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Good morning Olympiad enthusiasts! The first weekend of Olympic play is now in the books, and since the conclusion of the opening ceremony, the United States has spent a lot of time on various podiums. Before I get into the biggest moments from last night, let's get a quick medal count for the Americans.
Medal Count as of 7/27 7:54 AM EST
Gold: 9
Silver: 5
Bronze: 7
BREAKING NEWS: SIMONE BILES OUT OF WOMEN'S TEAM GYMNASTICS COMPETITION
Breaking as of 7:30 AM EST, CNN has reported that Simone Biles, considered by many to be the greatest American gymnast ever, will not finish the second rotation of the Women's Team Gymnastics medal round. Shortly before the announcement, Biles was seen entering the arena with a mask and hugging her teammates goodbye. Originally slated to compete on the uneven bars, Biles will be replaced by alternate Jordan Chiles.
The official Olympic Twitter has described Biles' withdrawal as due to a "medical issue," making it unclear if this is a physical injury or Covid-Related.
This is a developing story, so make sure you check back in this column for any breaking updates.
UPDATE 9:05 AM: Russian Olympic Committee has won Gold in the Women's team event, with the US taking Silver.
US Swimming Brings in a Solid Haul
Phelps, Ledecky, Lochte, and now...Jacoby. With what could be a long career still ahead of her, 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby has put the world on notice after taking the Gold medal in the Women's 100m breaststroke last night. Jacoby edged out South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker by less than half a second to take the gold. Schoenmaker was considered a strong favorite after setting an Olympic record in the semifinals.
During her run for gold, Jacoby became a fan favorite after hearing stories of how she trained in her home state of Alaska. Due to the pandemic and many public pools closing, Jacoby was forced to train in a 25 meter, L-shaped pool in Anchorage.
Jacoby joins nine other Americans on the various swimming podiums in this year's games, as well as the Men's (Gold) and Women's (Bronze) 4x100 Freestyle Relay teams.
US Women's Basketball Starts off Strong Against Nigeria
While the Men's Basketball team went back to the drawing board following their loss to France, the Women's team earned their 50th consecutive victory last night in an 81-72 win over Nigeria.
Early on, things looked scary for the Americans, as Nigeria got off a few good runs in the first half. However, this is USA Basketball we're talking about, featuring top talent such as Aja Wilson, Britney Griner, and Diana Taurasi. USA headed into halftime after finishing a 23-0 run to take a 44-32 lead. Wilson led American scorers with 19 points, while Griner snagged 10 rebounds for a double-double.
The second half was pretty much all USA, as the Americans stayed hot to hold off several Nigeria runs.
With this game, Diana Taurasi is the all-time leader in Olympic Appearances for the US Women's team with 33 games played.
What to Check Out Tonight
Basketball: Following their loss to France, the Men's Basketball team will look to come back against Iran at 12:40, while the US Women's 3x3 team takes on the Winner of France-Japan, currently in progress.
Beach Volleyball: On the Men's side of things, Jacob Gibb and Tri Bourne will look to stay undefeated in the group stage against Switzerland.
Swimming: A litany of swimming events take place tonight, including medal events in the Women's 200m Freestyle, Men's 200m Butterfly, and the Women's 1500m freestyle.
See you tomorrow!