Olympics newsletter: Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky earn more gold

Simone Biles, of the United States, competes during the women's individual vault final at Bercy Arena

By John CherwaSpecial Contributor

Aug. 4, 2024 3 AM PT

Welcome to our daily Olympic newsletter. I’m your tour guide John Cherwa and I’ve suddenly realized we’re closer to the end of the Games than the beginning.

There is more than the normal drama on the middle weekend of the Olympics, mostly because both swimming and track and field are going on. Thanks to the magic of television, you are able to watch everything you want but you are ping-ponging (or is it table tennising) between sports.

Two of the big three names won the gold, with the other person getting silver. Let’s look closer:

Gymnastics: Simone Biles picked up her third gold of the Games when she easily won the individual vault. It’s really an unfair competition because no one has the skill level and can attempt the kind of moves that she can. It was her 10th medal overall and she still has two more events to go — the balance beam and floor exercise.

Simone Biles, of the United States, celebrates with the gold medal after winning the individual vault finals

Things got even better for the U.S. when Jade Carey snagged the bronze. Rebeca Andrade of Brazil was once again in the middle of a U.S. sandwich as she was second in the all-around with Suni Lee getting the bronze.

In the pommel horse, cult sensation Stephen Nedoroscik got the bronze. The pommel horse is the only discipline he competes in and it was his final performance in the team competition that gave the U.S. the bronze medal. Our Thuc Nhi Nguyen tells you about Biles here and Nedoroscik there.

Swimming: Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter freestyle for the fourth straight time. It was her ninth gold, putting her in a tie for second place all time. Michael Phelps had 23. She won her first gold in the event at 15 years old in London. She says she has not ruled out swimming through L.A. in 2028. Paige Madden of the U.S. got the bronze.

So much for world records in the shallower pool in Paris. Ryan Murphy (not the TV producer), Nic Fink, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske of the U.S. won the mixed 400-meter relay in record time. Summer McIntosh of Canada won the women’s 200 individual medley. Kate Douglass of the U.S. was elevated to second when teammate Alex Walsh was disqualified for an illegal turn. Our Kevin Baxter tells you about it here.

Saint Lucas's Julien Alfred, center, beats Americans Sha'carri Richardson, left, and Melissa Jefferson in the 100

Track and field: Sha’Carri Richardson’s quest to be the fastest woman in the world fell 0.15 seconds short when she lost to Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia in the 100 meters. Richardson was hoping to erase memories of 2021 when she was denied a trip to the Olympics because of a failed test for marijuana. It was Saint Lucia’s first Olympic medal.

Where’s Saint Lucia you ask? It’s in the West Indies part of the Caribbean between Barbados and Martinique. Its population is roughly the size of Ontario — no, not Canada, the one in the Inland Empire with the airport.

Ryan Crouser of the U.S. won his third straight gold in the shot put. Our David Wharton reports on the 100 here and the shot put there.

Elsewhere, the U.S. women’s soccer team beat Japan, 1-0, in extra time to advance to the semifinals where they will play Germany. The Germans beat Canada on penalty kicks. The U.S. will not need the services of Brady Ellison (bronze in archery mixed team) and Sagen Maddalena (silver in 50-meter rifle) to guard the U.S. practice facility from Canadian drones. Our Kevin Baxter chronicles the match here.

And finally, Vincent Hancock and Conner Lynn Prince took gold and silver in the men’s skeet final in shooting.

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Top stories of the Games

In a previous newsletter, I laid out the premise that there are five things that define a Games. At that point, I had, only one, Simone Biles, and she is still on that list with three medals with two more opportunities to go.

We’re ready to add two more.

Leon Marchand of France grins as fans cheer after he received an Olympic gold medal.

—Leon Marchand is the breakout star of these Games, certainly in France. He has won four medals and shown how the host country always overachieves. That’s not to say he wouldn’t have won those medals elsewhere, it’s just the crowd is an incentive.

—This fills the scandal slot and it’s where gender politics came to the Olympics, again. It revolves around Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. Her win on Saturday means she is guaranteed no less than a bronze medal.

Our David Wharton wrote about the subject, it’s worth a read here.

Too many don’t know the facts about Khelif. She was born a woman. She identifies as a woman. But, her body produces more testosterone than the average woman. It may or may not give her an advantage.

Not to get into the weeds, but sports have always dealt with anatomic anomalies that give athletes an advantage. Michael Phelps had large hands and large feet (size 14), which were a huge advantage. His feet almost acted as flippers. Plus his body produced half the lactic acid as his competitors, allowing him to recover faster and train harder.

And then there was the legendary Secretariat, whose heart was 1 1/2 times the size of an average horse, which allowed him to process oxygen in a much more efficient way, giving him a big advantage.

Anyway, something to think about.

Polls getting ready to close

On Friday, we asked you what was your favorite Summer Olympics sport. If you haven’t, this is your last chance.

Take the survey here.

What to watch for today

There are 22 sports in competition today as we say goodbye to archery, road cycling, fencing, swimming and tennis.

—Suni Lee of the U.S. gymnastics team is in the uneven bars finals, the only gymnastics event Simone Biles did not qualify for. Start time is about 6:40 a.m. PDT.

Suni Lee competes on the uneven bars during the women's all-around gymnastic final at the 2024 Summer Olympics Thursday.

—Reigning world champion in the 100 and 200, Noah Lyles of the U.S., will run in the semifinals of the 100 meters. It starts around 11:05 a.m. PDT with the final at 12:50 p.m. PDT. Other finals today are the women’s high jump and men’s hammer throw.

—The U.S. women’s basketball team plays its toughest opponent in undefeated Germany around 8:15 a.m. PDT. The U.S. team has won 57 straight games going back to Barcelona at 1992.

—It’s the final day of the men’s golf tournament. Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm are tied at 14-under, with Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy within striking distance at 10-under. The leaders tee off at about 9 a.m. PDT.

Must-read links

Let’s catch up on some stories you might have missed but shouldn’t have:

Your TV guide

How can you watch the Games today? Check out Sunday’s Olympic TV listings.

Until next time...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The Sports Report Olympics edition: Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky score more gold