Tag: Olympics

Why would Jayson Tatum get benched by Steve Kerr?

Why did Steve Kerr bench Jayson Tatum for the second time in the Olympics during Team USA’s win over Serbia?

Steve Kerr benched Jayson Tatum for the second time in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Boston Celtics All-Star rode the pine as Team USA stuttered past Serbia on Thursday, booking their spot in the Finals on Saturday. Tatum also sat out the opening game out the tournament against Nikola Jokic’s team.

Following his decision to bench a top-10 player in the world, Kerr received a significant amount of criticism — just as he did following the opening game. Tatum provides size, length, rebounding and playmaking, which were all things the roster struggled with until the final four minutes in the fourth quarter.

In a recent episode of the “Vitamin C’s” podcast, Adam Taylor and Tim Sheils questioned why Kerr would keep Tatum glued to the bench when other members struggled to make an impact on both sides of the ball during an elimination game.

You can watch the full episode by clicking on the embedded video above.

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16-year-old Taisiia Onofriichuk puts in a thrilling performance at the Olympics

Taisiia Onofriichuk had a Thriller inspired Olympics performance.

Taisiia Onofriichuk turned in a routine at the Olympics this week that certainly embodied the inspiration behind her performance.

Performing to Michael Jackson’s infamous song “Thriller,” the 16-year-old Onofriichuk became a bit of a viral sensation due to her seamless moves during her Olympics performance.

The video was considered trend-setting when it was released four decades ago. Now, Onofriichuk’s routine has very much embraced the song’s cutting-edge feel.

In April at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, Onofriichuk took home medals in the ball routine (bronze) and clubs (silver). Her hoop routine was a real fan favorite as she even moonwalked at certain points of her performance.

For a country like Ukraine that has certainly suffered dramatically over the past two years, the showing from Onofriichuk in this moment is certainly a deeply felt point of national pride.

 

“Thriller” was considered a trend-setting video when it came out nearly 41 years ago and it propelled the aforementioned Jackson’s career to international stardom. Crazy to think that the iconic video and song are more than double the age of Onofriichuk.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Iryna Blokhina, the vice president of the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation, said that recent attacks in their homeland have hampered the team’s ability to train.

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Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy lets rip on Steve Kerr

Bob Cousy lets rip on Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr risked the wrath of Boston Celtics fans on Thursday when he decided to bench Jayson Tatum for Team USA’s 95-91 semi-final victory over Serbia. Kerr has benched Tatum twice during the Olympics, despite the St. Louis native being one of the most complete talents on the roster.

During an interview with The Boston Globe, Celtics legend Bob Cousy let rip on Kerr’s decision to sit Tatum despite Team USA struggling throughout the game. He questioned whether Kerr had a bias against the Celtics and declared that Tatum had been embarrassed by Kerr’s actions and decision-making.

“Tatum is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this month,” Cousy said. “Any experts that I’ve read lately have chosen him in the top five, and sometimes No. 1 in the [expletive] world. Now Kerr is telling the world that he doesn’t agree… And then to not let Tatum get off the bench — to me, there’s got to be some kind of bias that he’s got against the Celtics. He’s not alone there…He must think Tatum is a detriment, and I don’t see how he can feel that way and know anything about basketball.”

Tatum went into the Olympics as a recently crowned NBA champion and All-NBA First-Team selection. He has proven himself to be one of the best players in the world. When looking at Team USA’s roster, there is no logical reason for him to have been benched on two occasions. 

Cousy’s comments mirror those of Celtics fans, many of whom had taken to social media to share their confusion at Kerr’s decision-making. Team USA is set to face France in the final game on Saturday.

It will be interesting to see whether Tatum returns to the rotation, or if Kerr once again chooses to keep him glued to the bench. 

Subscribe to the “Celtics Chronicle” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3SGM4MK

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4dBiNuJ

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3QnlPcS

Substack: https://bit.ly/3WoA0Cf

Quincy Wilson: Rough leg in Olympic sprint is ‘going to be motivation for me’

Quincy Wilson became the youngest USA male to compete in track at the Olympics, but his first run didn’t go as planned.

