The Fastest Man on Earth

08/05/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

Welcome Back!

Nothing beats a weekend in Paris. We’re all-in on the Games this week with top-to-bottom coverage and 2-3 underdog stories (check the bottom of the newsletter Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). From the track to the pool and everything in between, let’s get caught up on the medal count and the best moments from the weekend at the Olympics.

Letter Rip!

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MEDAL TRACKER

*Accurate Through Midnight, Aug. 4 / Click Image for Updated Medal Count

The United States boosted their medal lead over the weekend, winning more golds in swimming and gymnastics to wrap up Week 1 before adding a long list of track and field medals. The U.S. is tied with China for the most gold medals (19 each), but the overall medal race is already a foregone conclusion.

Other Countries (Top-20)

9. Canada (17)

10. Netherlands (15)

11. Germany (12)

12. Brazil (10)

13. Hungary (8)

14. Spain (8)

15. Romania (7)

16. New Zealand (7)

17. Sweden (7)

18. Ireland (6)

19. Ukraine (6)

20. Israel (6)

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TRACK & FIELD

The Fastest Man on Earth

*Photo: Christian Peterson / Getty Images*

Noah Lyles Backs Up Talk With Gold Medal Run in Closest 100-Meter Dash Finish in Decades (.005 Seconds)

MRUN: Lyles Wins Epic Men’s 100M Dash

In what was dubbed “the event of the Games,” Noah Lyles backed up his trash talk and won the men’s 100-meter dash in a finish you have to see to believe. All eight finalists finished within 0.13 seconds, making for a photo finish unlike anything we’ve seen in decades at the Olympics. It was the first time every finalist finished under 10 seconds in Olympic history. Lyles nudged Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by five thousandths of a second (.005). The stretch at the line was so close that even the NBC crew on the call thought Thompson won gold at first glance.

Men’s 100M Dash Final

1. Noah Lyles (9.784 seconds)

2. Kishane Thompson (9.789 seconds)

3. Fred Kerley (9.810 seconds)

*All Other Runners: Between 9.82 — 9.91 seconds

Other Track & Field Events & Highlights

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SWIMMING

Pool Parade: Ledecky’s Legend

Katie Ledecky Ends Swimming Events With Medal History While Bobby Finke & U.S. Women’s Relay Break World Records

WSWIM: Ledecky Makes Medal History

Katie Ledecky had already taken gold in a 1500M blowout late last week, but she added three more medals over the weekend — 1 gold (800M), 1 silver (4x200M), 1 bronze (400M Free) — to bring her total to four in 2024. Those four new pieces of hardware gave her 14 career Olympic medals, making her the most decorated U.S. female Olympian (not just swimmer) of all-time. She’s also tied with Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina (1956-1964) for the most gold medals (9) by a woman in Olympic history.

MSWIM: Finke Sets 1500M World Record

American Bobby Finke won gold in the men’s 1500M and broke a 12-year-old world record in the process (14:30.67). Not only did Finke steal the show on Sunday, but he salvaged a century-old streak for U.S. men’s swimming. The men’s streak of individual golds had spanned 29 Olympic Games since 1904. Finke was the only men’s swimmer to capture gold in an individual event.

WSWIM: USA Breaks World Record in Medley Relay

The final swimming race of the Olympics brought a fitting end as the women’s 4x100m medley relay team — Regan Smith, Torri Huske, Lilly King and Gretchen Walsh — broke the world record (3:49.63).

Other Swimming Events & Highlights

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OLYMPICS

Scheffler Storms Back for Gold

Scottie Scheffler (-19) Fires 9-Under Final Round to Pass Tommy Fleetwood (-18) & Hideki Matsuyama (-17)

MGOLF: Scheffler’s Golden Comeback

Never count Scottie out! The hottest golfer on the planet entered Sunday at Le Golf National four strokes back before reeling off an unbelievable 9-under 63, including six birdies on the back nine. Scottie chased down leader Jon Rahm (Spain) before outlasting Tommy Fleetwood (Great Britain) and Hideki Matsuyama (Japan) in a wild finish that’s worth a watch. Scheffler was brought to tears on the podium. The man has won almost every golf tournament over the past two years, but this meant something else for the first-time gold medalist.

