Paris Olympics day 15 updates: IOC chief Thomas Bach says will not seek third term

Hamish Kerr said he was “in shock” after winning the Olympic men’s high jump on Saturday to take a rare athletics gold for New Zealand.

Kerr tasted glory after a dramatic jump-off with American Shelby McEwen.

Both men managed bests of 2.36 metres in regular competition, but could not be separated on countback of missed jumps.

They opted for a jump-off, Kerr clearing 2.34m when the American failed after the bar was lowered from 2.38m to 2.36m.

AFP

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting won her Paris Olympics women’s boxing final in style, ensuring that the two fighters at the centre of a major gender controversy both take home gold.

A day after Algeria’s Imane Khelif clinched gold at 66kg, Lin claimed the 57kg crown with a unanimous points decision win over Poland’s Julia Szeremeta at Roland Garros.

It was Taiwan’s second gold of the Games and Lin bowed to all four sides of the arena, before kneeling down and banging the canvas with her fists.

“I feel incredible. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and thanks to my team and everyone in Taiwan,” said the 28-year-old, who won all four of her bouts in Paris on unanimous points.

AFP

Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov won gold in the men’s featherweight boxing final by unanimous decision at the Paris Olympics, leaving Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu with silver.

Australian Charlie Senior and Bulgaria’s Javier Ibanez took bronze after their semi-final defeats.

Reuters

Indian shooting icon Abhinav Bindra was awarded the prestigious Olympic Order in recognition of his “distinguished contribution” to the Olympic movement.

Bindra, who became India’s first-ever Olympic individual gold medallist in the 2008 Beijing Games with is top finish in 10m air rifle event, was conferred with the honour by the International Olympic Committee during its 142nd Session.

“When I was a young boy, it was these Olympic rings, which gave meaning to my life,” Bindra said. “And it was a privilege to be able to pursue my Olympic dream for over two decades. Post my athletic career, it has been a great passion of mine to try and contribute back to the Olympic Movement. It has been a privilege and an honour,” he added.

PTI

The United States won their eighth consecutive Olympic women’s 4x400m relay crown on August 10 to clinch the USA’s 14th track and field gold medal of the Paris Games.

A star-studded U.S. quartet that included two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and 200m gold medallist Gabby Thomas powered home in 3min 15.27sec.

The Netherlands took silver in 3:19.50 with Great Britain grabbing bronze in 3:19.72.

Portugal riders Iuri Leitao and Rui Oliveira kept their cool to win a chaotic men’s madison littered with crashes and claim the Olympic gold medal in men’s cycling today.

The duo took control in the final stages of the 200-lap race at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome to finish eight points ahead of Italy, with Denmark taking the bronze.

- AFP

The United States claimed a record-extending fifth Olympic gold medal in women’s soccer after Mallory Swanson earned them a 1-0 win over Brazil in the final at Parc des Princes today.

Following a goalless first half, Swanson broke the deadlock 12 minutes after the break to earn the U.S. their first Olympic title since London 2012.

Brazil were dangerous in the opening stages and came close to scoring when Gabi Portilho drew a great save from Alyssa Naeher shortly before halftime. Naeher did well again in injury time to claw away Adriana’s header from point-blank range.

Brazil great Marta returned after a two-match ban handed down for a red card, coming on as a substitute after the hour mark, but did not have much impact as Brazil were beaten by the Americans in an Olympic final for the third time.

Germany beat Spain 1-0 to win the bronze medal on Friday.

- Reuters

Norway Solfrid Koanda makes a historical win in women’s 81kg weightlifting, as it marks the second ever medal in any weightlifting event and first since a gold in 1972.

Egypt’s Sara Ahmed bags silver and Neisi Dajomes of Ecuador clinches bronze.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko completed her Olympic medal collection on today with the most valuable of of them all, a gold medal that puts her into the The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Hall of Fame.

Ko won the silver medal in Rio de Janeiro. She won the bronze in Tokyo. The missing one turned out to be more valuable than its weight in gold. The victory pushed her career total to 27 points for the LPGA Hall of Fame, one of the strictest criteria for any shrine.

Spain defeats Australia 9-11 in women’s water polo final to win gold. United States won against Netherlands in the bronze medal match earlier today.

Norway defeats France 29-21 in women’s handball final match to clinch gold medal. Denmark defeated Sweden earlier today in bronze match to win the bronze medal.

Chinese diver Yuan Cao wins gold in men’s 10m diving event. Rikuto Tamai of Japan Williams Noah of U.K clinch silver and bronze medals respectively.

Team China win gold medal in the rhythmic gymnastic team event with 69.800 points.

Israel win gold and Italy clinch bronze with 68.850 and 68.100 points respectively.

