The fund would be a way for citizens to honour the athletes by “contributing rewards to our champions”, said the government in a statement on Monday.

Letsile Tebogo brought glory to Botswana after he became the first African athlete to win the men’s 200m at the Olympics, bringing home the country’s first-ever gold medal.

But the government’s request for donations has halted celebrations for some, who question why their taxes aren’t being used to reward the Olympians.

“We are already paying tax, give our champions [sic] money from the government purse,” raged one user on Facebook.

The Botswana government did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment and it is unclear if they are also contributing to the reward pot.

“I would love to donate in support of the boy’s historic achievement, but unfortunately, I’m currently an unemployed electrical engineering graduate with a bachelor’s degree,” one user said.

Another suggested that the cabinet lead by example and donate 25% of their salaries.

Other countries in Africa have often rewarded the winners of Olympic gold medals, or the Africa Cup of Nations, with houses or lump sums of cash.

Botswana has one of the highest levels of income per head in Africa, but also one of the world’s highest rates of youth unemployment, according to Afrobarometer.

Although Botswana is one of the world’s largest producers of diamonds, the southern African country has recently experienced a slump in diamond revenues, forcing the government to cut spending, according to Bloomberg.

Despite the objection to the fund, there have been some voices of support for the Olympic reward pot.

One person enthusiastically suggested the fund be opened for anyone across the continent to send money.

“Open it to all Africans, I want to contribute from Kenya,” said one voice of support.

Tebego set an African record 19.46 seconds in the 200m, and also won a silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay alongside his teammates.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of people gathered in the National Stadium in the capital, Gaborone, to welcome the Olympic team home after President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared it a half-day holiday.

While Team USA is far ahead in the total medal rankings with 126 in Paris, it went into the last competition of the Games trailing China in the gold medal race by one. The Asian nation finished with 40 gold medals, and the US had 39 entering the final event – the women’s basketball gold medal game between Team USA and France.

Team USA would win that game in dramatic circumstances, leading to a tie in the gold medal standings.

“I saw the medal count beforehand. I thought that’s what we need, more pressure,” USA head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the game.

On the total medal standings, it’s not close. Team USA’s 126 gold, silver and bronze medals far exceeds China’s 91, the next closest nation.

Team USA had a chance to move past the Chinese in the gold standings on the final day. US teams and athletes competed for gold in women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s freestyle wrestling in the 76kg weight class, women’s weightlifting in the 81kg weight class and potentially women’s omnium in track cycling. American cyclist Jennifer Valente defended her title in the women’s omnium, ending the competition with 144 points, racking up the USA’s 39th gold medal.

China won gold on Sunday in the women’s weightlifting in the 81kg weight class when Li Wenwen defended her Olympic title from Tokyo, her country’s 40th gold medal of the Games.

The US volleyball team could not repeat its gold medal victory from Tokyo against Italy. The Italians had already guaranteed themselves their first ever medal in the sport.

In 2021, Team USA took the overall gold medal race by one, with 39 to China’s 38. It would have taken a strong day from American athletes to repeat the feat on Sunday.

However, Team USA as a whole has already easily surpassed those previous Summer Games’ total medal haul. The Americans won 113 medals in Tokyo.

The 31-year-old accelerated in the final 200 metres to cross the line in an Olympic record two hours 22 minutes 55 seconds, three seconds ahead of Ethiopian Tigst Assefa.

Hassan’s victory came only two days after she won bronze in the 10,000m and six days after 5,000m bronze.

“I have no words. Every moment in the race I was regretting that I ran the 5,000m and 10,000m. I was telling myself if I hadn’t done that, I would feel great today,” said Hassan.

“The moment I started to feel good was at 20km, I felt so good. Then I knew I wanted gold.”

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri finished third, 12 seconds behind Assefa.

Britain’s Clara Evans was 46th in 2:33:01 and Rose Harvey 78th in 2:51:03, while Calli Hauger-Thackery did not finish.

With temperatures touching 24C despite an 08:00 race start, several athletes used ice packs during the race and others carried bottles of water for long periods.

Hassan won 5,000m and 10,000m gold and 1500m bronze at Tokyo 2020.

A star-studded American team packed with NBA icons, led by LeBron James and Steph Curry, demonstrated their quality to win 98-87 amid a febrile atmosphere at Bercy Arena.

The success saw the current crop emulate the 1992 ‘Dream Team’ which they have been regularly compared to.

In front of almost 20,000 boisterous fans, France refused to roll over and moved back within three points at 82-79 with the clock ticking down in the final quarter.

But Curry, as he so regularly does, instantly landed a three-pointer for 85-79 to ease the pressure and swished three more as the Americans raced away.

Ultimately, Les Bleus did not have enough to put the Americans into an unwanted bracket of failure.

Pretty much every US Olympic squad since the Barcelona Games has been compared to the side led by Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

Six teams have won Olympic gold – but none have ever come close to being revered like this Gen Z ensemble cast.

Now, after securing victory in Paris, a group featuring four NBA regular season MVP winners – James, Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid – 11 NBA All-Stars and seven NBA champions has to be mentioned in the same breath.

Curry was the focal point of the American celebrations when the final hooter went, hugged by his team-mates and draped in a Stars and Stripes flag by James.

Stars turn out for hottest ticket in town

On the penultimate night of the Games, it was the Bercy Arena which felt like the hottest ticket in town.

France, led by NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, against the American All Stars.

The magnitude of the occasion was indicated by the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and calibre of athletes – past and present – courtside.

