The world's best athletes are running, dancing, jumping, shooting, riding, hitting, throwing, climbing, tumbling, soaring, surfing, wrestling, boxing, scoring and so much more as they vie for Olympic gold in Paris.
The Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics took place on Friday, July 26, 2024. The Olympic flame of competition will burn bright until athletes decked out in gold, silver and bronze participate in the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Team USA sent hundreds of athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Games and dozens of them have connections to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
With 329 medal events across 39 sports, there's a good chance someone will be bringing back hardware to the Delaware Valley.
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You won't need to miss a moment with action airing on NBC10, the NBC family of networks, NBCOlympics.com and Peacock. It will all be at your fingertips on your device or your Comcast Xfinity X1 platform. (Comcast is the parent company of NBC10.)
Which Philadelphia region should you watch for today in Paris? Here's your guide to our area Team USA competitors and how to catch them in action (note all times in Eastern Time):
Sunday, Aug. 11
The 2024 Paris Olympics will come to a dramatic end with Sunday’s Closing Ceremony. But, before the Olympic flame is extinguished, some Philadelphia-area athletes have their chance to become Olympic champs.
Closing out the Games
Keep an eye out for local champs with hardware around their necks during the Closing Ceremony.
The festivities begin at 3 p.m. ET and can be seen live on NBC10 and streaming on NBCOlympics.com
.
Past events
Women’s basketball brings home the gold
Kahleah Copper helped win the gold for USA women’s basketball against the host country of France.
The U.S. women’s basketball team extended its Olympic dynasty on Sunday by defeating France 67-66 to win an eighth-consecutive gold medal. But of those eight podiums the team has reached the top of, the climb in Paris may have been the most challenging of all.
Haleigh Washington, women’s volleyball settle for silver
Penn State alum Haleigh Washington and the rest of the U.S. women's volleyball team will settle for silver at the Paris Olympics after dropping Sunday's gold-medal final to Italy in straight sets.
Italy opened the match on a 6-1 run and never looked back. The team went on to win the first set 25-18, the second set 25-20 and the third set 25-17.
Pennsylvania wrestlers leave Paris empty handed
Wrestling was one of the final events in the Paris Games.
Pennsylvania native and Penn State alum Zain Retherford withdrew from the repechage in men’s 65kg freestyle wrestling.
The move was done as a "medical precaution," officials said.
Meanwhile, State College’s Kyle Snyder – a former world champ – lost his chance at a bronze medal match in the men’s 97kg division.
Saturday, Aug. 10
Joel Embiid silenced French boos, led Team USA to gold
The U.S. men’s basketball team has navigated its way to the gold medal match with Joel Embiid increasing his contributions during the elimination games.
Embiid had been dealing with boos from French fans who are angry that he chose to play for the U.S. instead of the home nation.
The Sixers superstar faced former teammate Nicolas Batum and France in the gold medal match and came out victorious.
U.S. women bring soccer gold back to US ⚽
The United States national team, once again, is the gold standard of women's soccer.
The USWNT ended its Olympic gold medal drought on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Brazil in the women's soccer final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Mallory Swanson scored the winning goal, receiving a through ball in the box from Korbin Albert and firing into the back of the net in the 57th minute.
U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher secured the gold when she made a leaping, one-handed save at the far post off a header in the box during the fourth minute of added time.
For the U.S., which won four of the first five gold medals after women's soccer debuted at the Olympics in 1996, it's the first gold medal since 2012. The drought included the team' only failure to reach the podium during the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze-medal finish three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics.
Snyder advances, Retherford falls in first-round wrestling match
97kg freestyle wrestler Kyle Snyder (Pennsylvania native) won two matches, but lost in the semifinal round of the men’s 97 kg freestyle Olympic tournament. Snyder will compete for a shot at the bronze medal on Sunday.
Iranian Rahman Amouzadkhalili knocked out 65kg wrestler Zain Retherford (a Penn State alum) in the first round of the 65kg competition.
US falls to Netherlands in women's water polo bronze medal match
Princeton University alum Asheleigh Johnson was hoping to make it a three-peat in goal for the U.S. women’s water polo team. Unfortunately, she and first-time Olympian (and fellow Princeton Tiger) Jovana Sekulic were left fighting for bronze after losing in a semifinal shootout.
However, the Netherlands scored four goals in the final quarter to win the women’s water polo bronze medal match.
The Netherlands’ Sabrina van der Sloot, Vivian Sevenich, Bente Rogge all contributed goals to tie up the game 10-10 with 1:19 left in the match.
Van der Sloot closed out the win with a final shot on goal to secure the medal 10-11.
The U.S. took home fourth place.
Other local athletes to watch today
Delaware native Megumi Field and duet teammate Jaime Czarkowskiin came in 10th place in the artistic swimming free routine.
Friday, Aug. 9
Sunny Choi 'breaks' barriers
Sunny Choi was ready to break herself at the Paris Olympics and represent her greater community.
The Queens, New York, native who spent time in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, said that participating in breaking as the sport makes its Olympic debut isn't lost on her.
"I have so much gratitude and pride to be able to represent for our community," Choi told reporters in Paris.
The sport (and dance form) has made big strides to spin its way to this point.
"We came from the streets in Black and brown communities," the 35-year-old American told reporters. "Breaking has really kind of globalized and now we have this extremely beautifully-diverse world."
The diverse world of expression was left up to the judges.
In her group of b-girls, "Sunny" won one match and dropped the other two face-offs in her round robin group, failing to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
"Honestly it's an honor to be able to dance on that stage," "Sunny" said.
However, she realized she didn't give the judges what they were looking for.
"At the end of the day we're always being judged," Choi said.
PSU's Aaron Brooks hits the mat, wins bronze 🥉
On Thursday, Penn State alum Aaron Brooks made quick work of his first two opponents in the men’s 86kg freestyle wrestling competition.
However, he lost to Bulgaria's Magomed Eldarovitch Ramazanov in the semis and had to settle for fighting for a bronze medal.
