Tag: Olympics

Why isn’t U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau playing golf at the Olympics? Here’s why.

In the simplest terms, DeChambeau didn’t qualify. His association with LIV Golf is a big reason why.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. This is FTW Explains: The Olympics.

Love him or hate him, Bryson DeChambeau is playing like one of the best golfers in the world in 2024.

The 30-year-old who grew up in California and now resides in Texas won his second U.S. Open title this year with a memorable finish at Pinehurst No. 2. DeChambeau — who is nicknamed “The Scientist” and also has monikers for each of his clubs — got an up-and-down out of the bunker from more than 50 yards away and onto the green, where he sank a four-foot putt on the final hole to beat Rory McIlroy by a single stroke.

DeChambeau also finished in the top 10 at the Masters and second in the PGA Championship this year. He’s ninth in the World Golf Rankings.

So, as golf gets underway at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, you might be wondering: Why isn’t one of the best American golfers there?

The answer is simple, but also sort of complicated.

A lot of it has to do with DeChambeau playing on the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf instead of on the PGA Tour.

When boiled down, the reason DeChambeau isn’t in France is because he didn’t qualify. Qualification takes place across a two-year period where points are piled up at events deemed eligible by the Official World Golf Ranking.

But the LIV Golf League is not accredited by the OWGR. And so, DeChambeau’s only chance to qualify was to play well enough at majors to boost his ranking high enough to make it.

One would think that a world-ranking of ninth would suffice, but the other obstacle DeChambeau faced in qualifying is that he is from one of golfing’s strongest countries. For the Olympics, a maximum of four players per country inside the OWGR’s top 15 can compete.

While DeChambeau is ninth in the world, he’s the sixth American in the OWGR. Ahead of him are Patrick Cantlay at eighth, and the four U.S. players who are competing in the Olympics in Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark and Collin Morikawa.

There are some LIV golfers competing in the Olympics. If a country didn’t have at least two players inside the top 15 of the OWGR, two outside of the top 15 could qualify. So, Jon Rahm and David Puig are there for Spain, Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz are representing Mexico, Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira of Chile are competing, and so is Adrian Mernok of Poland.

DeChambeau, meanwhile, is hopeful for 2028, when the Olympics will be played in his native California.

He told ESPN after winning the U.S. Open:

“Am I frustrated and disappointed? Sure, you could absolutely say that, but I made the choices that I made and there’s consequences to that and I respect it. But hopefully, sooner rather than later, we figure out this great game of golf, so we can get past all of that and move forward into showing how awesome this sport actually is around the globe.”

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Simone Biles seemingly knew she won gold as soon as her Olympic floor routine began

Yet another legendary moment from Simone Biles.

If you’re familiar with Simone Biles’ dominance at the Olympics, the American gymnast winning gold in the women’s individual all-around final on Thursday was never in doubt.

And right before her finale, the superstar seemed to know she was about to deliver another remarkable ending.

Right before executing her needed floor routine to beat Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade for the gold medal, NBC cameras captured a subtle smile on Biles’ face as American supporters in the crowd began to roar in support.

Why, it’s almost as if the living legend knew simply executing her routine would notch yet another gold. And that Biles did, comfortably surpassing Andrade for the win. We’re talking about the definition of well-earned and well-deserved confidence here:

In case there was any doubt, Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time. Thursday was just another picture-perfect moment from her that we should really appreciate in all its glory.

Lynch: Only in golf is the Olympics a welcome respite from greedy business as usual

In Paris, there will be no talk of prize money or FedEx Cup points or any other commoditized metric.

To whatever extent the Olympics ever truly embodied noble values like sporting excellence and international unity, it has long since been overtaken by more obvious priorities among its constituent parties — commercialism, geopolitics and cheating, to single out just a few. Thus, for cynical sports fans, targets don’t come any softer than IOC luminaries in Lausanne.

