Tag: tokyo olympics

Team USA falls to France, suffers first Olympic loss since 2004

Kevin Durant and Team USA start off the Olympics with a loss to France.

The stage was set for Team USA to tip off their run for gold at the Tokyo Olympics against France. All eyes were on how the squad would perform after a dreadful start to their exhibitions. Their unbeatable Olympic run that traces back to 2004 was also on the line. France, a European powerhouse ranked eighth in the latest power rankings, were eager to pile on Team USA’s misery.

In the first half, Kevin Durant scored seven early points before picking up two quick fouls. This forced him to head to the bench. It was Bam Adebayo who led the way for Team USA in his absence. He notched 12 points and 4 rebounds at the end of the two periods. On the other side, France was struggling from the perimeter, going only 1-of-11 from downtown. Despite their struggles, they only trailed by eight going into the third quarter.

The second half was a completely different story for both teams. Well, except for Durant’s foul trouble situation. France began to find their rhythm offensively, going on to hit seven threes in the half to finish the game. They also found a way to slow down Adebayo, who went scoreless in the second half. Jrue Holiday gave the red white and blue a spark on his way to 18 points, but it wasn’t enough.

Evan Fournier (28 PTS, 11-22 FG) hit a clutch three with under a minute left in the game to take a 76-74 lead. This play was made possible after a magnificent hustle play by Guerschon Yabusele to save the ball inbounds. The pass to get the ball set Fournier up for the shot of the game.

The United States didn’t go away easily though. Kevin Durant had two opportunities from the top of the key to take the lead. He missed both shots. Jrue Holiday had a corner three to take the lead too. He missed the shot. With Team USA trailing by four following two France free throws, Damian Lillard slipped on what seemed like a play drawn up for him. This caused him to turn over the ball.

France went on to defeat the United States 83-76. Fournier had his fingerprints all over this one, but Rudy Gobert’s (14 PTS, 9 REBS) presence played a key role. Gobert put pressure on Team USA in the interior and he reciprocated those efforts on the perimeter as well. France made history that was worth waiting 17 years for.

[vertical-gallery id=15575]

[mm-video type=video id=01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3/01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3-c026f6a0cf647628b04119ced7fc8d7f.jpg]

 

Team USA falls to France, suffers first Olympic loss since 2004

Kevin Durant and Team USA start off the Olympics with a loss to France.

The stage was set for Team USA to tip off their run for gold at the Tokyo Olympics against France. All eyes were on how the squad would perform after a dreadful start to their exhibitions. Their unbeatable Olympic run that traces back to 2004 was also on the line. France, a European powerhouse ranked eighth in the latest power rankings, were eager to pile on Team USA’s misery.

In the first half, Kevin Durant scored seven early points before picking up two quick fouls. This forced him to head to the bench. It was Bam Adebayo who led the way for Team USA in his absence. He notched 12 points and 4 rebounds at the end of the two periods. On the other side, France was struggling from the perimeter, going only 1-of-11 from downtown. Despite their struggles, they only trailed by eight going into the third quarter.

The second half was a completely different story for both teams. Well, except for Durant’s foul trouble situation. France began to find their rhythm offensively, going on to hit seven threes in the half to finish the game. They also found a way to slow down Adebayo, who went scoreless in the second half. Jrue Holiday gave the red white and blue a spark on his way to 18 points, but it wasn’t enough.

Evan Fournier (28 PTS, 11-22 FG) hit a clutch three with under a minute left in the game to take a 76-74 lead. This play was made possible after a magnificent hustle play by Guerschon Yabusele to save the ball inbounds. The pass to get the ball set Fournier up for the shot of the game.

The United States didn’t go away easily though. Kevin Durant had two opportunities from the top of the key to take the lead. He missed both shots. Jrue Holiday had a corner three to take the lead too. He missed the shot. With Team USA trailing by four following two France free throws, Damian Lillard slipped on what seemed like a play drawn up for him. This caused him to turn over the ball.

France went on to defeat the United States 83-76. Fournier had his fingerprints all over this one, but Rudy Gobert’s (14 PTS, 9 REBS) presence played a key role. Gobert put pressure on Team USA in the interior and he reciprocated those efforts on the perimeter as well. France made history that was worth waiting 17 years for.

