Key events
Basketball: USA steal into a three-point lead. Gabby Williams, who has been brilliant for France, claims the rebound after her team misses the three-point. USA’s Jackie Young is meanwhile removed after reaching five fouls. Back to a one-point game.
Basketball: Some dead-eyed free throws, as the scores level at 51-51. Then a US foul coughs up two points to France. The home fans believe. They will have to live on their nerves.
The announcers aren’t really playing up the urgency enough of what an absolute disaster it would be for the US to lose this game
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) August 11, 2024
Basketball: United States unable to shake off France, even if they look the more powerful. 47-47, this really is a thriller. Make that 49-49. There’s six minutes left.
Basketball: It continues to be a full rollercoaster, with the United States winning free throws to go into the fourth quarter with a 45-43 lead. They were down by 10.
It would not be the Olympics without the suits jockeying for position. Seb Coe’s on manoeuvres, as Sean Ingle reports. The former head of London 2012, Tory MP, now life peer though retired from the Lords and current president of the IAAF fancies the top job with the International Olympic Committee.
Basketball: Team USA were 10 down, now it’s five. And the French call a timeout. But the score goes to 35-33. The French want a flag on the play. But that’s the power of Team USA. It goes to 38-33. France have been dogged, it’s all rather frantic. 38-35. Then 40-35. The scoreboard burning up.
Australia also have this moment to explain away. Breaking may never recover. It won’t be back in LA.
Basketball: We are back underway in the third quarter, and France off to a flier, taking a 30-25 lead. Then 33-25. Sacre bleu! Team USA call a timeout.
Yeah, this one stings a bit. With more to come. Australia will host the Games in Brisbane in 2032.
With a funding boost in the order of a few hundred million dollars on the way, as all eyes turn towards Australia’s home Olympics in Brisbane in eight years’ time, it seems the old order has returned.
The debate in the UK would appear to be between “sport for all” and “elite performance”. Better facilities for the public across the board would seem to be more use to a country worried over a disaffected population. It doesn’t have to be either/or, of course, bur there is only so much money. And bigger issues to attack.
Wrestling: The last men’s wrestling medal available, as to a rock soundtrack, Akhmed Tazhudinov pinned Givi Matcharashvili, which means Bahrain beats Georgia for gold. The Georgian slipped, and went for a big throw ended up being pinned. No need for a Big Daddy splash, and that’s a painful loss. Akhmed Tazhudinov, from Dagestan, and a former Russian athlete was just too wise to his opponent.
Basketball: France are fighting tooth and nail with Team USA. It takes a tipped rebound from the Americans to be square at 25-25.
From now on, I am always going to associate Ewan Murray with the Modern Pentathlon, which as he says, is going to gain fresh modernity. This being the event where they play LaserQuest – is that modern? – the equestrian event will be replaced by obstacle course running. Hopefully, like this.
Thanks, Sarah. Great work all through the lastt few weeks. Watching a partisan crowd – including Monsieur et Madame Macron in the crowd – willing the American team to miss free throws. The Olympics does funny things to people.
This is where I leave you today with John Brewin taking you through the end of the women’s basketball gold medal match – the final competition at the Olympics.
This is my last bit of reporting on the 2024 Games so thank you for all your contributions and for reading along.
Basketball: This arena is electric right now after Williams slots another to close the gap to just one point. Could we be on for an upset here?
Well the USA extends their lead with Young scoring but France are really pushing.
Basketball: The second quarter has started and France are really going for this and they close the gap to 17-13.
The French men’s basketball team, who won silver yesterday, are in attendance.
Everyone loves receiving a postcard don’t they? Well here is one from us to you:
Basketball: After the first quarter the USA are leading 15-9 with France remaining firmly in this contest.
France’s Johannes has been impressive but the entire USA team are taking their chances when they have them.
Catch up with all the modern pentathlon action:
Basketball: France have had a lot of shooting opportunities but they keep missing, if they don’t score when they have the opportunity it will be the USA going home with gold.
The USA are leading 8-5 with just over two minutes left of the first quarter.