The hosts were represented by football icon Thierry Henry and NBA legend Tony Parker, along with swimmer Leon Marchand and judoka Teddy Riner.

On the American side of celeb row was sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, television personality Jimmy Fallon and Scottie Pippen, part of the legendary 1992 roster which the current crop were trying to emulate.

Not everyone was so lucky, however. Fans without tickets waited outside holding homemade signs pleading for someone to help them out.

If those outside did manage to join the 16,000 other fans inside, it was well worth the gamble.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Scottie Pippen sat next to fellow basketball legend Sue Bird and former United States footballer Megan Rapinoe

How US stars claimed gold

The high-octane atmosphere in the stands continued on the court as the stars came out to play.

France began well with their talisman Wembanyama – the 7ft 2in prodigy – scoring seven points in a fast and furious start.

But the Americans quickly raised their level and responded strongly.

James illustrated their growing confidence with a behind-the-back assist which Devin Booker put away before a pair of three-pointers from Anthony Edwards secured a 20-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

France rallied at the start of the second period to turn a five-point deficit into a lead, but Team USA stepped on the gas.

A six-point gap opened up at 37-31 when James trampled through French defenders in trademark fashion, with Curry and Jrue Holiday landing from behind the arc to put them eight points ahead at half-time.

The hosts had an uphill task in front of them to dethrone the kings of the Olympic court.

Continued to be backed by vociferous support, they kept plugging away to stay within reach.

The third quarter closed at 72-66 and, although they refused to give up in the final period, their wait for a maiden Olympic title goes on.

Tola stormed ahead to seal victory in two hours six minutes and 26 seconds, beating the previous record – set by Kenya’s Samuel Wanjiru in 2008 – by six seconds.

Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (2:06.47) finished second to upgrade his bronze from Tokyo in 2021, while Benson Kipruto of Kenya (2:07:00) was third.

Cairess had been second at the 30km mark, but dropped back to sixth before finishing strongly to overhaul two rivals and claim fourth in 2:07.29.

“It was a good race. I tried to pace myself, be sensible, keep myself cool and just try to finish well,” said Cairess.

“I just didn’t want to leave anything on the course, give 100% to the race and have no regrets.”

However, there was disappointment for two-time defending champion Eliud Kipchoge who was unable to finish the race after struggling towards the back of the field.

The 39-year-old Kenyan, who was attempting to become the first three-time Olympic marathon winner, pulled out with just over 10km remaining.

Cairess’ British team-mates Phil Sesemann and Mahamed Mahamed finished 46th and 57th respectively.

Tola, a world champion in 2022, only entered the marathon two weeks ago after an injury to his Ethiopian team-mate Sisay Lemma.

The 32-year-old surged into the lead at the halfway stage and gradually extended his advantage as the Eiffel Tower came back into sight.

“I am happy because I fulfilled my goal. I prepared well. I trained hard so I could win. In my life, this is my great achievement,” Tola said.

“I was the reserve in the Ethiopian team but when Sisay [Lemma] had injuries, I had a chance to represent him. I was fully prepared and knew I could fulfil my dream. I am happy to do that today.”

The Algerian, amid a controversy that has overshadowed the boxing events in Paris, beat Chinese world champion Yang Liu by unanimous decision to win the welterweight division.

The 25-year-old was roared to the ring by swathes of Algerian support – who waved their green, white and red flags – and dominated the fight.

She was showboating at the bell, dancing while already knowing the victory was hers, before the pair shared a warm embrace.

“It is my dream. I am very happy,” Khelif told the BBC. “It is fantastic. Amazing.

“Eight years of work, no sleep. I want to thank all of the people in Algeria.

“I am very happy for my performance. I am a strong woman.”

When the result was confirmed, Yang raised her opponent’s arm into the air – a sharp contrast to the scenes after Khelif’s opening fight against Italy’s Angela Carini – and Khelif was then carried around a jubilant arena on the shoulders of her coach.

Lin Yu-ting, the second boxer banned last year under the same ruling, will fight in her final on Saturday but Khelif’s Games – one of the most extraordinary and controversial in recent memory – ended with her standing on top of the podium.

She was applauded by all three of her fellow medallists and there were tears in her eyes as the Algerian anthem was played.

How did we get here?

Carini abandoned in Khelif’s opening bout after 46 seconds, saying she had to “preserve” her life.

The Algerian, whose previous best result was a world silver in 2022, followed that with convincing, unanimous-decision victories to reach this stage.

This was expected to be a tougher bout – Yang represented a step-up in class – but it proved to be another clear victory.

Yang was due to face Khelif in the final of last year’s World Championship – a title Wang went on to win – but Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA), meaning they did not meet.

The IBA said Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who contests her final on Saturday, “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out in the IBA regulations”.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which runs the boxing events at the Olympics, has allowed the pair to compete and strongly criticised the IBA, insisting Khelif and Lin were “born and raised as women”.

President Thomas Bach said earlier on Friday the organisation “does not like the uncertainty” but suggested there is not a “scientifically solid system” to “identify men and women”.

Image source: Reuters

Image caption: Khelif won in front of thousands of Algerian fans on court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros – the tennis court that has been transformed into a boxing arena for the Olympics

Many of the pair’s opponents and coaching teams have been unhappy with their involvement, however, indicating a level of discontent behind the scenes.

Carini said it “was not right” immediately after her loss to Khelif, although she later apologised for how she handled the moments after the fight. Her coach said he had advised her not to fight, saying people had told her not to “fight a man”.

Before the next round, opponent Anna Luca Hamori from Hungary said: “I don’t think it is fair”, while the Hungarian Boxing Association protested about Khelif’s inclusion. After the fight Hamori wished Khelif good luck.

