Olympics highlights: Closing ceremony, Tom Cruise, final medal count and more

Olympics highlights: Closing ceremony, Tom Cruise, final medal count and more Show Caption Hide Caption Biles, Ledecky give us best moments from Paris Olympics The Paris Olympics are over and Mackenzie Salmon breaks down the top moments including Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky cementing their GOAT legacies. The final day of the 2024 Paris Olympics was highlighted by the U.S. women’s basketball team beating France for its eighth consecutive gold medal. Elsewhere, the U.S. women’s volleyball team lost to Italy in the gold medal match, the Americans won bronze in men’s water polo and wrestling held nine medal events. And then, of course, the closing ceremony served as the nightcap to these extraordinary Games. USA TODAY Sports brought live results, coverage, highlights, medal wins and more throughout the day. More specifically though, the 2028 Los Angeles Games’ opening ceremony is set for July 14, 2028, with the closing ceremony happening just over two weeks later on July 30, 2028. — Jon Hoefling After the transition to Los Angeles, we were treated to one more trip back to Paris where French singer Yseult was waiting to perform a classic made famous stateside by Frank Sinatra, “My Way.” Her rendition of the tune was remarkable, and was capped off with a multitude of fireworks, a very fitting and extravagant end to an unforgettable Olympics. — Jon Hoefling To cap off the closing ceremony, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, alongside Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre offered a mini concert on the beach. Cruise rappelled down Stade de France into a crowd of athletes, who all met him with high-fives. The plane went straight to Los Angeles, and viewers were treated to the 62-year-old movie star skydiving onto the Hollywood sign, altering the two O’s in Hollywood into the Olympic rings. The flag was then carried throughout LA, through iconic venues such as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Long Beach, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre were waiting to offer a mini-concert. — Jon Hoefling SAINT-DENIS, France — Simone Biles made a surprise appearance at the closing ceremony, playing a part in the passing of the Olympic flag from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. — Thomas Schad After the passing of the flag, Stade de France was treated to a beautiful rendition of the American national anthem from five-time Grammy Award-winning artist H.E.R. — Jon Hoefling Following several earnest goodbyes from several French representatives, the flag was officially handed over to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who wasted no time waving it for the world to see. — Jon Hoefling The city of Paris had been preparing for these Olympics for near a decade, and tonight, it says goodbye. It’s where the athletics events took place, as well as rugby sevens. — Kim Hjelmgaard Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and LA28 Olympic Games chair Casey Wasserman, who are both here tonight, told reporters on Saturday that while the Paris Games have been “authentically French,” the 2028 Games will be “authentically Los Angeles.” The jury’s out on that for another four years but Wasserman said this meant tapping into LA’s music, fashion, culture and of course movies pedigree. — Kim Hjelmgaard The first of many musicians to come onto stage for these closing ceremonies was Phoenix, a French indie band from Versailles. The group played their 2009 hit song “Lisztomania” from their fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. — Jon Hoefling SAINT-DENIS, France — Athletes from several nations, including Team USA athletes, rushed the stage, albeit in a somewhat orderly fashion. — Michelle Martinelli The United States finished this year’s games with the most medals (126) of any competing country. They also finished the Olympics tied for the most gold medals (40) alongside China. SAINT-DENIS, France — Leading up to the giant, golden Olympic rings coming into place above the stage, the Hymn to Apollo — the oldest hymn from ancient Greece — was performed by Alain Roche. — Michelle Martinelli SAINT-DENIS, France — The stadium went dark, save for people’s phone flashlights and dramatic periodic flashing lights on the stage. The idea was to transport viewers to another world that is dark, deserted and mysterious, opening the door for the arrival of The Golden Voyager. Covered in golden sparkles and lowered down into the stadium, The Golden Voyager was inspired by elements of French history, including the Spirit of the Bastille, the Génie de la Liberté — a 1836 bronze-gilded statue signifying liberty by Auguste Dumont — and video games and science fiction. The Golden Voyager character is also a nod to the Voyager Golden Record, which the Voyager spacecraft launched into the void in 1977 “containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth”, should other spacefarers find it, according to NASA. — Michelle Martinelli SAINT-DENIS, France — The women’s marathon was