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Historic rugby win, gymnastics gold, swimming success give USA 6 more medals
By Alex Butler,
3 hours ago
July 30 (UPI) -- A miraculous comeback allowed Team USA to capture its first Olympic medal in rugby sevens, helping the Americans increase their lead in the Paris 2024 medal count Tuesday in Saint-Denis.
Alex Sedrick (R) of the Team USA scores against Australia during the women's rugby sevens bronze medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday in Saint Denis, France. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI
Salt Lake City native Alex Sedrick stiff-armed an Australian foe and sprinted 90 yards as time expired to lead Team USA to a shocking victory in the bronze medal match at Stade de France.
The try tied the score at 12-12. Sedrick then made a conversion, kicking the ball between the goalposts for a walk-off 14-12 triumph.
The victory also gave the Americans their first medal of any kind in women's or men's rugby -- 15s or 7s -- since the men won gold in 1924.
"In rugby, we say we are just passing through the jersey and making the jersey better," Team USA's Ilona Maher told NBC. "That's always been my goal, to make this jersey better, not just for me, but for the other girls that will come into the program.
Silver medalist Regan Smith (L) and bronze medalist Katharine Berkoff of Team USA hold their medals after the women's 100-meter backstroke final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at Paris La Defense Arena. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI
"I want them to dream about being professional rugby players and professional athletes and that's what I feel like we're giving them. I hope that if this was my last rugby game there is space for them to grow and thrive and experience this as I got to."
Team USA (C) stands on the podium after winning gold in the women's gymnastics team final Tuesday in Paris. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI
Drew Kibler (L) congratulates U.S. teammate Kieran Smith after winning the silver medal in the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at Paris La Defense Arena. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI
Team USA added an additional medal in women's gymnastics, with Simone Biles sparking a gold medal performance in the team final at Bercy Arena. Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee and Jade Carey joined Biles, compiling 171.296 points. Italy and Brazil won respective silver and bronze medals.
Swimmers contributed the final four of Team USA's six medals Tuesday. That haul -- combined with the 20 medals won since Saturday -- helped the Americans increase their overall lead in the medal count. Host France sits in second, with 18 medals, followed by China (14) and Japan (14). Japan's seven gold medals lead all countries.
Bobby Finke (top) of the United States competes in the men's 800-meter freestyle final at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at Paris La Defense Arena. Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI
Swimmers earned more than half (15) of the United States' first 26 medals, including those won Tuesday by Regan Smith, Katharine Berkoff, Bobby Finke, Luke Hobson, Carson Foster, Drew Kibler and Kieran Smith.
Smith and Berkoff were the first swimmers to medal Tuesday at Paris La Defense Arena. They swam to respective second- and third-place finishes in the women's 100-meter backstroke final. Australia's Kaylee McKeown won that event with an Olympic-record time of 57.33, 0.33 faster than Smith.
Finke followed with a second-place finish in the men's 800-meter freestyle. He finished 0.56 behind Ireland's Daniel Wiffen, who clocked an Olympic-record 7:38.19. Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri finished third.
Bobby Finke's valiant comeback comes up just short of gold, but he earns SILVER in the 800m free!
The U.S. men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay team medaled in the final swimming event of the night, trailing Great Britain. Australia placed third. Hobson, Foster, Kibler and Smith swam that event for Team USA.
Foster earned his second medal in Paris, following his third-place finish in Sunday's 400-meter individual medley final. Hobson, who won bronze in Monday's 200-meter freestyle final, also won his second medal of the Summer Olympics.
In non-medal events, Team USA's chances of a women's singles tennis medal likely decreased Tuesday at Roland Garros when world No. 2 Coco Gauff suffered an upset loss to No. 21 Donna Vekic of Croatia.
American Taylor Fritz -- the No. 12 men's player -- beat No. 27 Jack Draper of Great Britain in a second-round men's singles match. Fritz also teamed up with Gauff to beat Argentina's Nadia Podoroska and Maximo Gonzalez in the first round of the mixed doubles tournament.
No. 9 Danielle Collins and No. 13 Tommy Paul were among the other top American tennis players to advance in Tuesday's singles matches.
The United States also beat Guinea 3-0 in a Group A finale in the men's soccer tournament to advance to the knockout rounds. Forward Kevin Paredes scored twice. Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic also scored for the Americans.
More than a dozen medal events will be held Wednesday throughout France for athletes in fencing, gymnastics, judo swimming and more.
U.S. swimming legend Katie Ledecky is expected to compete in the women's 1,500-meter freestyle at 3:13 p.m. EDT at Paris La Defense Arena. She won gold in that event at Tokyo 2020.
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