Neither her semi-final opponent, Janjaem Suwannapheng, nor the Thailand’s boxer team made any direct comment on the controversy, though Suwannapheng said after the fight: “She is a woman but very strong.”

Two of Lin’s opponents, meanwhile, have made ‘X’ gestures – said to be intended to represent female chromosomes – in the ring after defeat.

Svetlana Kamenova Staneva left the arena saying “no, no, no” and made the ‘X’ sign.

Before the fight, the Bulgarian had said it was “not good for boxing”, while her boxing federation said they “strongly” opposed Lin and Khelif’s participation in Paris 2024.

After Lin’s semi-final victory over Esra Yildiz Kahraman, the Turkish fighter also made the ‘X’ sign in the centre of the ring.

Substitute Sergio Camello was the hero in the additional period, with two adroit finishes over Guillaume Restes to win a chaotic and engrossing match.

Spain initially looked to have won this final after 10 exceptional first-half minutes, in which Fermin Lopez scored twice before Alex Baena floated a free kick into the net to put them in charge in the final.

Eric Millot had put France ahead after just 12 minutes when his shot went through the hands of Arnau Tenas and in at the far post.

France mounted a stirring comeback in the dying minutes of the second half, with a goal from Maghnes Akliouche with 10 minutes to play and an injury-time penalty from Jean-Philippe Mateta pulling Les Bleus level at 3-3.

This victory gives Spain gold in the men’s football competition for the first time since 1992 when they triumphed in front of their home crowd in Barcelona.

Two-time world champion Johnson-Thompson set up a captivating finale by ensuring Belgium’s Thiam remained within 121 points – equating to roughly 8.5 seconds – before the decisive seventh event at the end of the two-day competition.

Johnson-Thompson, with a superior lifetime best by six seconds, opened a significant lead on Thiam and crossed the line in a personal best two minutes 4.90 seconds.

That gutsy performance from the 31-year-old meant Thiam took gold at the Stade de France by just 36 points to become the first woman to win three heptathlon titles.

Johnson-Thompson put together a superb competition at her fourth Games, recording the second-best points total of an illustrious career which has delivered two global triumphs.

This emotional silver, no matter how close to gold, is one to be celebrated and savoured for Johnson-Thompson – her arduous pursuit of a first Olympic medal now complete after numerous setbacks.

Having earned the opportunity to chase the sport’s ultimate prize over two laps, three years after injury heartbreak in Tokyo, Johnson-Thompson gave everything in the 800m run of her life.

But it was Thiam – the heptathlon great of her generation – who added Paris gold to Olympic triumphs in Rio and Tokyo by finishing in 2:10.62 – with about two seconds to spare.

Thiam finished on 6,880 points – ahead of Johnson-Thompson on 6,844. Thiam’s compatriot Noor Vidts moved above Switzerland’s Annik Kaelin in the final event to take bronze.

Team GB’s Jade O’Dowda finished 10th overall, while Ireland’s Kate O’Connor was 14th.

Johnson-Thompson ends Olympic podium wait

As Johnson-Thompson crouched on the track, eyes fixed on the big screen which seemed to take an age to display the full results, she wore a look of acceptance – aware she had not quite been able to produce the sensational finish required for gold.

But when Thiam’s sixth-place finish flashed up, confirming the 29-year-old had done enough, it did not take long for Johnson-Thompson’s expression to change.

A beaming smile spread as a lifelong dream at last came true, Johnson-Thompson donning a silver tiara and waving her nation’s flag proudly above her head.

She had gritted her teeth through the final metres of the race, the lactic building with every stride, years of hurt channelled into every stride.

The gap would grow – just not enough.

Johnson-Thompson was always going to finish ahead of Thiam, but the margin required for victory seemed unlikely against a competitor of her opponent’s stature and experience.

Thiam became the youngest Olympic heptathlon gold medallist in history with her first triumph aged 21 and has now won 10 of the 11 international titles she has contested since that breakout triumph.

The one exception? Silver as Johnson-Thompson won the 2019 world title.

Johnson-Thompson has had to overcome a career-threatening Achilles rupture and a devastating mid-competition injury at the Tokyo Olympics, but in Thiam’s absence she returned to the top of the world last year to complete a remarkable turnaround in her career.

Fit and firing once again in Paris, she pushed Thiam all the way to have a chance of gold, and Olympic silver after world gold represents a fitting reward for her perseverance.

The twists and turns of a thrilling heptathlon

Thiam prevailed despite bettering Johnson-Thompson in only three of the seven events.

The three-time European champion excels in the throwing events and topped the standings in both the shot put and javelin – crucially outperforming Johnson-Thompson by 166 points in the latter.

Johnson-Thompson said her magnificent shot put personal best on Thursday was “probably the best thing I’ve ever done in my career” as she limited her expected losses , and a season’s-best javelin performance kept her in contention after the penultimate on Friday morning.

It was in the 200m and long jump events where Johnson-Thompson will recognise missed opportunities to make greater gains.

Describing her 23.44 200m as frustrating, she still gained 98 points on Thiam to take the overnight lead.

Thiam leapt one centimetre further in the long jump on Friday morning as Johnson-Thompson landed a conservative second attempt after miscuing on her first, improving to 6.40m on her third despite a post-injury best 20cm further.

Those twists and turns left Johnson-Thompson facing a tall task – too tall, ultimately – in the finale.

However, in the context of her wider journey to this point, to get that close and achieve a first Olympic medal all the same, meant the moment was no less meaningful.