one of the last events at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday morning, and the three medalists received their hardware at the closing ceremony: Netherlands’ gold medalist Sifan Hassan, Ethiopia’s silver medalist Tigst Assefa and Kenya’s bronze medalist Hellen Obiri. The ceremony also paid video tribute to the Marathon Pour Tous, or the Marathon For All — a public event where people ran parts or the whole course on Saturday night. The marathon route was inspired by the legendary Women’s March of 1789, where Parisians revolted over King Louis XVI’s apathy toward a flour shortage. — Michelle Martinelli Each Olympic medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics also receives a box while they’re standing on the podium, but what’s inside? According to the International Olympic Committee, it’s the official poster for this year’s Games. SAINT-DENIS, France — Katie Ledecky doesn’t usually get to attend the Olympics opening ceremony because of her swimming schedule, but Sunday night, she was one of Team USA’s flag bearers at the closing ceremony, joined by rower Nick Mead. When she found out she was chosen as the flag bearer, Ledecky teared up when fellow 1,500 freestyle Olympic champion Bobby Finke delivered the news. At the closing ceremony, Ledecky and Mead entered with all the nations’ flag bearers, donning their vintage NASCAR-esque Ralph Lauren outfits. Mead, a 29-year-old first-time Olympian, was part of the men’s four team that won gold for the U.S. for the first time since the 1960 Olympics. With 14 total medals, Ledecky, a 27-year-old four-time Olympian, is the most decorated American woman at the Olympics in any sport and the most decorated woman in swimming of all time. — Michelle Martinelli Following tradition, Greece leads the procession of all nations that participated in this year’s Olympics into the arena. — Jack McKessy Following the choral performance to start the closing ceremony, the French swimmer lifted a lantern containing the Olympic flame next to the grand Olympic torch. — Jack McKessy The chairman of the LA28 Organizing Committee sat down with NBC’s Mike Tirico to discuss what to expect in four years’ time, when the Olympics return to the U.S. for the first time since 1996. — Jack McKessy As in the opening ceremony, Ralph Lauren is the designer of Team USA’s closing ceremony outfits. NBC will broadcast the ceremony, which is expected to conclude a little after 5 p.m. — Jack McKessy Gabby Williams, the No. 4 overall pick out of UConn in 2018, was one of France’s best players at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Williams is from the United States but is eligible to play for France in the Olympics due to her mother, Therese, being from the host country of this year’s Olympic Games. Williams also competed in the Tokyo Olympics, winning the bronze medal in the last competition. — Austin Curtright Kahleah Copper played a huge role for Team USA, coming off the bench to score 10 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter. When asked for one word to describe the performance of Copper, Wilson gave a two-word term of endearment to describe the Phoenix Mercury All-Star guard. — Scooby Axson With the U.S. clinging to a 62-59 lead, Breanna Stewart got a fingertip on France’s 3 attempt, a huge defensive play with 20 seconds to go. At the other end, A’Ja Wilson hit one of two free throws to make it a two possession game. France’s Gabby Williams hit a shot at the buzzer but the forward wasn’t behind the 3-point line when it left her hand, leaving France short of tying the game and leaving the U.S. with a one-point victory, 67-66. — Lindsay Schnell, Nancy Armour After Gabby Williams hit a long 2 for France with about 1:30 left, Kahleah Cooper answered with a layup out of the timeout to give the Americans a 62-59 lead with 54 seconds left. — Lindsay Schnell, Nancy Armour The national emergency appears to be over — for now. A’ja Wilson is getting ticked off, and that’s usually when the Americans start rolling. — Lindsay Schnell, Nancy Armour A lot of people thought the U.S. would have a cakewalk to its eighth consecutive gold. After an 8-0 run that gave the French a 33-25 lead to open the second half, the U.S. needed a timeout to talk things over. — Lindsay Schnell, Nancy Armour French police briefly evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower on Sunday after there were reports a man attempted to climb the 1,083-foot structure. The incident, reported by the Associated Press and in unverified eyewitness posts on social media, took place just hours before the Olympic closing ceremony was due to get underway. The shirtless man was spotted just above the Olympic rings that decorate the second section of Paris’ famous landmark, the city’s tallest building. — Kim Hjelmgaard The women’s basketball gold medal game is all tied up at the half after a crucial tip-in from Team USA’s Napheesa Collier just before the buzzer. The U.S. shot 29%, France shot 28% and the teams combined for 19 total turnovers. A’ja Wilson has six points but is just 2-of-9 from the field, while Stewart is 1-of-6 