PARIS (Reuters) – Sifan Hassan won the women’s marathon, taking gold with an Olympic record time of two hours, 22 minutes and 55 seconds.
For her, it was the first medal won on the final day of the 2024 Olympic Games, although there were still over a dozen to be won.
Later, Paris will hand over the baton to Los Angeles during the closing ceremony after the French had a successful Games, allowing a restart of the Olympic brand.
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s Olympics.
DISTANCE QUEEN HASSAN
With her famous late start, Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan won the women’s marathon, adding gold to the bronze medal she won in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters earlier in the week.
Hassan battled with Ethiopian Tigst Assefa and managed to shake her off on the home straight to win by three seconds.
LAST DAY
It may be the last day, but there are still 14 gold medals up for grabs, including in men’s and women’s wrestling, women’s basketball and cycling.
USA DOMINATES THE RELAY
The United States won the men’s and women’s 4×400-meter relays, reaffirming American dominance on the track at these Olympics.
The women won by more than four seconds, setting the second fastest time ever and extending the country’s winning streak in the event to eight in a row.
Things went a little better for the men, who were able to keep Botswana at a distance at the finish line.
Jamaica’s dominance in the women’s sprint ended in Paris.
USA destroys France’s dream of a basketball fairytale
There was no “Miracle on the Seine” for France in basketball, as the USA earned a 98-87 victory and claimed their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Led by Stephen Curry and a motivated LeBron James, the American showmen broke the hearts of the Gauls.
James, the 39-year-old LA Lakers star, said he cannot imagine playing in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Taiwan’s Lin wins boxing gold
Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, 28, one of two boxers at the centre of a gender eligibility dispute, defeated Poland’s Julia Szeremeta to win the women’s featherweight title.
It is unclear whether boxing will play a role in the next Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee hosted the event in Paris after stripping the International Boxing Association (ICAA) of its status as the sport’s world governing body due to problems with organization and financing.
Rival World Boxing said national boxing federations would need to join them to ensure the sport is included in the Los Angeles program.
KIPYEGON’S GOLDEN HAT-TRICK
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon won her third consecutive Olympic gold medal in the 1,500 meters on Saturday by leading confidently on the final lap and finishing more than a second ahead of the field.
She cemented her status as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time and became the first athlete to win three consecutive Olympic titles in the 1,500 m.
Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen recovered from his surprise defeat over 1,500 meters and won the 5,000 meters with a fierce final lap.
US gymnast Chile could lose her medal
American gymnast Jordan Chiles will likely lose her bronze medal in the women’s floor exercise after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) accepted the appeal of Romania’s Ana Barbosu, who will move up to third place, it was said on Saturday.
MEDAL TABLE MACHINING
Gold medals in diving, men’s weightlifting up to 102 kg and table tennis helped China return to the top of the medal table in terms of the number of gold medals.
The United States is just one gold medal back and will look to win the women’s basketball and volleyball games to reclaim first place.
France moved up to fifth place in the overall standings after winning gold in the men’s volleyball final against Poland.
Before the games began, President Emmanuel Macron had set himself the goal of finishing in the top five.
CHINA’S GOLDEN RIDE
Cao Yuan won the men’s 10m platform event to give China the victory, marking the first time a country has won all of the diving events at a single Games.
Japan’s Rikuto Tamai took silver, securing Japan’s first Olympic medal in diving, and Britain’s Noah Williams finished third to take bronze.
The product placement games
Winning athletes in Paris received their medals on Louis Vuitton trays before being handed a Samsung flip phone to take a “victory selfie,” ushering in a new era of product placement at the Olympics that Los Angeles looks set to build on.
(Compiled by Richard Lough and Rachel Armstrong; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Hugh Lawson)
