Paris (AFP) – US gymnastics legend Simone Biles produced two stunning vaults to soar to her third gold medal of the Paris Olympics Saturday, as compatriot Sha’Carri Richardson advanced into the hotly anticipated women’s 100m final. With golds up for grabs all over Paris, a row over gender eligibility in boxing rumbled on as the Algerian in the spotlight boxed her way to a guaranteed medal.
Biles wowed the crowd with her two vaults, another step on her road to Olympic redemption after the debilitating “twisties” famously derailed her Tokyo campaign in 2021. A gravity-defying Yurchenko double pike handed the US superstar her third gold in Paris and seventh in her glittering career as she beamed to an ecstatic crowd. “I kind of nailed that one,” grinned Biles, after perfecting a vault so difficult that no other woman attempts it.
More history was made at the gymnastics as Carlos Yulo from the Philippines snatched his country’s second-ever gold, triumphing in the men’s floor exercise. Then Rhys McClenaghan captured Ireland’s first-ever Olympic gymnastics medal with gold on the pommel horse.
From one redemption campaign to another, all eyes at the Stade de France were on the flamboyant Sha’Carri Richardson, favourite to take the blue riband event. Richardson is competing in Paris three years after a positive test for marijuana following her victory at the US trials wrecked her Olympic dreams in Tokyo. The 24-year-old Texan, aiming to become the first American since Gail Devers in 1996 to win Olympic 100m gold, sailed through Saturday’s semi-final in 10.89sec.
Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred is Richardson’s main rival and edged her out in the semi-final with a time of 10.84sec. There was heartbreak for two-time 100m gold medallist Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from Jamaica, who pulled out just before the semi-final, apparently injured.
In the men’s competition, US sprint king Noah Lyles launched his campaign for 100m glory, recovering from a slow start to come through his heat. The 27-year-old was one of the last out of the blocks in his heat but powered through the field, finishing second to Britain’s Louie Hinchliffe in a time of 10.04sec. Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson looked in ominous form, running 10 flat but easing down significantly in the final stages. Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, who won a surprise gold in Tokyo, also laboured through his heat and just scraped through in a time of 10.05 sec. Ryan Crouser won a third consecutive men’s shot put gold with a throw of 22.90 metres, a huge 75 centimetres further than his US teammate Joe Kovacs in second. The second full day of athletics in Paris also includes the women’s triple jump and the conclusion of the men’s decathlon.
Off the field of play, a simmering scrap over gender in boxing was back in the spotlight as Imane Khelif overcame Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori on points to ensure at least a bronze medal. The Algerian broke down in tears after the bout, which also saw the two boxers share an embrace. “It’s a battle, it’s for my dignity,” said Khelif, who won praise from her country’s president, who said she brought “honour to Algeria, Algerian women and Algerian boxing.”
Khelif’s 46-second victory over Italy’s Angela Carini sparked a row that spilled beyond the ring, with politicians and celebrities weighing into the controversy. The International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif at last year’s world championship, saying she had failed an unspecified gender eligibility test. There is no suggestion Khelif identifies as anything other than a woman, and IOC President Thomas Bach called for an end to the scrap, that has also impacted Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting. Hamori had written on Facebook before the bout: “In my humble opinion I don’t think it’s fair that this contestant can compete in the women’s category.” In Algeria, Khelif’s father Omar told AFP he had raised his daughter “to work and be brave.” “Since she was little her passion has always been sport,” he said.
In the pool, Katie Ledecky, now the most decorated US woman Olympian, seeks to add 800m freestyle gold to her 1500m title on the penultimate evening of swimming. And on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen became the first Chinese player to win Olympic tennis singles gold as she defeated Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-2, 6-3 in the final. A total of 29 golds are up for grabs on Saturday, with France, Australia, Britain and the United States chasing current medal table leader China.
© 2024 AFP