He wound up shutting out Uzbekistan's Javrail Shapiev to win bronze.
U.S. men collect Olympic volleyball bronze 🏐🥉
The Penn State trio of Matt Anderson, Max Holt and Aaron Russell have added to their Olympics hardware with another bronze.
The towering trio defeated Italy in three sets Friday.
Four-time U.S. Olympians Anderson and David Smith came back for this chance.
The Americans are taking home men's volleyball hardware from the Paris Olympics, outlasting Italy in a wild, back-and-forth battle for bronze.
It went 25-23, 30-28 — a sensational second set in which each country had multiple chances — and 26-24 at a rocking South Paris Arena.
Once Torey DeFalco's clincher point was scored, longtime libero Erik Shoji's arms shot into the air in triumph as others fell to their knees. Then after shaking hands with Italy, they all took turns giving long hugs to the coaches and support staff.
No doubt, No. 4 Italy vs. the fifth-ranked U.S. made for quite a matchup.
Might Anderson consider making another run at the Olympics in Los Angeles four years from now at age 41?
“We'll see,” he said this week, “we'll see.”
Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas continue march to basketball gold 🏀
The U.S. women’s basketball team hasn’t lost in the Olympics since Nirvana topped the charts.
The Americans last lost at the 1992 Barcelona Games as their streak reached 60 consecutive wins with an 85-64 win over Australia.
Now, Pennsylvanian natives Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper are looking to keep the winning streak alive in Sunday's gold medal game.
he U.S. are trying to become the first team to win eight consecutive gold medals, breaking the tie with the American men's program that won seven in a row from 1936-68.
A win Sunday would give Diana Taurasi a record six gold medals. A game after not starting for the first time since the 2004 Olympics, the Americans' most decorated Olympic basketball player didn't enter the game until 2:08 remained in the third quarter with the U.S. up 63-40.
Megumi Field tried to build on silver medal
Delaware native Megumi Field jumped back into the pool for the duet portion of artistic swimming.
Along with partner Jaime Czarkowski they danced under and above the water in the technical routine coming in 11th place.
West Chester native swims in the Seine River
Marathon swimmer Ivan Puskovitch -- born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and raised in West Chester -- jumped into the Seine River for the 10k marathon swim.
Puskovitch came in 19th place with a time of 1:58:52.
Thursday, Aug. 8
Ashleigh Johnson, Jovana Sekulic fall to Australia
The women of Team USA water polo have looked dominant in the pool in Paris. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by Australia in a shoot-out round.
All that stood between Princeton University alum Ashleigh Johnson and Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square alum Jovana Sekulic was a semifinal matchup against Australia.
The U.S. women now will fight for bronze against the Netherlands Saturday.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone wins another Olympic gold for NJ 🥇
After sailing through her first race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, breaking her own world record with 50:37.
Defending her Tokyo gold medal and world record, the New Jersey native is one of the favorites for the podium - along with Femke Bol, the Paris gold medalist in 4×400m mixed relay from the Netherlands, and Jamaica's Rushell Clayton.
Fellow American Anna Cockrell won silver and Femke Bol of the Netherlands won bronze.
PSU's Aaron Brooks hits the mat, fights for bronze
Penn State alum Aaron Brooks won his opening match against Kazakhstan's Azamat Dauletbekov in men's 86kg freestyle wrestling then defeated Japan's Hayato Ishiguro to reach the medal matches.
Standing between Brooks and a chance at gold was Bulgaria's Magomed Eldarovitch Ramazanov. Brooks led early, but dropped the match 4-3.
Catch Brooks in the bronze medal match Friday afternoon.
Joel Embiid, Team USA avoided an upset vs. Serbia in semifinals
Team USA rallied late in the fourth quarter and beat Serbia in a close game of 95-91 in the semifinals.
Team USA has earned themselves a spot in the gold medal game.
Joel Embiid added a big 19 points in the game even as he has been channeling hate from the French fans in his play on the court.
Memo to the French fans: Joel Embiid plays in Philadelphia. The fans in Philly are, in a word, passionate. And those years of being on stage for the 76ers’ faithful has prepared him for these Paris Olympics.
In a very odd way, that is.
“Playing in Philly,” Embiid said, “they boo their own guys.”
That’s why hearing the boos in France — he’s gotten them throughout the Paris Games after choosing to play for the U.S. instead of the host nation — isn’t fazing him.
The U.S. will play Victor Wembanyama and France for gold on Saturday.
USA women spike Brazil to advance to volleyball gold medal game
Penn State alum Haleigh Washington helped lead the U.S. women's volleyball team into the gold medal match by winning a dramatic five-set semifinal match against Brazil.
The U.S. defeated Brazil 3-2 in Thursday's match, which was a rematch of the gold medal match three years ago.
Both sides were even throughout the contest. The U.S. took the first (25-23) and third sets (25-15), Brazil won the second (25-18) and fourth (25-23).
It all came down to a decisive fifth set. The U.S. took control midway through the set, breaking a tie at eight with four straight points to pull ahead 12-8. It led 14-10, and Kathryn Plummer spiked home the winner at 15-11.
The gold medal match is Sunday at 7 a.m. ET with the winner of Turkey vs. Italy facing the U.S.
Wednesday, Aug. 7
U.S. Women’s basketball makes it into medal round 🏀
The United States women’s basketball team continues to be a force during the Paris Games with another win, booking the team's spot in the semifinals. It also marked 59 Olympic wins in a row for the program.
All that stood between Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and their teammates playing in the medal round was a quarterfinal showdown with Nigeria. Team USA won 88-74 against them on Wednesday.
The U.S. will play Australia in the semifinal on Friday for a spot in the gold medal game.
The Americans can wear down their opponents by sending wave after wave of WNBA All-Stars to the court. They did that again on Sunday, beating Germany 87-68 to extend their record streak to 59 consecutive Olympic wins dating to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Megumi Field wins artistic swimming silver 🥈
Wilmington, Delaware, native Megumi Field and her Team USA teammates had the moves and were in sync while claiming silver in artistic swimming.
