FRENCH STAR MARCHAND ENHANCES LEGEND WITH RECORD SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP

Léon Marchand broke the world record for the men's 200m individual medley in the semi-finals at the 2025 world swimming championships in Singapore. (AFP - FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT

French swimming sensation Léon Marchand set a world record on Wednesday as he powered into the final of the men's 200m individual medley at the world swimming championships in Singapore.

The 23-year-old, who won four gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finished in one minute, 52.69 seconds to slash more than a second off Ryan Lochte’s exploit of one minute and 54 seconds which the American set in July 2011 at the world championships in Shanghai.

Marchand said: “I knew I was going to get close to my personal best because I felt really good today, and the preparation has been pretty good, so I was really excited to race. But one minute and 52 is unbelievable for me."

Marchand emerged as one of the stars of last year's Games in Paris after winning the 200m and 400m individual medleys as well as the 200m breaststroke and 200m butterfly.

His decision to concentrate on the individual medleys and target world records at the world championships raised eyebrows.

Vindication though came from the heats of the 200m individual medley where he was the fastest swimmer with a time of one minute, 57.63 seconds.

And he anointed himself as hot favourite for Thursday's 200m individual medley final with his semi-final exploit.

“Focusing on the medleys was probably the right decision," Marchand added. "So, I’m grateful for my coaches and all the staff behind me. It’s been a really hard season for me, but I’m happy to be here and do that.”

After Thursday's final, Marchand will take part in the heats for the 400m IM on Sunday morning.

First gold for Italy

In finals on the fourth day of competition, Simone Cerasuolo took the men's 50m breaststroke to furnish Italy with their first gold in the pool.

The 22-year-old touched home in 26.54 seconds ahead of the Russian Kirill Prigoda and Haiyan Quin from China.

Luca Urlando from the United States won the men's 200m butterfly in one minute 51.87 seconds. Krzystof Chmielewski from Poland was second and the Australian Harrison Turner from was third.

Mollie O'Callaghan claimed the women's 200m freestyle. The 21-year-old Australian finished in one minute, 53.48 seconds. Bingjie Li from China was second and the American Claire Weinstein finished third.

- Paul Myers

BACK FROM OLYMPICS, UGANDA'S REBECCA CHEPTEGEI SET ON FIRE

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A Ugandan athlete living in Kenya was attacked and set on fire by her boyfriend and is receiving treatment for burns on 75% of her body, police said.

Rebecca Cheptegei, a distance runner who finished at the 44th position in the 2024 Paris Olympics, was attacked in her house in western Trans-Nzoia County.

Trans-Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei's boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the Kenyan city of Eldoret.

Cheptegei's parents said their daughter bought land in Trans-Nzoia County to be near its many athletic training centers.

A report filed by the local chief stated that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.

In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead outside of Eldoret with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead in nearby Iten, Kenya, with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.

Trans-Nzoia County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said Monday that Cheptegei's boyfriend, Dickson Ndiema, bought a jerrican of petrol, poured it on her and set her ablaze during a disagreement Sunday. Ndiema also sustained burn wounds, and the two are receiving specialized treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the Kenyan city of Eldoret.

Cheptegei's parents said their daughter bought land in Trans-Nzoia County to be near its many athletic training centers.

A report filed by the local chief stated that the couple was heard fighting over the land where the house was built before the fire started.

In 2023, Ugandan Olympic runner and steeplechaser Benjamin Kiplagat was found dead outside of Eldoret with stab wounds. In 2022, Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee was found dead in nearby Iten, Kenya, with a postmortem report stating that she was strangled.

- Associated Press

GOLD MEDAL BOXER IMANE KHELIF HAILED UPON RETURN TO ALGERIA

AP

 TIARET, Algeria -- With an outpouring of fans greeting her as she arrived in her hometown on Friday, Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif extolled Algeria for backing its athletes and said she hoped to again make her country proud in the future.

The football-obsessed North African country has given Khelif the celebrity treatment since she returned to Algiers earlier this week. Nowhere has this been truer than Tiaret, the rural region in central Algeria where she grew up and learned to box.

She and track star Djamel Sedjati were honored by local leaders and then paraded through the streets atop a city bus as hundreds of residents raised their hands and snapped photos.

"All Algerian men and women have the right to be happy and celebrate," she told reporters Friday at a local government office. "This proves that the government and the people are all behind sports."

Algerians vigorously defended Khelif as she advanced through the Olympic Games amid international scrutiny and uninformed speculation about her sex.

Despite being born and raised as a woman, she found herself in the crosshairs of Western debates about gender, sex and sports after failing unspecified and untransparent eligibility tests for women's competition from the now-banned International Boxing Association in 2023.

