Paris Olympics memorable moments: Simone Biles was the star but the spotlight reached many faces

Paris Olympics memorable moments: Simone Biles was the star but the spotlight reached many faces
French swimmer Leon Marchand holds the Olympic flame lantern next to IOC President Thomas Bach, with athletes Teddy Riner of France, Mijain Lopez Nunez of Cuba, Yingsha Sun of China, Djankeu Ngamba of Refugee Olympic Team, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya and Emma McKeon of Australia on stage. (Reuters)
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Updated 12 August 2024
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Paris Olympics memorable moments: Simone Biles was the star but the spotlight reached many faces

Paris Olympics memorable moments: Simone Biles was the star but the spotlight reached many faces
  • Paris introduced the world to “The Pommel Horse Guy” and “The Real John Wick” and a meme-making performance by an Australian professor in the Olympic debut of breaking
  • French swimmer Leon Marchand delivered in his home Olympics with a Michael Phelps-like performance, winning five medals, four of them gold

PARIS: Simone Biles stole the show at the Paris Olympics with a captivating comeback that had everyone watching everything she did both in and out of the gymnasium.

All eyes were on Biles as she won four medals, but the spotlight was bright enough to highlight new names, new faces and some unlikely new stars. The Paris Games will be remembered for breathtaking venues, unprecedented accessibility and Snoop Dogg taking a starring role in NBC’s record-smashing coverage.

Paris introduced the world to “The Pommel Horse Guy” and “The Real John Wick” and a meme-making performance by an Australian professor in the Olympic debut of breaking.

French swimmer Leon Marchand delivered in his home Olympics with a Michael Phelps-like performance, winning five medals, four of them gold. Ilona Maher angled for a shot on reality TV show “Love Island” after leading the US to a heart-stopping late victory that gave the US its first ever medal, a bronze, in rugby sevens.

Noah Lyles was crowned the fastest man in the world for winning the 100 meters, but after he finished third in the 200 — his first loss in his favorite event since the Tokyo Olympics three years ago — he revealed he had tested positive for COVID-19. Sha’Carri Richardson chased down two competitors in the rain to end her first Olympics with a relay gold after settling for silver in the 100.

The US won the medal count — 121 of them headed into Sunday’s final day of competition, 37 of them gold — and the Americans again prevailed in men’s basketball and women’s soccer.

Here’s a look at some of the top moments of the Paris Olympics:

Biles soared to gold

Biles returned to the Olympics three years after she pulled out of multiple events at the Tokyo Games for mental health reasons and won four medals, three of them gold.

She was the most popular attraction in Paris and competed in front of celebrity-packed crowds. Those who couldn’t sit in the stands with Tom Cruise, Spike Lee, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga tuned in from afar as NBC said 34.7 million viewers across its platforms watched Biles lead the United States to team gold.

Next up for the greatest gymnast in Olympic history is a 30-stop “Gold Over America Tour” for the GOAT.

Swimming struggles

Nine days of competition wrapped up with the Americans barely pulling off the lead in the gold-medal standings in swimming, needing a victory in the last race of the Olympics to do so.

The US finished with just eight golds, its fewest since the 1988 Seoul Games and one ahead of its biggest rival, Australia.

“It’s one of the worst performances in history as a US team,” said Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever.

The rest of the world totaled more victories (20) than the US and Australia combined, the first time that’s happened since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Track troubles

The 34 medals and 14 golds for the Americans were their best showing in track and field in a non-boycotted Games since the early 20th century, when there were more events and fewer countries.

And that came despite the disappointment of Richardson not winning gold in the 100, Lyles losing the 200 after his COVID-19 diagnosis and the men’s 4x100 meter relay fumbling its way to a disqualification.

The relay performance was so bad that Carl Lewis, a nine-time gold medalist, called for top-to-bottom changes within the American track and field program.

But the US closed out strong: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone set another world record in again winning the 400 hurdles, and she then was part of the 4x400 relay team that she and Gabby Thomas led to a runaway win on the final night at Stade de France.

The American men won gold in the same race in a much closer finish about 15 minutes earlier.

The 14 golds by the US are the most in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1968.

USA hoops gets another gold

Stephen Curry added more hardware to his legacy as he finally won an Olympic gold medal.

Curry scored 24 points and led the US to a 98-87 win over France in the men’s basketball final. It was the fifth consecutive gold medal for the US — and the 17th in 20 all-time appearances for the Americans at the Games.

Kevin Durant, the first four-time men’s gold medalist in Olympic basketball history, scored 15 for the Americans, as did Devin Booker. And LeBron James, wearing metallic gold sneakers, scored 14 for the US as he won his fourth Olympic medal and third gold.