"We haven't even qualified for teams since 2008, so just qualifying here back in February was like 'Oh, my God,'" Field said with her medal around her neck. "I haven't even processed that I got this."
Field is back in the water in the duet competition on Friday.
Penn Staters fall to Poland in men's volleyball semifinals 🏐
The Penn State trio of Matt Anderson, Max Holt and Aaron Russell clawed back from an early one-set deficit to go up 2-1 on Poland in men's volleyball.
However, Poland roared back and took the final two sets, winning the deciding fifth set 15-13.
Now a spot in Friday's bronze medal match awaits.
Tuesday, Aug. 6
U.S. men’s basketball team advances to medal round 🏀
The U.S. men's basketball team beat Brazil 122-87 in Tuesday's quarterfinal matchup advancing the team to the medal round.
Joel Embiid tallied 14 points in the first half and then was benched for the rest of the match.
The Games really heat up for Joel Embiid and the U.S. men’s basketball team as the elimination rounds arrive.
The U.S. advances to play Nikola Jokic and Serbia in the semifinal on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on USA Network and Peacock.
Curtis Thompson comes up short in men's javelin
South Jersey native Cutis Thompson hoped to soar into the men's javelin throw.
John Taylor, President of Javelin USA, former All-American and NBC10 employee, describes Curtis as a hardworking athlete with undeniable talent.
He says, "You could see the talent in him as a teenager; he had power, speed, and a drive to succeed. He's always had a very supportive family environment and great coaching. With all those elements present, great things are bound to happen."
Thompson threw the javelin 76.79 meters, failing to reach the final round.
USWNT advance to gold medal match ⚽
Team USA - which features Penn State alums goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and midfielder Sam Coffey - is one win away from gold.
The USWNT scored in extra time to beat Germany in the semifinals. Naeher had a dramatic save on a close shot in the closing seconds of the second extra 15 minutes.
Other local athletes to watch
New Jersey native Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Anna Cockrell, and Jasmine Jones have all reached the final of the 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics.
The U.S. women’s water polo team advanced to the medal round when they beat Hungary 5-4 in a tight quarterfinal match. They'll face Australia in the semifinal on Thursday at Paris La Defense Arena.
For New Jersey's Amy Wang, she and teammates Lily Zhang and Rachel Sung fell to Germany in women's team table tennis.
Monday Aug. 5
Valarie Allman wins gold in discus throw final
Defending Olympic women’s discus champ Valarie Allman set herself to claim her second gold by throwing the furthest in the qualifiers, posting an impressive 69.59 meters.
The Delaware-born and Hershey, Pennsylvania, -raised thrower did it when she finished the event with a total result of 69.50 on Monday.
"it's really been hitting me today to become an Olympic champion for a second time," she said with a medal around her neck the following day.
Sam Mattis comes up just short of qualifying for discus final
Speaking of discus, University of Pennsylvania alum and New Jersey native Sam Mattis is back for his second Olympics.
The discus thrower put up a good distance of 62.66 meters in the qualifying round, finishing seventh in his group. However, that left him just outside of those who qualified for the final.
Morgan Pearson wins mixed triathlon silver 🥈
New Jersey native Morgan Pearson is now a two-time Olympic silver medalist as he helped guide the Team USA mixed triathlon team to a thrilling second-place finish in Paris.
The team featuring Seth Rider, Taylor Spivey and Taylor Knibb gave the U.S. a second-straight mixed relay silver medal after Team USA placed second in the inaugural event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Pearson completed his swim, bike and run in a time of 20:27.
Sunday, Aug. 4
Vashti Cunningham finishes 5th in women's high jump
The daughter of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham finished fifth in the women’s high jump.
Cunningham finished in fifth after failing to clear 1.98m. Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold for the country she was forced to flee by clearing the bar at 2 meters.
U.S. women’s basketball keeps winning streak going 🏀
For Philadelphia native Kahleah Copper, Harrisburg native Alyssa Thomas and the U.S. women’s basketball team, dominance is the norm at this point.
Team USA earned its 58th-straight Olympic victory by beating Germany 87-68 to close out group play.
Team USA finishes with a 3-0 record in Group C with wins over Germany, Japan and Belgium. Germany is 2-1 after also beating Japan and Belgium.
The team will return to the floor on Wednesday for the quarterfinals.
Miles Chamley-Watson, US. men’s foil falls to France 🤺
Team USA’s Miles Chamley-Watson, Nick Itkin, Gerek Meinhardt and Alexander Massialas failed to secure bronze in men’s fencing, losing to France 45-32.
Bronze medalist Miles Chamley-Watson was back for his third Olympics after missing the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The Penn State alum who at one point lived in Center City Philadelphia is more than just an athlete as he models and has dabbled in acting.
Saturday, Aug. 3
Joe Kovacs walks away with silver
We told you about Lehigh Valley native Joe Kovacs on Friday. On Saturday, he took his shot at finally topping the Olympic podium in men’s shot put.
Kovacs successfully won his third silver medal with American Ryan Crouser winning gold.
Joel Embiid takes the court! 🏀
After not playing in the last U.S. men’s basketball game, Sixers star Joel Embiid took the court during the U.S. vs. Puerto Rico men's basketball game.
Embiid was strong on both sides of the ball and scored 15 points to help lead the USA to their win.
Team USA finished pool play 3-0 after defeating Puerto Rico 104-83 on Saturday. Two other teams also finished 3-0, but the U.S. held the point-differential tiebreaker at plus-64 to top Germany (plus-47) and Canada (plus-20).
The Clark Kent of pommel horse takes home individual bronze 🥉
U.S. gymnast - and Penn State Album - Stephen Nedoroscik, who gained Internet popularity as "pommel horse guy" during the men's artistic gymnastics team final, clinched bronze in the men's pommel horse final Saturday afternoon.
It’s like all he has to do is take off his glasses and he is suddenly transformed into a superhero, but that routine starts earlier than that.