with five points. The U.S. looks sloppy and disjointed and if it wants to keep the streak of seven-gold-medals-in-a-row-and-counting going, the Americans going to need to clean up a lot in the second half. — Lindsay Schnell, Nancy Armour Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa tangled. Then, in the blink of an eye, Hassan was gone; a blur of Netherlands orange leaving Assefa behind and streaking to the gold medal. And when she crossed the wire in an Olympic record 2 hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds, there was just one question left. NANTERRE, France — Team USA men’s water polo were victorious in a thrilling 11-8 bronze-medal match that ended in a shootout against historical powerhouse Hungary on Sunday to win its first Olympic medal since 2008. The American’s not only won the match and bronze medal, but they also shut out Hungary in the shootout, 3-0, at París La Défense Arena. USA goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg – who stood on his head, especially in the final minutes and was spectacular in the shootout – made 16 saves on 24 shots, while American captain Ben Hallock led the team in scoring with two goals. Valente totaled 144 points, edging Poland’s Daria Pikulik (silver) and New Zealand’s Ally Wollaston (bronze). Omnium consists of four races (scratch race, tempo race, elimination and points), and points are awarded for each race. I raced (team pursuit) qualifying over a week ago, and we had some really good performances, so to pull it off on the last day, I’m really excited,” Valante said. Valente, who won the event three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, was also part of the squad that won gold in team pursuit in Paris. — Jeff Zillgitt The U.S. women’s basketball team gets to bring down the curtain on the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the final event of these Games, the United States plays France with an eighth consecutive gold medal on the line. The Americans have mostly cruised through this Olympics tournaments, with each of their five wins coming by double digits, and three coming by 19 or more points. A’ja Wilson (18.2 points per game) and Breanna Stewart (18.0) have been leading the way, with Wilson also leading the team in rebounds (9.6), blocks (2.4) and steals (1.6). In stripping Jordan Chiles of her bronze medal, the International Olympic Committee is not following the precedent it set for itself in the most publicized double-medal controversy in Olympic history. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, in what became known as the French judge scandal, the IOC gave out two gold medals – to Canada and Russia – rather than take the gold medal from the Russian pairs skaters nearly a week after they received it, as it should have. Italy swept the Americans (25-18, 25-20, 25-17) in a match that lasted 81 minutes to deny the USA a second consecutive gold medal. Italy’s opposite hitter Paola Egonu supplied the bulk of her team’s attack, as she went off for 22 kills and was by far the best player on the court. — Chris Bumbaca PARIS — The teams traded points through the first part of the second set, but Italy pulled away during the middle portions and took the frame, 25-20. Avery Skinner leads the way for the U.S. with six kills, and Jordan Thompson has five. — Chris Bumbaca Wenwen Li of China secured her country’s 40th gold medal Sunday in the women’s +81kg weightlifting competition, extending China’s gold medal lead over the United States to 40-38 with several medal events remaining on the final day of competition at the Paris Games. Li lifted a total of 309 kilograms (136 snatch, 173 clean & jerk) to take gold with relative ease over the Republic of Korea’s Hyejeong Park (299 kg) and Great Britain’s Emily Campbell (288 kg). Team USA’s Mary Theisen Lappen finished fifth with a total of 274 kg (119 snatch, 155 clean & jerk). — Chase Goodbread PARIS — In a gold-medal match, that was not the first set the U.S. women’s volleyball team was looking for. Italy, behind a crowd decidedly in favor of the Italians, rolled to a first-set victory, 25-18. The Americans could not navigate Italy’s block, and Italy finished with four block points in the frame. — Chris Bumbaca American wrestler Kyle Snyder failed to win his third Olympic medal on Sunday afternoon, losing 4-1 to Iran’s Amirali Azarpira in a men’s 97kg freestyle bronze medal match. Snyder needed a series of bandages applied to a cut on his head, while Azarpira received attention twice in the match’s final 31 seconds. Snyder, 28, was a gold medalist in Rio in 2016 and a silver medalist in Tokyo. Just a couple hundred yards from the finish line, the two competitors appeared to bump as Hassan tried to break through an opening inside of Assefa near the fence. After a little bit of a shove between them, Hassan took the lead and pulled away for a three-second margin of victory. — Dan Wolken PARIS — The result of the women’s marathon is still under review after a protest from second-place finisher Tigst Assefa of Ethopia against the winner Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands. Just