Golden Daggers & Tom Cruise

08/12/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

Welcome Back!

We’ve come to the end of our two-week stint at the Paris Olympics, and what a finish it was. The U-S-Avengers arrived when it mattered most to secure gold medals in basketball and soccer. The U.S. and China ran away with 1st and 2nd in the medal count, and both nations finished tied with 40 gold medals each.

Who knew Tom Cruise would steal the show at the closing ceremony? The Games look ahead to 2028, and so do we. Let’s close out our Olympic tabs and say ‘Au Revoir’ to Paris.

Letter Rip!

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FINAL MEDALS

6. Japan (45 medals)

7. Italy (40 medals)

8. Netherlands (34 medals)

9. Germany (33 medals)

10. South Korea (32 medals)

11. Canada (27 medals)

12. New Zealand (20 medals)

13. Brazil (20 medals)

14. Hungary (19 medals)

15. Spain (18 medals)

16. Uzbekistan (13 medals)

17. Iran (12 medals)

18. Ukraine (12 medals)

19. Sweden (11 medals)

20. Kenya (11 medals)

Full Medal Count

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OLYMPICS

Goodbye Paris → Hello Hollywood

Tom Cruise Highlights Closing Ceremony as Movie Star Takes Stunt-Filled Trip With Olympic Flag to Los Angeles for 2028

I’ll admit the traditions and pageantry of the Olympics are sometimes a bit off the wall. While the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Games featured the first-ever outdoor boat parade and a string of controversies and debates, the closing ceremony was epic. French celebrations aplenty led to a special finale and the tribute to the 2028 Games coming to Los Angeles, USA. Somewhere in between the athletes on the ground and the fireworks in the french sky was Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, performing one of his best roles yet atop Stade de France.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

At the end of Sunday’s closing ceremony, the Olympic flag was lowered and passed to the hosts of the 2028 Games, per tradition. L.A. mayor Karen Bass and U.S. gymnast Simone Biles were the ceremonial recipients. Then this: Cruise dropped Into the stadium ‘Mission Impossible’ style. He secured the flag on a motorcycle and drove through the streets of Paris to a plane in a pre-recorded video, eventually skydiving out into the Hollywood hills. The video featured the Olympic Rings embedded in the two O’s at the end of the ‘Hollywood’ sign.

The tribute ended on the beach with musical performances by L.A.-inspired artists, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, and the star of NBC’s Olympics coverage, Snoop Dogg. All eyes on L.A. 2028!

AP: Paris Closes Olympics With Star-Studded Show, And Los Angeles Turns to Tom Cruise for its 2028 Mission

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OLYMPICS

Finishing Acts: Golden Daggers

*Photos: Damien Meyer, Tim Clayton-Corbis, Andy Cheung, Daniella Porcelli / Getty Images*

Team USA’s Big Finish — Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer & Track Relays Close Out Olympics With Gold Medal Victories

A full two-week sports binge in France brought us a finishing number of legend, especially for fans of Team USA. All three “favorites” of marquee team events had reached the gold medal games unscathed, and all three finished the job. Women’s soccer (Saturday), men’s basketball (Saturday) and women’s basketball (Sunday) are golden, but all three had to earn it with too-close-for-comfort endings to the Paris Games. The U.S. also swept the 4×400 relays and more events on the track to take a victory lap in the medal count. Let’s rewind the final days of the Olympics.

MBB: USA Clips France (98-87) With Curry’s ‘Golden Daggers’

Closer than most! The U.S. men’s basketball team beat France in the gold medal game (98-87) thanks to a second-straight 4th-quarter eruption from Steph Curry (24 points / 8-13, 3pt). It was a three-point game with three minutes to play before Curry hit four straight 3s in crunch time. His last: “The golden dagger,” according to NBC’s Noah Eagle on the call. Steph hit the “night night” celebration and put Paris to bed. Devin Booker (15 pts), Kevin Durant (15 pts), and LeBron James (14-10-6) also helped carry the load in a battle against the rowdy French crowd. France’s Victor Wembanyama (26 pts) and Guershon Yabusele (20 pts) gave the U.S. all they could handle, but it’s the fifth straight gold medal for the USA men’s basketball squad. LeBron James Wins FIBA MVP

WBB: USA Rallies to Beat France (67-66) & Keep Streak Alive

The U.S. women’s team entered Sunday’s gold medal game on a 60-game win streak dating back to 1992. During that 32-year run, only two opponents played the U.S. to within single digits. No team had them on the ropes like this. France led by 10 points before half as the home crowd roared for what would’ve been an unbelievable upset, but A’ja Wilson and company banded together for a narrow win (67-66). Wilson was the star again with 21 points and 13 boards. Team USA retook the lead with three minutes left and hit 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch. A sliver from silver, but it’s the eighth straight gold medal for the women. A’ja Wilson Wins FIBA MVP

WSOC: USWNT Wins Gold Over Brazil (1-0) on Swanson’s Strike

It’s a gold medal for new manager Emma Hayes in her first summer with the USA! And that trio of young forwards just set the bar sky-high. The U.S. women’s soccer team won each match of the knockout bracket by just one goal en route to the gold medal, taking down Brazil on Saturday (1-0) via the boot of Mallory Swanson (57’). It was Swanson’s team-leading fourth goal of the tournament, but goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was the MVP. She was magnificent once again with two game-saving stops. Naeher recorded three straight clean sheets in the knockout rounds — all 1-0 victories. The future is bright!

Other Olympics Highlights

WGOLF: New Zealand’s Lydia Ko (-10) Wins Gold in Women’s Golf
WVB: Italy Beats USA for Gold in Women’s Volleyball
MWP: USA Men’s Water Polo Wins Bronze Over Hungary

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OLYMPICS

Track & Field Finals

USA Sweeps Men’s & Women’s 4×400 Relays to Cement USA Track & Field’s Most Successful Olympics in 40 Years

M-4×400 Relay: USA Sets Olympic Record

Rai Benjamin anchored the men’s 4×400-meter relay team to hold off Botswana sprinter Letsile Tebogo by a nose for the gold medal and an Olympic record (2:54.44).

W-4×400 Relay: USA Sets American Record

In the women’s race, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone built an insurmountable lead on the second leg before Alexis Holmes anchored the finish for the gold medal and a new American record (3:15.27). They beat second place by more than four seconds.

Marathon

Olympic Storylines