Golf fans too have reason for ambivalence. In most sports, an Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle of achievement. In golf — being included for a third consecutive Olympiad — gold represents the sport’s fifth biggest prize, at best, and perhaps only the seventh. Most male competitors place greater value on major championships, and even the Players. Plenty would prefer a FedEx Cup, the game’s most lucrative title. That prioritization won’t change while fields are comprised of professionals rather than amateurs.

Eight years on from Rio, Olympic medals remain an ill-defined currency for golfers. Xander Schauffele is justifiably proud of his Tokyo gold, but it was cited as his peak accomplishment only because he didn’t own the pair of majors he collected this summer. Yet much has changed since the XXXII Games in Japan, and perhaps fans will now better appreciate the rarest thing in our sport: a title that isn’t defined by its monetary value.

Some of the most enthralling action in Paris has featured athletes well-compensated in their sports but for whom a podium finish has genuine meaning. Witness the last stand of Andy Murray and the potential farewell of Rafael Nadal. Presumably, a few golfers are competing grudgingly, not particularly animated by an unpaid week of work during an already long season, but wary of being perceived as disloyal to their flags. Most are embracing the moment though.

More: USA Today’s 2024 Olympics hub | How to watch | Full men’s field | Full women’s field

“It makes you feel like you’re part of something bigger than just golf,” said Ludvig Aberg. Nicolai Højgaard confessed to goosebumps from wearing national colors and imagining a medal. Even Rory McIlroy, once a doubter, has become a believer. In 2021, he lost a seven-man playoff for the bronze medal and remarked afterward that he’d never tried so hard to finish third. One man even tried to litigate his place at Le Golf National. Joost Luiten qualified but the Dutch Olympic committee decided not to send him (the same body didn’t prevent a convicted child rapist from competing under its flag). Luiten won his case but his spot had already been given away so he was placed on the alternate list. He didn’t start the men’s event on Thursday.

Anyone who watched Shane Lowry’s glee as Ireland’s flag-bearer understood what the Olympics means to him. After the opening ceremony, he flew to Dublin to attend the All-Ireland Gaelic football final. Lowry is a devoted fan of the sport, and his father was part of the national title-winning team in 1982. This year’s final pitted counties Galway and Armagh, the latter from whence I sprang. Friends and family crossed oceans to attend. I didn’t watch, but driving around the county in recent days one can’t avoid the undiluted passion. Bunting was draped on most buildings. Flags fluttered from most moving cars. Sheep were dyed. As feverish fandom goes, it rivals South American soccer.

Gaelic footballers have one thing in common with Olympians: neither are paid. Many athletes in Paris earn the other 40-odd weeks of the year, but not Irish footballers. Guys become national heroes on the weekend and return to work Monday as teachers and electricians. Their rewards — pride in community, love for the sport, being stood a drink in every pub in the county for eternity — must seem awfully quaint to anyone familiar with the prevailing sentiments in men’s professional golf, where so many conversations are focused on compensation and entitlement.

In one respect — the 72-hole stroke play format — Olympic golf is too similar to the norm. In another, it’s a welcome respite. In Paris, there will be no talk of prize money or FedEx Cup points or any other commoditized metric that can make golf feel less like a passion and more like a product. So many of the things that turn off fans are missing, though Greg Norman is wandering the boulevards taking selfies and blathering about LIV because … well, Greg Norman. (If only the IOC had the humor to award him an honorary silver medal).

Perhaps an Olympic gold won’t ever be the equal of a major championship for most competitors, but the presence of golf in the Games is only a positive. In many nations, a sport having Olympic status impacts government development funding. So if folks want to talk about growing the game —  and mean it as more than a convenient platitude — this is a decent place to try, even if the significance won’t be measurable for years. That’s a reality elite female golfers grasped long before their male counterparts. These two weeks in Paris are about what the world’s best golfers can contribute, not about what they will receive.

Olympic men’s golf 2024 Friday tee times, pairings and how to watch

Everything you need to know about Friday’s second round of the 2024 Olympic men’s golf competition.

It was a stellar opening day of the 2024 Olympic men’s golf competition, and there’s a strong leaderboard after 18 holes.

Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama was brilliant, firing a bogey-free 8-under 63 to take the solo lead. He’s up by two on Xander Schauffele, the Open champion from two weeks ago at Royal Troon and No. 2 golfer in the world. Schauffele had one bogey but seven birdies to sign for 6-under 65.

Joaquin Niemann, Emiliano Grillo and Tom Kim are tied for third at 5 under.

There were two weather delays during the first round, which saw 30,000 fans descend upon Le Golf National for the competition.

From tee times to TV and streaming information, here’s everything you need to know about Friday’s second round of the 2024 Olympic men’s golf competition. All times ET.

More: USA Today’s 2024 Olympics hub | How to watch | Full men’s field | Full women’s field | Medal standings

Friday tee times

Time Players
3 a.m.
Carl Yuan, Camilo Villegas, Matteo Manassero
3:11 a.m.
Adrian Meronk, Sami Valimaki, David Puig
3:22 a.m.
Erik van Rooyen, Keita Nakajima, Kevin Yu
3:33 a.m.
Stephan Jaeger, Nicolai Hojgaard, Thomas DEtry
3:44 a.m.
Ben An, Shane Lowry, Nick Taylor
3:55 a.m.
Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm
4:11 a.m.
Matthieu Pavon, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick
4:22 a.m.
Shubhankar Sharma, Rafael Campos, Carlos Ortiz
4:33 a.m.
Nico Echavarria, Mito Pereira, Kris Ventura
4:44 a.m.
Gabrizio Zanotti, Joel Girrbach, Tapio Pulkkanen
4:55 a.m.
Victor Perez, Matti Schmid, C.T. Pan
5:06 a.m.
Thorbjorn Oleson, Alejandro Tosti, Joaquin Niemann
5:17 a.m.
Emiliano Grillo, Alex Noren, Ryan Fox
5:33 a.m.
Min Woo Lee, Corey Conners, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
5:44 a.m.
Wyndham Clark, Hideki Matsuyama, Tommy Fleetwood
5:55 a.m.
Sepp Straka, Jason Day, Tom Kim
6:05 a.m.
Scottie Scheffler, Ludvig Aberg, Rory McIlroy
6:17 a.m.
Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Daniel Hillier, Guido Migliozzi
6:28 a.m.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Gavin Green, Gaganjeet Bhullar
6:39 a.m.
Phachara Khongwatmai, Abraham Ancer, Marty Dou

How to watch

Friday, Aug. 2

Men’s competition, second round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Saturday, Aug. 3

Men’s competition, third round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 4

Men’s competition, final round, 3 a.m. ET, Golf Channel, Peacock

Men’s competition, final round, 2 p.m. ET, USA, Peacock

Turkey shooter Yusuf Dikec inspired so many hilarious memes with his totally chill medal performance

The latest breakout star of the Olympics just looks like a random guy off the street

Imagine the most high-pressure situation of your career. Now imagine acting like you couldn’t care less about it in the moment. That essentially sums up the essence of Turkey’s Yusuf Dikec who, along with Sevval Ilayda Tarhan, won a silver medal in mixed team 10-meter air pistol shooting while looking like he just joined the tournament off the street.

MORE: 7 photos of South Korean sniper Kim Yeji looking like an action movie star while winning the silver medal

By now you’ve probably seen the viral photos of Dikec helping deliver Turkey’s first-ever medal in Olympic shooting. He stood there in a t-shirt and glasses with his hand in his pocket looking like he was just hanging out at a local range.

Well, that image has inspired some terrific memes online and we imagine there will be plenty more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Explaining Olympic kayak cross and why it’ll be your new favorite event at the Paris Games

Kayak cross is new to the Olympics, and you will absolutely love it.

Kayak cross is one of the new events making an Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games, and it’s one you’ll want to see for yourself because it is absolutely chaotic.

Part of the canoe slalom family of events, which was previously just four games at the Olympics — two each for the women and men — the respective kayak cross events will expand it to six games.

So what is kayak cross?