As observers including billionaire Elon Musk, author J.K. Rowling and former U.S. President Donald Trump referred to her as a man in online posts, Algerians saw the controversy as an attack on their nation.

On Friday, Tiaret residents acknowledged the hardships that Khelif faced throughout the Olympics and said they hoped her success was just the beginning.

"We hope authorities will support her in moments of victory like this as well as throughout the whole year. She has suffered enormously and started from scratch," Mohamed Hamou said, sitting next to Khelif in Tiaret on Friday afternoon.

Later at the parade, Nadjia Fehma, another Tiaret resident, reveled in her victory and said she was an inspiration.

"She's made us really proud, especially given her career path and the way she's ended up succeeding," Fehma said.

Khelif's hometown welcome came days after she filed a criminal complaint for cyber-harassment in France, with her lawyer alleging a "misogynist, racist and sexist campaign" throughout the Olympics.

On Wednesday, Khelif acknowledged the difficulties and fear she felt on El Bilad, a private television channel in Algeria. She said nobody had the right to question her sex and that she wasn't someone who enjoyed mixing politics and sports.

"Why was there such an outcry all over the world?" she asked. "I was afraid, but thank God, I was able to overcome it."

- Associated Press

JOSH HART ON NOAH LYLES | VIA ROOMATES SHOW

 

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KOBE BRYANT | SURREAL JERSEY NUMBERS | #PARIS2024

 

MAN CLIMBING EIFFEL TOWER 🗼 PROMPTS EVACUATION BEFORE OLYMPIC CLOSING

PARIS -- French police have evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony Sunday.

The shirtless man was seen scaling the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tall tower in the afternoon. It's unclear where he began his ascent, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck.

Police escorted visitors away from the area around 3 p.m. Some visitors who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed to exit around 30 minutes later.

The Eiffel Tower was a centerpiece of the opening ceremony, with Celine Dion serenading the city from one of its viewing areas. The Tower is not expected to be part of the closing ceremony, which was set to begin at Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis at 9 p.m.

The incident occurred as the Olympic competition winds down and security services in Paris and beyond are shifting their focus to the closing ceremony that will bring the curtain down on the Games.

More than 30,000 police officers have been deployed around Paris on Sunday. France's Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said about 3,000 police officers will be mobilized around the Stade de France, and 20,000 police troops and other security personnel in Paris and the Saint-Denis area will be mobilized late into Sunday night to ensure safety on the last day of the Olympics.

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VICTOR WEMBANYAMA ON FRANCE'S MOTIVATION IN THEIR WINVS. GERMANY

 

OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS 🏅 | PARIS 1924 - PARIS 2024

BLOODIED WEMBY LEADS FRANCE TO OLYMPIC FINAL

PARIS -- Bolstered by an electric home crowd, Victor Wembanyama and France are headed to the gold medal game for the second consecutive Olympics after beating Germany 73-69 in the first of two semifinals Thursday.

France was led by a 17-point effort from Guerschon Yabusele while Isaia Cordinier chipped in 16, none more important than two free throws with seven seconds to play to seal the win

The silver medalists in the Tokyo Games, France now faces the United States for gold after the the Americans survived upset-minded Serbia, 95-91 in Thursday's other semifinal.

Blood stained the neckline of Wembanyama's jersey after the game, courtesy of a fresh cut on the left side of his neck. He did plenty of sweating during the game and was holding back tears when it was all over.

Blood, sweat and tears. How fitting.

"In our national anthem, we talk about blood," Wembanyama said. "We're willing to spill blood on the court. So, it's no big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I'm offering. Take all of it."

Wembanyama -- already the NBA Rookie of the Year and a No. 1 draft pick -- now has a new accolade -- an Olympic medalist. The only question is whether it'll be gold or silver, something that will be determined Saturday night. The French lost to the U.S. in the final at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Wembanyama was just a kid then, a 17-year-old who was in the early days of becoming known as an NBA prospect. He's a bigger kid now, a 7-foot-4 20-year-old who is already considered a national hero -- not to mention one in San Antonio, where he's been tasked with leading the Spurs back to prominence.

"Of course, it's part of a dream come true," Wembanyama said. "We can be part of a goal that we set for ourselves months back. We can write history, even more. A once-in-a-lifetime dream."

His final numbers Thursday, with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and team president RC Buford looking on: 11 points, seven rebounds on just 4 of 17 shooting. The numbers didn't look great, but his impact went well beyond what was on the stat sheet.

Midway through the third quarter, Germany guard Dennis Schroder got by Wembanyama on his way to the rim. All Wembanyama had to do was basically turn around at that point; he stuck out his right arm and stopped Schroder's shot from getting even the tiniest bit airborne.

