Important events
Introduction – Schedule Day 16
Hello everyone and welcome to the live broadcast of the 16th and final official competition day of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
There was so much happening on Day 15, with medals being handed out left and right. And when the dust settled, it was a day to remember for New Zealand with high jumper Hamish Kerr taking a dramatic gold medal, golfer Lydia Ko completing a full set to win by two strokes, and canoe sprinter Lisa Carrington winning her third Games final to extend her national record of gold medals to an astonishing eight.
Elsewhere, the marathon was fast, the sport climbing exciting and the boxing controversial. Faith Kipyegon and the US men’s basketball team remained unbeatable; unlike Karsten Warholm.
What do we have to offer today?
Marathon – women (from 08:00) Modern Pentathlon – women (from 11:00) Wrestling – Freestyle Men 65kg & 97kg / Freestyle Women 76kg (from 11:00) Weightlifting – Women 81 kg (from 11:30) Volleyball – women (from 1:00 PM) Cycling – women’s sprint & omnium / men’s keirin (from 12:45) Handball – men (from 13:30) Water polo – men (from 2:00 PM) Basketball – women (from 15:30)
Closing ceremony (from 21:00)
*(All times mentioned are local times in Paris)
Simon Burnton’s Daily Guide
Women’s Marathon
Traditionally, the men’s marathon should close the Olympic athletics programme, but not this year. At the end of a route that partly follows the women’s march to Versailles, one of the most important events of the French Revolution, this will be the last medal to be decided in the Stade de France. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa, who broke the world record last year, hopes to improve on her previous Olympic experience: she came fifth in an 800m heat in 2016.
Men’s water polo
Although Serbia has won gold at the last two Olympics, a three-peat would be a huge achievement given the sheer competitiveness of the event – the last four world championships have had four different winners and seven different medalists, with Croatia winning the last one in Doha in February. “I don’t have favorites,” said their coach, Ivica Tucak. “There is a circle of nine teams from which everyone can beat each other, where every match can be won or lost. Every medal is a great result.”
Closing Ceremony
There will be no parade of departing athletes here, just – in the words of Thomas Jolly, master of ceremonies – “a great show where only music will resonate”, and of course a handover to Los Angeles, host in 2028. The official website predicts that “as an indelible memory, this closing ceremony will be marked by courage, brotherhood and emotion”, and that it will be “an incredible moment of celebration and sharing” in which “the emotion will be immense”. So, pretty good, then.
I’m sure I’ve missed something of note in this brief overview, so please let me know what’s on your agenda by emailing [email protected].
The first few hours of my blog will be here in Australia, then I’ll pass the baton to the UK.
