nation-world
Paris Showdown, July 29: Can U.S. Men’s Gymnastics Break a 15-Year Medal Drought?
The Paris Olympics slate on Monday promises to be action-packed with crucial swimming finals and a gripping gymnastics showdown.
Swimming:
The day kicks off with the women’s 100-meter breaststroke, where 2016 gold medalist Lilly King aims to reclaim her title. The women’s 400-meter individual medley final commences at 2:30 p.m. ET, featuring Canada’s Summer McIntosh, a strong contender after setting a world record of 4:24.38 earlier this year.
Later, McIntosh will also compete in the women’s 200 freestyle, the day’s final swimming event. McIntosh previously won silver in the 400 freestyle, outpacing U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky. On the men’s side, the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke finals are highly anticipated.
Diving:
The men’s synchronized 10-meter platform diving final starts on Monday morning. British diver Tom Daley, alongside Noah Williams, aims to defend his title. Team USA will not be represented in this event.
Gymnastics:
Following a stellar performance by Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s team, the U.S. men’s gymnastics team takes center stage. Their final kicks off at 11:30 a.m. ET, with Team USA aiming for a team bronze. Individually, Frederick Richard and Paul Juda have qualified all-around, while Stephen Nedoroscik qualified on pommel horse.
China is the frontrunner for the team title with a qualifying score of 263.028. Japan, a seven-time Olympic champion, closely trails with a score of 260.594. Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto seeks to defend his all-around title, whereas Russia is absent due to the Ukraine conflict.
Women’s Basketball:
Team USA’s women’s basketball squad will face Japan at 9 p.m. CEST (3 p.m. EST) as they aim for their eighth consecutive gold medal. The U.S. team, on a 55-game Olympic winning streak, is led by WNBA MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, with Diana Taurasi returning for her sixth Games. Host France will play Canada at 5:15 p.m. CEST (11:15 a.m. EST).
Shooting:
In the women’s 10-meter Air Rifle event, Team USA’s Sagen Maddalena has secured a spot in the finals, holding the fourth-highest qualifying score.
Biking:
Riley Amos and Christopher Blevins will represent the U.S. in the men’s cross-country mountain biking competition, seeking to add to the silver medal won by an American cyclist in the women’s event on Sunday.
Tennis:
Highlighting the Roland Garros schedule, Rafael Nadal will face Novak Djokovic in their 60th career meeting, their rivalry being the most-played in men’s tennis during the Open era. Djokovic holds 24 Grand Slam titles, two more than Nadal. Matches featuring Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff are also on Monday’s roster.