Lauren Jackson made Olympics history on Monday but Australia slumped to a 75-62 loss to Nigeria.

Jackson made her Olympics debut in Australia's home games in Sydney 24 years ago.

And by featuring from the bench against Nigeria, the 43-year-old, who also competed in the Games in 2004, 2008 and 2012, became the basketball player with the longest span of Olympics appearances.

However, Jackson, who contributed six points to Australia's cause, could not help her side avoid a 13-point defeat in their Group B opener.

Ezinne Kalu led Nigeria with 19 points, while Alanna Smith was Australia's top scorer with 15.

Jackson has four Olympic medals to her name, with Australia aiming for a first podium finish at the Games since 2012.

Tom Daley and an emotional Noah Williams celebrated a silver medal as the British pair claimed second place in the men's 10-metre synchronised diving at the Paris Olympics.

Daley, who returned to compete at his fifth Olympics in order to allow his eldest son see him dive at a Games, clinched his fifth medal, albeit his first silver.

Williams, meanwhile, won his first Olympic medal. He competed at Tokyo, but subsequently suffered the loss of his coach Dave Jenkins, who passed away following the delayed 2020 Games.

But the pair did their mentors proud with an excellent performance on Monday, with their score bettered only by the Chinese duo of Yang Hao and Lian Junjie.

In an emotional interview with BBC Sport after the medal ceremony, Daley said: "It's so special, this time last year, deciding to come back, not knowing whether I'd make the synchro team, never mind the Olympics – now to be here in Paris, diving in front of my son, who asked me to come back, it's just so special.

"It completes the set – I now have one of every colour."

Williams fought back the tears when he was asked about his former coach, managing to say, "He'd be pretty proud", before Daley took over.

"I've never seen Noah cry, and I know how much this has meant to him," Daley said.

"Dave was such a key part of Noah's career, and it's so sad he’s not here to see this, but I know both Dave and my dad would be so proud to see us going in and getting that silver medal."

Daley, who made his Olympics debut at 14 in Beijing, was then asked if he planned on competing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, in order to allow his youngest son, Phoenix, to see him in action.

"I don't know," he said. "For right now, I want to enjoy today and we'll see what the future holds, but right now I just want to go and hug my little ones.

"You have to train smarter, prioritise other things in your life as well as time in the pool. I was getting emotional before the competition because that's where I was at the happiest, but being here, being able to dive in front of my family and being so supported – my husband has been here for me the whole year."

The United States booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympic Games with a match to spare after a commanding 4-1 victory over Germany.

Sophia Smith netted a first-half double on either side of Mallory Swanson's goal before Lynn Williams wrapped up the points late on.

Giulia Gwinn had given Germany hope by equalising, but the USA were too strong as they ruthlessly booked a place in the knockout rounds.

The USA made a quick start, with Smith darting in front of her marker to slot a close-range tap-in past Ann-Katrin Berger, only for Gwinn to cancel it out 11 minutes later with a pinpoint shot into the bottom-left corner.

Emma Hayes' side soon asserted their dominance though – Swanson reacted quickest to latch onto Smith's saved shot, firing in from an acute angle on the left.

Smith then got her second just before the break, helped by a huge deflection, as her effort looped over Berger before bouncing over the line off the inside of the far post.

Jule Brand struck the woodwork just after the hour mark before further misery was piled on the Germans as captain Alexandra Popp was forced off late in the second half with a knee injury that they will be hoping is not too serious. 

Williams rounded things off by making a quick impact off the bench, finishing off a lightning-quick counter-attack just under four minutes after coming on. 

Data Debrief: Smith and Swanson on song

The USA got the job done in the first half, ensuring Hayes became just the second coach to win each of their first two major tournament matches in charge, after Anson Dorrance in the 1991 World Cup.

Swanson added to her double against Zambia with another goal in Marseille and is just the second player in USA's history to net three times in the group stage of a single Olympics, after Abby Wambach in 2012.

Before today, the winner of each of the five previous major tournament meetings between the USA and Germany has gone on to win the entire tournament, and Hayes will be hoping that is a good sign of what is to come.

Anthony Davis says Team USA "expect nothing less" after Kevin Durant starred on his return from injury in a 110-84 win against Serbia at the Olympic Games.

