COVID-Hit Lyles Misses Out on a Double, US Team Breaks 100-Medal Mark

Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (2ndL) crosses the finish line ahead of US' Noah Lyles (R) to win the men's 200m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (AFP)
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (2ndL) crosses the finish line ahead of US' Noah Lyles (R) to win the men's 200m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (AFP)
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COVID-Hit Lyles Misses Out on a Double, US Team Breaks 100-Medal Mark

Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (2ndL) crosses the finish line ahead of US' Noah Lyles (R) to win the men's 200m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (AFP)
Botswana's Letsile Tebogo (2ndL) crosses the finish line ahead of US' Noah Lyles (R) to win the men's 200m final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (AFP)

Sprinter Noah Lyles revealed he had COVID-19 after missing out on another gold medal for the United States at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.

Elsewhere, French basketball star Victor Wembanyama moved closer to his dream of a first gold after helping Les Bleus beat Germany to set up a dream final against the US team after the Americans edged Serbia 95-91.

On the same Stade de France track where he won the historically close 100 meters by five thousandths of a second, Lyles was third behind gold medalist Letsile Tebogo of Botswana and US teammate Kenneth Bednarek.

Medics tended to a tired-looking Lyles and took him off in a wheelchair. Wearing a mask as he spoke with reporters, Lyles later said he had COVID.

“It definitely affected my performance,” said Lyles, adding that he tested positive early Tuesday morning but was cleared to compete. The US track federation said it and the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee adhered to all Olympic and Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Over at Bercy Arena, with former NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker watching their respective countrymen, France held on to win 73-69.

Wembanyama, the NBA rookie of the year, clenched his fists at the buzzer and teammate Evan Fournier jubilantly threw the ball into the crowd.

The 20-year-old star didn't play three years ago in Tokyo, when the French lost the final to the US. They meet again Saturday, when Wembanyama hopes to give France its first Olympic gold in men's or women's basketball.

Highlights of what happened on Day 13 of the Paris Olympics:

Curry leads semifinal fightback against Serbia

LeBron James had a triple double and Steph Curry scored 36 points as the American men rallied from 17 points down.

The US faced an 11-point halftime deficit — the biggest successfully overcome by an American team since NBA players were added to the Olympic mix in 1992 — and again trailed the Serbs by 11 with just over seven minutes left.

Serbian players fell on their backs at the buzzer after coming so close.

It was a far cry from their group opener when the US rolled to a 110-84 win.

US team gets a world record, breaks the 100-medal mark

The United States now has more golds and more overall medals than any other nation.

With three days left of competition, American athletes total 30 golds for 103 medals overall.

The US went 1-2 in the women's 400 hurdles with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaking her own world record in a time of 50.37 seconds, and Anna Cockrell taking the silver.

Grant Holloway followed up with gold in the men's 110 hurdles in 12.99, beating countryman Daniel Roberts.

Also, Long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall won the women's long jump with Jasmine Moore taking the bronze behind Germany's Malaika Mihambo.

China’s diving double ends with tears

China claimed its sixth gold medal in diving at the Paris Games with defending champion Xie Siyi winning the 3-meter springboard.

The Chinese made it a podium 1-2 as Wang Zongyuan took the silver ahead of Mexico’s Osmar Olvera Ibarra.

Wang was in tears afterward.

He hadn’t lost a major diving competition in the event since finishing behind teammate Xie at the Tokyo Olympics. After that silver, Wang won three straight world championship titles.

“It is regrettable I lost,” Wang said through an interpreter. “I must learn to accept any failure and my response is to make a greater effort to improve myself.”

Another world record but no gold

American Sam Watson left the Games with another world record to his name but didn't get the gold medal.

The 18-year-old Watson broke sport climbing's speed world record on Thursday for the second time at the Paris Games, but that came in the fight for bronze.

Veddriq Leonardo of Indonesia won gold in 4.75 seconds in the final.

Charron lifts for another medal Maude Charron raised Canada's flag at the opening ceremony for the Paris Games and lifted up another medal in weightlifting.