a couple hundred yards from the finish line, the two competitors appeared to bump as Hassan tried to break through an opening inside of Assefa near the fence. After a little bit of a shove between them, Hassan took the lead and pulled away for a three-second margin of victory. — Dan Wolken PARIS — U.S. gymnast Jordan Chiles will be required to return the individual bronze medal she received at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee announced Sunday morning. The news comes less than 24 hours after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the judging panel for the women’s floor exercise final made a mistake in granting an inquiry filed by Chiles’ coaches, which moved the American gymnast into medal position. — Nancy Armour and Tom Schad Sifan Hassan — who won the bronze medal in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter race — completed an incredible 2024 Paris Olympics by winning the women’s marathon on Sunday, finishing in an Olympic record time of 2:22:55. It required a late sprint to the finish for the track star, who out-paced Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa to the finish line of the 26.2-mile race. PARIS — Near the halfway point of the women’s marathon on Sunday, American Dakotah Lindwurm found herself in the lead. “I looked up and said, ‘God, you’re crazy – I can’t believe I’m at the front of the Olympic marathon right now,’” she said. “But you’ve got to put yourself in that position if you want to run well, and I’m not afraid to take the lead. I never have been, and it was fun.” Though it was a temporary thrill, Lindwurm surpassed all expectations by finishing 12th on the difficult, hilly course in a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds. The only disappointment was that she couldn’t stay in the top 10, finishing 34 seconds behind that milestone. “I swear I could hear all of Minnesota cheering for me in the moment when I took the lead,” she said. Lindwurm led the American contingent, as Emily Sisson finished 23rd and Fiona O’Keefe dropped off the pace and stopped just a few kilometers into the race due to injury. Sisson, who qualified for the Olympic team in Tokyo for the 10k, said her run did not meet expectations. “I’m pretty disappointed,” she said. Btu this marathon didn’t feel like the last two, like I needed to freshen up my legs. Lesson learned, unfortunately.” Both Americans were amazed to learn that Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands had won the race, barely outfinishing Tigst Assefa of Ethiopa. The marathon was Hassan’s third event of these Olympics, having already won bronze medals in both the 5k and 10k. I think she is solidified as the GOAT now, if she wasn’t already.” — Dan Wolken Dakotah Lindwurm managed to stick with the lead runners through the 13.1-kilometer halfway point, but has since dropped off the pace set by the lead pack. Through 30k, Lindwurm — the lead American runner — was 46 seconds behind the leaders. Still attached to the lead group of Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, winner of the bronze medals in the 5,000m and 10,000 at Stade de France. The lead group also included three Kenyan runners (Sharon Lokedi, Peres Jepchirchir and Hellen Obiri), two Ethiopians (Tigst Assefa and Amane Beriso Shankule), Romania’s Delvine Relin Meringor, Japan’s Yuka Suzuki and Bahrain’s Eunice Chebichii Chumba. The women’s marathon is underway in Paris, and 29-year-old American Dakotah Lindwurm was right in the mix with the lead group through the halfway point of the race. Lindwurm was in third place with a time of 1:13:25 at the 13.1-kilometer mark, with Australia’s Jessica Stenson just ahead in first place at 1:13:22. The Netherlands’ Sifan Hassan, who also won bronze medals in the women’s 5,000- and 10,000-meter races at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also is among those runners in the lead group. (All times Eastern) Closing ceremony begins at 3 p.m. and runs through 6 p.m. (NBC) begins at 3 p.m. and runs through 6 p.m. (NBC) Women’s basketball wraps up with the USA vs. France gold medal game (9:30 a.m., NBC) and the Australia vs. Belgium bronze medal game (5:30 a.m., USA Network). wraps up with the USA vs. France gold medal game (9:30 a.m., NBC) and the Australia vs. Belgium bronze medal game (5:30 a.m., USA Network). Men’s water polo has the bronze medal match between the USA and Hungary at 4:35 a.m. with the gold medal match between Croatia and Serbia at 9:35 a.m. (NBC). has the bronze medal match between the USA and Hungary at 4:35 a.m. with the gold medal match between Croatia and Serbia at 9:35 a.m. (NBC). Women’s volleyball holds the gold medal match between the USA and Italy at 7 a.m. (NBC). holds the gold medal match between the USA and Italy at 7 a.m. (NBC). USA Network is airing. USA Network is airing. Men’s handball features the gold medal match between Denmark and Germany (7:30 a.m., USA Network) and the bronze medal match between Slovenia and Spain (3 a.m.). features the gold medal match between Denmark and Germany (7:30 a.m., USA Network) and the bronze medal match