PARIS: On the first sunny day of the Paris Olympics, the stars of the United States shone.
Simone Biles and LeBron James dazzled, as did the U.S. women's soccer team. Torri Huske caught some attention, and Haley Batten made a name for herself by winning a silver medal in mountain biking for the best finish ever by an American cyclist.
Although it was French swimmer Leon Marchand who received the loudest applause for sweeping the field to win gold in the men's 400-meter medley, the United States had a very strong Sunday on the second day of the Games.
French gold medalist Leon Marchand celebrates after the men's 400-metre individual medley swimming race during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the La Defense Arena in Nanterre, west of Paris, on July 28, 2024. (AFP)
Simone shines
Biles made her Olympic return three years after withdrawing from several finals at the Tokyo Games to protect her safety, which sparked an international debate about mental health, overcoming a sore calf to lead the U.S. women's gymnastics team to the final.
Biles, Suni Lee and Jordan Chiles finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the all-around during the first qualifiers, although Chiles will miss the all-around final due to rules that limit countries to entering two athletes per event.
There is a chance Chiles could make the floor final if she finishes in the top eight. Lee is a near-certainty in the beam and bars finals, with 2020 floor champion Jade Carey in good position to join Biles in the vault final.
But all eyes were on Biles, who briefly scared a nation when she left the gym after her floor routine and received medical attention. She had sprained her calf during warmups, but U.S. coach Cecile Landi said it was a minor injury.
She performed in front of an all-star audience including Tom Cruise, Jessica Chastain, Snoop Dogg, Anna Wintour and Lady Gaga, who wrote of Biles on social media: “She nailed it, what an honor to be so close!”
LeBron James leads the United States team
Two of the most experienced Olympians on the U.S. men's basketball team, James and Kevin Durant, kicked off the team's quest for a fifth consecutive gold medal with a near-flawless performance.
Durant made his first eight shots and scored 23 points, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the United States rolled to a 110-84 victory over Serbia in the opening game of the Olympics for both teams.
Lebron James of the United States scores a basket during the Olympic preliminary round basketball match Group C against Serbia at the Pierre Mauroy stadium in Lille, Villeneve-d'Ascq, France, July 28, 2024. (Reuters)
James and Durant both made 18 of 22 shots (8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James), as the United States had no trouble against the reigning World Cup silver medalists.
Jrue Holiday scored 15 points, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry added 11 each for the U.S.
Pool party
Huske eliminated world record holder Gretchen Walsh in the women's 100 butterfly, using a strong finish to get her hands on the wall just ahead of her teammate in a 1-2 finish for the U.S.
The favorite went out with her usual strategy: start fast and try to hold on. It worked at the U.S. trials, where she set her world record of 55.18 last month, and was at record pace on the turn.
But Huske chased her in the race that really mattered. The winner clocked 55.59, about a finger’s breadth above Walsh’s time of 55.63.
When Huske saw the number “1” next to his name on the scoreboard, he reached over the lane rope to give Walsh a hug, breaking down in tears.
Meanwhile, Marchand lived up to high expectations at his home Olympics, with a crowd waving flags and cheering his every stroke. He was under world-record pace on the final turn, but slowed a bit on the way home, touching down in 4 minutes, 2.95 seconds, an Olympic record but just shy of his world record of 4:02.50.
Marchand achieved this record at last year's world championships in Fukuoka, Japan, obliterating a record held by Michael Phelps for 15 years.
And surprisingly, Italian swimmer Nicolò Martinenghi surprised record holder Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke.
Peaty, a gold medalist in both Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, had taken a long break to deal with mental health issues. Upon his return, he bounced back and entered the final as the top qualifier, but settled for silver, as his quest for a third consecutive gold was over.
US Soccer Wins
Sophia Smith scored twice as the United States defeated Germany 4-1 and put the team in good position to advance from its group at the Olympics.
Mallory Swanson and Lynn Williams also scored for the Americans, who defeated Zambia 3-0 in their opening game, but will not know for sure their fate in the round of 16 before Wednesday's final Group B games.
The Americans will play in Marseille against Australia to conclude the group stage.
Mountain Bike Medals
Batten broke a rule, but still took home the best result ever for American mountain biking, winning silver.
Batten was fined by Olympic mountain bike officials for violating a rule on the final lap of her race. She was battling for second place when she passed through a lane reserved for food and drink or mechanical stops.
After the judges reviewed the footage, they decided that Batten had done neither and had broken one of the rules of the race. She was fined 500 Swiss francs, or about $565, for “failure to follow the instructions of the race organizers or stewards,” although the judges apparently decided that the infraction was not serious enough to warrant a disqualification.
Three years ago Batten placed ninth at the Tokyo Games.
Spain's Rafael Nadal in action during his men's singles first round match against Hungary's Marton Fucsovics at the Paris 2024 Olympics on July 28, 2024. (REUTERS)
Tennis veterans win
Rafael Nadal was unsure whether he would be able to play the men's singles on Sunday, the day before his match, but he showed up at Roland Garros and beat Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the first round.
The victory set up a sensational clash against rival Novak Djokovic.
It will be the 60th meeting between the two greats, more than any other two men have faced in the sport's Open era, which began in 1968. Djokovic, the 37-year-old Serbian, leads the head-to-head series 30-29 and his 24 Grand Slam titles make him the only man in tennis history to have won more than Nadal's 22.
Andy Murray's tennis career, meanwhile, was extended by at least one more match when he and British partner Dan Evans saved five match points during a first-round doubles victory. Murray and Evans overcame the Japanese pair of Taro Daniel and Kei Nishikori 2-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9.
The English were trailing 9-4 in the decisive tie-break, which is played in place of the third set of doubles.
The 37-year-old Murray announced before the Summer Games that it would be the final event of his career, before retiring from singles, remaining only in doubles.
Murray has won three Grand Slam tournaments and is the only tennis player to have won two Olympic gold medals in singles: in London in 2012 and in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
