Daily Edition – Day 7: Life’s a climb, but the view is great
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Friday!
Lace up your sneaks, because we’re running right into another epic Olympic weekend, highlighted by a jam-packed Athletics events schedule.
Country | 🥇 | 🥈 | 🥉 | Total |
| 🇨🇳 People’s Republic of China | 12 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
| 🇺🇲 USA | 9 | 16 | 13 | 38 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 8 | 11 | 8 | 27 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada (9th) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
🥇 The summer of Summer McIntosh continued in golden fashion yesterday: The 17-year-old won the women’s 200m butterfly (and set an Olympic record in the process) for her second gold and third overall medal in Paris. Like mother, like daughter.
🥊 Amid controversy surrounding women’s boxing world champions Imane Khelif (Algeria) and Lin Yu-ting (Taiwan) due to failed gender eligibility tests at last year’s world championships, the IOC issued a statement confirming that both boxers comply with all regulations.
🏅 Canadian boxer Wyatt Sanford will be Team Canada’s first Olympic boxing medalist in 28 years after he won his men’s 63.5kg quarter-final bout. Sanford’s semi takes place on Sunday at 6:36 a.m. ET, and he’s already guaranteed a medal for making it this far.
🎾 Montreal’s Félix Auger-Aliassime continues to cook in men’s singles, topping Norway’s Casper Ruud in three sets to reach this morning’s semis clash with reigning French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. But before he takes on Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski will play for the bronze in mixed doubles.
- Elsewhere, China’s Zheng Qinwen snapped Poland’s Iga Świątek’s 25-match Roland Garros win streak in the singles semis, and Great Britain’s Andy Murray’s pro career came to an end with his doubles quarter-final loss to Americans Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.
🏀 Despite a 19-point, eight-rebound outing from Bridget Carleton, the Canadian women’s basketball team fell 70–65 to Australia, their second loss in as many group play games. Thankfully, their quarter-final hopes are still alive with a 7:30 a.m. ET showdown vs. Nigeria on deck.
🚶 Canadian 2020 Tokyo bronze medalist Evan Dunfee finished fifth in the 20km race walk event, just five seconds shy of reaching the podium.
3️⃣🏀 The Canadian women’s 3x3 squad bounced back from their 19–15 loss to Germany with a 13–9 dub over host France to improve to 3-1 in pool play. See if the red and white can net another victory when they take on the struggling reigning champs, Team USA, today at 12 p.m. ET.
🏌️ After one day of men’s golf play, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama led the field with an eight-under-par score, while defending gold medalist Xander Schauffele sits in second place. That said, anything can happen as play continues today through Sunday.
Women’s Artistic Gymnastics
🤸 Life’s a climb, but the view is great
The GIST: The one and only Simone Biles landed back on top of the Olympic all-around podium yesterday, winning her sixth gold medal following a tight competition against Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade (silver) and her Team USA compatriot, Sunisa Lee (bronze).
- With countless stars in attendance and numerous records broken, let’s look at the flippin’ epic final by the numbers before the individual events begin tomorrow.
6: An American woman has won the all-around for six straight Games, beginning with Carly Patterson in 2004. Legends on legends on legends.
1: How is Biles one of one? Let us count the ways: She’s the first woman in 56 years to win multiple all-around titles, the sole competitor to ever win non-consecutive golds in the event, and the only Black gymnast to win two all-around Olympic titles. GOAT is right.
0: The number of all-around competitions Biles has lost since 2013, aka the year she debuted as a senior gymnast. Undefeated.
3: Andrade tore her ACL three times and still returned to competitive gymnastics, becoming the first Brazilian woman to ever medal in the sport at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
1980: The last year a former all-around gold medalist returned to the podium at the next Games…that is, until Lee’s bronze medal triumph yesterday.
27: Biles is 27 years young, making her the oldest all-around gymnastics champion since 1952. Now the question is: Will she return for LA 2028?
Giveaway Alert
⚽ Get ready for kick off with The GIST's Women’s Summer Soccer Bracket Challenge!
This year, we're bringing you an epic women's soccer tournament experience. Join fellow GISTers and show off your soccer smarts for a chance to win major prizes and bragging rights.
