Olympics viewer’s guide for Tuesday, July 30: Simone Biles leads U.S. in gymnastics final

Associated Press
Monday, July 29, 2024 4:20 p.m. | Monday, July 29, 2024 4:20 p.m.

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Simone Biles of United States has her ankle taped after competing on the uneven bars during a gymnastics qualification round Sunday.

Simone Biles leads the U.S. women into the gymnastics team final as part of an action-packed slate Tuesday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Here is a guide of what to look out for:

Biles in gymnastics team final despite injury

The 27-year-old Biles is in the lineup to compete in all four events of the team final despite a calf injury. Biles tweaked her left calf while warming up for floor exercise during qualifying on Sunday. She still topped the all-around with the highest scores on floor and vault.

Competition begins at 12:15 p.m. EST at Bercy Arena. The Americans are favored to win gold after finishing runner-up to Russia in 2021.

Biles’ teammate Jordan Chiles also will compete in all four events. Chiles finished fourth in the all-around during qualifying behind Biles, Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade and 2020 Olympic champion Sunisa Lee.

U.S. women start defense of 3×3 basketball title

The U.S. women begin defense of their 2021 Olympic title in 3×3 basketball when the competition begins Tuesday. Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard of the WNBA join Hailey Van Lith, a college basketball player at TCU, and former WNBA player Cierra Burdick on the team. They will face Germany at 11 a.m. EST at La Concorde.

Later, the U.S. 3×3 men’s team will take on Serbia. The U.S. men did not qualify for the Olympics in 2021.

Ledecky back in pool as swimming finals continue

Katie Ledecky will compete in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle, one of her signature events. The qualifying heats start at 5:44 a.m. EST at Paris La Defense Arena. Ledecky is the world and Olympic record holder in the event and is a favorite to defend her 2021 title.

The women’s 100 backstroke final will take place at 2:56 p.m. EST. That’ll be followed by the men’s 800 free final. Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen qualified in first place in the heats at 7:41.53.

The last swimming final Tuesday is the men’s 4×200 free relay at 4 p.m. EST.

Gold in women’s rugby sevens

The gold- and bronze-medal matches for women’s rugby sevens add to the excitement of Tuesday’s slate. The bronze match at Stade de France will start at 1 p.m. EST, followed by the gold-medal match.