China’s world champion Liu Huanhua put in a superb performance to win the 102kg weightlifting title with a total of 406kg at the Paris Games today.

Liu lifted an impressive 186kg in the snatch to put himself in a good position, but Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan matched that on his third attempt to put pressure on the Chinese lifter.

However, the 22-year-old Liu came out strongly with a clean and jerk of 220kg on his first attempt. He later lifted an extra eight kgs but it was invalid due to an incorrect arm extension.

Liu then tried to break his world record total of 413kg set at the World Cup in Phuket, Thailand in April, to the rapturous applause of the crowd at the Paris Expo arena.

But despite stretching every sinew, he could not secure the bar above his head for the jerk and dropped it to the mat.

Akbar Djuraev of Uzbekistan took silver with a total 404kg after only registering on his first clean & jerk with 219kg.

Belarusian Yauheni Tsikhantsou, who was competing as a neutral athlete, won bronze with 402kg.

Libya’s Ahmed Abuzriba fainted on stage and received medical attention but was able to walk out to an ovation from the crowd.

The 102kg men’s class is a new Olympic category for Paris after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) reorganised the programme following the Tokyo Games.

- Reuters

Men’s 57kg freestyle event gold medallist Rei Higuchi says he understands Vinesh Phogat’s pain. He was eliminated from the qualifiers of the Tokyo Olympics for being overweight by just 50gm.

Read more:

Same 50gm: Japanese Olympic champ Rei Higuchi consoles Vinesh Phogat; says I understand your pain

Japanese Olympic champion Rei Higuchi supports Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat after facing similar disqualification struggles, offering words of encouragement.

Janja Garnbret and Brooke Raboutou cried together in joy as they hugged after the boulder and lead sport climbing final at the Paris Games.

Garnbret had just enhanced her status as one of the biggest stars in the sport by defending her Olympic title. Raboutou was celebrating the first-ever climbing Olympic medal for the US women’s team.

Garnbret, the Slovenian who won the combined gold when sport climbing made its Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games three years ago, overcame Raboutou for victory on the last climb of the day in Le Bourget to secure the gold.

Leonardo Veddriq of Indonesia won the speed gold in Paris, and Toby Roberts of Great Britain won the men’s gold in lead and boulder. Aleksandra Miroslaw of Poland won the women’s gold in speed on Wednesday. In Tokyo, boulder and lead were combined with speed, and only a medal each was awarded to the men and women.

No other athlete has won as many international climbing titles as Garnbret, who attracts just as many headlines for her dominance in the sport as she does for being an advocate for eradicating eating disorders from sport climbing. The eight-time world champion had to be sidelined for a while after breaking her toe last year.

France beats Poland 3-0 in men volleyball final match. France outshines Poland in all the three sets.

The United States beat Italy in straight sets yesterday to win the bronze medal.

Slovenia’s Janja Garnbret wins the gold medal in sport climbing’s boulder and lead event at the Paris Olympics.

American Brooke Raboutou took the silver and Austria’s Jessica Pilz the bronze.

Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda lost a close quarterfinal bout against Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s 76 kg freestyle category at the Paris Olympics. 

The wrestlers were locked 1-1 after six minutes of top-quality defensive wrestling but the Kyrgyz won having logged home the last equalising point as per rules. 

Both wrestlers played a defensive game and the solitary point each was scored through passivity across the two periods. 

Reetika will now wait for Kyzy to enter the final which will give her a shot at competing in the repechage round. 

If she doesn’t then India’s Paris Games campaign will end with six medals and without a gold. 

Earlier, Reetika displayed power and skill in equal measure while outclassing Bernadett Nagy of Hungary 12-2 in the pre-quarterfinals.

Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda faced defeat against World Champion Aiperi Medet Kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the quarterfinal in the women’s freestyle 76kg category.

Just-retired India goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh is a legend of the game and will inspire the next generation of hockey players in the country, said his teammates on Saturday (August 10, 2024), after returning from the Paris Olympics with a second successive bronze medal.

“Sreejesh is the best person, a legend, and India calls him the ‘Great Wall’, amazing, that is all I can say; he played his best hockey, and he has contributed to the country by playing hockey, and the standard he has set as a goalkeeper will inspire the next generation,” forward Lalit Upadhyay said during a felicitation ceremony.

“I would like to thank the entire country because of the overwhelming support you have given to hockey, like the last time, but even more so now, hockey is still in the hearts of people, they continue to love the sport and continue to support.” Lalit was also full of praise for inspirational skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who scored 10 goals to emerge as the highest scorer of the tournament.

- PTI

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the Indian Hockey Team for their remarkable achievement in securing the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics in New Delhi on Saturday (August 10, 2024).