Prizes: The winner will receive an iPhone 15, second place will win an iPad, and third place will win an Apple Watch SE.
How to play: Sign up for free and we’ll remind you to lock in your picks before the women's soccer quarter-finals start. It’s that easy!
Women’s Soccer
⚽ All systems go(lazos)
The GIST: Don’t let the drone use denials distract you — tomorrow is all about the on-field footy action, with an epic day of quarter-final clashes ahead. Check out this game-by-game preview, then pick your champion before kickoff. Who knows, you might just be a winner yourself.
No. 5 USWNT vs. No. 7 Japan at 9 a.m. ET: The day is starting off with a bang, because this opener promises fireworks. Much like the recently-jelling American squad, the Japanese move the ball quickly, which could pose a problem for a USWNT defense that’s considerably less solid heading into this one.
- Defensive midfielder Sam Coffey is ineligible to play due to yellow card accumulation, and injured center back Tierna Davidson may not be ready to return to the pitch, making it all the more important for the red, white, and blue’s Big Three to strike early (and often).
No. 1 Spain vs. No. 22 Colombia at 11 a.m. ET: This match is a classic powerhouse vs. underdog showdown: Spain, the defending FIFA Women’s World Cup champs, are dazzling in their Olympic debut, while up-and-coming Colombia has had a quiet campaign. Case in point? Star Colombian striker Linda Caicedo has failed to score in the tourney, but there’s no time like the present to shine.
No. 8 CanWNT vs. No. 4 Germany at 1 p.m. ET: Defending gold medalist CanWNT is all fired up following their unlikely group stage triumph, successfully led by captain Jessie Fleming’s two assists and one goal.
- Germany’s offense is known for causing problems, but if rookie defender Jade Rose keeps up the good work and defender Vanessa Gilles continues to find the back of the net, Canada just might soar into the semis.
No. 2 France vs. No. 9 Brazil at 3 p.m. ET: With the legendary Marta suspended from tomorrow’s game, Brazil has a steep hill to climb against hosts France, who boast forward Marie-Antoinette Katoto and her five goals this tourney. But if anything can energize As Canarinhas, it’s the chance to give the Queen of Football one last run on the Olympic pitch.
Event | ⏰ (ET) | 👀 |
| 🏀 Men’s basketball group play | Today at 11:15 a.m. | 🇨🇦 Canada vs. 🇪🇸 Spain |
| 🏅🏃 Men’s 10,000m final | Today at 3:20 p.m. | 🇨🇦 Mohammed Ahmed |
| 🏅🏊 Women’s 200m IM medley final | Tomorrow at 3:01 p.m. | 🇨🇦 Summer McIntosh |
| 🏅👟 Men’s 100m final | Sunday at 3:50 p.m. | 🇨🇦 Andre De Grasse |
Together With adidas
Taekwondo athlete Skylar Park told us she’s a strong believer in pre-match rituals — especially when it comes to her fashion game.
- From her favorite family jacket to her go-to adidas Sambas, consistency is key for Park to curate a powerful, winning mindset.
- That’s why adidas is her ultimate style partner, helping Park incorporate Taekwondo into her personal looks whether she’s on the red carpet or the mat. Slay all day.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
⚽ What to check out
The Soccer Help Desk, our one-stop footy shop created in partnership with BMO, making it easier to find answers to all your fútbol questions, like “What exactly is offside?”*
🤑 Who’s securing the bag (and her pro future)
UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers, who signed an NIL deal with new pro women’s league Unrivaled yesterday. She’s now the first NCAA athlete to receive ownership equity in a pro league — a year before she can even go pro herself.
💑 What to read
This interview with the girlfriend of U.S. gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, aka the Pommel Horse King. Who hasn’t thought about what it would be like to date an Olympian over the past week?
🤕 Who needs to get well soon
LA Angels superstar Mike Trout, who’s officially out for the rest of the MLB season with another meniscus tear. Ouch.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Footy-tastic.Question of the Day
Just over a week into the Games, we want to know: which of these Olympic events are you most interested in trying?
Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, and Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.