"I do it all the time," Nedoroscik told the Washington Post about his habit of visualizing. "Sometimes I think I do it too much, but what else am I to do with those empty spaces?"
Indeed, the Penn State grad told the paper that he had visualized his routine "about 100 times." By the time it was his turn to go, Nedoroscik didn't even need his glasses.
"I don't think I actually use my eyes on pommel horse," he said. "It's all feeling. I see with my hands."
USWNT secure spot in semifinals ⚽
Team USA - which features Penn State alums goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and midfielder Sam Coffey - defeated Japan 1-0 in a women's soccer quarterfinal on Saturday and moves on to the semifinals.
Trinity Rodman scored for the U.S. in the first period of extra time, curling a left-footed strike into the top left corner.
The United States will play in the semis on Tuesday against Germany.
NJ native Tommy Paul brings home double’s bronze 🎾
Team USA earned another medal in tennis play today.
The American duo of Voorhees native Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz defeated Czech Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlásek in the bronze medal doubles match 6-3, 6-4.
Earlier, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram won silver in men’s doubles play against Australia's Matthew Ebden and John Peers 7-6, 6-7, 10-8.
The last time Team USA won gold in men's doubles at the Olympics was in 2012 (Mike and Bob Bryan).
Romania wins gold in women's eight finals, US fails to medal
Romania won gold in the women's eight finals on Saturday. The back-to-back world title champions finished with a time of 5:54.39.
Canada crossed the finish line at 5:58.84 for a silver finish while Great Britain narrowly beat Australia for bronze (5:59.51).
The three-time Olympic champions Team USA - who trained in Princeton, New Jersey - ranked fifth at 6:01.73, nearly seven seconds after the first-place finishers.
Friday, Aug. 2
Delaware’s Valarie Allman starts defense of Olympic discus gold
At the Paris Olympics, Newark, Delaware, native Valarie Allman threw the discus further than any other woman, winning her first gold.
Now the 29-year-old is looking for a repeat atop the medal stand.
Allman's defense of her Olympic gold is off to a good start as her throw of 69.59 meters that qualified her for the final.
Vashti Cunningham starts jump for gold, qualifies for final
Vashti Cunningham - who is coached by her former Philadelphia Eagles QB Randall Cunningham – was back to jump higher than ever.
The high jumper was in Philadelphia with her dad for the 2024 Penn Relays. While there she reflected on expectations for her now third Olympic Games.
“This will be my third Olympics and I have goals of winning and I have goals of setting records,” the younger Cunningham said.
World-record holder and world champion Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine jumped only twice, clearing 1.95 meters on the second try, which was all she needed to easily move into Sunday night's final.
There were no big surprises. Eleanor Patterson of Australia, the 2022 world champ, also made it through, as did American Vashti Cunningham, though she did so with a mark of 1.92 after missing at 1.95 three times.
Joe Kovacs takes his ‘shot’ for gold, again
Two-time Olympic silver medalist Joe Kovacs is back for this third try at beating fellow American Ryan Crouser for gold.
The Lehigh Valley native was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. He has previously said that growing up in Nazareth gave him a humble beginning, and he remains thankful for the supportive community.
His mom, Joanna, played a huge role in his life both as a mother and a coach.
Joanna Kovacs was a 12-time district champion in high school in shot put, discus and javelin. When Kovacs and his friends started throwing shot put in high school to stay in shape for football, his mom got involved and started coaching them.
Kovacs‘ wife Ashley would later train him to throw further, according to Kovacs’ bio.
Nia Akins advances in women’s 800m, Allie Wilson settles for spot in repechage round
A couple of women with ties to Philadelphia were looking to run into the next round in the women’s 800m.
Wallingford, Pennsylvania, native Allie Wilson and University of Pennsylvania alum Nia Akins each managed to beat Trenton native and reigning Olympic 800m champion Athing Mu when she fell in the Olympic Trials final.
Wilson had all of Delaware County pulling for her. Just look at the party watching Friday:
Half of #delco gathered to watch Allie Wilson run @Paris2024 ! #allierunsdelco @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/Y0onRNc8C3
— Tim Furlong (@tfurlong) August 2, 2024
“I’ve gotten a tsunami of messages and kind words and so much support from everyone back home,” Wilson told NBC10 before the Games.
Now Wilson and Akins have a chance to make the whole Philadelphia region proud.
Akins finished second in her heat and afterward said she was "trying to it like any other meet." "I'm just gonna do what I've always done, the first-time Olympian said as she prepares for the semifinals.
Wilson finished sixth in her heat and now must earn her spot in the semis in the 800m repechage round Saturday.
Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz will need to settle for shot at bronze 🎾
The dream of individual Olympic gold already ended for New Jersey native Tommy Paul. However, he still had a chance to stand atop the medal stand alongside teammate Taylor Frtiz.
The American tennis duo faced Australia’s Matthew Ebden and John Peers with a spot in the gold medal match on the line.
Fritz/Paul lost the first set 7-5, before dropping the second set 6-2. They now will get a shot at bronze this weekend against the Czech duo of Thomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek.
Casey Kaufhold is now an Olympic medalist 🏹🎯🥉
Lancaster County's Casey Kaufhold was on point along with partner Brady Ellison in downing the Indian team to take home bronze in mixed team archery.
Kaufhold/Ellison won 6-2 in the bronze medal match in Paris.
It's Ellison's fourth Olympic medal — he's previously won two silvers and a bronze. It's the first Olympic medal for Kaufhold, the top-ranked women's archer in the world entering these games.
The 20-year-old from Pennsylvania is the first American woman to medal in archery in several Olympic Games.
Paxten Aaronson, Union players knocked out of US men’s soccer tourney ⚽
All that stood between New Jersey native Paxten Aaronson and Philadelphia Union players Nathan Harriel and Jack McGlynn and a chance to play for a medal was a quarterfinal showdown with Morocco.
Win and a spot in the semis and a guaranteed chance to play for a medal awaited.
However the U.S. men never got their scoring attack going as they were were shut out by the North African country 4-0.