[vertical-gallery id=15575]

[mm-video type=video id=01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3/01fbeg7n11nq0zt6e7z3-c026f6a0cf647628b04119ced7fc8d7f.jpg]

 

Fans had lots of jokes about this photo of Kevin Durant and Draymond Green at end of loss to France

So much sadness. And jokes.

The U.S. men’s basketball team got off to an ugly start at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday as it lost to France, 83-76 in the opener for both teams.

There were some pretty wild numbers in this one.

First of all, France’s Evan Fournier (who plays for the Boston Celtics) led all scorers with 28 points.

Second of all, Jrue Holiday led Team USA with 18 points and he spent the past week winning and then celebrating a NBA championship with with the Bucks.

Third of all, Kevin Durant had just 10 points and fouled out of the game.

Not a great start at at all for Team USA.

Durant and Draymond Green are teammates again, though, and this photo of them on the bench in the final seconds led to a lot of jokes:

 

Kevin Durant, Team USA drop first game in group stage

Team USA’s struggles from the Las Vegas exhibitions have also made the trip to Japan.

Does the 2024 redeem team need to be assembled already?

That may be an overreaction, but Team USA was unable to benefit off of a late second half run and ultimately lost to an Evan Fournier led France team in their first game of Olympic play. Fournier torched the United States with 28 points on 50% shooting, with help from Rudy Gobert who scored 14 points. France has now defeated the U.S. in their last two matchups, as it was France who eliminated the U.S. from the FIBA World Cup in 2019.

This was only the first game in the group stage, but the offensive chemistry, and defensive lapses that we saw during the Las Vegas scrimmages, appear to have made its way to Tokyo. France finished on a 16-2 run in the fourth, and even with the large surge that the U.S. had, France never wavered.

Kevin Durant did not preform as well as this team needed him to, and found himself in early foul trouble and eventually fouled out. Durant was unable to get his shot to fall, shooting 4-12 from the field and 1-6 from three for just 10 points. As a team the U.S. shot 31% from three and 36% from the field.

The only bright spot of the game was Jrue Holiday, who is fresh off of winning an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Holiday was the teams leading scorer off the bench with 18 points, led the team in assists with 4, and was second in rebounds with 5.

Greg Popovich’s strategy of playing small the whole game was an interesting move, as the U.S. were out rebounded all game, yet their lone seven-footer JaVale McGee did not touch the floor the whole game.

Popovich is seemingly looking less and less like the right coach for the U.S. This team still looks like they are learning to play together, which makes sense considering they have only been playing together for about a week or so, and adding new players makes that chemistry build much more difficult.

The U.S. will take on Iran next, in a battle of teams looking for their first win in Tokyo.

18-year-old Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui had a priceless reaction after surprise 400 free gold medal

What a moment!

The Olympics are built on incredible moments of athletic ability mixed with genuine human emotion. On Saturday during the men’s 400 meter freestyle event, we got quite the surprise out of Tunisia in one of the best moments of these early Tokyo Olympics.

Out of the lane eight position, 18-year-old Ahmed Hafnaoui stunned the field after placing first in the event with an unbelievable finish. Hafnaoui had a strong final turn in the last 50 meters, besting the Australian Jack McLoughlin and American Kieran Smith for the gold.

It’s a finish you have to watch, not only for the nail-biting ending but also Hafnaoui’s emotional reaction to placing first.

Now that is what the Olympics are all about right there. Hafnaoui’s gold medal is Tunisia’s third medal overall in swimming, marking an incredible moment for the 18-year-old and his home country.

[lawrence-related id=1056115]

Hafnaoui’s spectacular underdog performance was a highlight on Twitter, as sports fans celebrated the incredible achievement.

Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland win Team USA’s first medals at Tokyo Olympics with gold and silver in 400 IM

Chase Kalisz and Jay Litherland finished 1-2 in one of swimming’s toughest events, the 400 IM.

Chase Kalisz absolutely crushed the men’s 400-meter individual medley Sunday morning (and Saturday night in the U.S.) at the Tokyo Olympics, winning Team USA’s overall first medal at the Games. And it was gold with a time of 4:09.42.

