PARIS - An emotional Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to claim a maiden Olympic tennis title, while Noah Lyles bids to put the United States back on top of the 100m podium for the first time in two decades.
Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in a repeat of their Wimbledon final this year, with the Serb competing in his fifth Games and winning an enthralling final 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) on the Roland Garros clay. It means the 37-year-old adds the Olympic title to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs. “We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match,” said Djokovic, who had lost heavily to Alcaraz at Wimbledon last month.
Scottie Scheffler won a compelling men’s golf tournament with victory over Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood.The American world No 1 hit a course record-equalling 62 at Le Golf National to edge out silver medallist Fleetwood on 19-under-par for the tournament, as Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama took bronze.
US sprint star Lyles will draw much of the focus on a packed ninth day of action, with the Stade de France’s lilac track the setting for the men’s 100m showdown.The Americans will be smarting after hot favouriteSha’Carri Richardson suffered a surprise defeat to Julien Alfred in the rain-soaked women’s 100m final on Saturday. Alfred’s gold was the first medal in Olympic history for the tiny Caribbean nation of St Lucia.
Lyles, 27, has long claimed he is the rightful heir to Usain Bolt, the peerless Jamaican whose reign as Olympic sprint king stretched for three Games.The American, who won the world title last year, has announced he is “ready to transcend the sport”.Lyles will be looking to set down a marker when the semi-finals take place at 1805 GMT. The final takes place at 1950 GMT.
Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson looked in ominous form in the heat while Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, defending Olympic champion after his stunning win in the Covid-affected Tokyo Olympics, scraped through.Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh goes in the women’s high jump final, having set the world record of 2.10 metres in Paris a few weeks ago.Her war-torn nation celebrated a first Paris Games gold when their women’s sabre fencing team triumphed on Saturday.
Two-time world champion Shericka Jackson withdrew from the 200m heats in a blow for Jamaica, so long a sprinting powerhouse.The withdrawal of Jackson, who had already pulled out of the 100m, follows that of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce from the shorter sprint.
In other action, Fan Zhendong clinched Olympic gold in the men’s singles table tennis, maintaining the Chinese stranglehold on the sport and ending a fairytale run for shock finalist Truls Moregard from Sweden. Algerian teenager Kaylia Nemour conjured up “the performance of her life” to become the first African to win an Olympic gymnastics medal as she triumphed on the uneven bars.
Former Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin withdrew in tears from her women’s singles semi-final after her right knee buckled in distressing scenes during her match against China’s He Bingjiao.In early action on Sunday, Lin Yu-ting, the Taiwanese boxer engulfed in a major gender controversy, guaranteed herself at least bronze after convincingly winning her quarterfinal. Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is also certain to win a medal, were disqualified from last year’s world championships after failing gender eligibility tests, but were cleared to box in the French capital. On the final day of swimming at La Defense Arena, crowd favourite Leon Marchand targets a remarkable fifth gold of these Games in the 4x100m medley relay. Veteran Swedish sprint star Sarah Sjoestroem powered to the women’s Olympic 50m freestyle gold on Sunday to go with her 100m title. The 30-year-old, at her fifth Olympics, hit the wall first in 23.71sec. Australia’s Meg Harris (23.97) was second and China’s Zhang Yufei (24.20) third. It was only Sjoestroem’s third career Olympic gold medal, compared to the 14 she has won at world championships.
Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin won Taiwan’s first gold of the Paris Olympics on Sunday when they beat their top-seeded Chinese opponents to retain their men’s doubles title. The Taiwanese pair, who are unseeded, beat Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 21-17, 18-21, 21-19 in an epic encounter at La Chapelle Arena. Carlos Yulo of the Philippines won gold in the men’s vault at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, a day after claiming the floor title at Bercy Arena. Armenia’s Artur Davtyan took silver with Britain’s Harry Hepworth just denying his compatriot and vault world champion Jake Jarman for the bronze.