WILLIAMSBURG— As the closing ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics being this evening in primetime, Virginia’s athletes will be bringing home some hardware.
Action on the track continued in the second week of Olympic competition. Noah Lyles, dubbed the fastest man in the world by many, won gold in the men’s 100m in a photo finish with Jamaican Kishane Thompson on Aug. 4. Lyles also saw competition in the men’s 200m. During his qualifying heat, he finished first, but came second in his semifinal race behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. During the final, he won bronze. Lyle’s final Olympic competition was supposed to be as a member of the men’s 4x100m relay team, but after testing positive for COVID a few days prior, Lyles pulled out of the race.
Grant Holloway competed in the men’s 110m hurdles qualifying and semifinals rounds earlier this week where he finished first in both races. During the final on Aug. 8, Holloway raced a 12.99 to win gold.
The United States Women’s Soccer Team earned a berth in the gold medal match against Brazil after defeating both Japan and Germany in the quarterfinal and semifinal matches 1-0. Emily Fox of Ashburn departed the semifinal with athletic trainers after taking a hard knock from a German defender. Fox was medically cleared and continued with Olympic competition. During the game against Brazil on Aug. 10, Fox and the women’s team earned a gold medal after shutting out Brazil 1-0.
A few medals remain up for grabs during Sunday’s morning competition. The U.S. Men’s Water Polo team will play Hungary for the bronze medal, U.S. Volleyball will play Italy for the gold medal, and the U.S. Women’s Basketball team will play France for the gold medal.
As of Saturday, the United States sat atop the overall medal count for the 18th time in history.
For the closing ceremony, USA Swimming’s Katie Ledecky and USA Rowing’s Nick Mead will serve as flag bearers. Ledecky took to social platform X to thank the fans for their support.
“Honored to lead @TeamUSA at the Closing Ceremony with Nick! Proud of my teammates here in Paris, and excited to celebrate with all of them on Sunday,” Ledecky said.
The Paris Summer Olympic Games closing ceremonies will air live on NBC at 3 p.m. and will be replayed in primetime beginning at 7 p.m.
For more Olympic content, visit olympics.com.
