Are you not entertained? The Tokyo Olympics rolled on Tuesday night with opportunities for redemption and, of course, more gold medals. After a jam-packed morning that saw a Simone Biles-less Team USA earn a hard-fought second-place finish behind the Russian Olympic Committee in the women’s gymnastics team final and USA softball claim silver after a loss to Japan in the championship game, it’s time to turn our attention to the evening slate.
Luckily for us, that includes swimmer Katie Ledecky winning her first gold of the Games and USA men’s basketball getting well at Iran’s expense.
From Ledecky achieving her sixth career gold (GOAT things) to Kevin Durant moving within five points of Carmelo Anthony’s USA Olympic career scoring record, we got you covered with updates from all of tonight’s action:
Olympics medal tracker | Schedule
U.S. men’s basketball blows out Iran
The U.S. men’s basketball team rebounded from Sunday’s stunning loss to France by blowing out Iran 120-66 on Wednesday.
Damian Lillard scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, while Kevin Durant moved within five points of tying Carmelo Anthony’s all-time USA Olympic scoring record by registering 10 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
After squandering a double-digit second-half lead in an 83-76 loss to France on Sunday, the Americans started strong, ending the first quarter on a 23-5 run and leading 60-30 at halftime.
Devin Booker scored 16 points, Jayson Tatum added 14 and Zach LaVine tallied 13 for the U.S., which next plays the Czech Republic on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET. The U.S. shot lights out from deep on Wednesday, hitting 19 of 36 3-pointers in the victory. Lillard led the charge, becoming the fourth American to hit seven 3s in an Olympic game. — Matt Eisenberg
Biles pulls out of all-around
Simone Biles has withdrawn from Thursday’s all-around competition at the Olympic Games. According to a statement from USA Gymnastics, the decision was made after a medical evaluation.
Biles was scratched from Tuesday’s team final after vault, her first event of the night. She cited her mental health as the reason when speaking to the media after the meet.
Biles was the defending champion in the event and had been the overwhelming favorite to repeat. But her status was left in doubt after Tuesday’s outing, and she told the media she wasn’t sure if she would be able to compete on Thursday. — D’Arcy Maine
Ledecky gets sixth career gold; Sullivan takes silver
American Katie Ledecky won the first gold medal of her Tokyo Olympics campaign on Wednesday in the debut of the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle.
Approximately 70 minutes after competing in the women’s 200-meter freestyle race, in which she finished in fifth place, Ledecky showed no signs of fatigue and took control of the 1,500-meter race from the start. She cruised to victory with a time of 15:37.34, more than four seconds ahead of silver medalist Erica Sullivan, also of the United States.
Germany’s Sarah Kohler took home the bronze.
Ledecky’s American teammates chanted, “U-S-A, U-S-A,” from the stands at the Tokyo Aquatic Center as she approached the wall to clinch the victory.
Ledecky had been touted as one of the faces of the these Olympic Games, and expectations were high for the 24-year-old to add to her previous collection of five gold medals. She won the silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle earlier in the week. — D’Arcy Maine
That’s one way to motivate
German judoka Martyna Trajdos found an intense way to get into the zone before her 63-kilogram match with Hungary’s Szofi Ozbas. The motivation went viral, but it wasn’t enough for Trajdos to win her round of 32 match.
U.S. men’s volleyball bests Tunisia
The United States men’s volleyball team defeated Tunisia in four sets, moving the Americans to 2-1 in Pool B. They dropped the second set before holding off their opponents. The U.S. will resume pool play on Thursday with a match against Brazil.
Virginia duo medals in 200 IM
Having one Olympian is a big deal for a university. Two is even bigger. Two in the same event, both who ended up on the same medal podium? Welcome to the University of Virginia’s world.
Cavaliers swimmers Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass earned silver and bronze in the 200-meter individual medley on Tuesday, finishing just behind Japan’s Yui Ohashi.
UVa was understandably pumped.
This race caps a big year for Walsh and Douglass, who helped lead Virginia to the NCAA championship earlier this year.
Australia’s Titmus sets Olympic record
In the first of her two swimming events on Wednesday at the Tokyo Aquatics Center, Katie Ledecky finished in fifth place during the women’s 200 meter freestyle. She was the reigning Olympic champion in the event.
Ariarne Titmus of Australia won the gold medal with a time of 1:53.50, a new Olympic record. Siobhan Bernadette Haughey of Hong Kong and Penny Oleksiak of Canada took home the silver and bronze, respectively. Ledecky’s time of 1:55.21 was more than a second-and-a-half behind the winning mark.
Ledecky got her sixth career gold in the inaugural Olympic running of the women’s 1500 meter freestyle later on Wednesday. She won the silver medal in the 400 meter freestyle earlier in the week — also losing to Titmus. — D’Arcy Maine
Titmus’ coach, Dean Boxall, was slightly excited for his swimmer.
Chiles getting after it
Jordan Chiles was put on the spot on Tuesday when Simone Biles withdrew from the women’s team all-around gymnastics competition. While the Americans weren’t able to catch the Russian Olympic Committee for the gold, Chiles performed well and showed some killer dance moves, to boot.
The dancing continued on the podium.
Learning about Lydia
Lydia Jacoby’s gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke was a surprise, so it’s time to get to know the young Alaskan swimmer. She provides some notes below.
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