Aaronson said playing is the Games was "one that I'll remember for the rest of my career." Aaronson -- just 20 years old -- gave Morocco credit for the win and said he hopes the team and he himself can learn from the Olympic run.
Other local Olympians in action
Kareem Maddox and the men’s 3x3 basketball team played at 4:35 p.m. after beating France 21-19 in an earlier match. Jovana Sekulic and the U.S. women’s water polo team beat up on France 17-5. And, a trio of Penn State stars as men’s volleyball took on Japan.
Thursday, Aug. 1
Men's four - featuring Justin Best, Nick Mead - wins gold 🥇
Both the Team USA men’s and women’s four teams – packed with New Jersey and Pennsylvania talent rowed in medal races and one came up victorious.
The men’s four featuring Kennett Square native and Drexel University alum Justin Best and fellow Pennsylvania native and Princeton University alum Nick Mead went out to a lead early and held on to win the gold.
"We are so proud of Justin, we are so happy," Drexel rowing coach Paul Savell said as he watched Best receive his gold medal. "What a finish to the race, that was amazing."
The boat, which also included Liam Corrigan and Michael Grady finished in a time of 5:49:03. New Zealand took silver while Great Britain took bronze.
The women’s four featuring Emily Kallfelz, Kaitlin Knifton and Kelsey Reelick – all with Princeton ties – earlier finished fifth.
Earlier in the morning, the Team USA women’s eight – packed with Princeton-area talent – won its repechage to earn a spot in the medal race later in the Games.
Casey Kaufhold misses mark in push for archery gold 🏹🎯
Lancaster County’s Casey Kaufhold took aim at individual archery gold.
The world’s No. 1 archer entering her second Games was excited to compete on the Olympic stage.
“The biggest thing that I’ve learned in the last few years competing at a high level and winning here and there is that it’s a big thing,” she said earlier. “I love that because that’s what keeps me going. In every tournament, I’m striving to have that feeling [of winning] again. [Whether] it’s the Olympics or a World Cup, I want to win any tournament no matter what because that feeling is everything.”
However, things didn't go as planned as Kaufhold's chase for Olympic gold in women's archery came to a shocking end when she lost to Lei Chien-ying of Chinese Taipei in the round of 32.
Kaufhold, 20, arrived in Paris looking to become the first American woman to earn an individual Olympic archery medal since 1976.
Kaufhold still has a chance to reach the podium in Paris. She and fellow American Brady Ellison will go against Uzbekistan in the mixed team event round of 16 on Friday.
U.S. women clinch gold in fencing team foil event 🤺🥇
The U.S. women have won gold in the fencing team foil event.
From Philadelphia to Paris, Maia Weintraub has fought to get here and now the foil fencer, and her teammates have done it.
This is the fourth fencing medal for the U.S. at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m slowly getting used to the idea that I’ve accomplished something great,” Weintrab – A Princeton University student – said before the Games.
After defeating China and Canada, the U.S. foil women’s team of Lauren Scruggs, Lee Kiefer and New Jersey native Jackie Dubrovich faced Italy in the gold medal match.
Italy's team was seeded first and the U.S. second in the bracket going in.
Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas lead Team USA basketball to win against Belgium
The U.S. women’s basketball team continued its dominance in pool play with an 87-74 win vs. Belgium.
Pennsylvania natives Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas are part of the stacked U.S. team.
Team USA women's basketball moved to 2-0 in Paris.
The U.S. will close out pool play against Germany (2-0) on Saturday with tipoff set for 11:15 a.m. ET.
Other Philly area athletes in action include Tommy Paul who defeated a three-time Olympic medalist in quarterfinals
Voorhees, New Jersey native Tommy Paul's impressive run in men's singles tennis came to an end against Carlos Alvarez in a 6-3, 7-6 loss.
But Paul redeemed himself when he and Taylor Fritz sent British sporting legend Andy Murray into retirement after defeating the three-time Olympic medalist in the quarterfinals.
Paul is now closer to getting a medal.
The U.S. women's field hockey continues to look for its first after a 5-2 loss to Great Britain.
And Princeton University alum Kareem Maddox and the men's 3X3 basketball team continues to search for the winning formula. They lost 20-18 to lead over lost 21-19 to Latvia.
Wednesday, July 31
USWNT wrap up pool play undefeated ⚽
The U.S. Women’s National Team – featuring Penn State alums goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and midfielder Sam Coffey – knocked off Australia 2-1 at the 2024 Olympics Wednesday afternoon.
Team USA walks away from the group with nine points, collecting wins over Zambia, Germany and Australia.
The Americans will face Japan in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Joel Embiid gets a DNP in Team USA's win vs. South Sudan
Eleven members of the Team USA men’s basketball team played in Wednesday’s matchup with South Sudan at the Paris Olympics.
Sixers superstar Joel Embiid was the only American player who never left the bench.
The seven-time NBA All-Star and two-time scoring leader suited up and was on the sidelines, but he received zero minutes in a 103-86 Team USA victory to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Area rowers earn spots in medal finals
You saw a slew of area women on their boats early in the day.
Princeton residents Azja Czajkowski and Jess Thoenines rowed their way into the women’s pair medal final race. While New Jersey native Molly Reckford and Philadelphia-linked rower Michelle Sechser earned their spot in the medal final in lightweight women’s double sculls.
“When I’m on the water for me this is my sanctuary,” Sechser said while training in Princeton for the Games. “It’s almost like we leave this world.”
What else would feel out of this world? A medal around her neck!
Princeton’s Teal Cohen and the U.S. women’s quadruple scull came in last in the Final B race.
Mitchell Saron, Team USA just miss win in men’s sabre 🤺
How did New Jersey native Mitchell Saron come to be a fencer? "I watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," he told USA Fencing. "I love being able to live my childhood dream of being a real life Jedi."
He joined his U.S. teammates in trying to master “the force” in men’s sabre. However, they fell one point short to Iran and were eliminated. The would go on to beat Canada in the consolation bracket.