The USA men’s 4×400-meter relay team managed to qualify in the opening round on Friday by finishing third, but the first leg run by 16-year-old Quincy Wilson put them at a disadvantage over the final three laps.

The youngest American male to ever compete in a track event at the Olympics, Wilson said his seventh-place finish on the first leg will be something he keeps in mind moving forward.

“It’s going to be motivation for me,” Wilson said to ESPN about his race.

Wilson ran a 47.27-second 400m lap, well below the sub-45 times of 44.66 and 44.59 seconds in the qualifiers that broke U18 records and placed him in the relay pool.

Vernon Norwood took the baton and ran a blazing 43.54 time, moving the U.S. a spot and putting them back into the running for qualification. Bryce Deadmon ran his heat in 44.20 and Christopher Bailey anchored at 44.14 to get third place.

Despite Wilson’s slow start, Norwood said he was impressed by Wilson making history in competing.

“Honestly, I was kind of in the moment, because I’m watching a 16-year-old run an Olympics, making history,” Norwood told ESPN. “So I was very proud of him, and I’m just looking at him like, ‘Oh, snap back in and let me get this thing going.'”

Wilson credited his teammates.

“They got me around the track,” Wilson said. “My grit and determination got me around the track. I knew I had a great three legs behind me. I knew it wasn’t just myself [Friday], because if it was myself, we would be in last place.”

In placing third in the heat, Team USA automatically qualified for the next round. See the results here.

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Who is Raygun, the Australian breakdancer taking over the internet at the Paris Olympics?

Olympic breakdancing has found its new face.

If you’ve been following breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the odds are you’ve been acquainted with Raygun, the Australian competitor who has taken the internet by storm for her performances at the Games.

Raygun, whose real name is Dr. Rachael Gunn, is a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney. She holds a Ph.D in cultural science and researches the “cultural politics of breaking.”

But she’s not just interested in the theory. Raygun competed on behalf of her native Australia, and though she went 0-3 at the Paris Games, her style made her an immediately relatable star.

I mean, seriously, how sick is this kangaroo move?

Raygun’s trip to Paris may not have ended with a trip to the podium, but she received something even more valuable than a gold medal: the adoration of thousands of anonymous internet denizens.

Godspeed, Raygun.

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USWNT coach Hayes calls for change to Olympics schedule

The U.S. is about to play its sixth game in just 17 days

Emma Hayes may be making her players “suffer” at the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean the U.S. women’s national team coach wants to keep it that way.

Hayes has led the USWNT to Saturday’s gold medal match against Brazil, keeping her subs to a minimum amid a grueling Olympic schedule.

The match in Paris will be the USWNT’s sixth game in 17 days at the Olympics. Amid a competition that only allows 18-player rosters, limiting teams to two rest days between games creates a tournament that is challenging to player welfare.

Ahead of the gold medal match, Hayes called on organizers to reconsider the tournament’s format ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I think long-term potentially they (should) look at that calendar and considering there are Olympic games in LA in a few years’ time, to maybe adapt that schedule or think about that and give more time. Player welfare should always come first,” Hayes said at Friday’s pre-game press conference.

USWNT captain Lindsey Horan also spoke about the uniquely difficult nature of Olympic soccer.

“This tournament is such a unique, unique experience. You don’t know it unless you’re in it. And the cadence of a game every two days is really difficult. And, you know, we’ve played a lot of minutes and I think it’s the mentality. It’s that mental strength, but you’re suffering,” said Horan.

Hayes has barely rotated her lineup throughout the Olympics, and has made just one substitutions before the end of regulation in both of her team’s extra-time knockout games.

“I could see today that players were having to dig to the deepest place within them,” Hayes said after the match against Germany.

“I’ve said this all along — the reason I want to play the team together for as long as possible is because I want them to develop that. I want them to suffer. I want them to have that moment because I do not believe you can win without it.”

