July 31st, 2024

U.S. Olympians finding success in Paris

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are in full session with stories of superior and heroic athletic performances by over 10,000 athletes from over 200 countries dominating the global sports headlines.

This quadrennial gathering of the world’s best athletes in their respective sports officially began with the participants being paraded down the Seine River on July 26, with fireworks and screaming crowds roaring approval of the unconventional approach to the traditional “Nations March” into the Olympic Stadium. Many were critical of Steven Spielberg’s version of the opening ceremonies, which took a cherished tradition and turned it into a Hollywood theme park event. Spielberg’s production received high marks for pyrotechnics, which was to be expected, and low marks for artistic content.

The singing of Celine Dion saved the opening ceremony. The global singing star’s rendition of “L’Hymne A l’Amour” was heart-warming and brought tears to many eyes.

One of the top stories of these games was the Bronze Medal won by the United States men’s gymnastics team — the first medal for the United States in this event since 2008. Frederick Richards from Stoughton, Massachusetts, played a starring role in the monumental victory. Richards, the subject of multiple articles in the Banner, lived up to pre-Olympic expectations with clutch performances on the high bar and floor exercise events to help the U.S. team push past Great Britain for a cherished medal.

Worcester native Stephen Nedoroscik sealed the medal win with an excellent pommel horse performance in the U.S. team’s last event. Japan and China took the Gold and Silver medals, respectively. Richards will now set his sights on gaining a Gold Medal in the individual gymnastics’ competition.

United States tennis star Coco Gauff suffered a negative case of Deja vu as she was ousted from the Olympic women’s singles tennis competition. The scene looked nearly identical to her third-round defeat to Iga Swiatek in this year’s French Open on an officiating decision she was sure was wrong.

Even the site was the same: Court Philippe-Chatrier. This time, Gauff, the second seed, wound up losing to 13th seed Donna Vekic of Croatia 7-6 (7), 6-2, thus being eliminated from thirrd round competition on a nearly identical call to the one that contributed to her loss to eventual French Open Champion Swiatek. A tearful Gauff, the flag bearer for the U. S. Olympic contingent and one of the biggest stars of the 2024 Paris Games needs to look within herself for answers after blowing an early 4-1 lead in the opening set and recording just nine winners to 33 for Vekic .Gauff still has two chances to medal as she competes in the women’s and mixed-doubles competitions.

The United States women’s gymnastics team, led by Simone Biles, is again golden. Biles officially became the most decorated American gymnast in the history of the Olympic Games with eight medals. She was previously tied with “Magnificent Seven” star Shannon Miller at seven medals. Already the most decorated gymnast in history with 38 combined world and Olympic medals, Simone Biles continues to push herself on her personal redemption tour, hoping to silence her critics who criticized her following her exit due to a medical condition known as the Twisties from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She led the way as the U.S. women’s gymnastics team won its fourth team Gold Medal, extending a 32-year medal streak at the Olympics dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Italy won the Silver Medal, the first team medal for that country since 1928. Brazil won the Bronze Medal, its first Olympic team medal.

Simone Manuel deserves special mention for her exploits in the swimming pool and her foundation’s contribution to advancing the sport in Black and minority communities. Manuel, the first Black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in an individual swimming event, the 100-meter freestyle in Rio de Janeiro 2016, speaks candidly about her legacy. “I have gone through many trials in my life to get me to where I am today. When I was growing up, I looked up to swimmers like Maritza Correia, the first Black Female swimmer to win an Olympic medal for the United States [in] 2004, and Cullen Jones, part of a 4×100 freestyle relay team that holds the world record,” she said. “They inspired me to reach my goals in swimming.”

Manuel’s accomplishments include 13 Gold medals in international competitions and three world records. But none of this came without a significant struggle.

“I know firsthand the difficulties of being a person of color in swimming, a predominantly white sport,” she said. “I also know the history of my people not having access to swimming in this country for centuries, which had led to so few Blacks and minorities not knowing how to swim today. My foundation is attempting to change that, and we are making progress.” Her foundation received a significant boost when she anchored the U.S. women’s 4×100 medley relay team that won the Silver Medal in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She will next compete in the 50-meter freestyle event.

Harvard fencer Lauren Scruggs gained international fame with a Silver Medal showing, part of a 1-2 American finish in the foil competition. Fellow American Lee Keifer took Gold. Scruggs became the first Harvard athlete to earn a medal in the Paris Games.

The United States men’s and women’s Olympic basketball squads scored impressive victories in the opening round competition. The men’s team, led by the shooting heroics of Kevin Durant, who scored 23 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the floor, LeBron James’ 23 points, and strong team defense, with special mention to Celtics guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday, blasted Serbia 110-84.

A’ja Wilson scored 24 points and Breanna Stewart tallied 22, leading the U.S. women’s basketball team to a lopsided 102-76 victory over Japan. This victory was the first step towards an eighth consecutive Gold Medal in Olympic competition, and it was the 56th straight win for the U.S. women’s basketball squad.

2024 Olympic Games, Coco Gauff, Frederick Richards, gymnastics, Lauren Scruggs, Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Stephen Nedoroscik