Lydia Ko, of New Zealand, hits her shot from the 12th tee during the third round of the women's golf event at the Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024, at Le Golf National, in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.George Walker IV/The Associated Press
Lydia Ko is tied for the lead
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France Lydia Ko of New Zealand shot a four-under 68 to share the lead Friday, leaving her 18 holes away from a chance to complete her Olympic medal collection with gold that would send her into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Ko was poised to take a lead into the final day at Le Golf National until Morgane Metraux of Switzerland steadied herself from a rough patch by holing a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-five 18th to salvage a 71 and catch Ko. They were at nine-under 207, and the stage was set for yet another dynamic Olympic conclusion. Ko, who won her first LPGA Tour title at 15 and reached No. 1 in the world for the first time at 17, is one victory away from the LPGA Hall of Fame and can get that Saturday. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is five under, in a tie for 13th. Alena Sharp of Hamilton is five over, in a tie for 44th.
Karlos May Nasar of Bulgaria competes during the men's 89kg weightlifting event at the Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.Kin Cheung/The Associated Press
Bulgaria weightlifter wins gold 15 months after Achilles tendon severed
PARIS Karlos Nasar of Bulgaria won weightlifting gold at the Olympics and broke two world records on Friday, just over a year after a hotel sink fell on him and severed his left Achilles tendon. After undergoing emergency surgery and missing six months, he returned to weightlifting in December and set the clean and jerk world record that he surpassed in this event. The 21-year-old Nasar, a Paris native, lifted 180 kilograms in the snatch and a world-record 224 kilograms in the clean and jerk to become champion in the men’s 89 kilogram division in his Olympic debut with a score of 404 – also a world record. Yeison Lopez of Colombia got silver and Antonino Pizzolato of Italy took home the bronze.
Beatrice Chebet, of Kenya, celebrates after winning the women's 10,000-meter run at the Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.Petr David Josek/The Associated Press
Kenya’s Chebet completes golden double
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet surged to the Olympic women’s 10,000-metre gold medal in 30 minutes 43.25 seconds on Friday to add to her 5,000 title at the Games. Italian Nadia Battocletti took silver in 30:43.35 and Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, the gold medal winner in Tokyo, finished third in 30:44.12. World record holder Chebet did her share of the early pace-making and when the pack broke into a sprint with one lap remaining she pulled away on the final turn to deliver Kenya’s first gold medal in the event. Battocletti, who finished third in the 5,000m but had her bronze medal taken away when Kenyan Faith Kipyegon’s disqualification was overturned, made sure of her podium spot in the longer race.
Nafissatou Thiam, of Belgium, throws in the women's heptathlon javelin at the Summer Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France.Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press
Belgian wins third straight heptathlon gold
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam won her third successive Olympic women’s heptathlon gold medal on Friday, producing a huge javelin throw to hold off Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson who battled to the silver. Thiam, the first multi-event athlete in Olympic history to win three titles, scored 6,880 points, overtaking Johnson-Thompson in the javelin to move ahead of the Briton by 121 points going into the final 800m, which was the equivalent to an 8.6-second advantage. Twice world champion Johnson-Thompson needed the 800 race of her life for gold and although she clocked a career best two minutes 4.90 seconds, it was only enough to finish with 6,844 points as the Belgian ran a career-best 2:10.62. Belgium’s Noor Vidts claimed bronze with a score of 6,707.
Gold medalist Chen Yiwen of Team People's Republic of China, centre, silver medalist Maddison Keeney of Team Australia, left, and bronze medalist Chang Yani of Team People's Republic of China react on the podium during the diving medal ceremony after the women's 3m springboard final on Day 14 of the Olympic Games at Aquatics Centre on Aug. 9, 2024 in Paris, France.Adam Pretty/Getty Images
China is 7 for 7 in diving gold
SAINT-DENIS, France China is 7 for 7 in diving golds at the Paris Olympics. Just one to go for an unprecedented sweep of all eight golds in the Games. Any pressure? That was the question for Chen Yiwen, who won the women’s three-metre springboard on Friday for China’s seventh gold medal. Maddison Keeney of Australia took silver, with bronze going to Chang Yani of China. China dominates all phases of diving but none more than the women’s three-metre springboard. China has won the event in 10 straight Olympics. Including Friday’s results, China has won 54 of 71 gold medals in diving since 1984. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the country has won 34 of 39 gold medals in the discipline.