The Olympics are in full swing. Somehow, the French made the Seine just passable to allow for the triathlon to be completed. Let’s see how many athletes get sick from that epic disaster. And how many participants get COVID post games.
But the big story has been Simone Biles and the US women’s gymnastics team. Biles led the team to victory in the team competition, then won the gold for the All-around competition plus on Saturday took gold in the vault. Although diminutive in height, she stood tallest among her peers, and maybe all of the Olympians thus far. The vaunted US men’s basketball showed up en force to watch her perform. Taylor Swift has made an appearance in Paris to see Biles. She is simply the biggest name on the biggest stage.
Yet Biles isn’t done. She still can garner up to more medals in the remaining individual events. Which will make her legacy that much more impressive. After all, at age 27, which is old by gymnastics standards, she is the first person to win the overall title since 1952.
She is beloved by her teammates. Nonetheless some shade is thrown at her because of her success. Even Republican Senator and Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance felt the need to detract from her awesome accomplishments and overcoming a troubling mental issue which forced Biles from competition in the last Olympics.
Vance and the detractors are in the minority. The TV ratings for the live broadcast of the All-Around competition was off the charts for afternoon television. Americans were searching for something good and happy to happen—and that emerged early in the Paris Olympics in the form and grace of Biles.
Kudos to American Sunni Lee, who captured the bronze medal. Lee courageously fought back from major kidney ailments to get back to the world stage.
Let’s not forget the men’s team. Winning the bronze medal was a major achievement.
Biles isn’t the only person to attain a level of notoriety. Swimmer Katie Ledecky has placed in a number of races. With the medals she has won thus far, which a fourth gold in the 800 meters, Ledecky is the most decorated female swimmer ever.
The US men’s and women’s basketball teams are moving forward as expected. America would want nothing more.
The men have run over Serbia and South Sudan and trounced Puerto Rico on Saturday reaching the next stage as the top seed. Lebron James has been super, leading the team. Bam Adebayo has led the team in scoring and rebounding. Anthony Edwards has been shining. And Kevin Durant has returned from his questionable calf injury to be the most dominant player in the games.
Canada and Germany have remained unbeaten in the preliminary round. Australia, Greece, France, Brazil and Serbia joined the unbeaten in the quarterfinals.
One thing I have noticed. My personal favorite, Steph Curry, has struggled mightily in the first two games and well as in the exhibition games prior to playing for real. Although I know better, I almost feel that the years of play at the highest level in the NBA have caught up with the Golden State superstar. If so, then his decline will be sad to watch.
As for the women, they handled Belgium on Thursday, maintaining a lead the team built in the send quarter. Next up is Germany, also sporting a 2-0 record, before the team advances to the next round.
What the US has failed at miserably is 3 on 3 basketball. For whatever reason, our teams have already been eliminated. This is highly unusual, given that we have the best players on the full squads. Then again, we emphasize those teams and USA Basketball hasn’t given that event as much importance as it is evidently needed.
Perhaps we should get players from the Kentucky and Louisville teams which brawled after a tournament game at Freedom Hall in Louisville. Then again, beating the other is possibly more important in their lives than winning the Olympics.
Turning to soccer, the US women went 3-0 in their group, outscoring the opposition by a 9-2 margin. World #1 Spain is in the semi-finals, facing Brazil, while the American women face Germany on Tuesday.
I love that beach volleyball is being held in a stadium made for the event in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The American women are in good standing thus far. Our men’s team is in a place where it can advance, too.
That men’s team is led by Chase Budinger, who is teamed with Miles Evans. Basketball fans may remember Budinger for his college career at Arizona, which led to a NBA career with Houston, Minnesota, Indiana and Phoenix before he seriously entered the realm of beach volleyball. It was hilarious that Lebron James was walking through the Olympic village when he spotted Budinger and wondered why another NBA contemporary was at the games.
Golf has also begun. Xander Schuffele of the United States is positioned well after three rounds, tied with Jon Rahm of Spain. Should the American win, he will be the first to defend his medal in golf.
In tennis, a second round match for the ages brought Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to the clay of Roland Garros. Nadal is very much nearing the end of his marvelous career, and Djokovic hastened that along in two sets. Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, Spain’s superstar doubles team were also eliminated. However, for one shining moment, even in defeat, the fans showered Nadal with the love he richly deserved on the surface he was most dominant on and in the place of many of his greatest triumphs.
Djokovic has moved ahead in the tournament, although his surgically-repaired knee is barking. Women’s #1 player Iga Swiatek was eliminated, joining American Coco Gauff on the sidelines. Alcaraz will face Djokovic for the gold in singles, and the US men took sieve and bronze in the men’s doubles semifinals.
And how about the US women’s rugby team? The US won the bronze medal in the last moments of the match with Australia. Alex Sedrick went the length of the field, utilizing a straight arm out of the NFL to score and convert the extra points, rallying the team from five points down. This was the first medal of any kind in women’s rugby for the United States.
China leads in the gold medal count thus far, with the US ahead in total medals and France, thanks to swimmer Leon Marchand, is in second place, having amassed 41 medals. There seems to be camaraderie among the entirety of Team USA. Basketball player Anthony Edwards has become a big supporter of the table tennis team.
The accommodations leave plenty to be desired. The athletes’ beds have been likened to sleeping on cardboard.
Despite a major attack on the French trains, the Olympics has not been derailed as it heads into the second week. There is so much more in the offing, with plenty of drama to boot.
I will close with a few things. The football pre-season began with the annual Hall of Fame game between Chicago and Houston. No starters played. Bring on that 18 game season to rid us of these non-events.
I went to Camden Yards for the tenth time on Saturday. Outside of the New York stadiums and RFK Stadium in 1971, Baltimore is the place where I have seen the most regular season games.
San Diego, behind the stellar pitching of ex-Yankee Mike King, rapped the struggling Orioles. With their loaded lineup, the Padres may actually make a run at the first place Dodgers. I still am angry that Yankees GM Brian Cashman had to send King to San Diego in the Juan Soto trade. Being the glutton that I am, I wish NYY still had King to augment Soto.
The Orioles and Yankees suddenly stopped losing. A half game separates the two. New York is getting healthier, although ace Gerrit Cole missed his last start due to body fatigue. That sounds troubling. The acquisition of Jazz Chisholm, Jr. and placing him at third base is working in the early returns. And what’s with the Red Sox and Phillies becoming so bad at this juncture?
There’s a lot of baseball left to be played. It will be without the oft-injured Mike Trout, who has suffered a second meniscus injury which ends his season. Trout is a talent who is spending too much time on the sidelines.
With the Olympics, baseball and football all in action, can it be August? Wow.
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