Charron took the silver medal in the 59-kilogram category to add to her gold in the 64-kilogram competition at the Tokyo Games.

Rahimi stars as Morocco gets bronze

Football-mad Morocco fans finally have an Olympic medal to celebrate after routing African rival Egypt 6-0 for the bronze.

Soufiane Rahimi scored twice and the Casablanca-born striker will surely become a household name back home after netting an impressive eight goals in the tournament.

He was comfortably the leading scorer ahead of Friday's final between Spain and 1984 Olympic champion France.

Morocco won the African Cup of Nations title in 1976.

Dutch end long wait for gold in men's field hockey

Duco Telgenkamp scored the golden goal in the shootout to give the Netherlands a 2-1 victory over Germany.

It was the Netherlands’ first gold in men’s hockey at the Olympics since 2000 and third in the country’s history.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored both goals as India beat Spain 2-1 for a second straight bronze, after beating Germany at the Tokyo Games.

French get gold, Portugal a rare medal

Track cyclist Benjamin Thomas overcame a crash in the men's omnium race to give France its 14th gold medal of the Paris Games.

Thomas held off Iúri Leitão, whose silver medal was only Portugal's second medal so far — compared to 54 for the French.

Also, world champion Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand won the Olympic title in the women’s keirin.

Nadeem gets Pakistan's first medal with an Olympic record

Arshad Nadeem got Pakistan's first medal of the Paris Games in style by setting an Olympic record in javelin.

Nadeem's throw of 92.97 meters beat Norwegian Andreas Thorkildsen's mark of 90.57 from the 2008 Games in Beijing.



City Need Reinforcements after Not Making Summer Signings, Says Guardiola

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v West Ham United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 4, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v West Ham United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 4, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
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City Need Reinforcements after Not Making Summer Signings, Says Guardiola

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v West Ham United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 4, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester City v West Ham United - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 4, 2025 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

Manchester City need to invest during the January transfer window due to injury problems and a faltering Premier League campaign, manager Pep Guardiola said on Monday, acknowledging it may have been a mistake to rule out signings in the summer.

City's title defence looks all but over after six league defeats has left them sixth in the standings and 12 points behind leaders Liverpool who have a game in hand.

Guardiola's side have missed Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder Rodri, who ruptured knee ligaments in September, and have suffered injuries to defenders John Stones and Ruben Dias.

"In the summer the club thought about (signings) and I said: 'No, I don't want to make any signings," Guardiola told reporters ahead of Tuesday's league game at Brentford.

"I relied a lot on these guys and thought I can do it again. But after the injuries maybe we should have done it."

City have not made a significant signing in January since the arrival of Aymeric Laporte for 57 million pounds ($69.67 million) from Athletic Bilbao in 2018.

Guardiola could not confirm whether a deal has been done to bring in Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov.

"The club didn't announce anything. I don't know," he said.

"Rodri is impossible but the other ones (injured players) I want back. If it would have happened I wouldn't be going to the transfer window this season. Absolutely not.

"We would not be in the position that we are but we struggle all season. It's not just Rodri, we have a lot of problems in the back four. That is the reason why the club is thinking we might do this transfer."

 

WALKER'S FUTURE

 

After City's 8-0 FA Cup win over Salford City on Saturday, Guardiola revealed that Walker had asked to leave the club, but the manager had no update on the situation and the right back could be in the squad at Brentford.

"No news. I'm not going to add anything, no more news. I only have Brentford on my mind," Guardiola said.

"We will decide this afternoon after training."

The cup win was a third consecutive victory for City, a welcome return to form after Guardiola's side had previously won only once in 13 matches in all competitions.

"We won three games. Before it was impossible to win one," he said.

"Now we won three, and that helps us. But the reality is we won against a team in the last game for the difference of the Premier League and League Two (fourth-tier), the badges of both teams, and many reasons we should win.

"We have to wait to see if we are who we are. The mood is better. Tomorrow we have an enormously difficult game."

Brentford, who lost 1-0 at home to Championship (second-tier) bottom side Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, are 11th in the standings, seven points off City.