Skeet Dynasty For USA; Noah Lyles Back For 200m; Biles Goes For History (Olympics Day 13 Preview)

The United States is officially back. You had your chance rest of world, now it's over.

UPDATED AS OF 12:00 AM EST ON AUGUST 5h

A monster five Gold Medal day for Team USA has them ahead of their pace from Tokyo 2020 and, more importantly, in the lead for both the Gold Medal count and Overall Medal count. The United States was close to a seven medal day, but Men's Archery (poor Brady Ellison, so snake-bitten) was a close loss and the Men's 4x100m Medley Relay team lost its 60 year dynasty by a second or two.

Expect plenty of opportunities for the United States to build the lead on Monday, even with China having a few shots at Gold themselves.

Day 13 is going to be a fun one at Paris 2024, but it isn't quite as notable as Day 12. So let's just rundown what to expect with some quick hitters.

• Athletics (200m): All eyes on the track at Paris 2024 will be on the 200m tomorrow for both the men and women. For the men, the event begins with the first-round heats, which means we will get to see Noah Lyles again. His best event is the 200m, so, unlike the 100m, he's going to be the favorite heading into the event, and it should remain that way up until the finals. This is the race fellow American Kung-Fu Kenny Bednarek can test him more in, and it really should be a two-man race. If you thought Noah Lyles finishes strong in the 100m, wait till he goes for the 200m. He's trying to join the likes of Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis by winning the double (the 100m & 200m). On the women's side, American Gabby Thomas is the favorite, and it is also expected to be a two-woman race. McKenzie Long & Brittany Brown of the USA will have a chance, but it is reigning 100m winner Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia who poses a real threat. I think regardless of who wins, whether it is Thomas or Alfred, the winner is going to finally break FloJo's nearly 40-year-old World Record time of 21.34.
• Athletics (all other events): The 800m & 5000m for the American women will be a massive longshot, which is a bummer as they won the 800m Gold at Tokyo 2020 when Athing Mu blasted past the field. She unfortunately didn't make the 2024 team after getting tripped during qualifiers at the U.S. Track & Field trials. The favorite in the 800m will be emerging superstar and 22-year-old Brit Keely Hodgkinson. In terms of Gold Medal hopes, Valarie Allman is the favorite to win back-to-back Gold in the Women's Discus Throw, and make sure to watch qualifiers & heats for the Men's 400m Hurdles. That race is going to feature arguably the best rivalry at these games as USA's Rai Benjamin takes on Norway's Karsten Warholm, the two fastest men to ever run the race. Warholm won the race, besting Benjamin, at Tokyo 2020, but the American comes in as the slight favorite. You also can't rule out the Brazilian Alison dos Santos. I'll have more on this showdown as the finals grow closer over the next few days.
• Gymnastics: It's all about Simone Biles on Monday. She will be competing in the Floor & Beam individual finals with a chance to potentially win two Gold Medals and move to 9 Gold overall for her career. The other day both Katie Ledecky & Caeleb Dressel achieved that mark, and Biles can join them behind only Michael Phelps (who has fucking 23 lmao) with the most Gold Medals all time. As expected, Biles is the heavy favorite in both competitions, with Suni Lee (Beam) and Jordan Chiles (Floor) also competing, but not expected to push the reigning All-Around Gold Medalist if she has a solid day. Big stuff for Simone Biles, who could really take an amazing career and somehow make it even better.
• Shooting: Team USA already has a dynasty in the Men's Skeet competition, as Vincent Hancock won Gold (Team USA also won Silver) the other day for the fourth time in five Olympics, which put him in historic company. Can the man add a fifth Gold Medal? The Shooting competitions have a bit of a change for these Olympics as out goes Mixed Team Trap and in comes Mixed Team Skeet, which should be good news for the United States. On the women's side of things, Austen Jewell Smith won Bronze, so the combo of Smith & Hancock makes Team USA the heavy favorites to pick up Gold.
• 3x3 Basketball: After the men fizzled out of the tournament (#1 ranked team, with #1 ranked player Jimmer Fredette… who announced he had a major injury) in a blaze of sadness, it left us with just the women's team to grab a Gold Medal. They did so in Tokyo three years ago, and thanks to Rhyne Howard & Hailey van Lith they took an dismal 0-2 start and turned it into a six-game winning streak with a trip to the Gold Medal game on the line against a Spain team they already beat. I like our chances; I have to be honest!
• Indoor Volleyball: The knockout round begins for the United States Men's Volleyball team after a strong showing in the group stage. They went 3-0 in group play and will be taking on a Brazil team that hasn't looked good at all. The team has to play great if they want to take down a powerhouse Italian team later in the tournament, but they have great momentum. Not to mention Matt Anderson is in his fourth Olympics and looking to add a Gold Medal (to his Bronze from Rio 2016) to his great resume. Meanwhile, the women start their Gold Medal defense on Tuesday against Poland.
• Surfing: It's hard to say if Surfing will actually happen as the event, which is taking place in Tahiti, has been delayed around 1,000 times it seems. When it does happen, Caroline Marks of the United States is two wins away from Team USA winning back-to-back Gold Medals.
• Beach Volleyball: Sarah Hughes & Kelly Cheng are already through to the Quarter-Finals for the women, and now the three other American teams are in action on Monday. Kristen Nuss & Taryn Kloth, who also went 3-0 in group play, will take on the Canadians Melissa & Brandle, Matt Evans & former NBA player Chase Budinger take on Norway's Mol & Sorum (tall, tall task), and Miles Partain & Andy Benesh take on the Italians Cottafava & Nicolai. The men haven't won a medal since Phil Dahlhauser & Todd Rogers took Gold at Beijing 2008, while the women have medaled every year since Athens 2004, and only didn't win Gold one time in that stretch.
• Sport Climbing: Hey, here's a weird sport! You'll see below how it works, but it is fairly thrilling watching people rock climb up walls against each other. If you want to try out all of the Olympic sports, give this one a go…

• Canoe Slalom - Kayak Cross: Where Sport Climbing debuted at Tokyo 2020, Kayak Cross made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, and it is one of my favorite events. In general, Canoe Slalom Kayaking is one of my favorite things to watch every four years. Their strength and abilities in the course are insane. Now combine that with a vertical drop to start, and three other kayakers on the course at the same time, and you get this utter madness…

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That's all for now. Go Team USA. See you tomorrow.