Durant did not play any of the pre-Olympic warm-up games due to a calf injury and was only cleared to play for the USA an hour before their opener started.

However, he made a huge impact in just 17 minutes, nailing his first eight shots, including five 3-pointers, as he scored 23 points.

After being touch-and-go for the tournament, with coach Steve Kerr reluctant to rush him back too early, Davis says the team knew he would be ready when called upon.

"We expect nothing less," he said. "We know what he can do when the ball is in his hand, and he got hot. It was fun to watch his first time, second time, 12th.

"To see and be a fan and actually get a chance to cheer for him instead of rooting against [him] with his scoring ability – man, it was fun to watch."

Durant was not the only one in fine form, as LeBron James marked his Olympic comeback with a standout performance, getting 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists as he provided a spark.

James and Durant also became the first USA team-mates to both score over 20 points in an Olympic opener.

The 39-year-old, playing his first contest at the Games since 2012, when he won his second consecutive gold medal, was full of praise for Durant and the team as the USA chase a sixth title in a row.

"I mean [Durant] is just an out-of-this-world talent," he said after the game. "That's the best game we played so far.

"[I'll do] Whatever it takes [to win]. It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower."

Next up for Team USA in Group C is South Sudan, who made history in their Olympic debut earlier on Sunday.

Their basketball federation was only formed in 2011, and they beat Puerto Rico 90-79 for their first win at the Games.

Andy Murray delayed his retirement with an epic Olympics first-round comeback as he and Dan Evans fought back to beat Japan's Kei Nishikori and Taro Daniels.

The two-time gold medallist looked set to be playing his final game, but Team GB prevailed 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 11-9 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Nishikori and Daniels, who were both eliminated from the men's singles competition earlier in the day, were keen to make amends and broke the British pair twice in the last four games of the opening set to draw first blood.

Murray and Evans responded well and replied to two breaks in the second set to force a tie-break, in which they held their nerve to level.

In the final set decider, the curtain looked sure to come down on Murray's glittering career, but the Brits survived five match points to level the tie-break at 9-9 before remarkably booking their place in the next round.

Data Debrief: From the jaws of defeat

Nishikori and Daniels could not have asked for a better first set as they brushed their opponents aside, making just four unforced errors to Team GB's 10.

However, Murray and Evans' resilience kicked in, and they saved two break points in the second set. In the decider, they won the last seven points to storm through, leaving their opponents shocked.

In an already memorable tournament for Murray, he has just played a match that will live long in the memory.

Coco Gauff won her Olympic singles debut with a dominant straight-sets victory over Ajla Tomljanovic on Sunday.

The American cruised through in just 57 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier, winning 6-3 6-0 in the evening session.

Gauff raced into a 3-0 lead in the first set and did well to hold off the Australian's fightback after trading breaks for the next four games. She soon regained her advantage at 5-3 though, before winning the final game to love to take the lead.

Gauff eased through the second set with little fuss and Tomljanovic had no answers as she finished the game on the wrong end of a bagel.

Next up for Gauff is Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle, who routed Tatjana Maria 6-0 6-0 on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Gauff gets off to perfect start

Gauff missed the Tokyo 2021 Olympics through illness, and she could not have asked for a better start in Paris after winning both her doubles and singles matches.

The 20-year-old won the final eight games in a row en route to her dominant win, breaking Tomljanovic's serve six times throughout the match.

Rafael Nadal acknowledged Novak Djokovic will be the "clear favourite" in their blockbuster men's singles clash at the Paris Olympics.

Two of the game's greats will lock horns for the 60th time - and what is expected to be the final time - in round two at Roland-Garros, following Nadal's victory over Marton Fucsovics.

The Spaniard battled past his Hungarian opponent in three sets to keep his final campaign alive on the French clay, where he won a record-breaking 14 French Open titles.

He secured the most recent of those in 2022 following a victory over Djokovic in the quarter-finals - and what was the pair's most recent encounter.

But Nadal knows he will be the underdog this time around.

"Of course, it's beautiful to play against one of the two biggest rivals that I had in my career, especially on this court," he said.