Ese Ukpeseraye had initially only been registered for the women’s road race but competed in two track events – which require a different kind of bike – at “short notice”, she said on social media platform X.

The 25-year-old wrote that with no bicycle to race with and in the spirit of sportsmanship the German team had come to her rescue.

Her post prompted several Nigerians online to question the competency of their national sports authorities, but Nigeria’s sports minister insisted the situation was unavoidable.

John Owan Enoh said the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world’s foremost cycling authority, offered Nigeria last-minute slots in two women’s track events “due to the disqualification of a country”.

The offer was made after Ukpeseraye and the rest of Team Nigeria had arrived in Paris for the games, Mr Enoh said.

“For this track race reallocated to Team Nigeria, a very special equipment (approved specifically for the Olympic track game) is used,” he posted on X.

“It’ll take months to have it delivered after ordering and making payment.”

Online commenters remained sceptical, however. Some linked Ukpeseraye’s case to incident earlier on in the games, where Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili discovered last minute that she could not race in the women’s 100m as she had been left off the entry list.

“I would have asked what happened to Favour Ofili who missed her 100m race because whoever was supposed to fill in her name for the competition failed to do so. Does that also take months to import?” one X user wrote.

Others asked why Nigeria was yet to win any medals at this year’s games. It is an outcome even Nigeria’s government seems frustrated by – the information ministry touched on “the disappointing performances of Nigerian athletes” in a recent press release.

In this year’s games, Ukpeseraye became the first Nigerian – man or woman – to compete in a cycling event.

Her first event was the women’s road race, but she was among a number of athletes who failed to complete the 154km (96-mile) route.

“It was an honour to represent Nigeria at this level. Although I couldn’t finish the race, being here is a victory in itself,” she is quoted by the Nigerian media as saying.

Ukpeseraye also missed out on the finals of the two track events she competed in – she finished sixth in her keirin heat and 28th in the sprint qualifiers.

However, she remains proud of her achievements, writing on X that she has “set the ball rolling for cycling in Nigeria”.

The Paris prosecutor’s office released a statement saying: “On August 9 around 5am, a man born in March 1998 in Egypt who was a wrestler in the Olympic delegation was arrested in front of the Oz cafe.”

It is understood he was arrested for allegedly touching the buttocks of another customer at the cafe.

The Egyptian Olympic Committee (EOC) named Kesho, who won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, as the team member who had been arrested.

The EOC added he will be investigated by its ethics committee and could face a life ban from competition.

“If the allegations are substantiated, the wrestler will face permanent suspension and will be barred from participating in both domestic and international competitions,” it said.

Kesho was beaten by Azerbaijan’s Hasrat Jafarov in the first round of the men’s 67kg Greco-Roman wrestling on Wednesday.

The EOC said he had been given permission to leave the Egyptian camp to watch the final of his weight category but failed to return and turned off his phone.

The vast array of NBA superstars, led by LeBron James and Steph Curry, trailed 76-63 after three quarters.

But they turned up the heat and turned around the deficit to win 95-91 at a noisy Bercy Arena.

“To come back the way we did… I’ve seen a lot of team USA basketball and that was a special,” said Curry, who finished with game-high 36 points.

The comeback maintained the Americans’ bid for a fifth successive gold in an Olympic event which they have dominated since it was introduced in 1936.

On Saturday, they will play hosts France in the gold-medal match.

Serbia, led by Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s reigning most valuable player (MVP), must settle for a crack at bronze when they face Germany earlier on the same day.

The Gen Z Dream Team prove their worth

Pretty much every US Olympic squad since the 1992 Games has been compared to the ‘Dream Team’ led by Michael Jordan and none have ever come close.

This Gen Z ensemble cast, featuring four NBA regular season MVP winners – James, Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid – 11 NBA All-Stars and seven NBA champions, is not far behind.

Coach Steve Kerr – himself one of the greatest bosses in NBA history – wondered how he would knit together five players from a 12-man squad where each could be a future Hall of Famer.

Against Serbia it took a while for the individuals to get going as a team with only Curry, finding space to land his trademark three-pointers, keeping them within touching distance.

Jokic looked on course to upstage his American opponents, playing a key role as Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points, stifled them in a dominant first half.

But, as the US powered back into the game, Serbia faltered.

Three-pointers from Durant and Embiid started to turn the tide in the last quarter before James bustled through to put them level at 84-84.

Curry landed another from behind the arc as the Americans led with two minutes and 24 seconds left – the first time they had been ahead since 45 seconds after the game started.

With an A-List crowd including Simone Biles, Snoop Dogg and Travis Scott cheering them on, they closed out a memorable victory and danced in celebration on the court.

Serbia were unhappy with some of the refereeing decisions in the clutch moments, making their feelings known by lambasting the officials as they walked off the floor.

France willing to ‘spill blood’ to win gold

Earlier, France were helped by a frenzied home crowd as they edged past Germany 73-69.

With jubilant fans celebrating inside the arena, and many more watching television screens outside Parisian bars, France moved into the gold-medal match for the second successive Games.

In Tokyo, Les Bleus had to settle for silver as they were unable to end the American stranglehold.

France face a tough task to stop them again, although they also have an NBA superstar themselves in 20-year-old Victor Wembanyama.

The spindly 7ft 4in centre, known as Wemby or the ‘Alien’ for his height and wingspan, lived up to the hype that preceded his first season at the San Antonio Spurs by winning rookie of the year.

His fine year has continued by being at the forefront of his nation’s Olympic run and he says the team will put their bodies on the line in order to beat the Americans.

