Day 3 of the Paris 2024 Olympics brought a flurry of excitement and significant moments across various sports. In men’s gymnastics, the United States ended a 16-year medal drought with a bronze performance, anchored by Brody Malone’s impressive showing in five of six events. Japan clinched gold in a thrilling final rotation, while China secured silver.
Paris Olympics 2024
Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s basketball team demonstrated their dominance with a resounding 102-76 victory over Japan. Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, at just 17, won her first individual Olympic gold in the women’s 400-meter individual medley, while Novak Djokovic emerged victorious over Rafael Nadal in their likely final clash in men’s tennis singles.
The medals table is slowly taking shape, with Japan leading with six gold medals, closely followed by France and China, each with five. Australia and South Korea also have five golds but fewer total medals. The United States, although in sixth place for golds, leads the overall medal count with 20.
Table tennis saw a standout performance from French teenager Felix Lebrun, who defeated Anton Kallberg from Sweden. On the women’s side, India’s Manika Batra made history by becoming the first Indian to advance to the round of 16 in Olympic table tennis, after overcoming Prithika Pavade of France.
In gymnastics news, Shilese Jones, an American gymnast who had to withdraw from the 2024 trials due to a severe injury, announced her intent to target the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Despite her current setback, Jones expressed her determination to overcome her injuries and continue her Olympic aspirations.
Fencing brought a dramatic finish with Cheung Ka Long from Hong Kong retaining his men’s foil title after a nail-biting 15-14 victory over Italy’s Filippo Macchi. Team USA’s Nick Itkin earned bronze, marking the country’s sixth Paris Olympics 2024 medal in men’s foil in over a century. Fencing also saw another gold for France in the women’s sabre, with Manon Apithy-Brunet overcoming teammate Sara Balzer in the final.
The women’s rugby sevens quarterfinals set up intriguing matchups for tomorrow. Canada defeated France to advance, and the United States eliminated Britain to secure a spot in the semifinals, where they will face defending champions New Zealand.
In swimming, the evening session was marked by an intense competition. Summer McIntosh’s gold in the 400-meter IM, Ryan Murphy’s bronze in the 100-meter backstroke, and the dramatic finish in the men’s 200-meter freestyle, where Romania’s David Popovici narrowly beat Britain’s Matthew Richards, were among the highlights. Additionally, Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff from the U.S. secured top positions in the women’s 100-meter backstroke semifinals.
Beach volleyball saw Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss of the U.S. take control in their match against Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, leading in the second set.
Overall, Day 3 of the Paris Olympics 2024 showcased thrilling performances, dramatic victories, and emerging stars, setting the stage for continued excitement as the Games progress.
USA Swimming Leads Medal Count After Three Days in Paris Olympics 2024
USA Swimming has established a strong lead in the medal tally after the third day of competition at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The U.S. team added four more medals to its collection, continuing to showcase their prowess in the pool.
The evening kicked off with a notable performance in the women’s 400-meter individual medley. Katie Grimes, representing Las Vegas and the Sandpipers of Nevada, earned a silver medal with a time of 4:33.40. Emma Weyant from Sarasota and the Gator Swim Club followed with a bronze medal Paris Olympics 2024, finishing in 4:34.93. Weyant highlighted the significance of her training with the University of Florida distance group and expressed gratitude toward her coach, Anthony Nesty, for his role in preparing her for the final stretch of the race.
In the men’s 200-meter freestyle, Luke Hobson from Reno and Longhorn Aquatics achieved a bronze medal with a time of 1:44.79. This result was especially remarkable for Hobson, who was competing in his first Paris Olympics 2024 Games and fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic medalist.
The evening’s events also featured the men’s 100-meter backstroke final, where Ryan Murphy from Ponte Vedra Beach and California Aquatics secured a bronze medal with a time of 52.39 seconds. This medal marked Murphy’s seventh Paris Olympics 2024 medal and his third consecutive medal in this event, making him the second swimmer in history to achieve this feat. He acknowledged the challenge posed by his competitors, Thomas Ceccon and Jiayu Xu, both of whom have been prominent figures in the sport.
In the women’s 100-meter backstroke semifinals, Regan Smith from Lakeville and Longhorn Aquatics led with a time of 57.97 seconds. Katharine Berkoff, making her Paris Olympics 2024 debut from Missoula and NC State, also advanced to the final with a time of 58.27 seconds. Their strong performances set up an anticipated final showdown.
Lilly King finished in a tie for fourth place in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke final, clocking in at 1:05.60. King reflected on the narrow margin that determined the final placements and expressed her disappointment, but remained focused on her upcoming 200-meter breaststroke event.
In the women’s 200-meter freestyle final, Claire Weinstein from Las Vegas and the Sandpipers of Nevada placed eighth with a time of 1:56.60. In the men’s 800-meter freestyle preliminaries, Bobby Finke advanced to the final with a time of 7:43.00, while Luke Whitlock, in his Paris Olympics 2024 debut, finished with a time of 7:49.26.
Currently, USA Swimming leads the medal count with a total of 11 medals (2 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze). The competition continues until Sunday, August 4, at the Paris Olympics 2024 La Defense Arena. The upcoming schedule includes the men’s 100-meter freestyle semifinal, men’s 200-meter butterfly semifinal, women’s 100-meter backstroke final, men’s 800-meter freestyle final, women’s 100-meter freestyle semifinal, men’s 200-meter breaststroke semifinal, and men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay final.
