THE Olympics is in its final night but there are still medals to be won in Paris! LeBron James will be hoping to lead team USA to gold in their basketball final against hosts France with the final on RIGHT NOW! Brit star Caden Cunningham has lost in the taekwondo final but still picked up a hard-fought silver. Men’s Basketball Final: France 39-49 USA Holiday is penalised as Cordinier runs into him and fall over. I must say that is harsh.
The crowd, understandably, fully agree with the decision. Men’s Basketball Final: France 36-46 USA James makes the steal and Booker races through for a simple two. And Fournier needlessly pushes him in the back as he scores, gifting the US an extra point.
Now it's a double-digit game. Men’s Basketball Final: France 36-43 USA Yabusele is fouled as he goes for a three. The USA team are NOT happy.
Yabusele makes one of his two free throws. Durant makes a three. But then Yabusele sits the King down to score and get the foul - this place has just erupted.
What a photo that will be to put up at home. Chants of MVP for Yabusele who is on 12 points. Cunningham has to settle for silver There's no fairytale ending for Caden Cunningham.
The British fighter competed brilliantly, but misses out on the gold medal to Arian Salimi. The final round was deadlocked going into the last 30 seconds, but that's when the Iranian hit the Huddersfield hero with a kick to the chest. Looking for a late response, Cunningham went on the charge - and was hit by a suckerpunch to the head.
Salimi takes the final round 6-3 and the gold medal, and it means the young Team GB star has to be content with a well-deserved silver. All square in Taekwondo final And just like that, Arian Salimi comes roaring back. The Iranian takes the second round 9-1 and it's all square going into the final two minutes.
What has Caden Cunningham got left? Men’s Basketball Final: France 31-36 USA James tries to bait his man but can't find the basket - huge cheers. "Allez Les Bleus" sounds out once more. This time he battles through and scores.
Three from Booker. De Colo fouls Curry and the Frenchman is furious with that call. He will be even more annoyed as Curry sinks a three and celebrates in front of the celebs.
Curry then runs round the basket and lays one Tempers flare as Booker shoves De Colo and Yabusele takes exception. Then LEBRON STEPS UP, powering through and scoring. Cunningham takes first round It's a brilliant start to the Men's 80kg Taekwondo final for Britain's Caden Cunningham.
The 21-year-old from Huddersfield takes advantage of opponent Arian Salimi giving points away to take it 6-3. Cunningham is one successful round from gold. Lin secures gold Second gender row boxer Lin Yu-Ting has sealed a dominant gold medal in the women's 57kg division.
Lin outclassed Poland's Julia Szeremeta to win by a unanimous decision. The Chinese Taipee boxer's participation was marred in controversy after allegedly failing an eligibility test last year. Men’s Basketball Final: France 25-24 USA A Strazel three and then a 19-year-old Coulibaly dunk and suddenly France lead.
This place is ROCKING. Time-out called by USA. Men’s Basketball Final: France 20-24 USA Davis gets the first points of Q2 but Wembanyama is on target for the hosts.
Top rebound from Davis though before Yabusele with the three. They needed that. Martin Lipton on Rebecca McGowan's bronze Despair for McGowan as she loses bronze in the final few seconds of the contest.
McGowan fell behind early in the first round as the Turk caught her in the trunk but a kick to the head put the Scot in front after a video review was successful. The pair then exchanged head kicks with the Turk edging 7-6 in front. But with 13 seconds to go, another successful review nudged McGowan ahead once again and she held on to take the round and the first point.
The first 80 seconds of the second round were scoreless but a trunk hit gave Kus Aydin the lead, one she restored to win 4-2 after McGowan had briefly levelled. That took it to a deciding round, the medal on the line..
The Turk appeared to have struck first with a head kick but she was deemed to have been holding McGowan’s head down so the score was annulled and McGowan handed a penalty point instead. With a minute left, McGowan was caught by a trunk kick, forcing her forwards and walking into a counter-attacking trap that buried her chances with three seconds left. The pain and anguish were clear.
Men’s Basketball Final: France 15-20 USA Closing seconds of the first quarter and Edwards drains a three. USA lead by five. This is typically frantic stuff, Men's Basketball final: France 11-12 USA Spine-tingling stuff.
The Americans are given an incredibly hostile welcome out on to the court. Then it is time for La Marseillaise - wowzers. The French national anthem is special at all times, but that was something else.
Here we go, then...
First points of the night go to that man LeBron - dunking home to send the Americans wild before the French immediately hit back with a three-pointer. And it doesn't take long for Kevin Durant to be right in the thick of it with the first sign of tempers boiling over. The atmosphere is electric in here.
McGowan bids for bronze Rebecca McGowan's Taekwondo contest with Turkey's Nafia Kusaydin has just got underway at the Grand Palais. Joshua Jones at the Basketball Huge cheers (and a fair few whistles and jeers) as a certain Mr LeBron James is announced to the crowd. James carried the flag for Team USA at the opening ceremony alongside Coco Gauff.