This must be the image of the Paris Olympics and now it is a mural in Berlin:
Basketball: The USA have two free throws after a foul and both are scored and so the favourites go 6-5 up.
It is a very close affair in these early stages.
Basketball: What a shot to put France temporarily in the lead, it is the first time the hosts have led in this gold medal final. France have all the momentum now and a foul is called from Gray.
Basketball: A wall of noise descends on the court as France slot their first points in this final. France trail 4-3 at the moment.
I will continue to take you through this one with all the headline news but we also have a dedicated blog for this final:
Basketball: France miss their first shot and the USA quickly respond with the first points of this gold medal match, they are 2-0 up.
Basketball: The crowd is lively in here and they count down to the start of this match. The USA have the first possession but there is some good defence from France initially and the USA miss the first shot.
Basketball: The final event of the 2024 Paris Olympics is about to get underway and it is the women’s basketball gold medal match between the USA and France.
We have an update from GB’s Jack Carlin, who was involved in a crash in the men’s keirin final. Carlin was looking to add a third medal to his collection in Paris after already winning silver and bronze but the crash took him out of the race. He told the BBC:
I’m alright. I’m just a bit sore, but that is part and parcel of racing.
I mucked it up a little bit, I was on the backfoot and then two riders collided in front of me and your day is done after that. It is what it is.
I’ve done well, I was hoping for more today. This is the one I felt really confident [about] and I was doing really well, I just got it wrong and I paid the consequence for that.
Here are some pictures to sum up the day’s action so far:
So after hundreds of events, highs and lows and records broken there is just one event left in these Olympic Games, the women’s basketball final. That begins at 2.30pm BST and will be contested between the USA and hosts France. The USA will be favourites to take the gold.
Serbia win men’s water polo gold
Croatia really ran Serbia close to the wire in the fourth period but it is the latter who come away with the gold medal.
Serbia won the match 13-11 and were in the lead after every period had finished.
As well as Alex Yee, Bryony Page will be GB’s flagbearer after she won gold in the trampolining event:
It is now official, the USA’s Jordan Chiles has been ordered to give back her gymnastics floor bronze with Ana Barbosa given third place. It occurred as the challenge to Chiles’ score came too late. All the details:
Denmark win men’s handball gold
Denmark have beaten Germany 39-26 in the men’s gold medal match.
It was an utterly dominant performance from the Danes who led throughout.
Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images
Water polo: Serbia and Croatia are playing for the men’s gold and in the fourth period it is Serbia leading 11-9.
Handball: The men’s gold medal match is well underway and Denmark are leading Germany 38-24 with less than five minutes to go.
The Danes led at half-time 21-12.
GB’s Emma Finucane won three medals at her first Olympics in Paris, her third coming in the women’s sprint today where she picked up bronze. She told the BBC of the achievement:
Honestly, it feels amazing. I know I had the expectations coming into the Olympics but a gold and two bronze is more than I could have expected. It’s been such a rollercoaster this week, my friends and my family experience the lows, the crying, the happy tears and I can’t thank everyone enough who has helped me get to this place.
That bronze medal, I literally gave it everything I could. To celebrate with my family who have been here all week, the support I’ve had back home, the National Lottery, I wouldn’t be here without them. I wouldn’t be here without British Cycling, Team GB, my friends, everyone that loves me. I am just really proud to deliver it on the final day and to just come home with another bronze medal is incredible. I can’t believe it.
The main headline of the day is Sifan Hassan’s women’s marathon win after already winning two bronze medals at this Games. Have a read of the action:
That gold medal win for Valente in the women’s omnium means if the US win the women’s basketball gold later on this afternoon then they will top the medal table. The gold would level them with the 40 golds China have but the US have more silver and bronze medals and so would top the table.
Team GB are not in any other events left to be competed in the Paris Olympics and so finish with 65 medals. That means they have eclipsed their Tokyo haul by one medal but with only 14 of those gold GB are down in seventh in the medal table.
So that is the cycling finished at this Olympic Games. The velodrome action is over.
Women’s omnium: New Zealand’s Wollaston came into the final race in seventh place but rode a sensational points race to bag bronze medal. Absolutely huge.
