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While several Americans dominated on the track on Thursday, Team USA just barely survived a scare on the basketball court on Thursday afternoon that nearly ended what’s been a dominant run in the sport.
From several medal runs to a bronze medal world record and even a COVID-19 scare, here are the biggest stories from Thursday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Stephen Curry, Team USA rally to beat Serbia
It took a wild night from Stephen Curry and a 17-point comeback, but Team USA will have a shot at a fifth consecutive gold medal on Saturday.
The in their semifinals matchup on Thursday night in Paris. in the win while LeBron James added a triple-double to lead them out of a huge hole that nearly left the Americans stunned for the first time since the 2004 Games.
Jokić and Serbia will now take on Germany in the bronze medal game on Saturday while the United States will take on Victor Wembanyama and France in a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics gold medal game. Team USA beat France there, too, in what was their fourth straight gold medal.
Noah Lyles wins bronze, reveals COVID-19 diagnosis
Despite entering the race as the favorite, American Noah Lyles finished in third in the 200 meter final on Thursday. He .
Lyles, it turns out, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week and has been isolating in a hotel near the Olympic Village.
earlier in the week, was attempting to go for the rare Olympic sprint double on Thursday in the men's 200 meter final. Lyles, however, .
He said he “still wanted to run” in the final after making it through his semifinal heat on Wednesday. After Lyles finished with a time of 19.70 seconds, he said he felt “lightheaded” and was dealing with chest pain and shortness of breath. He was eventually taken off the track in a wheelchair, but he said a few hours later that he was feeling a lot better.
“I was able to catch my breath and get my wits about me,” he said.
Then on Thursday night, Lyles revealed that he won’t compete in the men’s 4x100 meter relay final on Friday due to his diagnosis.
McLaughlin-Levrone, Davis-Woodhall win gold
Lyles may have come away with only a bronze, but elsewhere at Stade de France, some of his USA teammates added to the country's gold medal total with huge wins, highlighted by in the 400-meter hurdles. McLaughlin-Levrone set a new world record at 50.37 seconds, with fellow American Anna Cockrell taking silver and the Netherlands' Femke Bol taking bronze.
In the long jump, – a gold – after a 7.10-meter jump. Germany's Malaika Mihambo took silver, and Team USA's Jasmine Moore took bronze, impressively becoming just the second woman in Olympic history to medal in both the triple jump and the long jump in the same Games.
And in the men's 110-meter hurdles, after winning silver in Tokyo. Team USA's Daniel Roberts took silver, and Jamaica's Rasheed Broadbell took bronze.
U.S. women’s volleyball into gold, water polo loses
It took five sets and an incredible rally, but the U.S. women’s volleyball team is onto the gold medal match.
The United States beat Brazil 3-2 in their semifinals match on Thursday in Paris in a thrilling battle that nearly slipped away in the final few points. Brazil even got within two points in the final set before the United States scored three of the last four points to finally close out the match and secure their spot in the final.
The Americans, who beat Brazil to win gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, will now take on Italy in the final. The Italians swept Türkiye 3-0 in their semifinals match.
While the volleyball team made it through, the women’s water polo team slipped on Thursday in their semifinals match. Australia edged out the United States in a penalty shootout to grab a 14-13 win and advance into the gold medal game. That officially ended what has been a dominant stretch for the Americans, who have won gold in the last three Games.
Australia and Spain will play on Saturday in the gold medal match. Team USA and the Netherlands will play for the bronze medal.
Sam Watson’s world record bronze
while climbing up a near-50 foot wall on Thursday, and he somehow didn't win the gold medal.
The 18-year-old American lowered his own world record time in the speed climbing bronze medal match on Thursday after just barely missing out on a shot at the gold. Watson climbed the wall in 4.74 seconds in his final run.
Though Watson set the world record the first time in the quarterfinals, he finished just 0.08 seconds behind China’s Peng Wu — who ended up finishing in second behind Indonesia’s Veddriq Leonardo in the final.
So while Watson scaled the wall quicker than any human has before, it still wasn’t enough to bring home the gold medal.
Team USA medals
Highlight of the Day
Rhythmic gymnastics got underway on Thursday, which led to some incredible floor performances — including two from Germany’s Darja Varfolomeev and Ukraine’s Taisiia Onofriichuk that were set to classic Michael Jackson songs. Their routines were incredible. Just watch:
Varfolomeev finished the day in second in qualifying, just behind Italy’s Sofie Raffaeli. Onofriichuk, 16, also advanced to the final after she finished in fourth.
One More Thing: Katie Ledecky, Nick Mead to lead USA at closing ceremony
Katie Ledecky and Nick Mead will officially close out the Olympics for the United States.
will carry the American flag at the closing ceremony.
Ledecky won four medals in the Games, which pushed her lifetime count to 14 and made her the most decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time.
Mead won gold in the coxless men’s four race earlier in Paris, which marked the first Team USA gold in the event in 64 years.
The closing ceremony will start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
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