36 Year World Record On Verge of Falling; USA Hoops Three Wins From Gold (Olympics Day 14 Preview)
Team USA had a chance to create massive separation with the rest of the world on Monday, but unfortunately, they lost out on three Gold Medal chances early in the day. The Skeet Team was heavily favored to win Gold in the Mixed event, and Simone Biles was as well on both Floor & Beam. None of them walked away with Gold, putting Team USA in a small hole. You could even argue the Women's 3x3 Basketball team blew it, as they had a nice lead in the semi-finals, before ultimately winning Bronze. But, by day's end, they clawed back and grab two Gold Medals, both repeats from Tokyo 2020, in Women's Discus and Women's Surfing.
UPDATED AS OF 12:00 AM EST ON AUGUST 6th
Now sitting at 21 Gold Medals, Team USA is tied with China for the lead on the medal table. As for the overall count, the United States is running away with it. Am I worried? No. Is the Gold Medal count a lock? Also no. They are -1 compared to their pace from Tokyo 2020, but Team USA is expected to pick up Gold in a few spots, namely on the track, meaning over the next few days they might be able to jump ahead of pace and into a comfortable spot.
Day 14 at Paris 2024 is upon us, and while it is a light day, it features some massive events…
36 YEAR 200m RECORD IS GOING TO FALL
I know I am the boy who cried A) World Record and B) USA Gold in the Women's 100m the other night, but I really think that both things are going to happen on Tuesday in Paris.
While Sha'Carri Richardson was the favorite in the 100m, there was no denying Julien Alfred, who won Gold, was a legitimate threat to win. In the 200m, Alfred is also a threat to win, but the level at which Gabby Thomas is the favorite is a bit wider of a margin. Thomas looked fucking insane in her semi-final run earlier today, clocking in at 21.86, while also slowing down significantly towards the end. That's not to say Julien Alfred didn't look good, because she also looked insanely fast.
My biggest takeaway is the fact one of them is going to beat Florence Griffith-Joyner's World Record time of 21.34 that has stood for a whopping 36 years. The track is really fast at Stade de France, and one of them is going to sprint past time that time, I just have a hunch.
Regardless, one way or another, this race is going to come down to these two women, and it's sure to be a memorable one.
USA HOOPS 3 WINS FROM GOLD; BRAZIL UP FIRST
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Despite people's massive erection when it comes to finding negative things to discuss about Team USA Men's Basketball, this insane group of players has looked pretty damn good in Paris. Have they been perfect? No. But they haven't needed to be. They've put out a couple great highlights, have played as a cohesive unit more and more as the days go on, and look poised to once again win Gold. They also ended up with a fantastic draw for the knockout round…
Their three toughest tests are likely Germany, Canada, and France in that order, and all three are on the other side of the bracket. They have to beat a pretty "not great" Brazil team, either Serbia (who they've drummed twice) or Australia (who they beat in an early exhibition with ease until a late garbage time flurry), and then one of those three contenders for a Gold Medal.
Brazil went 1-2 in the group stage and was essentially tied with Greece as the worst teams to qualify for the knockout stage. They opened up with a 12-point loss to France, then a 13-point loss to Germany, followed by a blowout win over a bad Japan team. Neither of their losses were really close at any point, but they showed they can scrap, and they also have skills on the glass. Teams such as South Sudan have stuck around due to their length, athleticism, and rebounding. While I don't think Brazil has the first two things as much as South Sudan had, they do attack the glass. If there's one way they can stay in the game with the United States, that will be it.
It's also worth mentioning that Brazil has similar three-point shooting as South Sudan, but to compare any team to the United States on offense would be a gross disservice. Team USA is better in every way: faster, stronger, and deeper. The only way the United States loses this game is if they beat themselves. But I don't expect that at all. They've been leveling up each game in terms of cohesion, and I think it will jump to another level on Tuesday.
We are also due for a big Steph Curry game, and I think it is about to happen.
MEET AMIT… SHE MAY BE UNBEATABLE
Amit Elore, 20-years-old, opened up the Olympics as an unranked wrestler against reigning world champion Buse Tosun Cavusoglu in the 68kg Freestyle weight class. Sounds horrible right? Top ranked wrestler, against the someone essentially listed as a 16-seed.
Nope. Elor won, and easily.
Here's the deal with Elor: she is undefeated on the senior level, is the back-to-back world champion at 72kg Freestyle weight class, and also has a few other world championships under her belt. But because the Olympics does not have a weight class at 72kg, Elor had to drop down and enter the 68kg tournament as an unranked wrestler.
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That… kind of sucks for Turkiye's Cavusoglu. If I were her, I would've been fucking furious by that draw.
But, that's not the United States' problem, and Elor ripped off the opening 10-2 win, followed by an 8-0 win over Poland's Wiktoria Choluj, and then a 10-0 win over North Korea's Pak Sol-gum. Now she sits in the Gold Medal final against Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan. Since 2019, Elor is 40-1, and is looking to deliver Team USA back-to-back Gold Medals in the Women's 68kg Freestyle competition.
Don't miss her wrestle tomorrow, as the phenom tries to bring home Gold for the United States.
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- Athletics (Men's 1500m): Honestly, I should probably write more about this event, because it is going to be quite the showstopper on Tuesday. Reigning Gold Medalist Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway is catching heat going into the finals of the Men's 1500m after acting "casual" and "disrespecting" his competitors prior to one of the pre-finals races. Can I be critical of him after celebrating Noah Lyles? No, but some people didn't like the fact Ingebrigtsen was essentially taunting everyone. He's the favorite to win Gold but will have fierce competition from his rival and reigning world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain. Keep an eye on the United States runners as well, as Yared Nuguse (THE GOOSE!), Hobbs Kessler, and Cole Hocker all have a shot to pull a shocker in Paris.
- Beach Volleyball: Two of the four Team USA Beach Volleyball squads to qualify for the knockout round are alive, and one of them is in action tomorrow as Sarah Huges & Kelly Cheng take on Huberli & Brunner of Switzerland in the quarter-finals. All pressure is on them to keep the United State's medal streak alive in the sport. The Swiss pose a tall task for the United States, as they have yet to drop a set (the USA dropped their first set in the Round of 16), and have only gave up more than 15 set points once in group play. They did get tested by Spain in the Round of 16, though, so they are vulnerable!
- (Indoor) Volleyball: The defending Gold Medalist Team USA women's volleyball team has their first knockout match on Tuesday as they take on Poland. In group play, the United States & Poland both went 2-1, but the USA was better by a bit of a margin, and Poland comes in off a loss, while the Americans last match was a win. Can they women continue what the men did on Monday with an electric win over Brazil?
- Soccer: We are one win from seeing the United State's Women's Soccer Team back in the Gold Medal match. They take on Germany right around Noon Eastern on Tuesday. This is a rematch of a group stage game where the Americans beat the breaks off the Germans 4-1, so I would expect nothing worse than a win here with the women one step away from taking on Spain or Brazil for Olympic glory.
- Gold Medal Opportunities: The United States has a few other shots at Gold in two events: Skateboarding (Women's Park) and Women's Hammer Throw.
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That's all for now. Go Team USA. See you tomorrow.