Not only that, fellow American Jay Litherland surged in the final leg of the brutal, four-stroke event to take silver (4:10.28), while Australia’s Brendon Smith took the bronze medal (4:10.38).

Kalisz — who won the silver medal in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics — had a strong performance in the opening heats and was seeded third entering the final. But his gold medal-winning swim was even better.

The 27-year-old swimmer had a solid and controlled first half of the event through the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke legs, before coming home strong with a 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle. The breaststroke leg is Kalisz’s strongest in the event, and it was phenomenal as his long stroke helped him surge to the front of the field. And he was able to hold on to win the first swimming final of the Games.

Perhaps the toughest swimming event in the pool, Kalisz said he’s learned “to embrace the pain the 400 IM brings,” but also said he’s not sure how many more of these swims he has in him.

Entering the final, the top-8 swimmers were separated by less than a second. But noticeably missing from the 400 IM final was defending world champion Daiya Seto, who failed to make the final after he finished fifth in his heat with a time of 4:10.52. In April, Seto swam the fastest time in the world this year at 4:09.02 — which still stands after the 400 IM Olympic final — and he was considered a favorite to medal in the event, if not win it all.

But without Seto in the final, the door was open for the two American swimmers to medal and land on the top of the podium.

However, despite this awesome first final, none of the swimmers got close to breaking Michael Phelps’ world record of 4:03.84 from 2008. It’s Phelps’ last-standing individual world record.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb9s4k51ngtccr6s player_id=none image=https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=1047560]

[vertical-gallery id=1055974]

For The Win’s ultimate guide to the Tokyo Olympics

Check out our guide to the athletes and sports at the Tokyo Olympics.

Welcome to For The Win’s ultimate guide to the Tokyo Olympics.

Although some sports began their competitions early last week, the Games officially started Friday with the Opening Ceremony, and Japan’s tennis superstar Naomi Osaka lit the iconic Olympic cauldron.

Through August 8, athletes from all over the world will compete in  339 medal events within 41 sports at the Games, and that includes several brand-new sports and two returning ones. But — especially with the huge time difference between the U.S. and Tokyo — all those athletes and sports are a lot to keep track of.

So we’re here to help with a bunch of our Olympics content in one handy spot.

[mm-video type=video id=01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy playlist_id=01fb9s4k51ngtccr6s player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy/01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy-fba54ae92ed8d3a360d1d903654aa60e.jpg]

Katie Ledecky’s grueling Tokyo Olympics schedule could have her racing at least 6,000 meters

Katie Ledecky is about to swim an absurd amount at the Tokyo Games.

Katie Ledecky is now a three-time Olympian with six Olympic medals — five gold and one silver — but her most daunting lineup for the Games is ahead of her.

The 24-year-old American swimmer is the still the powerhouse athlete fans will remember from the 2016 Rio Games. But with the addition of her best event, the 1,500-meter freestyle, to the Olympic program this year, she’s about to swim a ridiculous amount in just seven days.

Individually, Ledecky qualified for her third Olympics in the 200-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle, the 800-meter freestyle and the 1,500, also referred to as the mile. With relays, she could also become the first American woman to win five gold medals at a single Games.

Based on her individual events alone, she could end up racing 6,000 meters if she advances to the final in each event — which is very likely. To put that in perspective, a total of 6,000 meters is about 3.7 miles and not too far from the marathon swimmers who compete in the open-water 10K.

[lawrence-related id=1051211]

That’s an enormous amount, even for a distance swimmer but especially when compared with the sprinters, who swim no more than a few hundred meters total at most. But it highlights her versatility, as many swimmers cannot compete in both the mile and the 200 free.

“It’s a lot of training and a lot of practicing those races and that racing load,” Ledecky recently told For The Win, pointing to the Olympic Trials in June when she most recently competed in this lineup.

“It was good to just go through that and kind of remind myself of what that feels like and what the different races feel like in the context of swimming all of those races. … I really just kind of try to take it one race at a time, and I think I did a good job of that [at trials]. And I’ve done that in meets in preparation for the trials, so I feel like I have a good amount of experience behind me to lead me forward to the Games.”

With so many distance events, Ledecky sort of lucked out. The 200 free is her only individual event with a semifinal, while the 400, 800 and 1,500 go straight from the prelim heats to the final.