“In our national anthem, we talk about blood, too. We’re willing to spill blood on the court,” said Wembanyama.

“So it’s no big deal. If it allows us to win gold, I’m all for it.”

The 4×100 relay team, consisting of Abdul-Rasheed Saminu, Ibrahim Fuseini, Benjamin Azamati, and Joe Paul Amoah were disqualified from advancing to the final.

Competing in Heat 2 against teams from Jamaica, Canada, Germany, China, Liberia, Brazil, and France, the relay team struggled with a problematic baton exchange and finished sixth.

A subsequent review revealed a late baton change in the final leg, leading to their disqualification.

This setback concluded Ghana’s Olympic campaign, which saw the nation fall short of adding to its five previous Olympic medals.

Earlier in the Games, swimmer Harry Stacey was eliminated after finishing seventh in the Men’s 100m Freestyle.

Joselle Alice Mensah also narrowly missed the semi-finals in the Women’s 50m Freestyle, placing fourth with a time of 26.81 seconds.

High jumper Rose Amoanimaa Yeboah had a strong start, clearing the 1.83m and 1.88m bars with ease.

However, she was unable to clear the 1.92m bar in three attempts, resulting in her elimination despite it being below her personal best of 1.97m.

In the 100m, Azamati and Saminu both reached the semi-finals but did not advance to the final.

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An Irene Paredes own goal set Brazil on their way, with Gabi Portilho scoring a second on the stroke of half-time to stun the side that many had tipped as favourites for the gold medal.

Adriana added a third for Brazil, who were still without their all-time leading scorer Marta, 38, after she was suspended following her dismissal in the Group C defeat to the Spaniards.

While Duda Sampaio headed into her own goal to give Spain hope, Kerolin raced clear in the first of 15 added minutes to score Brazil’s fourth before Salma Paralluelo bundled in a late consolation.

Spain will now play Germany for the bronze medal in Lyon on Friday (14:00).

Brazil are now guaranteed to at least match their previous best showing in the competition, when they won the silver medal in 2004 and 2008 – on both occasions losing to the US.

American Thomas, installed as favourite following the pre-competition withdrawal of Jamaica’s world champion Shericka Jackson, dominated the final to win in 21.83 seconds.

Neita, who also missed out on a 100m bronze by four-hundredths of a second on Saturday, and Asher-Smith were each hoping to become the first British woman to make an Olympic sprint podium for 64 years.

But Asher-Smith finished fourth in 22.22 and Neita crossed the line fifth in 22.23, behind runner-up Julien Alfred (22.08) and American bronze medallist Brittany Brown (22.20).

Thomas had to settle for world silver behind Jackson last year, having taken Olympic bronze in Tokyo.

But coming in as the fastest woman this year, and in the absence of her main rival, the 27-year-old unleashed a triumphant roar across the line and held her hands on her head in disbelief after seizing her moment.

“I’ve envisioned this race over and over in my head so many times, as I do with every race, and that’s how I win races,” said Thomas. “But I did not expect to feel how I felt when I crossed that line.

“I couldn’t believe it. I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would become an Olympic gold medallist. It was the happiest moment of my life.”

It was a second Games medal for runner-up Alfred after the 23-year-old had dominated the 100m final to make history as St Lucia’s first Olympic medallist.

Behind her was Brown, 29, as she clinched her second global medal – and first since winning world 200m silver behind Asher-Smith in 2019.

‘My time is coming’ – agony for Neita and Asher-Smith

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Neita and Asher-Smith are just edged out in the 200m final

Neita, 27, had made no secret of her determination to end her wait for an individual global medal in Paris – and she could not have gone much closer to achieving that.

Such are the fine margins in global sprint finals, she has finished a combined 0.07 seconds away from medals in the Olympic 100m and 200m.

Having made five global podiums as part of the women’s 4x100m relay squad, Neita has made impressive progress since reaching – but finishing last – in the Olympic 100m final in Tokyo three years ago.

“All in all it has been a fantastic Olympic Games for me,” Neita told BBC Sport. “I am a double finalist. Fourth place in the 100m by a couple of hundredths and [almost] the same here. I know my time is coming, I have to be a little bit more patient.

“I gave it my all tonight. I’m proud of myself but I really wanted to leave here with an individual medal and I am just hungry.”

It is to the relay where Neita’s attention now turns, alongside team-mate Asher-Smith.

Five years have passed since Asher-Smith, at the age of 23, realised her dazzling potential by becoming the first British woman to win a major global sprint title in this event at the 2019 World Championships.

In pursuit of a first Olympic medal, three years after being left in tears when she missed out on the 100m final in Tokyo, the 28-year-old was bitterly disappointed to fall short once again over that distance in Paris.

But Asher-Smith ensured a positive end to her individual campaign as she brushed off that setback to produce a strong 200m showing.

“I feel good. It has been a long week and I am proud of that performance,” she said.

“It was a really strong field, all the girls between them had so many strengths. So many good bend runners, so many amazing finishers and I was really proud that I held my own.”

Hudson-Smith eyes gold after cruising into final

Team GB’s Matthew Hudson-Smith set up his opportunity to race for Olympic 400m gold by cruising to victory in a high-quality semi-final.

With three of the six fastest men in the world this year in the same line-up, world silver medallist Hudson-Smith obliterated his competition and eased down before crossing the line in 44.07.

However, team-mate Charlie Dobson, making his Olympic debut, missed out on the qualifying positions as he clocked 44.48 for fourth in his race.

Grenada’s Kirani James, a three-time Olympic medallist in the event, posted the fastest time of the round in 43.78.