"But our situations are completely different. He's been very competitive. I have not been very competitive for the last two years, so in that case, I think probably he is the clear favourite.

"I'm going to try to bring my best to the court and then let's see how far I can go, and how many problems I can create [for] him.

"It's always beautiful to play on this court, without a doubt. Representing your country is always super special."

Rafael Nadal will play Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster men's singles second-round clash at the Paris Olympics, after battling past Marton Fucsovics in three sets.

The winner of 14 French Open titles at Roland-Garros, Nadal prevailed once more on Court Philippe-Chatrier, outlasting his Hungarian opponent 6-1 4-6 6-4.

The Spaniard quickly settled into his stride and wrapped up the opening set in just 31 minutes.

However, Fucsovics responded well with an early break in the second and, though Nadal cancelled it out in game nine, the Hungarian broke again to level.

Nadal appeared in trouble at 2-1 and 40-0 down on serve in the decider, but managed to dig deep and just about hold.

He then gained the crucial break in the following game, before holding out to set up that mouth-watering showdown with Djokovic.

Data Debrief: Nadal and Djokovic set for 'one last dance'

Nadal's victory means a record-extending 60th meeting - and what will likely be the last - meeting with Djokovic.

Once again, they will do battle at Roland-Garros, two years after the Spaniard prevailed in their French Open quarter-final meeting in four sets on his way to a 14th crown.

Nadal demonstrated his quality under pressure once more against Fucsovics, converting four of his eight break-point opportunities, compared to just two of 10 from his opponent.

Barbora Krejcikova came from behind to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo and book her place in the women's singles second round at the Paris Olympics.

The reigning Wimbledon champion recovered from losing the opening set at Roland-Garros, where she eventually prevailed 4-6 6-0 7-6 (7-3) in just under three hours.

Krejcikova has fond memories of Court Philippe-Chatrier, lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for her maiden singles slam three years ago, but fell behind after she was broken three times in the opening set.

Nevertheless, the Czech came roaring back with a bagel to set up a deciding set, which came down to a tie-break, before she held her nerve to set up a second-round clash with Wang Xinyu.

Data Debrief: Eight straight wins for Krejcikova

It was not easy, but the reigning Wimbledon champion eventually built on her momentum from SW19, stretching her singles winning streak to eight matches.

Although beaten by eventual gold medallist Belinda Bencic in round three in Tokyo three years ago, Krejcikova did triumph in the women's doubles alongside compatriot Katerina Siniakova.

She will hope that previous podium experience will help drive her towards crowning a memorable year with another gold in Paris. 

The Caribbean athletes have delivered a mix of remarkable performances and near misses in various disciplines at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Yariulvis Cobas of Cuba in Women’s Single Sculls

Cuban rower Yariulvis Cobas will advance to the Semifinals E/F in the women’s single sculls after finishing third in the repechage with a time of 8:10.64. Despite a strong start, Cobas was edged out by Filipino Joanie Delgaco, who won in 7:55.00, and Vietnamese Pham Thi Hue, who finished second in 8:00.97. Cobas had earlier failed to qualify directly to the quarterfinals after finishing fifth in her heat. The 33-year-old, who made her Olympic debut in London 2012, continues to showcase her resilience and determination.

Dara Alizadeh of Bermuda in Men’s Single Sculls

Bermuda’s Dara Alizadeh also qualified for the Semifinals E/F in the men’s single sculls after a challenging repechage round. Alizadeh finished third with a time of 7:17.05, trailing behind Algerian Sid Ali Boudina and Hong Kong’s Hin Chun Chiu. Despite leading initially, Alizadeh couldn’t maintain his pace and was overtaken, narrowly missing out on advancing to the quarterfinals.

Andrea Becali of Cuba in Women’s 200m Freestyle Swimming

Cuban swimmer Andrea Becali fell short in the heats of the women’s 200m freestyle, finishing eighth with a time of 2:03.38. Her performance placed her 21st overall, 7.59 seconds behind the fastest qualifier, Australia’s Mollie O'Callaghan. Becali, a two-time individual finalist at the 2023 Pan American Games, faced tough competition but remains a key figure in Caribbean swimming.