USA field hockey still seeking 1st win in pool play 🏑
The U.S. women’s field hockey team – featuring at least one dozen women with ties to the Philadelphia region – is still looking for its first win of the Paris Games.
Australia was able to hold Ashley Sessa and company in check in a 3-0 win.
The Team USA women get another chance at victory against Great Britain on Thursday.
Morgan Pearson runs, bikes and swims in triathlon
The question if the River Seine would be clean enough for triathlon was answered Wednesday morning.
New Jersey native Morgan Pearson and the rest of the male Olympic triathletes jumped in for the swim to open the competition. Pearson would wind up finishing 31st.
The swim in the Seine left Pearson in a hole he couldn't overcome. He still slapped some high-fives while coming to the finish in the run.
Other local Olympians in action, including pair of wins for NJ's Tommy Paul
Voorhees native Tommy Paul beats France's Correntin Moutet in the third round of the men's singles tourney. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz awaits in the quarterfinals. Then Paul joined with Tavis Fritz to take out the Dutch duo of Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer to reach a quarterfinal showdown with British legend Andy Murray and his partner Daniel Evans.
Pa. native Jovana Sekulic and Princeton alum Ashleigh Johnson impressed once again in the pool as the U.S. women's water polo team beat Italy 10-3.
Tuesday, July 30
Kayla Canett, Ariana Ramsey win historic bronze🏉🥉
A beret-wearing Jason Kelce has become the biggest fan of the women's rugby sevens team featuring Montgomery County native Ariana Ramsey and Penn State's Kayla Canett.
"I am officially a fan. Women's rugby, Olympics," Kelce said in the video posted to team leader Ilona Maher's Instagram.
Kelce's support -- and arm wrestling -- is great, but these women had to earn their spot in the final four through grit and determination.
Team USA came up short in its semifinal match with New Zealand 24-12. However, they came from behind in dramatic fashion to defeat Australia 14-12 in the bronze medal match.
Ramsey tossed the ball to Alex Sedrick who then ran her way into U.S. rugby history by scoring the long winner in the last seconds. The medal is first for the American women.
Trio of area fencers fight Poland but come up short 🤺
The women’s epee competition is packed full of local talent. Penn State’s Margherita Guzzi Vincenti and the duo of Princeton University Tigers – Kat Holmes and Hadley Husisian – joined forces as they looked to fight through the competition to the medal podium.
The U.S. women started off against Poland at 7:30 a.m. ET. Unfortunately, they came up just short, falling 31-29.
They now face South Korea in the consolation bracket at 9 a.m. ET.
Men’s Soccer closes out group play with 3-0 win over Guinea ⚽
After a decisive 3-0 victory against Guinea on Tuesday, Men’s USA Soccer has reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.
New Jersey native Paxten Aaronson did not score again as the USMNT U23 upended Guinea to guarantee a spot in the quarterfinals.
Djordje Mihailovic scored a goal as well as Kevin Paredes who scored two goals for the Americans. Watch the highlights from the game below.
Kareem Maddox - men’s 3X3 basketball - Princeton University
Serbia defeated Team USA 22-14 on Tuesday in pool round action of men's 3x3 basketball.
The Princeton Tigers are well represented Tuesday with former Tiger Kareem Maddox taking the court as part of the U.S. men’s 3X3 basketball team.
Maddox led the US with 6 points.
There was fast action and lots of quick shots in the 3x3 format.
Here are highlights of the action.
Morgan Pearson's run, bike and swim for gold gets delayed due to water quality of River Seine
New Jersey native Morgan Pearson is back for another Olympics after earning silver medal in the mixed triathlon team relay at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The big question for Tuesday morning was if Pearson and the rest of the triathlon field would even be able to jump in for the swim due to water quality concerns in the River Seine.
Training in the river that runs through the heart of Paris was canceled Sunday and Monday due to bacteria concerns.
Those water quality concerns then led to event organizers to postpone the event to Wednesday (at the earliest).
"Both triathlons are subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming," said World Triathlon, the sport's governing body. "Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine today revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees to allow the event to be held."
If the safety concerns continue, the athletes would just compete in a duathlon later in the Games.
Other area Olympians in action
In the morning, the U.S. women's four boat featuring New Jersey-linked rowers Emily Kallfelz, Kaitlin Knifton and Kelsey Reelick won its repechage to earn a spot in Thursday's medal final. The terrific trio of Penn Staters – Matt Anderson, Max Holt and Aaron Russell – helped lead the U.S. men’s volleyball team to a 3-2 victory over Germany.
In the afternoon, you could see Jack Alexy, Matt Fallon and Chris Guillano in the pool.
Monday, July 29
Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, U.S. women’s basketball beat Japan in Olympic opener 🏀
The journey for another Olympic gold for the U.S. women’s basketball team started with a showdown in Group C action against Japan that they dominated with a 102-76 win in the Olympic opener.
Philadelphia native and Rutgers University alum Kahleah Copper and Harrisburg native Alyssa Thomas are first-time Olympians on a U.S. squad packed with WNBA talent.
South Jersey native Cheryl Reeve leads the Americans as coach.
“Know what our worth is and the value that we have,” the Washington Township native and former La Salle University star said ahead of the Games.
The women's basketball team's win brings them to a 56-game Olympic winning streak and opened their campaign to win gold for the 8th time.
Casey Eichfeld - Pennsylvania native - paddles in his canoe 🛶
Casey Eichfeld paddled for his first Olympic medal in his fourth games. The Harrisburg-area native already enters this Games with a new title “girl dad.”
Eichfeld’s wife Sarah and 2-year-old daughter Emilia have joined him in Paris, according to Team USA.
“I’m super excited – they’re going to come to Paris,” Eichfeld said on the Team USA page prior to the Olympics. “She is the joy of my life and if I stopped paddling today and didn’t go to the Olympics, I would be completely fine.”
Eichfeld struggled in the rapids and came in 16th place in the qualifying round, failing to make the medal round.
