USWNT's perilous Olympic marathon, plus a boxing controversy explained

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Good morning! Happy Sunday. With 51 gold-medal events over 48 hours this weekend, there’s no time to waste:

Marathons: USWNT’s triumphant win — and an ominous trend

In about the 70th minute of yesterday’s quarterfinal between the USWNT and Japan, things started to seem bleak. Legs were tired, and there had been few quality chances. Anyone paying attention had to start to wonder: Where are the American subs?

But they never came during the scoreless regulation. Coach Emma Hayes seemingly had very little trust in her bench, waiting until the start of extra time to bring on her first sub. An issue worth watching in future games — which, thanks to Trinity Rodman, there will be.

The 22-year-old finally found the back of the net midway through extra time, and it was a total banger:

Coming into the Olympics, Rodman hadn’t scored on the international stage this year. She now has three goals through four games in Paris, becoming a key part of the Americans’ three-headed monster of a front line. She’s also the youngest USWNT goalscorer in an Olympic knockout match in 20 years.

But phew. At least that’s over. Next up? Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday (12 p.m. ET). The Germans advanced after ousting Canada, the defending gold medalist, on PKs.

It feels like we should be worried that the Americans’ starters won’t recover in the next 48 hours from yesterday’s grueling match, but at least Sam Coffey’s yellow-card suspension from the quarterfinals means she’ll be well-rested. Bright side! Also, keep on eye out for updates on Emily Fox, who exited with an apparent leg injury in the final minutes.

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Katie Goodale / USA Today

Explainers: Why a gender discussion hangs over boxing

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is guaranteed at least a bronze medal at the Olympics, but her participation has given rise to a thorny conversation about participation in women’s sports. To lay out two key facts up front: Khelif has always competed as a woman and is not transgender. 

So, why is there even a controversy? Here’s a simplified timeline:

  • Khelif, along with Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, was approved to fight in the women’s divisions at the Paris Games under guidance that relied in part on her passport and a medical clearance to determine she could compete. Both also competed at the Tokyo Olympics.
  • But they were disqualified from the 2023 World Championships because the governing body for that event, the International Boxing Association, said the women had failed an unspecified test showing they had “competitive advantages over other female competitors.”
  • The IOC maintains that those World Championships were mishandled. Also in 2023, the IBA became the first international federation to lose its Olympic association, part of a larger, years-long dispute over the IBA’s finances and integrity.
  • In Paris, Khelif won her first fight in just 46 seconds. Her opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, quit and then said she had “never been hit so hard in my life.”
  • The situation sparked rampant speculation and the spread of misinformation about the 25-year-old Khelif’s gender, as well as Lin’s. Carini has since apologized for initiating this frenzy.

IOC president Thomas Bach dismissed the situation as a “culture war” yesterday, but a correction issued by the IOC about his usage of terminology has fueled further speculation.

Khelif fights again on Tuesday against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the 66kg semifinals, while Lin will next face Bulgaria’s Svetlana Staneva in the 57kg quarterfinals on Sunday. Read Mark Puleo’s full explainer for more details.

News to Know

Pommel Guy and Biles get it done
Stephen “Clark Kent” Nedoroscik, dubbed an American hero after sealing Team USA’s bronze medal in the men’s gymnastics team final last week, earned an individual bronze on the pommel horse yesterday. His methods and quirks continue to delight. Minutes earlier, Simone Biles won her third gold medal in Paris, this time on vault, where she performed the Yurchenko double pike — a skill so daring, Biles said she won’t compete it again. (She’s left the door open on 2028.) She’ll have a chance for two more medals tomorrow in the beam and floor finals. 

Massive matchup at Roland Garros
The only thing standing between Novak Djokovic and his first Olympic gold medal is 
 Carlos Alcaraz, arguably the Serbian’s biggest kryptonite nowadays. The marquee battle’s live blog is underway here. Their match opens the last of a busy few days for Olympic tennis. Zheng Qinwen beat Croatian Donna Vekic yesterday to win the women’s title — China’s first Olympic singles medal in tennis ever. Also, Team USA took both silver and bronze in men’s doubles.