WBB: Women’s BBall Keeps Streak Alive

Make it 58 and counting… That’s how many consecutive Olympic contests the Team USA women’s basketball squad has won dating back to 1992. They buried Germany to finish out pool play (87-68). Jackie Young (19 points) led all scorers with five 3s. The U.S. will face Nigeria in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

MBB: Men’s Team Throttles Puerto Rico

It’s been smooth sailing for the men’s squad, too. Team USA scooted past Puerto Rico on Friday (104-83) in the Anthony Edwards game (26 points, 11-for-15, FG). Ant also had the dunk of the tournament with a fast-break windmill that acted as the exclamation point. The men’s team heads to the quarterfinals for a date with Brazil on Tuesday.

WSOC: USWNT Escapes Japan (1-0)

The U.S. women’s soccer team needed 106 minutes to find the winning goal over Japan in the quarterfinal on Saturday. In a match that was as even as it gets, Trinity Rodman was the difference-maker with a left-footed blast deep into extra time. The USWNT is now 4-0 in Olympic play and heading to the semifinals against Germany on Tuesday.

MTEN: Djokovic Downs Alcaraz for Gold

Hard to imagine a more exciting men’s final pairing. Novak Djokovic had accomplished everything possible in a tennis career, except Olympic gold. Now, add that to the resume. Djoker outlasted Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz in two tiebreaker-needed sets (7-6, 7-6) for his first singles gold medal. He also had to beat Rafael Nadal in Round 2 on clay at Roland-Garros just to get there. Job well done, Djoker!

Other Olympic Highlights & Stories

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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

MLB

Blake Snell Throws 1st Career No-Hitter

Giants def. Reds (3-0) / Snell: 9IP, 11Ks, 3BBs

White Sox Lose 20th Game in a Row

1 Shy of American League Record

Yankees Walk-Off Blue Jays in 10th (4-3)

LeMahieu Hits Walk-Off Single, NYY Back in Tie With BAL

NFL Preseason

Hall of Fame Game: Bears def. Texans (21-17)

Game Called in 3rd Quarter Due to Storms

TBT (The Basketball Tournament)

Carmen’s Crew def. Forever Coogs for $1 Million Prize

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OTHER NEWS

IOC Condemns Leaked Reports of Boxers’ Gender Tests From 2022 as ‘Not Legitimate’ (Yahoo! Sports)

Former NFL Coach Jon Gruden Spotted Assisting Andy Reid at Chiefs Practice (CBS Sports)

Dolphins & WR Tyreek Hill Agree on Restructured Contract Over Next 3 Years (SI)

White Sox Lose 20th Game in a Row, 1 Away From AL Record (ESPN)

Michigan’s Sherrone Moore Facing More NCAA Allegations in Sign-Stealing Scandal (FOX Sports)

Cody Rhodes Retains Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2024 (Yahoo! Sports)

Titans Sign 3-Time Pro Bowl Safety Quandre Diggs (CBS Sports)

NBC Broadcaster Leigh Diffey Bothces Call on 100M Dash Winner (USA Today)

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SCHEDULE

The Olympic Must-Watch List

Olympics

M&W: Mixed Relay Triathlon (2:00 am)

M&W: Gymnastics Events (5:45 am —9:00 am)

M&W: 3×3 Basketball Finals (4:00 pm)

Men’s Soccer (Semifinals)

Morocco vs. Spain (Noon)

France vs. Egypt (3:00 pm)

Track & Field Finals

Women’s 800M & 5000M (12:30 pm)

Men’s Pole Vault (12:55 pm)

Women’s Discus (2:25 pm)

Other Sports in Action: Artistic Swimming, Badminton (Finals), Beach Volleyball, Canoeing, Cycling, Diving, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Sailing, Shooting, Sport Climbing, Table Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo

*All Times ET / Coverage on NBC & Peacock