Kayla Cannett, Ariana Ramsey wrap up group play with loss to host France, but beat Great Britain in quarterfinals 🏉
A showdown with host country France was all that stood in the way of Montgomery County native Ariana Ramsey and Penn State's Kayla Cannett from a top seed in the knockout round.
They have some big time Philly support behind them in the form of Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, who even took to arm wrestling some team members.
Grabbing something with your off hand is not against any rules according to the guidelines set forth by the IFAW (International Federation of Arm Wrestling). https://t.co/Mg9225R94y
— Jason Kelce (@JasonKelce) July 28, 2024
France wound up tearing past the U.S. women 31-14.
Ramsey and company made a comeback when they faced Great Britain in the quarterfinals pulling it out in the second half of their match to win 17-7 and advance to the semifinal round to play for a medal.
Penn State's Stephen Nedoroscik pommels men's team to gymnastics bronze 🥉
Penn State's Stephen Nedoroscik killed it at his specialty event alongside the rest of the U.S. men's gymnastics team as they took home bronze in the team all-around.
Nedoroscik was nearly flawless in pommel horse qualification and followed that up with a massive14.866 score in the team final.
The so-called "Clark Kent of pommel," due to him removing his glasses before hopping onto the apparatus, and his teammates Frederick Richard, Asher Hong, Paul Juda and Brody Malone can now call themselves Olympic medalists.
The U.S. men hadn't won a team medal since 2008.
More Philadelphia-area athletes in action
Looking for more local action? The Team USA women's field hockey team played Spain to a tie, Penn State's Haleigh Washington and the U.S. women's volleyball team battled China to a tough five-set loss and Sewell, New Jersey, native Amy Wang dropped her Round of 32 table tennis match to Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz.
Chester County's Boyd Martin and fan favorite Fedarman B, owned by the Annie Goodwin Syndicate, went double clear in both the team and individual show jumping rounds, finishing in 10th place -- the top American finisher in the event.
Sunday, July 28
Joel Embiid - Team USA men’s basketball wins over Serbia 🏀
Team USA opened Olympic play by earning a 110-84 victory over Serbia.
Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, with Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the rest of the U.S. men’s basketball team opened against Nikola Jokic and Serbia in Group C action.
In his Olympic debut, Embiid, scored just four points while facing jeers from French fans after he choose to play for the U.S. instead.
Team USA plays its next group stage game against South Sudan on Wednesday, July 31 at 2:45 p.m. ET. The game will be live on USA network and Peacock.
Kayla Cannett, Ariana Ramsey lead Women’s Rugby Sevens in 2 matches 🏉
The U.S. women's rugby team demolished Japan 36-7 in its first match.
Montgomery County native Ariana Ramsey is back for her second Olympic Games.
“I’ve just never been afraid of anything really,” the Philadelphia said leading up to the Games.
Penn State alum Kayla Cannett is also back for her second Olympics. She went 3-for-6 on conversions.
In the second game of Sunday, Team USA defeated Brazil 24-5 to ensure a spot in the quarterfinals.
Lancaster’s Casey Kaufhold, U.S. archers eliminated 🏹🎯
The world’s top ranked archer and Pennsylvania native and her Team USA teammates participated in the team competition. However, Casey Kaufhold and the U.S. women's archery team fell to Chinese Taipei 5-1 in the 1/8 elimination bracket.
The team competition started at 3:30 a.m. ET. The quarterfinals begun at 8:15 a.m. with the semis and medal rounds to follow.
Sam Coffey, Alyssa Naeher - Penn State alums - U.S. women’s soccer
The U.S. Women’s National Team continued its winning ways with a win over Germany.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher -- back for her third Olympics -- and midfielder Sam Coffey -- playing in her first Olympics -- helped Team USA to a 4-1 over the Germans.
The U.S. -- with the Penn State duo -- next face Australia on July 31 with eyes on a top seed in the knockout round.
Saturday, July 27
The first full day of Olympics competition includes a chance for the first medals for local Olympians, the Team USA field hockey team packed with local talent starting their journey, Ashleigh Johnson and U.S. women’s water polo jumping into competition and the U.S. men’s soccer team looking to get on the winning track.
Here’s a sampling of just some of the events you can catch on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
Ashleigh Johnson, Jovana Sekulic open with Women’s Water Polo win over Greece
The U.S. women's water polo team opened the Paris Olympics with win over Greece.
Princeton University alum Asheleigh Johnson hopes to make it a three-peat in goal for the U.S. women’s water polo team. This time around she is joined by first-time Olympian (and fellow Princeton Tiger) Jovana Sekulic.
Sekulic was born in Serbia and grew up in Haverford and starred in the pool at The Episocpal Academy. Back during her senior year of high school she told PaPrepLive.com that her favorite pregame food is “my mom’s homemade chicken noodle soup.”
The U.S. women easily beat Greece 15-6 to open the Paris Olympics.
Local ladies of U.S. Field Hockey team fall to No. 2 Argentina 🏑
There is arguably no team representing the United States that is any more Philadelphia-area proud than the women’s field hockey team.
We shared how the DeBerdine sisters from Millersville and Ashley Sessa from Montgomery County ooze Pennsylvania pride. In total, about one dozen of the women on the U.S. Olympic field hockey team have connections to the region.
Unfortunately, the women's field hockey team lost 1-4 against Argentina in Pool B play.
Paxten Aaronson, Philly Union players get 1st Olympic win ⚽
It was a rough start to the Olympics for Medford, New Jersey, native Paxten Aaronson and Philadelphia Union players Jack McGlynn and Nathan Harriel in a shutout loss to France.
They redeemed themselves with a needed win over New Zealand where they made history in second group game in Paris.
Aaronson found the back of the net in Team USA's 4-1 win.
Margherita Guzzi Vincenti, Hadley Husisian, Mitchell Saron fence for Team USA 🤺
Some fencers will be on guard representing Team USA and local colleges in Paris.
Princeton’s Margherita Guzzi Vincenti and Penn State’s Hadley Husisian both came up short in their fight for women’s epee gold. Neith made it to the quarterfinals.
