Daily Edition – Au revoir: That’s all she wrote
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
That’s all she wrote!
Just over two weeks, many records (including for marriage proposals), and countless happy tears later, the 2024 Paris Olympics have officially come to a close. Let’s make it a magnifique Monday by reliving all of the magic. Allons-y.
Country | 🥇 | 🥈 | 🥉 | Total |
| 🇺🇲 USA | 40 | 44 | 42 | 126 |
| 🇨🇳 People’s Republic of China | 40 | 27 | 24 | 91 |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | 20 | 12 | 13 | 45 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 18 | 19 | 16 | 53 |
Team USA
🥇 Shiny, shiny, shiny
The GIST: Multiple American squads proved there’s no “I” in team this weekend, walking away with medals on medals before hopping on a plane back stateside. Put your hands up, they’re playing your song, Olympians.
USA women’s basketball secures historic eighth gold in dramatic fashion: The red, white, and blue topped host nation France 67–66 yesterday, extending their Olympic win streak to 61 games despite a shaky performance. The highlights? Diana Taurasi’s history-making sixth gold and Brittney Griner’s emotions in front of the Stars and Stripes. Dynastic.
Joy, rediscovered — No. 5 USWNT wins first gold since 2012: In just her 10th game as head coach, Emma Hayes led the squad to the top of the Olympic podium as the USWNT topped No. 9 Brazil 1–0 on Saturday behind an epic strike from forward Mallory Swanson.
NBA superstars maintain Team USA men’s basketball’s dominance: The fellas clinched their fifth consecutive gold on Saturday, topping France 98–87 behind the veteran trio of Steph “night, night” Curry, LeBron James, and recently crowned USA Basketball all-time Olympic scorer Kevin Durant.
U.S. track and field sprints through the finish line: Both the women’s and men’s 4x400m relay teams earned gold on Saturday, a fantastic follow-up to the women’s 4x100m relay golden finish on Friday, anchored by Sha’Carri Richardson and the look seen ’round the world.
Women’s gymnastics
🤸💔 Heartbreak on the floor
The GIST: Six days after the competition, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it intends to strip American gymnast Jordan Chiles of her floor exercise bronze medal, but the fight isn’t over just yet. Here’s the latest.
The timeline: Back on August 5th, Chiles initially scored 13.666 in the individual floor final, which landed her in fifth place behind two Romanian gymnasts. While Romania celebrated, Chiles’ coach, Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, asked the judges to review her difficulty marks — a common practice to ensure athletes are judged fairly on all elements of a routine.
- After the review, the judges increased Chiles’ score by 0.1, which bumped her up to third place and secured the bronze.
- Chiles stood on the sport’s first-ever all-Black podium and bowed with her bestie, Simone Biles, in one of the most iconic moments of the Games.
- But yesterday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) voided Canqueteau-Landi’s appeal. Their reasoning? The coach’s inquiry came four seconds after the one-minute limit.
What’s next: In response, USA Gymnastics submitted a formal letter, as well as video evidence, establishing that Canqueteau-Landi submitted her inquiry 47 seconds after Chiles’ score was posted, well within the one-minute limit.
- Furthermore, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has Chiles’ back, reiterating that she “rightfully earned the bronze” and redirecting attention to the judges’ initial scoring error.
- It’s not clear what the formal appeal process will be, but this situation could make its way to the highest court in Switzerland, where the IOC operates, and might take months or even years to be resolved.
Zooming out: All three gymnasts involved — Chiles and the two Romanians, Ana Barbosu and Sabrina Maneca-Voinea — have unfairly experienced emotional whiplash throughout this fallout. Unacceptable and unconscionable.
Together With Heineken Silver
🎫 A Grand Slam prize
Already making epic summer plans for 2025? Our pals at Heineken are here to help by giving one winner two tickets to a US Open finals match at New York’s iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium next year.
- Enter the contest today for a shot at some of the best seats in the house — plus exclusive BTS access — all courtesy of Heineken. And if you’re really lucky, you could instantly win a Heineken US Open hat. What do you have to lose?
🥊 Algerian boxer Imane Khelif cut through the misinformation and misogyny, winning gold in Saturday’s women’s 66kg final.
👟 After claiming bronze in the women’s 5000m and 10,000m, Ethiopia’s Sifan Hassan won marathon gold yesterday, blazing through the brutal course in Olympic record time. Exhausted just thinking about it.
🏃 It was a marathon sweep for Ethiopia as Tamirat Tola set his own Olympic record on Saturday, with two-time reigning champion, Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, dropping out due to injury.
🥇 Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Kenyan Faith Kipyegon raced to gold in the women’s 1500m — her third straight — smashing her previous Olympic record time by nearly two seconds.
⛳ New Zealand’s Lydia Ko earned herself a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame and a shiny gold medal with her two-shot victory at Le Golf National. Par-tee.
🏋️ Team USA’s Olivia Reeves hoisted a total of 262kg (about 578 pounds) to nab weightlifting gold, the red, white, and blue’s first medal in the sport in 24 years.
🏐 2020 Olympic champion U.S. women’s volleyball fell in straight sets to Italy in yesterday’s gold medal game, but they extended their medal streak to five consecutive Games by snagging silver. Still shining bright.
“There have been so many moments that have left me in awe, but my favorite ones so far are when Prisca Awati won silver for Mexico, the first medal in the sport for Mexico, when cyclist Kristen Faulkner won gold in the road race…she wasn’t even supposed to race and she had picked up cycling as a hobby, what?! I live for all these back stories that the Olympics have brought.”
— Kim C.
“Julien Alfred winning St. Lucia’s FIRST EVER Olympic medal and it’s GOLD. I cried. Ukrainian high jumper representing her country. Also cried…USA Women’s Rugby. Period."
— Ann M.
“I played field hockey in high school around the time Title IX passed and was curious about how the game might have changed. Seeing the skill level of the female athletes and the evolution of the game was amazingly exciting and inspiring. Yay women! Title IX!!”
— Kim S.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
🎟️ What to score tickets to
Featured events at US Open Fan Week including concerts, a food event, and an opportunity to see some of the biggest stars. Seven days of fun leading up to tennis’ last major of the year? That’s a Grand Slam.*
🔥 What to look forward to
The 2024 Paris Paralympics, which begin with the Opening Ceremony on August 28th. Don’t cry because it’s over — smile because there’s even more ahead.
🚗 Who’s shooting for the moon
The LA 2028 organizers, who are aiming to host a “no car games” where spectators rely solely on public transportation…a tall task for a city infamous for nightmarish traffic and a not-so-robust public transit system. Dream big, right?
🥍 Who’s on her own Redeem Team
Athletes Unlimited lax star Sam Apuzzo, who finally captured her first AU Pro Lacrosse championship yesterday after coming in second two years in a row. Third time’s the charm.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Love to see it.Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, and Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.