Sports
Paris Olympics day 15: GB take both 4x400m bronzes, Bell shines in 1500m, US win basketball gold and more – as it happened
Key events
Thank you for joining us for day 15 of the Olympics. We will be back tomorrow for the final day of competition with many more medals to come. After the sport is all over we will also have live coverage of the closing ceremony with rumours Tom Cruise will make an appearance. For now here are some of the day’s top stories:
Jeremy Whittle
Team GB’s hopes of a further medal in the Olympic velodrome were ended in a crash-riddled men’s Madison when Ollie Wood was unceremoniously butted out of the way by Jan-Willem van Schip of the Netherlands, and sent crashing to the track.
Any fading hopes that Wood and Mark Stewart, who had failed to score highly during the race, might reverse that deficit in the final moments of the 200-lap race, evaporated as a stunned Wood struggled to his feet.
“He hit me so hard, I felt like a crash-test dummy,” Wood said. “It’s not my first crash – just a bit different when you get hit from behind, you don’t see it coming. Instead of taking a high line around the track, I thought he’d cut it a bit fine and just ploughed into me.”
Read more:
Here’s the men’s basketball gold report if you missed any of the action:
Steph Curry played an absolute blinder in the men’s basketball gold medal match against France. The USA took the gold for the fifth consecutive Games but it is Curry’s first. He didn’t compete at previous Olympics as he prioritised his availability for teams and his health. Curry made his Olympic debut in 2024 and struck gold.
Jalolov wins men’s +92kg boxing gold
Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov has won the men’s +92kg boxing gold after beating Spain’s Ayoub Ghadfa Drissi El Aissaoui on points.
Jalolov won each round to sweep to gold.
The USA have defended their title and they have now won the gold in men’s basketball for the fifth consecutive time. The last time they didn’t win gold was the 1992 Barcelona Games where the Unified Team won.
USA win men’s basketball gold
They have done it again, the defending champions USA win the men’s basketball gold medal after beating France 98-87.
The USA took an early lead and held off a strong French team to retain it after the first quarter. The gold is the team’s 38th of this Games.
Steph Curry came up with the goods in moments where the USA needed them and even used his night night celebration after another three pointer in the closing stages.
The USA women’s team go in the basketball gold medal match tomorrow against France.
Faith Kipyegon won the 1500m earlier today to take her third Olympic title. It was an historic silver for Australia’s Jessica Hull and GB’s Georgia Bell won bronze. Here’s the report:
Sweden win men’s beach volleyball gold
Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig have beaten Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in straight sets to win the beach volleyball gold medal.
The Swedish pair won the first set 21-10 and the second 21-13 in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Men’s basketball: There are around five minutes left to go in this gold medal match and France have pushed the USA all the way here but it looks as though the defending champions are going to retain their crown. They are currently leading 82-74.
Qian wins women’s 75kg boxing gold
China’s Li Qian has won the women’s 75kg boxing gold after beating Panama’s Atheyna Bylon on points.
Qian won the first two rounds, while Bylon took the third.
Beach volleyball: Sweden’s pair have taken the first set against Germany 21-10, if they win the next set they will take the gold medal.
This is an interesting developing story:
Men’s basketball: At the end of the third quarter France have got themselves right back into this gold medal match. They only trail now by 72-66, can they go on to create an upset and stop the USA winning gold?
It is the last day of the Olympics tomorrow, I know it has come around so fast. But how is your nation doing in the medal table on the penultimate day of action? Have a look here:
Jonathan Liew
She checks her watch. She claps her hands. She points at things. She shouts at people. Trinity Rodman jogs past her on her way up the left touchline and she gives her a pat on the back. She is basically trying to convince herself that there are still jobs to do when, in fact, her work is done. We are deep into injury time, and Emma Hayes can no more influence this Olympic final than the fan in the Uncle Sam hat sitting 50 yards above her.
Finally, the whistle. The explosion. Hayes raises her arms, looks skywards, lets out a roar. It is, perhaps, the only moment of personal indulgence she will allow herself. While her victorious players are dancing in a huddle, Hayes has no interest in thrusting herself into the middle, a move known these days as the “Jorge Vilda”. Instead she walks towards the devastated Brazilian players, offers them a word of comfort, seeks out the retiring Marta to pay her respects.
Read more:
Men’s basketball: Well it had been a tight contest with hosts France remaining in the final but the USA are stretching their lead now as they are 61-48 ahead with six minutes to go in the third quarter.
The USA are dominant in the sport though as they are targeting their fifth straight gold.
GB’s Caden Cunningham told the BBC after winning taekwondo silver: “It was very good and fun. I have a lot of respect for that athlete. Like myself, once he is in there he is ready to kill.
“But outside of it, he is a very nice guy. I’ve no problem losing to a guy who was better than me on the day, and he was. I didn’t get the gold for myself, my coach, my family but I very proud to be here today.
“I just want to see my parents. Maybe go home and have a KFC or something.
“I tore my ACL not long ago. I came back very quickly. To qualify for this was hard. To come and beat three world champions and three Olympic medallists and to come up against a fighter like that, it is a good day.