But Ledecky could actually end up swimming more when you factor in relays. It’s a safe bet she’ll be part of Team USA’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, but she also could be in the final for the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

“I never set medal count goals or anything like that because I feel like that’s out of my control,” Ledecky said. “I can’t control if someone has some really fast swims and beats me and things like that. So I just tried to focus on my goal times and how I want to swim each of my races.”

Swimming fans know of Ledecky’s unbelievable dominance — though she will have some serious competition in the 200 and 400 freestyle events — but her lineup for the Tokyo Olympics is outrageous. Sunday, July 25 will be her first day of competition, and Monday, July 26 is probably her most grueling day.

[lawrence-related id=1048932]

Here’s a look at Ledecky’s likely individual schedule for the Games in both Japan Standard Time and Eastern Standard Time, which is sometimes the day prior.

Sunday, July 25
400 free heats — about 8 p.m. JST (7 a.m. ET)

Monday, July 26
400 free final — about 11:20 a.m. JST (10 p.m. ET, Sunday)
200 free heats — about 7 p.m. JST (6 a.m. ET)
1,500 free heats — about 7:50 p.m. JST (6:50 a.m. ET)

Tuesday, July 27
200 free semifinals — about 10:30 a.m. JST (9:30 p.m. ET, Monday)

Wednesday, July 28
200 free final — about 10:40 a.m. JST (9:40 p.m. ET, Tuesday)
1,500 free final — about 11:50 a.m. JST (10:50 p.m. ET, Tuesday)

Thursday, July 29
800 free heats — about 7 p.m. JST (6 a.m. ET)
*The 4×200-meter freestyle relay final is Thursday at about 12:30 p.m. JST, which is 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Saturday, July 31
800 free final — about 10:45 a.m. JST (9:45 p.m. ET, Friday)

[mm-video type=video id=01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy playlist_id=01fb9s4k51ngtccr6s player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy/01fbaaspf2zemh3cvrjy-fba54ae92ed8d3a360d1d903654aa60e.jpg]

[listicle id=1043695]

[listicle id=1049842]

Team USA vs. France: Live stream, lineups, and broadcast info (7/25)

Everything you need to know to watch Sunday morning’s tilt vs. France.

Team USA looks to get off to a good start towards their goal of contending for gold as they begin Olympic play in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a match against France early Sunday.

If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the action live on cable television or a streaming service, keep reading while we get you up to speed. After having struggled in exhibition play, Team USA will face one of its tougher opponents early, with France rostering NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Boston Celtics veteran shooting guard Evan Fournier and Celtics alumni Vincent Poirier and Guerschon Yabusele as well as NBAers Nic Batum, Timothy Luwawu-Cabarrot and Frank Ntilikina.

Despite the early tip-off, this one might be worth getting up early to watch.

Who is playing on Team USA’s women’s basketball team at the Tokyo Olympics?

See Team USA’s women’s basketball roster for the Tokyo Olympics.

Team USA has women’s basketball teams in both the traditional 5-on-5 game as well as the new 3-on-3 competition at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

The 3-on-3 basketball tournament began Saturday, July 24, and Team USA won both its games, beating France, 17-10, and Mongolia, 21-9. The roster for this squad is the Chicago Sky’s Stefanie Dolson, Dallas Wings’ Allisha Gray and Las Vegas Aces’ Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. (Read about the Olympic rules and format for 3-on-3 basketball here.)

But while that version of basketball is new to the Olympics, we’re focusing here on the traditional 5-on-5 tournament.

Team USA’s women’s basketball team is led by South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, along with recently retired Seattle Storm coach Dan Hughes, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and Connecticut Sun coach Jennifer Rizzotti.

Only six of the 12-player roster have Olympic experience, including Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who are back for their fifth Games and playing for their fifth gold medal and Team USA’s seventh consecutive Olympic title.

In exhibition games ahead of the Olympics, Team USA beat Nigeria, lost to Australia and lost to some WNBA players.

Here’s a look at Team USA’s women’s basketball roster for the Tokyo Olympics. Five-on-five competition begins Sunday, July 25, and Team USA’s first game is against Nigeria at 12:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 27.

MORE OLYMPIC BASKETBALL

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fb9s4k51ngtccr6s player_id=none image=https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]