PARIS: On the first sunny day of the Paris Olympics, America's stars shone brightly.
Simone Biles and LeBron James were dazzling, as was the U.S. women’s soccer team, Torrey Husky was in the spotlight, and Haley Batten made a name for herself by winning a silver medal in mountain biking, the best performance ever by an American rider.
French swimmer Leon Marchand got the biggest cheers for his gold medal in the men's 400m individual medley, but it was the Americans who showed their strength on Sunday, the second day of competition.
France's Leon Marchand celebrates his victory after winning the men's 400m individual medley swimming event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, on July 28, 2024. (AFP)
Simon shines
Biles had made multiple finals at the Tokyo Olympics, but after withdrawing for safety reasons, her return to the Olympics sparked an international conversation about mental health. Biles overcame discomfort in her calf to lead the U.S. women's gymnastics team to the final.
Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles went 1-2-3 in the early qualifying rounds, but Chiles will not advance to the all-around finals due to a rule that only two athletes can compete in an event.
If Childs finishes in the top eight, she could potentially advance to the floor exercise finals. That means she’s virtually guaranteed a spot in the balance beam and bars finals, while 2020 floor champion Jade Carey is in good position to join Biles in the vault finals.
But all eyes were on Biles, who briefly stunned the nation when she left the arena after her floor exercise to seek medical attention. She had sprained her calf in the warmup, but U.S. coach Cecil Landy said it was a minor injury.
She performed in front of a star-studded crowd that included Tom Cruise, Jessica Chastain, Snoop Dogg, Anna Wintour and Lady Gaga, who wrote of Biles on social media: “She was incredible. Such an honor to see her up close!”
LeBron James leads Team USA
James and Kevin Durant, two of the U.S. men's basketball team's most experienced Olympians, began their bid for a fifth straight gold medal with near-perfect performances.
Durant scored 23 points on his first eight shots, James had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds, and the U.S. beat Serbia 110-84 in both teams' Olympic openers.
Lebron James of the United States scores a basket during the Olympic basketball qualifying Group C match against Serbia at the Estadio Pierre Maurois in Villeneuve-Dasc, France, on July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
James and Durant combined to make 18 of 22 field goals, Durant going 8 of 9 and James 9 of 13. The U.S. had no trouble against the former World Cup silver medalist.
Jrue Holiday added 15 points, Devin Booker 12, and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry each added 11 for the United States.
Full party
Huske finished strongly, beating world record holder Gretchen Walsh in the women's 100m butterfly and putting her hands on the wall slightly ahead of her teammate to give the U.S. a 1-2 finish.
The most popular athlete went with her usual strategy: start fast and try to hold on. It worked at the US trials last month, when she set a world record of 55.18, and she set a record speed on the turn.
But Huske came after her in the crucial race, the winner finishing with a touchdown time of 55.59 seconds, a finger-length ahead of Walsh's 55.63.
Husky saw a “1” next to his name on the scoreboard, reached over the lane ropes and hugged Walsh, tears streaming down his face.
Meanwhile, Marchand lived up to huge expectations, cheered by the flag-waving crowd at his home Olympics. He set a world record speed on the final turn, but slowed slightly on the way back, finishing in 4:02.95, an Olympic record but just shy of his world record of 4:02.50.
Marchand achieved the feat at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, last year, breaking Michael Phelps' 15-year-old record.
And surprisingly, Italian swimmer Nicolo Martinenghi stunned record holder Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke.
After winning gold in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, Piti took a long break to deal with mental health issues. After returning, he picked up speed again and made it to the final as the top qualifier, but had to settle for silver as his bid for a third consecutive gold was over.
american football win
Sophia Smith scored twice to lead the United States to a 4-1 win over Germany and a chance to advance to the Olympics.
Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for Team USA, which beat Zambia 3-0 in its opening game, but its fate in the knockout round won't be known for sure until Wednesday's final Group B match.
The United States concludes group play against Australia in Marseille.
Mountain Bike Medal
Despite breaking the rules, Batten returned home with a silver medal and the greatest performance in American mountain biking history.
Batten was fined by Olympic mountain bike officials for breaking the rules on the last lap of the race. She was competing for second place when she crossed the designated lane to eat food and drink or stop for mechanical problems.
After reviewing the footage, the judges determined that Batten had done neither and had broken one of the racing rules. She was fined 500 Swiss francs (about $565) for “not respecting the instructions of the race organizers or the officials,” but the judges apparently decided that the violation was not serious enough to warrant disqualification.
Batten finished ninth at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Spain's Rafael Nadal plays against Hungary's Marton Pucsovic during their men's singles first round tennis match at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Tennis Veterans Win
Rafael Nadal showed up at Roland Garros on Sunday, the day before the men's singles, and beat Hungary's Marton Pucsovic 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round.
The win sets up a blockbuster showdown with rival Novak Djokovic.
The 60th meeting between these two greats is more than any other two men have met in the sport’s open era, which began in 1968. The 37-year-old Serbian holds a 30-29 lead in the head-to-head series, and with 24 Grand Slam titles, he is the only male player in tennis history to have more titles than Nadal’s 22.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray's tennis career was extended by at least one match when he and British partner Dan Evans saved five match points in their first-round doubles match. Murray and Evans defeated Japan's Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori 2-6, 7-6(5), 11-9.
The British team fell 9-4 behind in the deciding tiebreaker, which was played instead of the third set in doubles.
Murray, 37, withdrew from the singles event and will now compete only in doubles after announcing before the Summer Olympics that it would be the last of his career.
Murray is a three-time Grand Slam champion and the only tennis player to have won gold medals at both the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