The men’s 400m final takes place at 20.20 BST on Wednesday.

Jacob Fincham-Dukes finished fifth in the men’s long jump final on his Olympic debut.

The 27-year-old produced a best leap of 8.14m as Greece’s Miltiadis Tentoglou retained his Olympic title by jumping 8.48m.

Fellow Briton Elizabeth Bird was seventh in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final, which saw gold go to Winfred Yavi, of Bahrain.

Laviai Nielsen suffered heartbreak in the women’s 400m hurdles semi-finals as she fell after clipping the final barrier.

Team-mate Jessie Knight also failed to qualify, finishing fifth in her semi-final.

But American defending champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (52.13) and world champion Femke Bol (52.57), of the Netherlands, won their races to qualify as the two fastest athletes for Thursday’s gold-medal showdown.

Fire-brand sports broadcaster, Patrick Osei-Agyemang, has criticised Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC) following Ghana’s failure to secure any medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It is a disgrace that Ghana has no medals at the ongoing Paris Olympics,” the Fire-for-Fire host said on Adom TV.

Countryman Songo as he is popularly called noted that, “it’s disheartening to see taxpayer money being spent with no return in terms of medals. Our sports development has stagnated. We hosted the All African Games and invested heavily, yet we failed to secure gold medals.”

Countryman Songo called urged the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif to reassess and improve sports management.

“We need to wake up and make necessary adjustments. We used to perform well, but now we’re lagging behind. It’s time to put competent individuals in charge and focus on genuine sports development,” he added.

In the current Olympics, Rose Yeboah exited early in the high jump, while swimmers Harry Stacey and Joselle Alice Mensah did not advance.

Benjamin Azamati and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu reached the semi-finals of the men’s 100m sprints but did not progress to the finals.

Ghana’s next opportunity for a medal will be in the men’s 4x100m relay, scheduled for Thursday, August 8.

The result means Thierry Henry’s side are guaranteed a first medal in the tournament in 40 years when they play Spain at the Parc des Princes on Friday (17:00 BST).

Mateta, 27, swept in a late equaliser from Michael Olise’s pass to level the scores after Mahmoud Saber had powered in an opener for Egypt from close range in Lyon.

Crystal Palace forward Mateta headed the hosts in front nine minutes into extra time, after Omar Fayed had been dismissed for a second yellow card.

Faye’s first booking came in second-half stoppage time as he protested against a French appeal for a penalty that was not awarded after a VAR review.

Olise rounded off the scoring for France, with Egypt now set to face Morocco in Nantes on Thursday (16:00) in the bronze-medal match.

The 24-year-old produced a thrilling finish to cross the line in 14 minutes and 28.56 seconds ahead of compatriot Kipyegon.

The reigning world champion was quickly stripped of her silver medal for obstruction during a clash with Gudaf Tsegay.

However, Kipyegon was eventually reinstated in second place following a successful Kenyan appeal to World Athletics.

There was a third medal for Kenya on Monday as Mary Moraa took bronze in the women’s 800m final, with Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma winning silver behind Great Britain’s Keely Hodgkinson.

Drama for Kipyegon

Chebet, the runner-up at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and a bronze medallist in Budapest last year, hung in with Kipyegon through much of the 5,000m final.

Kipyegon moved to the front with four laps to go but then clashed with Tsegay with just over two laps remaining as the Ethiopian world record holder took over the lead.

Chebet kept her composure and remained on the heels of Kipyegon as the latter led at the bell, and then timed her move to perfection as she powered to gold on the home straight.

She smiled widely as she crossed the line after an exhausting performance which delivered her country’s first medal of the Games in the French capital.

Chebet hugged and cheered with Kipyegon as the pair donned Kenyan flags to wild cheers from the packed Stade de France.

It quickly became clear, however, that Kipyegon would not join Chebet on the podium as her name disappeared from the results list and she was later marked disqualified, dissolving the joy.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was upgraded to second, with Italy’s Nadia Battocletti handed bronze.

Appeal successful

Yet Chebet, chatting to reporters, felt that Kipyegon would be reinstated following her clash with Tsegay.

“It wasn’t Faith’s fault,” she said.

“I was behind them and Faith was in the inside lane. Gudaf tried to get into Faith’s lane.

“Faith had to use her hand to tell Gudaf ‘Don’t push me’. It wasn’t Faith’s fault, she lost her balance and tried to avoid stepping out of the track.”

And, almost two hours after the race had finished, Kipyegon was reinstated in silver medal position, bumping Hassan back down to third as a World Athletics jury ruled the incident did not warrant a disqualification.

However, Kipyegon has been issued with a disciplinary yellow card which she will carry for the rest of the Games.

Hassan, who is also competing in the 10,000m and marathon at these Olympics, accepted the outcome of the appeal.

“I am really happy that Faith gets her medal back,” the Dutch athlete said.

“I don’t really feel like I really deserved the silver. I don’t wish for medals I did not win.

“I love my bronze medal, it doesn’t matter to me what medal I get or position I finish as long as there is fairness”.

Kipyegon will now quickly need to refocus on her bid to win a third consecutive Olympic gold in the women’s 1500m.

The 30-year-old is scheduled to return to the track on Tuesday morning in the second of three heats in round one.

“I wanted to run both races because I like it,” Kipyegon said.

“This is my first time doubling at the Olympics. I step on the track and just run my race, we will see what is possible.”

The 2020 silver medallists fell behind in the first half of the semi-final after tournament top scorer Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty for his sixth goal at the Games.

Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez equalised midway through the second half in Marseille after pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area.

