Team USA leads total medal count as Paris Olympics continue on

An Olympic surfing judge was removed from the Olympic Games after a photo circulated online of him alongside a competitor in Tahiti this week.

Australian judge Benjamin Lowe, Australian surfing team member Ethan Ewing and coach Bede Durbidge took a group photo during the Games during an off day for the competition that raised eyebrows.

The International Surfing Association released a statement Thursday saying it removed Lowe from the judging panel for the remainder of the competition to "protect the integrity and fairness of the ongoing competition."

"The ISA is aware of a photo circulating on social media in which one of the Olympic surfing judges from Australia is seen socially interacting with an Australian athlete and the team manager," the ISA said. "It is inappropriate for a judge to be interacting in this manner with an athlete and their team."

The decision was made in accordance with the ISA’s code of conduct and the International Olympic Committee’s code of ethics, it said.

The surfing federation said it had "communicated with all judges and teams to remind them of their responsibilities regarding appropriate behavior."

This is an excerpt from a report by Ryan Morik

Imane Khelif, who was barred from the 2023 world championships after tests revealed she had male XY chromosomes, has dominated the women's 66-kilogram division.

Khelif's inclusion in the Games has led to discussion about fairness in women's sports, and it has led to an outcry against Khelif. Many critics say the Algerian should not be competing at the Games.

Caitlyn Jenner, who won the 1976 men's decathlon as Bruce Jenner, says the ordeal has "hurt" the competition.

"This issue has hurt the Olympic Games so much. … Everyone's talking about it," Jenner told Fox News' "The Story" Friday, adding it has taken away from other accomplishments.

Jenner said Khelif should not be in a women's category."I hate to be so downright rough … but we have to have rules and regulations, and it has to come down to DNA," she said, saying those with XY chromosomes should be in a men's competition.

"I think the Olympic committee did absolutely the wrong thing by letting [Khelif] compete," Jenner added. "Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women's sports, and shame on the IOC for not protecting the safety of women's sports.

The spirit of the Olympics was on full display during the first day of the track and field events in Paris Friday. 

Laotian sprinter Silinia Pha Aphay and Lucia Moris of South Sudan were side by side in the first heat of the women’s 100-meter prelim, competing for a top three spot to advance to the first round. 

According to The Washington Post, Pha Aphay noticed around the halfway mark that Moris, who was in the lane next to her, had gone down. 

Pha Aphay crossed the finish line with a season best of 12.45 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to crack the top three. But that didn't matter.

Pha Aphay turned back to check on Moris, who appeared to be grabbing her right leg while shouting in pain. Pha Aphay ran over and called out for medics, who eventually rushed to Moris' side before carrying her off the purple track on a stretcher. 

"We are athletes," Pha Aphay said, via The Post. "We are 100 meters — the same. All 100 meters athletes have to know how being hurt feels. And this is a big competition. It’s a big dream to come here. But you get hurt here. So, everybody knows the feeling." 

This is an excerpt from a report by Paulina Dedaj.

After Italian boxer Angela Carini expressed regret and wanted to "apologize" to Imane Khelif, former ESPN writer Jemele Hill and South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley followed suit.

"A lot of people need to apologize," Hill, a writer for "The Atlantic," wrote on X. "I hope Khelif sues some people over their reckless remarks. All this story did was expose ugliness, hatred, and transphobia. As Carini admitted here, she quit because she was upset she was gonna get her a-- whooped and other folks turned it into something else."

Staley caught wind of Hill's post and added another comment.

"They also need to pray and be prayed for because…..the way their lives are set up pure hatred," Staley wrote.

Hill replied that she "agree[d]."

U.S. Olympians have struggled with rent and food prices amid surging inflation this Olympic cycle. Now, a rapper has stepped up to help. 

U.S. discus thrower Veronica Fraley posted on X on Thursday that she can’t pay her rent ahead of her Olympic debut on Friday. 

"I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent," she wrote. "My school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses."

But it was hip-hop artist William Jonathan Drayton Jr., also known as Flavor Flav, who stepped up to help Fraley. Drayton responded to Fraley’s initial X post, saying that he would take care of her rent. 

"I gotchu, DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW, and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO!" Drayton wrote. 

Drayton got the ball rolling for Fraley, as Reddit co-founder and entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian also pitched in. Ohanian, who is also the husband of tennis star Serena Williams, posted a receipt on X of a $7,760 transaction he sent to Fraley in response to the post. 