More news

Three Questions: Prepping for the Olympics’ stretch run

Our Nicole Auerbach has been busy over the last couple weeks in Paris. She’s led our coverage of swimming, but also chimed in on tennis, gymnastics and more. As we dive into week two of the Olympics, I snagged her for a quick Q&A to set the scene.

On Friday, we shared your story on Team USA’s first-week gold-medal slump. Any predictions for how the final overall count shakes out?

Nicole: I think Team USA will ultimately be fine, once track completes. I even think the Americans will end up with more gold medals in the pool than the Aussies, assuming the medley relays go OK on Sunday night. But it definitely was a weird first week, and I keep thinking how much worse it would have been if Team USA didn’t have Simone Biles or Katie Ledecky. Things would be very, very dire. Thank God for these women.

Some sports haven’t even started yet! What are the top storylines you’re keeping an eye on this week?

Nicole: I’ve been extremely pool-focused, but I’m excited to zoom out next week and watch basketball play its medal rounds here in Paris. I can’t wait to see meaningful beach volleyball matches in front of the Eiffel Tower. And I’m intrigued by the debut of breaking — as well as the continuation of kayak cross, which might be the greatest sport ever invented??

The Olympics seem like an exhilarating and exhausting event to cover. Can you share a rose and a thorn from your experience so far?

Nicole: How much time do you have? I could answer this question in a million different ways. The worst part is the transit and travel; everything is far away from everything else. You have to plan meticulously, and you’re still going to be totally spent by the end of the day. But it’s worth it. And I’d say the coolest part of this particular Olympics has been a predominantly French crowd watching its hero LĂ©on Marchand swim a race. It is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced at a live sporting event. My favorite part of my favorite experience is when he swims breaststroke — the fans all yelp in unison every time he pops his head up. I’ll never forget it.

Thanks, Nicole! You can follow her coverage here.

Olympics HQ

What to watch

All times Eastern

Our most interesting events (at a decent hour) for Day 9: 

  • Women’s basketball: USA vs. Germany, 11:15 a.m. on USA Network, Telemundo and Peacock
  • Swimming: men’s and women’s finals, 12:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock
  • Track: men’s 100-meter dash, 3:50 p.m. on NBC and Peacock

Other medals decided today: archery, badminton, cycling, equestrian, fencing, golf, gymnastics, shooting, table tennis, tennis.

Medal count

  1. đŸ‡ș🇾 United States — 61 (14 gold, 24 silver, 23 bronze)
  2. đŸ‡«đŸ‡· France — 41 (12 gold, 14 silver, 15 bronze)
  3. 🇹🇳 China — 37 (16 gold, 12 silver, 9 bronze)

Pulse Picks

A fun read from Brendan Quinn: Nothing lasts forever — except Teddy Riner, French Olympic judo superstar.

Scott Dochterman went in-depth on UCLA, a proud athletic department whose lack of recent football success makes it stick out among the Big Ten’s four West Coast newcomers.

Team USA’s 3×3 basketball teams had a rocky start in Paris. Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman discussed why that’s the case and offered thoughts on how future rosters should be picked.

Sam Amick and a basketball aficionado by the name of LeBron James shared their Olympic men’s basketball power rankings.

The White Sox have lost 19 straight games. Here’s a by-the-numbers look at their unfortunate streak. (The single-season record: 26, by the 1889 Louisville Colonels.)

Most-clicked in the newsletter Friday: David Aldridge’s fun piece on Simone Biles cementing her legend in Thursday’s all-around final — and rocking a diamond-encrusted goat necklace.

Most-read on the website yesterday: Audrey Snyder’s roundup of great anecdotes about Stephen Nedoroscik, as told by former teammates, coaches and supporters.

Top podcast in The Athletic network: On the latest Full Time podcast, Tamerra Griffin and Steph Yang react to the USWNT’s win over Japan as well as break down all 531 minutes of exhausting Olympic quarterfinal action.

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(Top photo: Yukihito Taguchi / USA Today)





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About The Author

Avatar of Fannie Hogan
Fannie Hogan is a writer and editor who covers lifestyle, books, sports, education, and tech. She's always loved to write—from the time she was a little girl writing stories about talking animals to the day she got her first job as an editor at a lifestyle magazine. Her hobbies include long walks on the beach, running, and taking breaks from work to read a good book.

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