Victor Wembanyama, in his first Olympic final, scored 26 points for France and was in tears after the game.

American women’s soccer team back on top

The US women’s soccer team won its fifth Olympic gold medal by beating Brazil 1-0 in the final. The Americans had not won gold since the 2012 London Olympics.

The gold closed out an undefeated run to the title in their first international campaign under new coach Emma Hayes.

At the final whistle, the US players celebrated as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” played in the stadium.

Boxing controversy

Women’s boxing was dragged into the culture wars over gender misconceptions involving two of the competitors.

Imane Khelif of Algeria and Li Yu-ting of Taiwan were heavily scrutinized because of a Russian-dominated International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify them from last year’s world championships, claiming both failed an eligibility test for women’s competition that IBA officials have declined to answer basic questions about.

Khelif endured intense scrutiny in the ring and online abuse from around the world over misconceptions about her womanhood and still won gold in the women’s welterweight division.

Lin won a gold medal in the women’s featherweight division one night later to cap her four-fight unbeaten run through Paris by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold medal.

“I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman and I am qualified,” Khelif said after her victory.

The International Olympic Committee took the unprecedented step last year of permanently banning the IBA from the Olympics following years of concerns about its governance, competitive fairness and financial transparency. The IOC has called the sex tests that the sport’s governing body imposed on the two boxers irretrievably flawed.


Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London
Updated 16 September 2024
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Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London

Boxing stars Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois face off at Tower Bridge in London
  • Dubois currently holds the IBF belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division

LONDON: Fans got their first glimpse of two of the biggest names in boxing four days ahead of the highly anticipated Riyadh Season Card Wembley Edition fight between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois on Monday.

Joshua and Dubois faced off for the first time at a media event held near the iconic London landmark of Tower Bridge.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

It was the first event in a week of build-up for a night of boxing at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, where the two British boxers will fight it out for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title.

Dubois currently holds the belt, but Joshua will be looking to become a three-time world champion in the division.

(AN Photo/Hasenin Fadhel)

The event is the first Riyadh Season boxing event to be held in the UK and the second time outside Saudi Arabia following the success of the first event in Los Angeles in August.

Also on Monday, Anthony Cacace and Josh Warrington faced off, who are set to fight for the IBF super featherweight title.

(Supplied/GEA/Riyadh Season)

Fans also got to see Joshua Buatsi and Willie Hutchinson, who will compete for the World Boxing Organization interim light heavyweight title, face off.

They also saw Tyler Denny who fights Hamzah Sheeraz, Mark Chamberlain who takes on Josh Padley, and a face-off between Josh Kelly and Ismael Davis, who stepped in to replace Liam Smith after Smith sustained an injury.


Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
Updated 16 September 2024
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Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final

Bayern set sights on dream home Champions League final
  • “Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home
  • “The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary”

BERLIN: Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said Monday his side were fully focused on the Champions League season, with this year’s final to be held at Munich’s Allianz Arena.
“Something big is coming,” Neuer told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s opening clash with Dinamo Zagreb at home.
“The most important thing is the final in Munich. We want to go there and everything else is secondary.
“We know what this final means to the city, the fans and the players. Our motivation is simply very high.”
Six-time European champions Bayern come into the season after their first trophyless campaign in 11 seasons, with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen winning a league and cup double.
In the Champions League, Bayern were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual winners Real Madrid, who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the trophy.
Neuer and fellow Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, who both won the 2013 and 2020 Champions League finals, are the only two players in the squad to remember the 2012 home final, which they lost on penalties to Premier League side Chelsea.
Mueller went on social media on Monday, telling followers “the road to Munich starts tomorrow.
“I’m very excited. Let’s enjoy the best football in Europe.”
Manager Vincent Kompany, set to coach his first match in the Champions League, told reporters “the fans can dream.”
“The most important thing for me is that we show it on the pitch. We have a difficult game tomorrow. The important thing is that we play well and win tomorrow.”
Bayern have won every one of their Champions League openers since 2002 when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo La Coruna, which was the prelude to their first and only group stage elimination.


European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
Updated 16 September 2024
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European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63

European Cup-winning former Villa striker Shaw dies aged 63
  • The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall
  • “Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said

LONDON: Former Aston Villa striker Gary Shaw, who helped the club to their shock European Cup triumph in 1982, died on Monday aged 63.
Shaw was a member of the Villa side that won the First Division title in 1981 and then memorably stunned German giants Bayern Munich in the European Cup final 12 months later.
The forward died after recently going into hospital following a head injury suffered in a fall.
“Aston Villa Football Club is deeply shocked and profoundly saddened to learn that Gary Shaw, one of our European Cup-winning heroes, has passed away,” a statement said.
“Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits which helped fire Villa to success in the 1980s. Individual accolades would also follow for a player who was idolized by many on the terraces.