In the fourth, he got Schroder again -- this time, blocking a 3-point try. That led to a 3-pointer by France's Frank Ntilikina at the other end, the hosts took a 10-point lead and Wembanyama pumped his fist in celebration. When Germany was chipping away late, Wembanyama made an unreal bounce pass through the lane with the shot clock running down to set up Yabusele for a pair of free throws that pushed the lead back to 69-60 with 4:00 left.

Wembanyama's free throw with 10.9 seconds remaining made it 71-68, Germany never got another shot to tie or take the lead and that was that. France celebrated wildly afterward, for good reason.

"The fans, they made it hard for me not to cry," Wembanyama said. "I thank them."

The French will be only the third team to play for Olympic men's basketball gold on home soil. The U.S. did it at Los Angeles in 1984 and at Atlanta in 1996, winning both times.

The U.S. (with the golds in 1984 and 1996) and the Soviet Union at Moscow in 1980 (bronze) were, until now, the only teams to win a medal of any color in men's basketball at home; France will join that list Saturday by claiming either gold or silver.

In recent times, most Olympic hosts didn't even come close to the medals: Japan finished 11th at Tokyo three years ago, Brazil was ninth at Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Britain was ninth at London in 2012, China was eighth at Beijing in 2008, Spain was ninth at Barcelona in 1992 and South Korea was ninth at Seoul in 1988. (The exceptions in those years were the U.S. win in 1996, Australia finishing fourth at Sydney in 2000 and Greece placing fifth at Athens in 2004.)

Of course, those teams didn't have Wembanyama, who now has a chance to win gold.

"This jersey brings to us a different energy that we can't find nowhere else," he said. "It's something that we all feel as patriots. We love our jersey. We love our country."

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

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U.S. QUARTET GO FASTEST WITHOUT NOAH LYLES TO MAKE 4X100M MEN’S RELAY FINAL - JAMAICA OUT

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

The United States are on a mission in the athletics at Paris 2024 and made a statement when reaching the men’s 4x100m relay final with the fastest time in the heats.

With 100m champion Noah Lyles sitting out ahead of Thursday night’s 200m final, the U.S. quartet of Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley, Kyree King and Courtney Lindsey won the first heat with a time of 37.47.

Looking to make amends for missing out on the Tokyo 2020 final three years ago, the U.S. appear primed to back up the gold they won at the World Championships last year, while the women's relay team were also fastest in their Olympics heat earlier on Thursday.

South Africa produced a stunning relay to come second (37.94) in the first heat, while Great Britain - who finished fourth in the worlds last year - also made the final after finishing third with a 38.04.

Reigning Olympic champions Italy also raced in a stacked first heat, and their time of 38.07 was only enough to finish fifth as they faced a nervy wait to see if they would go through.

In the second heat, Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists the People’s Republic of China finished first (38.24) ahead of hosts France (38.34) and Canada (38.39), who all qualified.

The two next fastest nations outside of the top three in each heat also qualified, with Japan and Italy doing enough to complete the line-up, while 100m silver medallist Kishane Thompson was left disappointed as Jamaica came fifth in the second heat and were unable to qualify.

The men’s 4x100m relay final takes place at 19:45 local time in Paris, just 15 minutes after the women’s 4x100m relay final starts.

- Michael Hincks 

SOURCE: QUINCY WILSON, 16, TO RUN 4X400 RELAY OLYMPICS

When Quincy Wilson runs in the 4x400 meter relay on Friday, he will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

PARIS -- Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old who turned heads at the U.S. track and field trials in June, will have the opportunity to do the same at the Olympics on Friday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Maryland native will be part of the men's 4x400-meter relay team that morning when it takes part in the opening heat of the Olympic relay. After Wilson missed 4x400 mixed heats earlier this week, it was uncertain whether he'd end up running at all or be an alternate in the overall relay pool.

When he takes the track inside the Stade de France, Wilson will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event.

In July, Wilson said he was overjoyed when he received word that would be added to the Team USA relay pool after he didn't qualify for the individual 400-meter dash at trials.

"When I got the call, I was like, I was ecstatic," Wilson said. "I started running around the house. It was just a moment for me because everybody dreams about going to the Olympics as a young kid."

Wilson said he first started dreaming about participating in the Games during the 2016 Olympics in Rio, when he was 8 years old. That same year, he began running his premier event, the 400, and has become a force in it.

After twice breaking the event's under-18 world record while at U.S. trials, running it as quickly as 44.59 seconds, Wilson went even lower three weeks ago at a tuneup race in Florida. There, he ran a 44.20-second race that had the track world buzzing in anticipation of what he could do on American relay teams once the Olympics arrived.

Now, his chance is here.

- Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer