning. Quanera Hayes, Shamier Little, Aaliyah Butler and Kaylyn Brown finished three seconds ahead of the rest of the field, clocking a time of 3 minutes 21 seconds.

Great Britain and France also qualified from the U.S.'s heat, while Jamaica won the winners in the other heat.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone may well come into the squad for the final. She did not compete after winning the 400-meter hurdles gold last night in a world record time. If she does come in, she would be the only returnee to the squad that claimed gold in Tokyo last time out.

The U.S. has dominated this event over the last quarter century, winning gold in the last six Olympic Games. The men's heats are up next.