Men’s 100m Backstroke

Bermuda’s Jack Harvey, Grenada’s Zackary Gresham, and Maximillian Wilson of the US Virgin Islands delivered commendable performances in the men’s 100m backstroke heats. Harvey won his heat in 55.78, while Gresham finished fourth at 58.92. Wilson also won his heat in 54.49, and Yeziel Morales from Puerto Rico finished sixth in 55.76. Despite their efforts, none of these athletes advanced to the next round. Harvey, Wilson, and Morales finished 39th, 27th, and 38th respectively, with Hungarian Hubert Kos leading the qualifiers with a time of 52.78.

Women’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting

Cuban Lisbet Hernandez and Puerto Rican Yarimar Mercado Martinez were unable to advance in the women’s 10m air rifle shooting preliminaries. Hernandez scored 624.7, placing 36th, while Martinez scored 622.0, finishing 39th. Both athletes faced stiff competition and were unable to secure a spot in the next round.

Audrys Nin Reyes of the Dominican Republic in Artistic Gymnastics

Dominican Republic gymnast Audrys Nin Reyes faced challenges in the artistic gymnastics qualifiers. In the Horizontal bar, he scored 11.400 points, finishing 58th, and in the vault, he ranked 16th overall with scores of 14.766 and 13.200. Despite his strong performances, Nin Reyes did not advance to the next round.

 

 

 

 

Antigua and Barbuda's 15-year-old swimming sensation, Ellie Shaw, has been eliminated from the Olympic Games in the 100m breaststroke after finishing third in her opening heat on Sunday. Shaw clocked a time of 1:14.78, placing her behind 18-year-old Rouxin Tan of Malaysia, who won the heat in 1:12.50, and Imane Houda El Barodi, 23, who finished in 1:14.57. Unfortunately, none of the swimmers from this heat advanced to the semi-finals as only the top 16 swimmers overall progressed on time.

Shaw, Antigua's 2023 Junior Sportswoman of the Year, swims for the Wadadi Aquatic Racers Swim Club in St John's and is coached by Edith Clashing. Despite the early exit, her participation in the Olympics marks a significant milestone in her young career. Shaw began swimming in 2013 and has since become a prominent figure in Caribbean swimming.

Earlier this year, Shaw won gold at the 2024 Carifta Championships in the 100m breaststroke. She also set a national record and a junior area record in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 37.73 at the 2024 World Championships, demonstrating her potential and skill in the sport.

Though her journey in Paris has come to an end, Shaw's accomplishments at such a young age highlight her promising future in competitive swimming. Her dedication and achievements continue to inspire young athletes in Antigua and Barbuda and across the Caribbean.

 

Antoine Dupont celebrated a "sensational" triumph for France after he led the Olympic hosts to gold in the rugby sevens.

Having skipped the Six Nations earlier this year to focus on his preparations for the Paris Games, Dupont starred through France's campaign.

And he was equally as influential in Saturday's gold medal match as France overcame two-time defending champions Fiji 28-7, with Dupont scoring twice and setting up another try.

It marked France's first gold of their home Games.

"It is sensational. It is unbelievable. It is a big reward for us," said Dupont, who was introduced as a half-time substitute with the scores tied at 7-7 at the Stade de France.

"It is huge. We worked a lot for a lot of months and a lot of years – in some players' case – for this moment."

Dupont teed up Aaron Grandidier within 21 seconds of his introduction, before twice going over himself.

Grandidier was born in London but elected to represent France.

 "I found out France had a system that allowed you a bit more time to break out on to the scene, so I was like, 'you know what, screw it, I've got nothing to lose, this is what I want to do'," he told BBC Sport.

"So I decided to chase it and pursue that dream."

Fiji had never previously before lost an Olympic match, while they conceded 20 points in a game for the first time.

Angelique Kerber breezed into the second round at the Paris Olympic Games with a straight-sets win over Naomi Osaka.

In her final tournament, the German kept her hopes of going out on a high alive, getting a 7-5 6-3 victory in just 69 minutes at the end of a rainy opening day at Roland Garros.

Osaka started strongly, racing into a 3-1 lead, but Kerber fought back and eventually got the vital break in the penultimate game of the set to edge in front.