Fox News Digital previously reported that multiple U.S. Olympians, including Frayley’s track and field teammates Fred Kerley, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Kenny Bednarek, have all spoken out against the impact that inflation has had on them and on their teammates' ability to focus on their sport. 

A terrifying scene unfolded on the pool deck of Paris La Defense Arena on Friday morning when a Slovakian swimmer collapsed after a qualifying heat of the women's 200-meter individual medley. 

Tamara Potocka, who is making her Olympic debut in Paris, received medical attention after finishing seventh in the third heat of Friday’s prelims. 

According to reports, the 21-year-old swimmer appeared to collapse almost immediately after stepping out of the pool. She was almost immediately met by a half-dozen medical attendants and appeared to receive oxygen before eventually being carried off on a stretcher. 

The Slovakian Olympic team confirmed to The Athletic that Potocka, who is asthmatic, suffered an asthma attack, causing her to collapse after the heat. 

Officials added that she was alert and received oxygen therapy, and she will continue to be monitored in the hospital.  

Potocka finished with a time of 2:14.20 for a seventh place finish on Friday. It was not fast enough to advance her to the semifinals of the event, which eliminated her from the competition.

This is an excerpt from a report by Paulina Dedaj.

The U.S. men's volleyball team defeated Japan in four sets to win Pool C and head into the knock-off round of the tournament as a top-3 seed.

The U.S. improved 3-0 so far in the Paris Olympics as they finished pool play.

Grant Fisher became just the second American in the last 56 years to win a medal in the Men's 10K and the first since 1968.

At the finish line, Fisher appeared to finish close to second, but tied with Ethopia's Berihu Aregawi, and upon review Fisher was given bronze. Fisher finished just 0.02 seconds behind Aregawi.

Meanwhile, Ugunda's Joshua Cheptegei won gold.

Caleeb Dressel's struggles on Day 7 of the Paris Olympics continue, as he finished fifth in the men's 100-meter butterfly semifinal and failed to qualify for the final. Dressel finished with a time of 51.57, finishing 0.58 seconds behind The Netherland's Nyls Korstanje for a top-3 finish.

Dressel was seen smiling and giving high fives to competitors after his fifth-place finish on the NBC broadcast. However, minutes later, he was seen crying into the shoulder of a U.S. staff member.

This comes just minutes after Dressel failed to secure a top-3 finish in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing sixth.

The 27-year-old swimming star is competing in his third Olympics and won gold in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay earlier in the games, which was the U.S.'s first gold of Paris.

French phenom and Arizona State product Leon Marchand won his fourth gold medal of the Paris Olympics with an Olympic record time of 1:54.06 in the men's 200-meter individual medley.

Marchand finished 1.25 seconds ahead of Great Britain's Duncan Scott, who won silver, and stood to a roaring Paris crowd for a curtain call.

The 22-year-old sensation has emerged as, arguably, the biggest story of the Paris Olympics so far.

Marchand has already won gold in the 400-meter individual medley, 200-meter breaststroke and 200-meter butterfly. 

Marchand recorded a 4:02:95 in the men’s 400-meter individual medley to win France’s first Olympic swimming gold since 2012, breaking Phelps’s Olympic record of 4:03:84 that Phelps set in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Marchand hasn't stayed out of the pool much since arriving for the Olympics, as he was Marchand was seen swimming in front of fans on Thursday morning in Paris, just hours after winning two gold medals, according to The Associated Press. 

He has a chance for another gold on Saturday in the 4x100 medley relay.

Regan Smith won her second silver medal but came up just half a second short of Australia's Kaylee McKown for the gold medal in the women's 200-meter backstroke.

Fellow American Phoebe Bacon missed the podium, coming up just four hundreths of a second short behind Canada's Kylie Masse for the bronze.

The U.S. continues to struggle in swimming in this Olympics, as American star Caeleb Dressel failed to secure a top-3 finish in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing sixth.

Australian veteran Cameron McAvoy won gold, earning his first Olympic medal at the age of 30. Great Britain's Ben Proud won silver.

The U.S. has only won four golds in swimming so far in Paris, but has 20 total medals in the sport.

Both of the U.S. 3x3 basketball teams got off to slow starts at the Paris Olympics, but kept their hopes alive with wins on Friday.