Mr. Mandaviya commended the team’s dedication and hard work, noting that their outstanding performance on the global stage has filled the entire nation with pride.

“The entire nation is proud of your achievement. His victory is a testament to your perseverance, teamwork, and indomitable spirit. You have brought immense glory to India and have inspired millions of young athletes to pursue their dreams,” Mr. Mandaviya stated, as quoted by a PIB press release.

He also acknowledged the tireless efforts of the coaching staff and support team, recognizing their crucial role in the team’s success.

- ANI

Indian wrestler Reetika Hooda displayed power and skill in equal measure while outclassing Bernadett Nagy of Hungary to enter the quarterfinal of the women’s 76 kg freestyle event at the Paris Olympics on Saturday (August 10, 2024). The referee stopped the contest with 29 seconds left in the second round as Reetika gained a 10-point lead, with the final score reading 12-2 in favour of the India.

The burly Reetika gained the upper hand with a 4-0 lead in the first round after getting an early leg-hold followed by a flip.

The Hungarian did get a couple of points, but the Indian was unstoppable in the second round with a series of two-pointers. - PTI

India’s Reetika Hooda is competing in 76 kg freestyle wreslting against Hungary’s 8th-seeded Bernadett Nagy

The ad-hoc division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will give its decision on the appeal filed by Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat against her disqualification from the Olympic finals by 6 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. IST) on Saturday (August 10, 2024).

The hearing on the matter concluded here on Friday (August 9, 2024) after it accepted Vinesh’s appeal against her ouster for being 100 gms overweight on the morning of her final against eventual gold-winner Sarah Ann Hildebrandt of the U.S.

“By application of Article 18 of the CAS Arbitration Rules from the Olympic Games, the President of the CAS Ad Hoc Division extends the time limit for the Panel to give a decision until August 10, 2024 at 18:00 (Paris time),” a statement from the CAS said.

This was after the ad-hoc division, set up especially for dispute resolution during the Olympics, said that a decision can be expected before the end of the Paris Games on Sunday (August 11, 2024).

After the hearing, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) insisted that it was hopeful of a “positive resolution”.

- PTI

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia clinches gold in the men’s Olympic marathon.

Belgium’s Bashir Abdi won silver and Benson Kipruto of Kenya got bronze.

The closing ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. CEST on Sunday (August 11, 2024) at Stade de France, just north of Paris. It’s expected to last until 11:15 p.m. CEST. 

It will feature traditional highlights, including the athletes’ parade and the handover of the Olympic flag to the organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. H.E.R., the five-time Grammy winner, is expected to sing the U.S. national anthem live at the Stade de France as part of the handover. There will be a medal presentation ceremony — for the women’s marathon from earlier in the day.

It features the same artistic director — Thomas Jolly. Organizers said in a recent statement that it “ a very visual, very choreographic, very acrobatic show with an operatic dimension to give a great visual fresco and say goodbye to athletes from all over the world.”

- AP

Seeking to target the BJP over the Vinesh Phogat issue, Mr. Sisodia, without taking the wrestler’s name, said she protested against its leader and people saw what happened at the Olympics.

Phogat, who was disqualified from the Paris Olympics for being found 100 grams overweight ahead of her women’s 50kg final, was at the forefront of a lengthy protest alleging government inaction against former Wrestling Federation of India head Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment by women wrestlers. 

- PTI

Afghan B-Girl Manizha Talash, a member of the refugee Olympic team at the Paris Games, was disqualified after displaying the words “Free Afghan Women” on her cape during her breaking routine in the competition’s pre-qualifiers on Friday (August 9, 2024).

- Reuters

The Olympic bronze medal winning Indian men’s hockey team including captain Harmanpreet Singh arrived from Paris here on Saturday morning.

The Indian team extended its record medal haul to 13 with a 2-1 victory over Spain in the third place match in Paris on Thursday.

However, not all members of the bronze medal winning team made their way back home as a few vital cogs remained in the French capital for the closing ceremony of the Games.

To gain something, Aman Sehrawat first needed to lose something. When the scales of the weighing machine showed 61.5 kg on Thursday (August 8, 2024) after his semi-final defeat to eventual champion Rei Higuchi, Aman had a bigger job at hand before taking the mat for the bronze medal play-off.

India’s youngest Olympic bronze medal-winning grappler had to shed 4.5 kilograms of body weight in a stipulated time of 10 hours before mandatory second-day weigh-in to qualify for the 57 kg bout.

Read the full story below

Here’s how Aman Sehrawat lost 4.6 kg in 10 hours before the wrestling bronze medal match

Aman Sehrawat undergoes intense weight-cutting regimen to secure Olympic bronze, showcasing dedication and determination in wrestling.