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Sha’Carri Richardson painted ‘I’m not back. I’m better’ on her nails before winning 4x100m gold

Absolutely golden nails for a gold medal Olympian.

Yes, Sha’Carri Richardson was wearing “I’m not back. I’m better” nails after winning a gold medal in the women’s 4×100-meter relay.

Nobody was stopping Sha’Carri from winning gold for Team USA on Friday. Not the rain, her competitors — NOTHING. After she delivered the nastiest look back at the field and then CRUISED to the finish line, it was OVER.

But for me, the message is in the details. Cameras caught a glimpse of Sha’Carri’s nails post-race, and you guessed it. They were decorated in the Olympic rings, jewels and American flag-themed colors, and her signature phrase was written on the thumbs. Outstanding.

Here’s a few more photos of her nails in all their glory:

US’ Sha’Carri Richardson celebrates after winning the women’s 4x100m relay final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 9, 2024. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 09: A detailed view of Sha’carri Richardson’s of Team United States nails after competing in the Women’s 4x100m Relay Final on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776138767 ORIG FILE ID: 2166069856
Aug 9, 2024; Paris Saint-Denis, France; Sha’carri Richardson (USA) celebrates after winning the women’s 4x100m relay during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports

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How Simone Biles inspired Lydia Ko at the 2024 Paris Olympics

“I think for her to have been so vulnerable, I think it inspires a lot of people and it inspired me.”

Lydia Ko deleted her Instagram account this week. That’s how much this event means to the two-time Olympic medalist. She doesn’t want any unnecessary distractions as she competes in what could be her last Olympics, trying to complete her medal set with gold in Paris and epically play her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

But what to do with the spare time?

The 27-year-old former prodigy downloaded the Simone Biles documentary and started taking notes. Literally writing inspirational quotes down in her yardage book, such as “I get to write my own ending.”

“I think as an outsider, we never know, like, what the person is going through,” said Ko of Biles, who has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. “I think for her to have been so vulnerable, I think it inspires a lot of people and it inspired me.”

For Ko, it’s always been important that she’s the one who determines her fate. That she decides how her round ends, her season, her career.

Simone Biles of the United States competes on the floor exercise on day three of the gymnastics event finals during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

Before she even started playing full time on the LPGA, Ko said she wouldn’t compete past the age of 30. Should the 27-year-old win gold tomorrow and qualify for the Hall of Fame, this might be her final season on the LPGA. She enters Saturday’s final round in a share of the lead with little-known Morgane Metraux, who is ranked well outside the top 100 and has never won on the LPGA.

Whatever the case, what comes next will be Ko’s decision, should she find herself with that long-awaited gold at Le Golf National. It’s worth noting that she watched Mardy Fish’s Netflix documentary earlier this year when she won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.

“I’m excited to embrace all of this,” she said of what could be an historic and inspirational Saturday.

She can get back to scrolling Instagram next week.

4 photos of the failed men’s 4×100 baton pass that cost Team USA at the Olympics once again

This was MESSY from Christian Coleman and Kenny Bednarek.

It was another disaster for Team USA men’s track and field during the 4×100 meter relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Shortly after the Sha’Carri Richardson and the Team USA women’s track and field team won gold at the same event, the men were disqualified when it was their turn to compete.

Team USA men’s was competing without anchor Noah Lyles, who sat out after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. But his presence would not have impacted the results much considering the team was DQ’d before he would have had his chance to run.

As you can see in the video above, USA’s Kenny Bednarek took off before his teammate Christian Coleman could give him the baton. This is a violation of the rules (via Olympics.com):

“The baton exchange has to happen within a 20m changeover box, located 10m before and 10m after the start of each leg, starting from the second relay runner.

A team can be disqualified if any member drops the baton during the handover or if the handover occurs outside the designated area. The runner finishing the race will generally be the fastest sprinter in a team.”

You can see that violation happening in the photos below:

REUTERS/Phil Noble

 

REUTERS/Phil Noble

 

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

 

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

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