Arizona Athletes Shine Bright: More Medals Claimed at Paris Olympics on Saturday

The final weekend of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, has arrived, spotlighting numerous Arizona athletes.

From wrestling to basketball and track events, here are key performances by Arizona Olympians on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Basketball

Saturday marks the final day of the men’s basketball tournament, culminating in medal presentations.

Men’s gold medal game, USA vs. France, 12:30 p.m. Arizona’s Kevin Durant and Devin Booker from the Phoenix Suns will compete for Team USA. Durant is making his first start in these Olympics, while Booker has been a starter throughout. Team USA enters the gold medal game after defeating Serbia, South Sudan, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. Booker is averaging 11 points, 3.4 assists, and 2 rebounds; Durant is averaging 13.6 points, 1 steal, 2 assists, and 3 rebounds.

Soccer

The U.S. women’s soccer team secured a 1-0 victory over Brazil, claiming their fifth gold medal in the Olympic women’s soccer final. Sydney Smith, fiancé of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, was part of the victorious team. The U.S. Women’s National Team had failed to secure a top-two finish in the past two Olympic tournaments but dominated this year under new coach Emma Hayes.

Track and Field

Grant Fisher, coached by Hamilton High School’s Mike Scannell, clinched a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000-meter final. Bryce Hoppel, training in Flagstaff, narrowly missed a medal, finishing 4th in the men’s 800-meter. Nikki Hiltz, also from Flagstaff, finished 7th in the women’s 1,500-meter final.

Golf

Saturday also signaled the final day in golf. Spain’s Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz, Sweden’s Linn Grant, Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, Germany’s Alexandra Forsterling, and Canada’s Alena Sharp, all associated with Arizona State University, took to the course for the concluding round. The event’s leaders were Switzerland’s Morgane Metraux, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, and the USA’s Rose Zhang.

Wrestling

Kennedy Alexis Blades, a former ASU wrestler, made waves in her first Olympics. Blades advanced to the finals in the women’s freestyle wrestling 76kg category by defeating Aiperi Medet Kyzy from Kyrgyzstan and two other competitors earlier in the day. She will face Japan’s Yuka Kagami in Monday’s final for the gold medal.

Water Polo

The U.S. women’s water polo team fell short in the bronze-medal match, losing 11-10 to the Netherlands on a last-second goal by Sabrina van der Sloot. The U.S. had previously medaled in every Olympic women’s water polo tournament since the event’s inception in 2000. ASU’s Bente and Lieke Rogge were part of Team USA.

Arizona Sports

Phoenix hosts teams from four major professional sports leagues: the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, NBA’s Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, and MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks. The city also has a USL soccer team, Phoenix Rising FC, and an Indoor Football League team, Arizona Rattlers. Annual sporting events in the area include college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, NASCAR’s Championship Weekend, and Cactus League Spring Training.