Team USA finished atop the medal count at the 2024 Olympics; NFL preseason Week 1 takeaways

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🇺🇸 Good morning everyone, but especially…

Team USA

At the top after more than two weeks and hundreds of events Medal count at the 2024 Paris Olympics Down to an inch … and a whole world of heartbreak for the hosts. France Women’s Basketball push Team USA to the limit, to the end One point falls short, 67-66. three down, Gabby Williams A last-second shot went in, but it was a 2-pointer with his feet at the line. It was the eighth consecutive gold medal and 61st Olympic victory for the US women, who were led by Tournament MVP Aja WilsonHis 21 points and 13 rebounds.

That gave the USA 40 gold medals China For the most part the United States dominated overall Medal count with a total of 126; China ranks second with 91.

There was no shortage of drama in the men’s basketball final. Stephen CurryPlaying in his first Olympics, nailed four late 3-pointers in a stunning performance to finish off Team USA. 98-87 win Over France. Curry struggled in Team USA’s first four games, but excelled in the semifinals and finals. Like his entire career, The curry was jaw-droppingWritten by Brad Botkin.

• Botkin: “In terms of the stage and the stakes, it was perhaps the greatest two-game run of Curry’s career… The actual feat of scoring 60 points in 63 minutes of world-class basketball with a gold medal hanging in the balance is incredible any way you look at it, but what made Curry the most uniquely exhilarating basketball. What made the player was the stunning technology of his production … It was the perfect way for Curry to take control of not just a game, but an arena, an entire basketball world, and leave it speechless.”

Curry, of course, was not alone. LeBron James Won tournament MVP honorsAnd Kevin Durant Became the first person with four Olympic basketball golds. Simply put, They all did what the greats of all time doWritten by Bill Ritter.

D USWNT Also winning gold over the weekend, Beat brazil, 1-0behind Mallory SwansonIts aim is and Alyssa NaherIts goalkeeping prowess, led by A 10/10 player rating According to Sandra Herrera. with them The redemption arc is complete After 2023 World Cup falls through, USWNT may focus on 2027, writes Pradeep Khatri. Lindsay Horan agreedand with Emma Hayes lead the wayThe possibilities seem endless.

Here’s more from Paris:

👍 Honorable mention

🤸 And not such a good morning…

Jordan Chiles

The torch has been extinguished, and the Paris Olympics have officially closed, but the week-old gymnastics debate remains very much open. After initially missing out on a medal — and then getting one thanks to a scoring change — Jordan Chiles being told Returned her bronze medal from the floor routine.

• A week ago, Chiles finished her routine and scored a 13.666. It was fifth, slightly behind Romaniaof Ana Barboso And Sabrina is terrible (13.700), who finished third based on total score alone. Barboso’s execution score was higher than Vonia’s, though, which meant he finished third, and he celebrated accordingly.
• However, the coach of Chiles Cecil Landy An inquiry into the difficulty of Chiles’ routine was requested, and upon review, the judges added another 0.1 points to his difficulty. This gave Chiles a score of 13.766 and the bronze back Rebecca Andrade (gold) and Simone Biles (Silver). The searches are a regular occurrence, and while it made for an awkward moment at first, Biles took the stage to accept the medal.
• On Saturday, however, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Landy’s request four seconds into the one-minute investigation period. The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastics amended the standings, and the International Olympic Committee ordered Chiles to return the medal, which would have been awarded to Barbosu.
• Sunday, though USA Gymnastics The submitted video shows Landy filing his request 47 seconds later (and again 55 seconds later) Chiles’ score was revealed.

We’ll see where this goes, but it’s unfortunate and unfair to both athletes involved.

👎 Not so honorable mention

👀 Projected 2028 Team USA rosters for basketball, flag football, baseball

The countdown to the 2028 Los Angeles Games has officially begun, and already our eyes are on Team USA’s roster of two gold-medal standard bearers: men’s and women’s basketball.

For men’s basketball, 2028 immediately comes into focus, especially with this James and Curry are unlikely to play, Durant is uncertain And the world continues to catch up. Victor WembanyamaActually, there was Adversaries are “everywhere” warning of what is to come. Sam Quinn Projected 2028 Men’s Team USA RosterAnd wings will be a priority. An interesting name is…

• Quinn: “Fortunately, we have another wing coming through the pipeline who should be an All-Star by 2028 and fit like a glove: Jalen Williams. Oklahoma City’s rising star wing is a low-volume 3-point shooter, but made 48.7% of his wide-open triples last season. Guess what kind of shots are in store for Team USA? He’s a versatile defender who can create his own looks, but is used to playing in a relatively egalitarian system in Oklahoma City, so he won’t mind if his touches change from game to game.”

For women, says Jack Maloney Caitlin Clarke a Close to the lock This time around after a controversial snub. According to Jack the real locks are…

• Aja Wilson
• Brenna Stewart
• Nafisa Collier
• Jackie Young
• Sabrina Ionescu

Flag football and baseball will have plenty of star power joining those teams in 2028 self expression. There’s Cody Benjamin 13 NFL Stars Who Can Make Senseled by…

• Benjamin: “Lamar Jackson — Speed ​​and agility take precedence over physicality in flag football, and the crow Star has long set the standard for dual threat signal-callers. He’ll be 31 in 2028, but take your pick Michael Vick Before that, Jackson also had effortless arm strength. There’s no more dynamic prospect to man the starting quarterback spot, even looking a half-decade ahead.”

Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper And Paul Skenes will be Leadership Team USA … If MLB lets them playWritten by Dan Perry. said the judge He will be “all in”.

🏈 NFL Preseason Week 1: Caleb Williams shines, highlights

Book Week 1 of the preseason, and the No. 1 pick looked the part. In limited action, Caleb Williams Threw for 95 yards, added 13 more on the ground, produced plenty highlight And Josh Edwards has risen to the top of the rookie quarterback rankings for the week

• Edwards: “Chicago did a good job of moving the pocket for him and allowing him to throw in space. He showed good arm strength to drill a pass. DJ MooreThose were sitting down in tight coverage. In last week’s ‘Hard Knocks,’ Williams worked on sliding and put those drills to the test the bill“

We have one An in-depth look at all six first-round quarterbacksAnd the general consensus is it’s good! Yay!

Here’s more from Week 1:

📺 What we’re seeing on Monday

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