between Slovenia and Spain (3 a.m.). Men’s water polo holds the gold medal match between Croatia and Serbia (8 a.m., USA Network) and the bronze medal match between the USA and Hungary (4:35 a.m., USA Network). holds the gold medal match between Croatia and Serbia (8 a.m., USA Network) and the bronze medal match between the USA and Hungary (4:35 a.m., USA Network). Wrestling holds nine different medal events, starting at 6 a.m. and running through 7:45 a.m. holds nine different medal events, starting at 6 a.m. and running through 7:45 a.m. Cycling holds four medal events, starting 6:45 a.m. and running through 7:56 a.m. holds four medal events, starting 6:45 a.m. and running through 7:56 a.m. The women’s modern pentathlon wraps with one last event at 5 a.m. NBC is airing and streaming the Paris Olympics from all angles: Peacock is streaming every sport and event live as it unfolds; NBC, USA Network, CNBC and E! (All times Eastern) The U.S. men’s water polo team plays Hungary in the bronze medal match at 4:35 a.m. USA Network is airing. The U.S. women’s volleyball team plays in the gold medal match against Italy at 7 a.m. NBC is airing. The U.S. women’s basketball team plays France in the gold medal game at 9:30 a.m. NBC is airing. (All times Eastern) Women’s hoops: Bronze medal game (5:30 a.m., USA Network), gold medal game (9:30 a.m., NBC) Bronze medal game (5:30 a.m., USA Network), gold medal game (9:30 a.m., NBC) Marathon: women (2 a.m., USA Network) women (2 a.m., USA Network) Modern pentathlon: women’s final laser run (6:40 a.m.) women’s final laser run (6:40 a.m.) Wrestling: Nine medal matches (6 a.m.) Nine medal matches (6 a.m.) Water polo: men’s bronze match (4:35 a.m., USA Network), men’s gold match (8 a.m., USA Network) men’s bronze match (4:35 a.m., USA Network), men’s gold match (8 a.m., USA Network) Volleyball: women’s gold match (7 a.m., NBC) women’s gold match (7 a.m., NBC) Handball: men’s bronze (3 a.m.), men’s gold (7:30 a.m., USA Network) men’s bronze (3 a.m.), men’s gold (7:30 a.m., USA Network) Cycling track: women’s sprint (7:15 a.m.), men’s keirin (7:32 a.m.), women’s sprint (7:44 a.m.), women’s omnium points race 4/4 (7:56 a.m.) The U.S. women have won a medal at every Olympics since women’s basketball was added to the program in 1976. If they make the final, they could send 42-year-old Diana Taurasi home with an unprecedented sixth Olympic gold. In Tokyo the U.S. women won their first Olympic gold in the sport of indoor volleyball, beating traditional power Brazil. Indoor volleyball has been on the Olympic program since 1964 and the U.S. has one gold, three silver and two bronze. It’s the women’s marathon day, which will take runners on a scenic route that includes Hotel de Ville de Paris, past the Eiffel Tower and Chateau de Versailles. For many years, the men’s marathon was held on the final day, bringing the Olympics to a close. In Paris, the women will be showcased on the final day of the Games, ending just a few hours before the closing ceremony. Unlike the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony will be held at the national stadium with NBC and Peacock offering live coverage beginning at 2 p.m. At the end, Paris will hand off to the organizers of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The U.S. won by far the most medals in track and field with 34 overall, the most for the U.S. since winning 40 the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. — Jordan Mendoza PARIS — If U.S. women were a nation unto themselves, their results at the 2024 Paris Olympics would make them one of the most dominant athletic countries on earth. They are winning medals at such a terrific rate that if they jettisoned the guys, they would be third in the overall medal standings, behind only the full U.S. team and China. That means half of the U.S. team is performing better at the Paris Olympics than the full teams of about 200 other nations, including 85 countries that have won at least one medal. — Christine Brennan PARIS — Victor Montalvo became the first Olympic bronze medalist in the history of men’s breaking Saturday night. Organizers for the next Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 had the ability to propose new sports they wanted to include and opted for flag football, cricket and lacrosse over breaking − despite the dance’s deep history in the United States, including the fact its birthplace is the Bronx. — Tom Schad PARIS − After the Paris Olympics conclude Sunday, the Paralympics will run Aug. 28 to Sept. 8, then the squash racket, lacrosse stick and cricket ball − all sporting additions to the 2028 Games − will be in Los Angeles’ court. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and and LA28 Olympic Games chair Casey Wasserman, who are in Paris as part of a U.S. presidential delegation to the Olympics that was led by First Lady Jill Biden, provided a few details Saturday to reporters about what sports fans − and Angelenos − can expect to see four years from now. USA TODAY operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2024/08/11/paris-olympics-live-results/74191216007/