It’s race between four people, who start on an elevated ramp above the water, drop down into it at the start of the race and proceed to paddle through the tight quarters of a waterway with downstream patterns at some points and upstream patterns at others. The athletes do this all while having to work around obstacles in the way and each other.

The winner is the first person to reach the finishing point, and watching this thing is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating.

Time trials for the kayak cross are August 2, followed by four rounds of the event through August 5 when a champion is crowned in the final race.

Team USA is comprised of Evy Leibfarth on the women’s side and Casey Eichfeld for the men.

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Why is Team USA so bad at Olympic 3×3 basketball? 3 possible reasons why.

We used to be a proper 3×3 basketball nation.

Team USA basketball 3×3 teams are not playing well in this year’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

After the women’s 3×3 team started pool play very slowly, fans started rightfully panicking. But we can’t leave out the men. They haven’t been playing well either and have yet to win a game.

To be fair, the men’s 3×3 team hasn’t been good historically, but the women won gold during the 2021 Tokyo Games, and the team is currently a far cry from that. So, what gives? Why is Team USA so bad at Olympic 3×3 basketball? Well, the possible answer is a bit complicated and requires an understanding of several factors.

3×3 basketball is different from 5×5

There are some easy-to-spot differences, like court and ball size, but there are some glaring rule changes that make 3×3 so tough to play.

Let’s start with the shot clock. Players get just 12 seconds to work with versus 24. That’s not a ton of time to create. You have to be decisive, create shots quickly and pivot if opportunities are not there.

There’s also the scoring. It’s a beast to conquer because it requires a ton of volume done within a short period of time — just 10 minutes — and scoring from different areas around the court isn’t the same as 5×5 basketball.

Jul 30, 2024; Paris, France; United States player Cierra Burdick (7) shoots against Germany player Sonja Greinacher (14) in the women’s pool basketball 3×3 game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 1. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

Any basket scored inside the arc or in the one-point zone is worth one point. Buckets scored outside the arc or inside the two-point zone are worth two points.

Whichever team scores 21 points first or has the highest amount of points within the designated 10-minute period wins. So, if you aren’t prepared to score quickly and a lot, you’re going to be cooked before you really even get going.

Cohesion matters (a lot!) in 3×3 basketball

Aug 1, 2024; Paris, France; United States player Dearica Hamby (5) reacts after a play against Australia in a pool round game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde 1. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 3×3 basketball rules are totally wonky, which means that to play the sport, you have to do it for a while and with the same people. Unfortunately, both U.S. teams lack cohesion, and it shows.

For example, while several players, like Cierra Burdick and Hailey Van Lith, have years of experience playing 3×3 basketball together, they don’t have as much with their teammates.

Rhyne Howard has previously played with Van Lith but has not spent nearly enough time with Burdick. Dearica Hamby has loads of 3×3 experience. Still, she’s had very little time to play with her teammates, with most of it coming this year.

See how this can get ugly in a hurry? Trotting out teams that don’t have as much experience playing together versus teams that have years of cohesion — the Canada women’s team has at least five years together — is a recipe for disaster.

3×3 basketball requires careful roster construction

Playing 3×3 basketball is not for the faint of heart.

Teams need players that can defend like their lives depended on it, can cover space lightning quick, and, oh yeah, THE BUCKETS MUST COME IN HOTTER THAN A STORM IN JULY. Okay, that’s dramatic. But seriously, if you don’t have that, pack it up and go home because you’re going to embarrass yourself.

Something else that also matters is a facilitator. You probably need two people who can rotate depending on matchups. Right now, it seems unclear who those players are for both the men’s and women’s 3×3 teams. It very much feels like players are just fumbling their way through games and, sometimes, just hurling up shots.

Team USA 3×3 basketball teams are in trouble. Sending thoughts and prayers for their medal hopes.

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Why a 36-year Florence Griffith-Joyner Olympic 200m track record could fall at the 2024 Paris Olympics

We could see a track and field world record fall at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. This is FTW Explains: The Olympics.

