Pour that tea

The GIST: With officially four weeks (!!!) to go until the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, roster selection season is in full swing. This weekend’s serving up thrilling U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials and U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials action. Team USA, loading.

👟 Track & field trials race into final weekend: As a reminder, the goal for each competitor is to finish on the podium: only the top three from each final make the Olympic team (if they also meet the Olympic qualifying standards). This weekend’s must-see races? First, tonight’s 10:50 p.m. ET men’s 110m hurdles final, featuring defending silver medalist Grant Halloway.

• Then Sunday at 7:29 p.m. ET, it’ll be all eyes on the women’s 400m hurdles and reigning gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who set a world record the last time she raced the event at TrackTown, USA. Blink and you might just miss her.

🤸 Simone Biles headlines USA Gymnastics field: Where else to start than with the GOAT? The most decorated gymnast of all time is largely expected to punch her ticket to Paris and clinch a third Games appearance. She’ll be joined by four additional women and the five-person men’s squad, along with four Olympic alternates.

• The top all-around finishers from this weekend (women’s and men’s) automatically qualify, while the rest are chosen by a selection committee, which takes this weekend’s performances and past events into account. And this team is tough to make — they don’t call it gym-nice-stics, after all.

• Aside from Biles, competitors to watch include six-time world medalist Shilese Jones, reigning Olympic all-around champ Suni Lee, and, for the men, U.S. all-around champ Brody Malone.

The GIST: From a record-setting number of cards to the plastic beer cups raining down on the field, the Euro group stage was positively bananas. And now it’s on to the knockouts, where the Round of 16 kicks off tomorrow and promises even more excitement.

Early favorites post subpar performances: Powerhouses No. 2 France and No. 5 England underwhelmed in their respective groups, notching only one win and two goals each across their three group stage games.

• The issue? Lackluster offense even with a masked man in the wings. Will the strikers find a match and ignite in the Round of 16? We’ll have to wait until Monday to judge France’s response, but England plays No. 45 Slovakia Sunday at 12 p.m. ET. Pour that tea.

Surprise squads delight fans: Where favorites falter, underdogs rise. Both No. 25 Austria and No. 74 Georgia defied the odds in the group stage: Austria topped their Euro group for the first time, while Georgia pulled off the biggest upset in tourney history, stunning Cristiano Ronaldo’s No. 6 Portugal 2–0 on Wednesday to reach their first knockout stage.

What’s next: Two must-see matches between stacked sides tomorrow — first, it’s No. 19 Switzerland vs. defending champion No. 10 Italy at 12 p.m. ET, followed by host country No. 16 Germany against No. 21 Denmark at 3 p.m. ET. The fun has just begun.

Here at The GIST, we celebrate badass women athletes: Allow us to introduce you to Olympian Anna Weis, the only woman athlete on the U.S. SailGP Team that’s competing in the winner-takes-all Season 4 Grand Final on July 13th and 14th in San Francisco.

• A top-10 finisher in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Weis competes on 50-foot catamarans that fly at a whopping 60+ mph. Her role of grinder means she’s in charge of powering the winches that control the sails of the boat, a taxing position that requires upper body strength and endurance as she tries to outlast her race opponents.

• In other words, she’s basically Superwoman IRL. And you can watch her dominate at next month’s Grand Final broadcast live on CBS.

Your mission of elevating women’s sports just got a whole lot easier thanks to the first edition of Ally’s Sports Spotlight. Here’s what women athletes are cooking up while you plan your 4th of July barbecue:

• 👟 U.S. track & field Olympic trials, today through Sunday at various times (viewing info here): Catch fan favorite hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone as she competes for a ticket to Paris.

• 🤸 U.S. gymnastics Olympic trials, today through Sunday at various times (viewing info here): Three words: Simone freaking Biles. All eyes are on the four-time gold medalist as she and 14 other gymnasts compete for a spot on Team USA.

• 🏀 WNBA: Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces, Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): The Fever are in for an exciting matchup against the reigning champs. Plus, it’s always fun to see besties and former college teammates Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin face off.

Ally’s on a mission to change the game for women’s sports — just like they’re working overtime to help you meet your financial goals. Check out how they’re investing in women athletes and learn more about how you can help too. Hint: Step one is tuning in and cheering 'em on.