“It is the start of whatever I whatever I want it to be. If I stay in this, I will be the king of taekwondo in the next four years. One fight does not define me as a fighter.”
Beach volleyball: The gold medal match in the men’s beach volleyball has started and it is being contested between Sweden’s David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig and Germany’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler.
It is the best of three sets and it has a beautiful back drop of the Eiffel Tower. The athletes could time the gold medal for when the tower sparkles, it does it once every hour after 10pm.
Here’s a fun fact for you, at Paris 2024 Team GB have medalled in each of the athletics relay events. The nation have never achieved that at an Olympic Games before.
The rest of this evening we have some boxing and volleyball but there is also the men’s basketball final taking place. For detailed updates on that have a read of the blog below:
Laurin wins women’s +67kg taekwondo gold
Laurin is screaming, she sinks to the floor when the head kick is given.
The home crowd is absolutely loving this, they have a Mexican wave going around the arena and they are so loud it is deafening.
The second round is cagey and it takes until the last two seconds for points to be scored – wow. It is Osipova who lands it and thinks she has taken the round but France’s coach puts in a challenge for a review for a head kick. It is given and so Laurin wins the gold medal! My, oh my.
Taekwondo: “Allez les Bleues” rings around the venue as the first round gets underway. The French coach wants a review for a head kick, the crowd thinks Laurin has landed it and it is given. The Frenchwoman leads 3-0.
Laurin takes the third round 3-0 but as we have seen in the earlier bouts anything can happen from here.
Taekwondo: So on we go at the Grand Palais, which is a stunning venue, with the women’s +67kg gold medal content. The home crowd goes wild for France’s Althea Laurin, who faces Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova.
Rebecca McGowan told Eurosport after losing the bronze medal: “It’s a bit raw right now, I am just devastated.
“A massive thank you to those in the crowd supporting and all at home. I am just sorry.”
Salimi wins men’s taekwondo +80kg gold
Salimi wins with an impressive comeback, Cunningham takes silver.
Both athletes were giving it their all but they were both blocking each other’s moves well.
Again the first minute rendered no points and it came down to a tense last few seconds with Salimi landing a trunk. But Salimi then landed a head kick to seal the contest.
Taekwondo: No one landed a blow in the first minute of the second round.
A really well timed head kick came from Salimi, that was well executed. The Iranian was totally dominant in the second round and took it 9-1. It all comes down to round three.
Yu Ting wins women’s 57kg boxing gold
There are several bouts happening this evening and one has just finished.
It sees Yu Ting Lin taking the gold in the women’s 57kg with silver awarded to Poland’s Julia Szeremeta.
Taekwondo: Cunningham lands the first point with a trunk but Salimi hits back quickly with a head kick. Cunningham edges ahead again but then Salimi’s coach wants a head kick review. The review did not give it and so Cunningham remained 4-3 up.
Cunningham landed another blow and took the first round 6-3.
Men’s basketball: The contest remains a close one but the USA are starting to pull away here as they have a 24-20 lead.
Taekwondo: We stay with the sport now as GB’s Caden Cunningham goes up against Iran’s Arian Salimi in the men’s +80kg gold medal contest.
Kus Aydin wins taekwondo +67kg bronze
Kus Aydin has won the bronze medal after taking the third round 5-2. She bursts into tears, so much emotion.
The third round: Kus Aydin lands a trunk to sneak ahead in the third round and then there is a review for a head kick by the Turkish athlete, it is not taken though and so her lead is just one point. Can McGowan respond? She thought she had but a head kick isn’t given.
Taekwondo: Kus Aydin looks in a bit of pain here after the two athletes collided, she has received medical attention and is met with applause as she gets back to her feet. Will she continue? Yes she will. McGowan leading the third round 1-0.
Men’s basketball: We have a tense gold medal match between France and the USA with the lead exchanging hands in the early exchanges. As things stands the USA lead 12-11.
Taekwondo: Into round two now and both athletes look a little more apprehensive about making moves here.
It is Kus Aydin who scores first but there is another review to see if McGowan has landed a head kick, incited by GB’s coach but this time it is not given. McGowan hits back and it’s 2-2 heading into the closing moments but Kus Aydin lands another trunk to take the second round.
Men’s basketball: The gold medal match is underway between France and the USA. The USA had the lead but France have just nudged ahead at 11-10.
Taekwondo: McGowan gets another head kick and screams in celebration, it spurs her on and there is another review to see if she has landed another which she has.
The first round goes to the GB athlete 9-7.
Taekwondo: We turn now to the women’s +67kg bronze medal final between GB’s Rebecca McGowan and Turkey’s Nafia Kus Aydin.
It is the Turkish athlete who starts better, getting to a 2-0 lead. But GB’s coach puts in a request to review footage as he believes McGowan slotted a head kick. It is given and McGowan is awarded three points. Kus Aydin responds quickly and leads 5-3.
GB win historic artistic swimming medal
GB’s Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe have won silver in the artistic swimming duet – the first medal for Great Britain in the sport.
China’s Liuyi Wang and Qianyi Wang take gold and the Netherlands’ Bregje de Brouwer and Noortje de Brouwer take bronze.
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