We are close to the winners’ podium at the Olympic Games in Paris. The most important team competitions are reaching their semi-finals. And there is a lot at stake in the individual competitions too.
The stars in particular will be on display at the Bercy Arena and the Stade de France on Thursday. In Bercy, where the semifinals of the men’s basketball team will be played, the who’s who of NBA stars will be represented – from LeBron James to Nikola Jokić and Stephen Curry to Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama and Franz Wagner, the German rising star. In the Stade de France, the home of athletics, Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will fight for gold.
There are medal events in boxing, canoe racing, diving, field hockey, marathon swimming, sailing, football, sport climbing, taekwondo, athletics, track cycling, weightlifting and wrestling. Here are some that we follow:
Events to watch
Noah Lyles’ quest for the double
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. in Paris
TV: NBC and Peacock
What you should see: Lyles has quickly become the face of American sprinting, with his latest dominant performance coming on Sunday when he overcame a rocky start to win the 100-meter final. Lyles hopes to become the first American since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win gold in the 100 and 200 meters at the same Olympics.
The 27-year-old will face a strong group of sprinters after Wednesday’s hard-fought semifinals. Americans Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton each won their semifinal heats, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo finished ahead of Lyles in his heat.
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Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone vs Femke Bol
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone runs in the 400-meter semifinals. (Photo: Hannah Peters / Getty Images)
Time: 3:25 p.m. ET, 9:25 p.m. in Paris
TV: NBC and Peacock
What you should see: Things looked easy for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles on Tuesday, when she crossed the finish line 1.7 seconds ahead of her competitors in the preliminary round.
At just 25 years old, a win in the final will put her on the back of a successful career. McLaughlin-Levrone, who set the women’s 400m hurdles record of 50.65 seconds in June, is seeking her third gold medal after winning two in Tokyo.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s biggest challenge will likely be Femke Bol, a 24-year-old from the Netherlands. Bol won her first gold medal with a strong finish in the mixed 4×400 relay.
GO DEEPER
McLaughlin-Levrone and Bol reach the final in the 400m hurdles
The women’s long jump final — in which American Tara Davis-Woodhall hopes to improve on her sixth-place finish in Tokyo — is the first of five medal events (2 p.m. ET). Other medal events: the men’s javelin (2:25 p.m. ET), in which India’s Neeraj Chopra will look to win two gold medals in a row, and the men’s 110-meter hurdles (3:45 p.m. ET) — with a field that includes Jamaican gold medalist Hansle Parchment and three American contenders in Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittenden.
Men’s basketball semifinals: USA – Serbia, France – Germany
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. in Paris (France-Germany); 3:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. in Paris (US-Serbia)
TV: USA Network and Peacock
What you should see: The United States and Serbia will meet for the third time in just over three weeks. The United States won the first two games, defeating Serbia 105-79 in a friendly and 110-84 in the group stage.
The USA defeated Brazil 122-87 in the quarterfinals, with six players scoring in double figures – led by Devin Booker with 18. LeBron James, on the other hand, averaged 16 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the two games against Serbia.
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Serbia advanced far more dramatically, overcoming a 24-point deficit to beat Australia in overtime on Tuesday. Nikola Jokić, similar to the Denver Nuggets, is Serbia’s leading scorer, rebounder and assists player. He averaged 19.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game at the Olympics.
In the previous semi-final, the host country will face the German team, which has not yet lost in these games.
Victor Wembanyama, star of the San Antonio Spurs and NBA Rookie of the Year, leads France in points (14.5), rebounds (11), assists (3.5) and steals (2.8), giving the team a 3-1 record at the Olympics. In addition to Wembanyama, France also has several players with NBA experience, including Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nicolas Batum, Frank Ntilikina and Bilal Coulibaly.
Germany boasts its own elite young talent in Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner, who averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in Germany’s 4-0 start. In addition to Wagner, the German team also features NBA players, including his brother Mo Wagner, Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis.
US women’s volleyball team in the semifinals
Time: 10 a.m. ET, 4 p.m. in Paris
TV: NBC and Peacock
What you should see: After losing to China in their first match of the Olympics, the US women are in top form, winning three points in each of their last three matches and not dropping a set in their last two.
To reach the final, however, they will have to defeat Brazil in a rematch of the gold medal game in Tokyo in 2021.
The Brazilians dominated all matches and achieved a 4-0 win without losing a set against Kenya, Japan, Poland and the Dominican Republic.
US water polo women’s winning streak at stake in semifinals
Ashleigh Johnson tries to block a shot against Hungary. (Photo: Adam Pretty / Getty Images)
Time: 1:35 p.m. ET, 7:35 p.m. in Paris
TV: USA Network and Peacock
What you should see: Chasing their fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, the United States survived a difficult quarterfinal against Hungary on Tuesday, winning 5-4 thanks to a goal from Rachel Fattal.
Next up is Australia, who have not won a medal at the Games since 2012. The teams have not met yet, but the Australians have an impressive 5-0 record so far, including a 9-6 win over Greece in the quarterfinals.
The Netherlands and Spain meet in the other semifinal at 8:35 a.m. ET. A final between the U.S. and Spain would be a rematch of the July 29 group match, when the Spaniards handed the Americans their second loss in the last four Olympics.
The highlight on Wednesday
NEVER doubt Quincy Hall. 😱
An EPIC comeback to win 400m GOLD! #ParisOlympics
📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/qQJqfxrH9n
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) 7 August 2024
This is a comeback like no other in athletics. American Quincy Hall fought hard to win the gold medal in the men’s 400-meter race, running his personal best of 43.40 seconds – the fourth fastest time of all time.
The athleteMarcus Thompson knows more about Hall’s determination.
Required reading
(Top photo: Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images)
