Noah Lyles is aiming for the second leg of an Olympic sprint treble in the 200m on Thursday, while LeBron James and his team of NBA superstars seek to move closer to a 17th basketball gold medal. Lyles has ended the USA’s 20-year drought for a gold medal in the 100m and heads into the 200m as the clear favorite, having won the world championship in the event three times.
“I spent years working on the 100m, but the 200 is where it’s at. This is where I get to show my speed and endurance and my top-end speed,” said Lyles.
“This is where I get to show I’m stronger than everybody else.”
The American will face competition from teammates Kenny Bednarek and Erriyon Knighton, as well as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo.
Reigning champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone will compete against Femke Bol in an exciting women’s 400m hurdles final. This matchup promises to be one of the highlights of the Paris Games, as it features the two fastest women in the history of the event.
Bol has already secured one gold medal after leading the Dutch team to victory in the mixed 4×400 relay, while McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record holder in the 400m hurdles, won the event three years ago in Tokyo, where Bol finished third.
Grant Holloway is aiming to capture his first Olympic gold in the men’s 110m hurdles. The 26-year-old is a three-time world champion but had to settle for silver in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, LeBron James and the United States are looking to continue their pursuit of a fifth consecutive Olympic basketball gold medal, facing Nikola Jokic’s Serbia for a spot in the final.
This matchup marks the third meeting between the two teams in as many weeks, with the U.S. winning both previous encounters—first in a pre-tournament warm-up and then again to kick off their Olympic campaign, each time by a margin of 26 points.
“Serbia is really good,” said US coach Steve Kerr. “We can’t get lulled to sleep because we beat them twice.”
Hosts France, led by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, will face World Cup holders Germany in the first semi-final. In women’s golf, France is also in a strong position, with Celine Boutier entering the second round with a three-shot lead.
South Africa’s Ashleigh Buhai is in second place, while reigning champion Nelly Korda managed to recover from a poor start to finish at even par, seven strokes behind Boutier.
World number seven Boutier, who grew up just 20 km from Le Golf National, has not achieved a top-10 finish in her last 11 tournaments but found her form at the right moment. “It’s true that it’s nice to be able to post a good first round, and yes, super positive for the rest of the week,” Boutier remarked.
In men’s hockey, world number one Netherlands will take on world champions Germany. This match could mark the beginning of a golden double for the Dutch, as their women’s team is set to face China in their final on Friday.
The men’s javelin final could be an exciting showdown between India’s defending champion Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem. Meanwhile, the women’s 10km marathon swim is scheduled to take place in the Seine, which flows through the city, despite concerns about water quality. Open water swimming training was canceled on Tuesday due to pollution.