One of the greatest American Olympic women’s track and field stars ever is Florence Griffith-Joyner, who set the world record in the 200m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics with a time of 21.34.

After roughly 36 years of holding the impressive record, it’s possible another Olympic athlete could claim it during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Team Jamaica track and field star Shericka Jackson stands to challenge Griffith-Joyner for her 200m world record, which makes this year’s Olympic track and field 200m event all the more exciting.

Jackson won a silver medal during the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 4x400m relay and a bronze in the women’s 400m before taking three medals at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, including the gold in the 4×100 relay.

The Team Jamaica track and field standout has gotten close in the 200m to breaking Griffith-Joyner’s record, making this Olympic attempt her latest run at claiming it for herself.

We’ll see soon enough if Jackson can push for the gold in the 200m and break Griffith-Joyner’s longstanding world record in the event.

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Why Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t compete in the Tokyo Olympics, explained: A look back at her suspension

Sha’Carri Richardson isn’t just back. She’s better.

Sha’Carri Richardson is the fastest woman in the world. She established that fact with her dazzling performance at the 2024 Olympic qualifiers ahead of the Paris Games.

She smoked the competition in the women’s 100-metre race to establish herself as the favorite once everything shifts to Paris.

READ MORE: Five facts about Sha’Carri Richardson, the fastest woman in the world

Richardson is so good that it’s hard to imagine the biggest races in the world without her these days. But that was the reality just a few years ago when she was noticeably absent from the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Richardson didn’t get to race in Tokyo, but it didn’t have much to do with ability. Let’s take a look back at why.

Why wasn’t Sha’Carri Richardson in the Tokyo Olympics?

(Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

Sha’Carri Richardson did qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Games after Olympic trials, but she wasn’t allowed to run.

Richardson was shockingly suspended for one month by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for marijuana. Her monthlong suspension prevented her from competing in the race at the Tokyo Games, where she would’ve easily contended for a medal.

She could’ve still competed in the 4×100-meter relay in the 2021 games, but was completely left off the roster.

Wow. That sounds like a terrible time

It was rough. Very rough. For all the fans out there, people were fired up to watch her race in Tokyo. But this didn’t impact anyone more than Richardson, herself, who was clearly devastated after missing out on the opportunity.

Richardson tweeted this after the news broke.

It was hard not to feel bad for her. Richardson had just lost her biological mother and was going through a lot in life at that moment. For her to miss out on competing at the highest level was surely devastating.

Is Sha’Carri Richardson OK now?

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

It sure does seem like it. Richardson’s new mantra is “I’m not back. I’m better.” She explained the quote in Vogue magazine.

“I don’t just mean I’m a better runner,” Richardson tells me when I ask about her credo. “It’s beyond that. I’m better at being Sha’Carri. I’m better at being myself.”

That’s definitely been reflected in the way that she runs. She seems ready to seize her opportunity in Paris this year.

I can’t wait to watch it.

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Why does Team USA shot-putter Raven Saunders (‘The Hulk’) wear a face mask? Here’s the answer.

Raven Saunders typically competes wearing a Hulk-themed mask. Here’s why.

Three-time shot put Olympian Raven Saunders typically competes in a signature-themed mask. Most of the time, it’s a Hulk version, and if you’ve never seen something like that before, it certainly will catch your eye and make you wonder why.

Raven’s reason for wearing the mask is very deep and personal. It’s become a representation of their mental health journey and a nod to an alter ego developed out of necessity.

Per Shalise Manza Young of Yahoo! Sports, here’s what Raven previously shared about wearing a Hulk mask:

“Early on, similar to the Hulk, I had a tough time differentiating between the two; I had a tough time controlling when the Hulk came out or when the Hulk didn’t come out,” she said.

“But through my journey, especially dealing with mental health and things like that, I learned how to compartmentalize, the same way that Bruce Banner learned to control the Hulk, learned how to let the Hulk come out during the right moments and that way it also gave him a sign of mental peace.

“But when the Hulk came out, the Hulk was smashing everything that needed to be smashed.”

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