Oh how one of all-time greats would love to add a third gold medal to his stacked trophy cabinet tonight at the tender age of 39. USA storm to Relay double! America win the Women's 4 x 400m Relay - and then some. The USA team of Shamier Little, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Gabrielle Thomas and Alexis Holmes blitzed it to cross the line 50m ahead of the field - and only ten-hundreds of a second off the Soviet Union's World Record.
But what a battle for the remaining medals! After Jamaica pulled up following a drop of the baton, it looked a race between Ireland and Great Britain for silver and bronze. That was reckoning without Dutch ace and Olympic favourite Femke Bol though, who ran a typically brilliantly anchor for the Netherlands to claim silver. A superb final leg from Amber Anning is enough for Team GB to come through in third.
Martin Lipton on the Artistic Swimming Silver for Thorpe and Shortman as the “sisters” are beaten only by actual twins. China’s Wang Qianyi and Wang Liuyi needed to score just under 282 points to take gold. And with another peerless routine, tha is exactly what the 27-year-olds from Shenzhen did, despite having a routine with only the 11th-hardest difficulty.
They score 289.69 to win by seven points. But what a night for Shortman and Thorpe.
More from Martin Lipton Over at the Aquatics Centre, and there is joy and disbelief for lifelong pals Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe, who are guaranteed a medal in the artistic swimming duet. The Bristol pair’s “Rising Phoenix” routine, beautiful and balletic, earned them 294.5085 points due to its extreme technical difficulty score.
With two pairs to go, the Brits are guaranteed a bronze at least - and have become the first Team GB Olympic medallists. There were tears of joy as Shortman mouthed “Oh my God!” after hugging Thorpe. The duo, whose mothers Karen and Maris swam together nearly 30 years ago, have known each other since primary school and first swam as a pair when they were seven.
And, the great fact - they can hold their breath under water for three and a half MINUTES! Atmosphere hotting up at Bercy Arena Half an hour to go and here come the French team to warm up. And that, of course, prompts the first cries of “Allez Les Bleus” of the evening. Don’t worry, I won’t keep count! The excitement may well be hotting up in here - but one thing that is not hotting up is the temperature.
The air con is on full blast making it pretty chilly in here - although I can’t imagine you’ll be getting the violins out for me, somehow...
GB bronze as America triumph! The USA come out of top in a classic 4 x 400m Relay! Living up to their billing, the Americans triumph with Rai Benjamin bringing it home with an outstanding anchor leg. Benjamin holds off for the challenge of Botswana's Letsile Tebogo in the home straight to take gold - while Charlie Dobson finishes off a fine run for GB in third. Next, it's the turn of the Women.
Will the US complete a Relay double? Martin Lipton at the Taekwondo SunSport has hopped across Paris from the Parc des Princes to the Grand Palais, where GB could win TWO Taekwondo medals in the next half hour. First up, Rebecca McGowan has given herself a shot at bronze after winning her elimination repechage earlier this evening. She is up against Turkey’s Nafia Kus Aydin.
Then it’s the big one for Caden Cunningham, fighting for gold against Arian Salimi of Iran. This is an incredible old venue, the arches echoing to the roars of the crowd. The fans are living every fight.
Teams getting ready to relay We're just under ten minutes way from the first 4 x 400m relay of the evening - and it's the Men that will go off first. The American team of Chris Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin are big favourites for success. Alex Haydock-Wilson, Matthew Hudson-Smith, Lewis Davey and Charles Dobson go for Great Britain.
Joshua Jones is on the ball Just 45 minutes to go here in Paris until tip-off in the gold medal match of the Olympics men’s basketball. But this is no ordinary gold medal match at the Bercy Arena. This is hosts France against the all-star USA team.
The Americans have won the last four Olympic golds, beating France three years ago in Tokyo - but the French fans believe they can cause an almighty shock tonight. The excitement around the Bercy Arena is palpable, building steadily throughout the afternoon and early evening. Plenty of disappointed basketball fans held up homemade signs desperately pleading to buy any spare tickets.
But there aren’t many, if any, because this is arguably the biggest showpiece event of the entire Paris 2024 Games. One thing is for sure, it’s a pleasure to be inside this impressive venue for tonight’s final. And another thing, there will be one incredible party if France win tonight - which is not good news for any SunSport reporters hoping to sleep in their hotel right by the stadium.
..! High hopes for Shelby Over at the Men's High Jump, Shelby McEwan has just cleared 2.
36m to hit the top spot. At the moment, the American is at the top of the leaderboard alongside New Zealand's Hamish Kerr. The pair are guaranteed a medal with the only other man in contention being Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim.
Reigning Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi was taken to hospital earlier with illness after failing three times 2.27m. Horror crash at the Keirin Olympic cycling was stopped after a horror crash at the National Velodrome.
During heat four of the men's Keirin repechanges on Saturday evening, Trinidad and Tobago star Kwesi Browne suffered a sickening crash on the final lap. Browne was in a close pack with his fellow riders when he suffered a very heavy high speed fall that brought the race to an immediate end. The medical teams were immediately called to the 30-year-old's aid.
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