The two were evenly matched again at the start of the second, but Osaka struggled to maintain her high level and lost her serve twice at the end as Kerber's four-game winning run carried her over the line.

Kerber will now face Jaqueline Cristian of Romania in the second round.

Data Debrief: Going for gold

Kerber won a silver medal in singles at Rio 2016, and she is looking to sign off her glittering career by going one better in Paris.

She asserted her dominance in the second set, particularly, winning 13 of 14 points when she got her first delivery into play.

Kerber also bows out holding a 5-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, who once again struggled on clay.

Kiliann Sildillia's second-half goal helped France continue their perfect start to the Olympic Games as they booked a place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare.

Les Bleus made it two wins from two thanks to the right-back's header, though they rode their luck against a spirited Guinea side, who had two first-half goals disallowed.

Amadou Diawara forced Guillaume Restes into a superb fingertip save just minutes into the tie before Jean-Philippe Mateta wasted a hat-trick of chances to put the hosts ahead.

A cheeky backheel dribbled wide, and a thumping header missed the target on either side of Soumaila Sylla's smothering save.

Naby Keita clinically picked out the bottom corner from an offside position just before half-time, with Abdoulaye Toure also seeing a goal ruled out moments later after meeting a free-kick.

France came to life in the second half and gave a warning sign when Loic Bade struck the post from a tight angle.

In the end, Sildillia proved the difference as he was left unmarked to meet Michael Olise's cross, and Sylla could not get to his thumping header.

France are through to the next round, and top Group A with six points, while Guinea sit bottom of the group having lost both of their matches so far.

Data Debrief: Les Bleus leave it late

For much of the first half in this game, France were sluggish and could have easily gone into half-time 2-0 down if it was not for two tight offside calls. 

In the end, Thierry Henry's side showed their quality, with Olise proving the key man. He created six chances, more than anyone else on the pitch, with one of those resulting in an assist.

It is the first time France have reached the quarter-finals at the Olympics since 1996, as they looked to end a 40-year wait for a gold medal in the event.

World Under-20 Triple Jump record holder is looking to make up for his bad luck at last year’s World Championships in Budapest with a good performance in the Paris Olympics.

The 19-year-old phenom entered last year’s World Championships as one of the best jumpers on the planet at the young age of 18 thanks to his World Under-20 record 17.87m he did to win the SEC Outdoor title in Baton Rouge last May.

At the time of those World Championships, the former Kingston College standout had also produced jumps of 17.56m, 17.68m and 17.66m, making him one of the favorites for the gold medal.

In the preliminary round of the triple jump in Budapest on August 19, Hibbert produced the furthest jump in qualifying with 17.70m to book a spot in the final scheduled for two days later.

Unfortunately, during his first attempt, Hibbert stopped in his approach to the board with some discomfort in his hamstring.

He was unable to attempt another jump and ended the final with no mark. He didn’t jump again that season.

Now, one year later, Hibbert will get another opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the big stage with some of the best in the world at the Paris Olympics.

“I’m just really excited and pumped up especially after last year in Budapest,” Hibbert told Nationwide 90FM on Friday, noting that his injury in Budapest made him depressed and sad for some time.

“I have to forget what happened in Budapest because it literally broke me for months,” he said.

“I was depressed and so sad but I had to get over it. Thank God for the confidence I have now and for the lessons that I’m learning now in the sport and it just makes me more hungry to give out my best,” he added.

Going into these Olympics, Hibbert’s season’s best of 17.75m dome at the Racers Grand Prix on June 1 puts him third in the world this season behind Spain’s Jordan Diaz and Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo.

Diaz and Pichardo put on one of the most thrilling triple jump duels ever at the European Championships in Rome in June.

Both men went over 18m with Diaz winning gold with 18.18m, the third longest jump of all time, and Pichardo jumping 18.04m in second.

If Hibbert wants to medal, there is a good chance he’ll have to at least surpass James Beckford’s national record of 17.92m done back in 1995.

“Right now, I’m even more focused to go out there and give it my best. There may be uncertainties here and there but the biggest thing is to just trust what God has for you,” Hibbert said.

Men’s triple jump qualification at the Olympics gets underway on Wednesday, August 7.

 

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