New Jersey Native Mitchell Saron's fight for sabre gold came up short in the Table of 16.
Friday, July 26
We finally got these Games started.
You didn't see any of the greater Philadelphia region’s 80-plus athletes competing on the first official day of the 2024 Summer Olympics. But, you did get to see plenty of them at the Opening Ceremony Parade of Nations along the River Seine.
NBA legend LeBron James and tennis star Coco Gauff served as flagbearers for the United States as the boat went down the rainy river.
Did you catch a glimpse of high jumper Vashti Cunningham, rugby player Ariana Ramsey, breaker Sunny Choi, water polo star Ashleigh Johnson, wrestler Aaron Brooks, fencer Maia Weintraub, shot putter Joe Kovacs or any of the other numerous stars with ties to our region?
NBC’s networks and streaming services has a comprehensive TV schedule featuring more than 5,000 hours of live coverage from the Paris Olympics. That includes NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, USA Network, Olympic Channel, Golf Channel, Telemundo Deportes, NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.
NBC offered comprehensive coverage of the Opening Ceremony, which aired live on NBC10 as part of a full day of Olympic programming with coverage that started at noon.
How can I watch 2024 Olympics coverage without cable?
The Paris Opening Ceremony were also streamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, which is available on Google's Google Play Store and Apple's App Store.
The pageantry of the Opening Ceremony started at 1:30 p.m. ET and aired on NBC10 and was streamed online.
Thursday, July 25
One more day of competition before the flame is lit.
Delaware’s Malacchi Esdale, Men’s Rugby Sevens fall in quarterfinals 🏉
Newark-native Malacchi Esdale’s Olympic journey will continue past the opening ceremony, but in the consolation bracket.
The Team USA men's Rugby Sevens team was looking to improve on its 3rd-place ranking in Pool C by beating last-place Uruguay. The U.S. did its part by beating its South American competitors 33-17. However, France remained in second place due to point differential.
Team USA needed some help to get into a guaranteed playoff spot, which happened as at least four other teams finished with fewer than the 6 points earned by the Eagles. A spot in Thursday afternoon's quarterfinal against Australia awaited.
The U.S. men were shut out by the Aussies 18-0 and now face Ireland at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 27, against Ireland in the pacing bracket.
Rugby Sevens action is airing on USA Network or streaming on Peacock.
Sam Coffey, Alyssa Naeher - Penn State alums - U.S. women’s soccer ⚽
The U.S. Women’s National Team are looking to get back on top of the soccer world. They opened group play in a 3-0 win over Zambia.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is back for her third Olympics, while midfielder Sam Coffey is playing in her first Olympics. Both women played collegiately for Penn State.
“I am so excited, I don’t really know how to put into words, I think in many ways it just doesn’t feel real,” a “grateful” Coffey said of being an Olympian.
Talking about “Coffee,” Naeher “Enjoys doing the crossword puzzle every morning with her coffee,” according to her Team USA profile.
Soccer games in Paris will be broadcast in English on USA Network and in Spanish on Telemundo. The games will also be available to stream on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Olympics app, NBC.com or the NBC app.
Casey Kaufhold - Pennsylvania native - Archery 🏹🎯
Did you know the worlds top ranked archer hails from Lancaster County?
Casey Kaufhold is back for her second Olympics at just 20 years old.
Her favorite song before competition, “Don't Stop Me Now” by Queen, perfectly sums up the Lancaseter native who is aiming for her first Olympic gold.
“Some people, sometimes make the mistake and settle when they know they’re ahead. But I think it’s important to keep pushing on the gas and try your hardest,” the archer told Team USA’s website ahead of the Games.
The journey began early on Thursday with the Women’s Individual Ranking Round which started at 3:30 a.m. ET. Kaufhold placed fourth in the preliminary round.
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
Let the Games begin (even if the Olympic flame has yet to be lit.)
Malacchi Esdale - Delaware native - Rugby Sevens 🏉
Malacchi Esdale – who grew up in Newark – had a roundabout way to becoming an Olympic rugby athlete.
“Esdale first found rugby in high school after moving to Naples Florida, first playing when he was 17,” the 29-year-old’s USA Rugby profile says. “Targeting a football scholarship, Esdale moved back up the east coast, where after playing football at ASA College in New York, Esdale transferred to the University of Miami to try to play there. When it didn’t work out, he moved to University of Central Florida to be a student, but quickly found his way back to rugby. He played for UCF’s club team before joining the Orlando Griffins.”
They started out Olympics play with a 12-12 draw Wednesday against the host country France. Team USA was then overmatched in a 38-12 loss to Fiji in the afternoon.
What’s notable is that Esdale and the USA men’s rugby squad could actually wrap up competition before the Olympic flame is even lit if they land in the bottom four teams after Rugby Sevens group play.
Philly Union players, NJ native lose to France in men’s soccer opener ⚽
The United States (like many other countries) put a team on the pitch mostly featuring players from the under-23 squad.
The team is still brimming with talent, led by Medford, New Jersey, native Paxten Aaronson. The younger brother of USMNT midfielder Brendan Aaronson spent his youth career playing with the Philadelphia Union and now plays overseas.
Doop! Speaking of the Union, homegrown midfielder Jack McGlynn and defender Nathan Harriel are also on the American squad.
“It’s a huge honor representing the U.S. on the biggest stage of the Olympics is definitely something to be extremely proud of,” Harriel told NBC10.
“I think it’s the biggest honor you could have,” McGlynn told NBC10.
Union coach Jim Curtin said the duo will represent not only the Union crest, but the entire country.
“To develop young players in this country to go on to do big things for our national team is really something we take pride in,” Curtin said.
The USMNT lost to France 3-0 on Wednesday in their Group A opener.
All USMNT games in Paris will be broadcast in English on USA Network and in Spanish on Telemundo. The games will also be available to stream on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC Olympics app, NBC.com or the NBC app.
Get the full Olympic schedule here.
Keep checking back on this page throughout the Paris Games to see which local athletes you can watch each day.
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