“He passed away peacefully earlier today surrounded by his family, who asked Aston Villa to release a statement on their behalf.”
Shaw’s death came on the eve of Villa’s first match in the Champions League for 41 years.
Unai Emery’s side face Young Boys in Switzerland on Tuesday and the Villa manager urged his team to win the match in tribute to Shaw.
“My condolences to the family and all the supporters at Villa,” said Emery, whose team will wear black armbands for the fixture in Bern.
“We have a memory always, in our training ground a picture of 1982 and the European Cup. He was a protagonist of that. My condolences to them.
“Yes, I think it’s sad and we can use it as motivation.”
Shaw joined Villa as an apprentice and went on to score 79 times in 213 appearances, including 20 goals in their 1981 title-winning campaign.
He was named PFA Young Player of the Year after Villa’s first English title since 1910.
Shaw scored three goals in Villa’s run to European Cup glory, including a crucial quarter-final strike against Dynamo Kiev.
Peter Withe’s winner against Bayern in Rotterdam lifted the team to previously unimaginable heights, with Birmingham-born Shaw savouring the triumph more than most.
Yet within a year of Villa’s epic victory, Shaw suffered a knee injury in a match against Nottingham Forest that curtailed his progress and ultimately saw him retire from the game after six operations.
He left the club in 1988 for spells in Denmark and Austria, before ending his career in 1992 after short stints at Walsall, Kilmarnock and Shrewsbury.
Shaw later worked as a statistical analyst and a matchday ambassador for Villa.


Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
Updated 16 September 2024
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Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury

Tunisia's Jabeur to miss rest of year with injury
  • Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury

PARIS: Ons Jabeur will miss the rest of the 2024 WTA season with a shoulder injury, the Tunisian announced on Monday.
The three-time Grand Slam runner-up has struggled for form and fitness this year, slipping to 22nd in the world rankings.
Jabeur missed the recent US Open due to the injury and has not played since a heavy defeat by Naomi Osaka in Toronto in early August.
“This year has been extremely hard for me and as athletes, we know that recovery is part of the journey,” she said on social media.
“Due to my ongoing shoulder injury, my medical team and I’ve made the difficult decision to step off the tennis circuit for the rest of the season.”
The 30-year-old said she would be back on court for the start of the 2025 campaign in Australia.


Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
Updated 16 September 2024
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Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya

Simba say goalkeeper attacked after CAF Cup match in Libya
  • “It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official
  • “Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room“

JOHANNESBURG: Aishi Manula, the goalkeeper of Tanzanian club Simba, was struck by a policeman after a stormy CAF Confederation Cup qualifier in Libya on Sunday, an official from the visiting team told AFP.
The second round, first leg against Al Ahly Tripoli ended 0-0 in a packed 45,000-seat Tripoli stadium and Simba players dashed for cover at full-time as plastic bottles were flung at them.
“It was scary. I saw Aishi being struck for no reason by a policeman and bottles and other objects hurled at our players,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“Aishi is shaken but okay. He is receiving treatment in the changing room. I also witnessed some Ahly players attacking the referee and his assistants.”
Both clubs are regular CAF competition campaigners with Ahly making a ninth appearance in the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League and Simba a seventh.
Simba are considered potential title challengers in the Confederation Cup, which has been dominated by north African clubs with 16 titles from 21 editions.
Zamalek of Egypt are the current title-holders after edging Renaissance Berkane of Morocco on away goals in the last final.
South African coach Fadlu Davids recently took charge of the Dar es Salaam outfit after being assistant coach of Moroccan league and cup double winners Raja Casablanca last season.
Another first leg in Libya produced a thriller with Al Hilal Benghazi snatching a 3-2 victory over Al Masry of Egypt after trailing twice in the eastern city.
Salah Mohsen put Masry ahead in each half, but two goals from Mohammed al Shiteewi, either side of one from Faisal al Badri, set up an intriguing September 22 return match in Alexandria.
Dynamos of Zimbabwe look set to reach the group stage for the first time, at the third attempt, after a 1-0 win over Orapa United of Botswana in Francistown.
But the most popular club in the southern Africa nation left it late to build an aggregate lead as Valentine Kadonzvo scored with just two minutes of regular time remaining.
Zimbabwe have no international-standard stadium so Dynamos must play Orapa twice in neighboring Botswana.
Burundi outfit Rukinzo are in a similar situation to Dynamos with no suitable venue in the landlocked central African nation.
They opted to face record three-time Confederation Cup winners CS Sfaxien twice in Tunisia, and did well to restrict the home side to a 1-0 win through an early Mohamed ‘Cristo’ Dhaoui goal.