Substitute Juanlu Sanchez then drilled home a winner five minutes from time to clinch his side’s place in Friday’s final in Paris.

They will play the winners of the second semi-final between France and Egypt (20:00 BST).

Meanwhile, Morocco will face the losers of that tie in the bronze medal match in Nantes on Thursday.

In the individual beam final, Biles lost her balance and fell off the apparatus, costing her a chance to make even more history here in France. Alice D’Amato of Italy took home the gold, Zhou Yaqin of China took silver and Italian Manila Esposito took the bronze.

Later in the floor final, Biles appeared to have put together another stunning performance on an apparatus on which she has excelled here in Paris. But two moments of landing out of bounds cost Biles six-tenths of a point, enough to bring her score down to 14.133 behind gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who scored a 14.166.

t’s a slightly disappointing end to an incredible Games for the American legend. Biles, already the most decorated gymnast of all time, put her name next to a few more records last week when she won the gold in the team event with Team USA, the individual all-around competition and the vault final.

With those wins, Biles became the most decorated American Olympic gymnast of all time – now with 11 total Olympic medals, including seven gold – and also became the oldest American gymnast to win a gold medal at 27.

While it wasn’t the result she wanted, Biles is not walking away from Paris disappointed.

“I accomplished way more than my wildest dreams – not just at this Olympics, but in this sport,” Biles told reporters afterward. “So I can’t be mad at my performances. A couple years ago, I didn’t think I’d be back here at an Olympic Games, so competing and then walking away with four medals, I’m not mad about it. I’m pretty proud of myself.”

She had a chance to tie another incredible mark if she had won both the beam and the floor exercises on Monday. The only two women to ever win nine Olympic gold medals are American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. Biles will have to wait until Los Angeles in 2028 if she wants to try and reach that mark.

It was a tough day on the beam overall for many as multiple competitors fell, including Biles’ Team USA teammate Sunisa Lee.

Lee lost her footing during her routine and slipped, landing with the beam between her legs before tipping over onto the mat on her side. She would end up finishing in sixth place, one spot behind Biles.

Unlike Biles, the 2020 gold medalist in the all-around won’t get another chance on Monday to redeem herself. The beam was Lee’s last competition here in Paris.

“It was a lot of pressure. It was just crazy to see how everybody was going down like that,” Lee said after. “You could feel the tension in the room. The crowd shushing us for cheering. We didn’t like that as it was just so silent in there. I love hearing my teammates cheer for me.”

Biles added that it was a weird beam final and that the silence in the arena – marked by some shushing from the crowd when the gymnasts tried to cheer on their teammates – was a little unsettling. She said she and other gymnasts have previously asked for music to be piped in during the beam finals, but have been denied.

“I don’t know. It was really weird and awkward,” Biles said. “And we’ve asked several times if we can have some music or some background noise, so I’m not really sure what happened there. But yeah, not our favorite. None of us liked it.”

A pressure-packed floor final

The moment marked a massive test for Biles later on Monday when she took on the floor final.

Throughout these Olympics, Biles has emphasized what a key role her mentality has played in bouncing back from disappointment in Tokyo. She acknowledged after the team final that thoughts of her withdrawal from those events three years ago were lingering as she began her vault for Team USA.

Biles, who has talked about the importance of taking care of her mental health during these Games after each of her golden performances, has said she’s speaking with her therapist every morning before competition and religiously every Thursday.

“After all these years of putting in the mental work in, it’s paid off,” Biles said Saturday after winning her latest gold.

She added, “The Olympics is such a draining process for the athletes. It’s multiple days of competitions, so you definitely have to be on top of your mental as well as your physical [health].”

Her routine was full of the power and grace that Biles has made her trademark. Her speed and the torque on her spins were incredible and her flips made her appear to be floating on air. But all that power and speed had a side-effect as the American on two occasions had to step out of bounds in order to catch her footing, incurring those costly penalties.

When she finished, Biles looked to have done more than enough to pip Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade to the gold medal. Andrade’s total score was far below the performances that Biles had been turning in on the floor during her appearances earlier in the competition and, if the American performed to her usual standard, then she was a shoo-in for gold.

But those few tiny stumbles were just enough to give the Brazilian her second Olympic gold medal. Andrade had pushed and pushed Biles throughout these Paris Games, in the individual all-around competition and the vault final in which the American took home the Olympic title.

After Thursday night’s all-around final, Biles said she loved competing against the Brazilian, but Andrade was getting “too close.”

“I don’t want to compete with Rebeca no more. I’m tired,” Biles said at the time. “She’s way too close. I’ve never had an athlete that close, so it definitely put me on my toes, and it brought up the best athlete in myself, so I’m excited and proud to compete with her but … it was uncomfortable, guys. I was stressing.”

Biles and Chiles bow to Andrade, the new queen of the floor

Biles seemed to take the disappointment in stride – her and bronze medalist Jordan Chiles bowed before the Brazilian after the competition, hailing her as the new queen of the floor.

“She’s so amazing. She’s queen,” Biles said of Andrade on Monday. “And first it was an all-Black podium, so that was super exciting for us. But then Jordan was like, ‘Should we bow to her?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ So we’re like, ‘Are we gonna do it now?’ And then, that’s why we did it.

“But she’s, she’s such an excitement to watch. And then all the fans in the crowd always cheering for her. So it was just the right thing to do. She’s sweet.”

Chiles said she wanted to make sure that Andrade got the praise that she felt the Brazilian deserved and that the new gold medalist is one of the kinder competitors to go up against.

