Day 5 of the Paris Games gave us some serious gymnastics drama, exciting finishes in the pool, continued excellence in soccer and more.
Let’s dive into Wednesday’s biggest action.
Swimming
Katie Ledecky continued her streak of comical dominance Wednesday, setting an Olympic record and winning gold in the 1,500-meter freestyle. Ledecky finished more than 10 seconds ahead of the silver medalist and is now the owner of 12 Olympic medals, tied with three others for the most ever by a female swimmer.
Ledecky has never lost in the 1,500 in her career, having also won gold in the event in Tokyo. She has set the world record in the race a whopping six different times. When she finishes, she usually has to look around to see where everyone else is.
On the men’s side, Léon Marchand of France won a historic double gold in the 200-meter breaststroke and butterfly, making him the first person to win two individual swimming gold medals on the same day since 1976. He made a thrilling comeback in his butterfly race, where he went fish mode after trailing world record holder Kristóf Milák for 150 meters. In the final quarter of the race, Marchand shot ahead and set an Olympic record time of 1:51.21, beating Milák by a shocking 1.26 seconds over the final 50 meters. Apparently that’s possible!
Gymnastics
The U.S. men’s gymnastics team was feeling a little bit of love after it earned a bronze in an all-around competition this week, the team’s first medal since 2008. Its luck wouldn’t carry over to the individual competition, however, as both Frederick Richard and Paul Juda failed to medal in the individual all-around. Richard fell off the pommel horse during his first rotation, while Juda stepped out of bounds on his vault in the next one.
“Lightning had to strike in the same place, like, four times for me to medal today,” Juda said afterward.
Fear not if you’re a men’s gymnastics fan, though. Steven Nedoroscik (aka Pommel Horse Guy aka Clark Kent aka the gymnast your partner told you not to worry about) will perform on the horse once again Saturday in an individual final.
Meanwhile, things are getting spicy over on the women’s side. Simone Biles, one of the most decorated Olympians ever, hasn’t been shy about shading her former teammate MyKayla Skinner.
Before the Olympics, Skinner made waves when she criticized the current women’s team.
“Besides Simone, I feel like the talent and the depth just isn’t like what it used to be,” she said. “Just notice like, I mean, obviously a lot of girls don’t work as hard.”
Biles referred to the quote in an Instagram caption that was celebrating the team’s gold medal performance in the all-around event. She then said Wednesday on X that Skinner had blocked her on social media.
Why would you ever beef with Simone Biles?
Women’s soccer
The U.S. women’s soccer team completed a perfect group stage Wednesday, moving to 3-0 in the Paris Games as it prepares for the knockout rounds to begin. The U.S. beat Australia 2-1, finishing group play with a cumulative score of 9-2.
The undefeated mark is a statement from a U.S. team that has lost its dominant footing in recent years. The women lost in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Games and managed only a bronze in Tokyo. They also lost in the round of 16 in the 2023 World Cup.
Under new coach Emma Hayes — and a roster featuring more young talent — the team seems to be finding its way back.
Elsewhere, Canada — the reigning gold medalist — is miraculously advancing to the quarterfinals despite having been deducted six points heading into the Games as a result of a drone spying scandal that would make even Bill Belichick blush. Canada defeated Colombia 1-0 to finish second in Group A and secure its spot in the next stage.
Men’s basketball
The U.S. was in for an interesting test Wednesday, facing a South Sudan team that nearly won a matchup between the two on July 20. On that day, the States needed a LeBron James layup in the waning seconds to eke out a 101-100 win.
No such heroics were needed this time.
The States cruised to a 103-86 win, moving to 2-0 in group play. Bam Adebayo led the team with 18 points, and the U.S. quite frankly dominated on both ends of the floor.
Of note: Anthony Davis started in place of Joel Embiid, who didn’t play at all Wednesday. Jayson Tatum also started after not having gotten any action in the opener, relegating Jrue Holiday to the bench.
The U.S. gave South Sudan its full focus Wednesday and proved it could win in a different way than it did vs. Serbia. (Although it’s really the same way, which is to have better players than everyone else.)
What’s next
Medals are up for grabs on Day 6 in the women’s 200-meter butterfly and the men’s 200-meter backstroke. The women will also compete in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay final.
In women's gymnastics, the all-around individual gold medal will be up for grabs. Past champs Biles and Suni Lee will square off for the 2024 honor beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET.
The women’s basketball team plays Belgium in its second group game at 3 p.m. ET, while 3x3 basketball also continues in earnest throughout the day.
Boxing and table tennis will also be in quarterfinal action. If you want to be like Anthony Edwards, you’ll be sure to catch some pingpong.