After starting 0-4, the men's team pulled off a 21-19 win over France to keep their medal hopes alive. Canyon Barry scored a game-high 15 points. The men's team will play China later today.

The women's team won two games on Friday, defeating France 14-13 and Canada 18-17 in overtime. The women's team improves to 3-3 and will play China tomorrow in a critical finish to pool play.

The U.S. track and field team got off to a good start at the Paris Olympics when the mixed 4x400M relay team set a new world record time at 3:07.41.

Kaylyn Brown was the finisher for the U.S. Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little and Bryce Deadmon also contributed to the world record.

All four sprinters are from SEC schools.

Chinese badminton player Huang Ya Qiong was proposed to by her boyfriend and teammate Liu Yuchen. Huang and teammate Zheng Si Wei had just won the Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles on Friday.

The Chinese pair defeated South Korea's Jeong Na-eun and Kim Won-ho in two sets to claim gold.

Liu, who had just won a silver medal in men’s doubles, showed up with flowers and got an engagement ring. He got down on one knee, and she said yes.

It is the third recorded marriage proposal of the Paris Olympics. Argentina men’s handball player Pablo Simonet proposed to Argentina women’s field hockey player Maria Campoy in the Olympic Village just before competition began, according to Olympics.com. American swimmer Lilly King also got engaged to fiancé James Wells on the pool deck in Indianapolis at the United States Olympic swimming trials in June.

Fresh off her second gold medal of the Paris Olympics, and sixth of her career Simone Biles offered a glimpse into her story. She said, via The Associated Press, that she didn't know if she would even compete at the Paris Olympics three years ago after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics.

"Three years ago, I don't think I ever would have step foot on a gymnastics floor again," Biles said.

Biles credited her trainers and her therapists for being able to come back from an infamous case of the twisties in Tokyo in 2021. At that point, she was 24 years old. At 27, she became the oldest women's gymnast to win the Olympic all-around final since 1952.

"In the end of the day, it is crazy that I'm in the conversation for greatest of all athletes," she said.

Russian women's tennis players Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider became the first Russian athletes at the Paris Olympics to clinch medals on Friday. However, they have not and won't be representing their home countries as they compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.

Andreeva and Shnaider will at the very least earn silver medals after defeating Spain’s Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-1, 6-2 in the women's doubles semi-final. They will play in the final on Sunday.

The pair are among 15 athletes with Russian passports are competing in Paris as neutrals, after being invited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But they can not fly their country's flag after Russia was barred from competing at the Paris Olympics for violating the Olympic Truce.

Because Russia invaded Ukraine just four days after the end of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee considered this attack a violation of the Olympic truce — a resolution that calls for all nations to lay down arms and not engage in conflict starting one week before the Olympics begins and ending one week after the end.

Russia's war against Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, 2022, has now gone on for two years, five months and one week.

After winning the first race of her Olympics debut with a time of 10.94 seconds in the women's 100-meter, Sha'Carri Richardson will move onto the semifinal tomorrow.

The two biggest opponents she will face off against is Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia.

Other competitors in Richardson's heat are Nigeria's Rosemary Chukwuma, Australia's Bree Masters, Great Britain's Imani Lansiquot, Gambia's Gina Mariam Bass Bittaye, Luxembourg's Patrizia van der Weken and Puerto Rico's Gladymar Torres.

Richardson famously couldn’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC, which is found in marijuana. 

Now she has a chance to reach the women's 100-meter final if she can finish with a top-two spot in tomorrow semifinal.

The U.S. men's national soccer team was officially eliminated from the Olympic tournament by Morocco in the quarterfinal, losing 4-0.

The U.S. had a chance at halftime, trailing just 1-0, but gave up three goals in the second half and never scored a goal of its own.

Soufiane Rahimi, Ilias Akhomach and Achraf Hakimi and El Mehdi Maouboub all scored for Morocco. The final goal, which put the game on ice, came courtesy of Maouboub on a penalty kick when Nathan Harriel was deemed to have illegally handled the ball in the penalty area.

The USMNT has never won a medal of any kind in the modern Olympic era.

The closest it did come was in the 2000 Athens Olympics, when it lost to Chile in the bronze medal match after losing to Spain in the semifinals.

This Olympics marks the first time the U.S. has qualified for men's soccer in 16 years, with its last chance coming in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where it lost in the group stage.