“You know, she’s an icon, a legend herself,” Chiles said. “So I feel like being recognized is what everybody should do when it comes to somebody who’s put in the work, put in the dedication. So yeah, in that moment, I was like … first off, again, yes, it was an all-Black podium. Second off, why don’t we just give her flowers? She’s given, you know, not only has she given Simone her flowers, but a lot of us on, in the United States our flowers as well, so giving it back is what makes it so beautiful. So I felt like it was needed.”

Chiles herself only just got on the medal stand in another dramatic twist. After her routine, she was awarded a score of 13.666, putting her in fifth place. But then she challenged the judges’ score and her difficulty marks were increased by .1 points, enough to move her over Romania’s Ana Bărbosu for the final spot on the podium.

The 21-year-old, competing in front of his home crowd, looked all set to clear 5.70m and take a major step towards the final of his event before disaster struck.

As the Frenchman prepared to relinquish his pole, his own manhood grazed the bar with enough force to send it crashing to the floor, thus ending his hopes of a medal.

Ammirati had already cleared two heights before his bulge brought a premature end to his competition. He eventually finished 12th with a height of 5.60 in Group A.

Robin Emig and Thibault Collet, Ammirati’s compatriots, meanwhile, recorded heights of 5.60 meters and 5.75 meters, respectively.

Collet, who became the third-best French performer in pole vault history in June after clearing a bar at 5.95 meters, said of his performance on Saturday: ‘When people say that the Games are different, well, it really is different.

‘Today, I missed my competition. I knew that this qualification was going to be tough and now I’m taking it in the face.

‘The Olympic Games are over. I’m going to pack my bags before going home.’

Ammirati wasn’t the only athlete to suffer a disappointing premature exit on Saturday with British sprinter Jeremiah Azu disqualified without even getting the chance to race after a false start.

‘Honestly, I just reacted to a sound,’ said Azu before confirming he would appeal the decision. ‘It’s a shame. The crowd are so excited and the French fans are here.

“It’s a shame that they didn’t let me run at the protest – I’m not sure what rules are being used but they have said I need to go back and put an appeal in so I’m going to go through the process and see what happens.

‘I was saying I wanted to run with the protest. In any other race, they allow you to run and then they review it but this is the Olympics and clearly it’s different rules.

‘I just want to put in this appeal as quickly as possible so that I can come back out here and get into the semi-final.’

Anthony Ammirati failed the bar and the commentators are clearly having a hard time acknowledging what happened HELP I'M DYING pic.twitter.com/5hOHttVA5g

— Gladys Wotching (@Glodyswotcher) August 3, 2024

Showman Lyles overhauled his rivals in the second half of the race to triumph by the finest of margins in a personal best 9.79 seconds.

That was the same time as Olympic debutant Thompson, who led for most of the race, but Lyles produced a spectacular finish to successfully begin his bid for a potential four golds at these Games.

The United States’ former world champion Fred Kerley took bronze in 9.81, edging out South Africa’s Akani Simbine for the podium.

After a lengthy wait behind the start line to a backdrop of dramatic music in a frenzied atmosphere at Stade de France, all eight finalists finished within 0.12 seconds of Lyles in a remarkable race.

Such was the standard of the final – which Great Britain’s Zharnel Hughes and Louie Hinchliffe failed to reach – Italy’s reigning champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs was run out of the medals and another Jamaican rising star, Oblique Seville, finished last in 9.91.

In the end it was Lyles, an athlete who thrives on the sport’s grandest stages and who won three golds at last year’s World Championships, who sprinted away in celebration once the official result appeared on the big screen.

The 27-year-old repeatedly rang the victory bell by the side of the track after establishing himself at the pinnacle of the sport, before he targets further success in the 200m and relay events.

“You couldn’t have asked for a bigger moment,” Lyles told BBC Sport.

“I had to take every round as it was and I was a little upset after the first round so I came with the aggression, and after I ran 9.83.

“I hope you guys like Noah because I got a lot more coming!”

Lyles continues to deliver on big ambitions

Lyles has remained outspoken and unflinching in his belief that he has the on-track ability and off-track aura to replace Usain Bolt as the new superstar of men’s athletics.

The American has talked the talk but he continues to back it up when it matters most.

Lyles last year became the first man since Bolt in 2015 to win a 100m and 200m world double, before completing a golden treble in the 4x100m relay.

Lyles claimed in the build-up to the Paris Games that he would look to add the 4x400m to that haul in the French capital, and he hinted at his form when running a 100m personal best at the London Diamond League last month.

But repeating such success on these stages, under intense pressure – much of it self-imposed – is another thing entirely.

He has now become the first American to win an Olympic 100m title for 20 years, since Justin Gatlin in 2004, and asserted himself as the dominant male sprinter of the current generation.

A three-time reigning world 200m champion, he will look to maintain his grip on the sport’s major titles in that event, which starts on Monday.

Should he do so, he will move a step closer to sporting immortality in his pursuit of a historic four golds at these Games.

GB’s Hinchliffe and Hughes come up short

Hinchliffe’s fairytale rise from obscurity less than three months ago to an Olympic 100m debut was already a stunning achievement in its own right.

But the 22-year-old and his coach Carl Lewis both said their goal was to make the final in Paris. When the Briton beat Lyles in a statement introduction in his heat on Saturday that appeared a realistic target.

Even Lewis, with his vast experience as both a nine-time Olympic champion and coach at the University of Houston for the past decade, has been surprised by the remarkable rate of Hinchliffe’s progress during their 12-month partnership.

Unfortunately the final proved a step too far, with Hinchliffe run out of the non-automatic qualifying spots after finishing third behind Seville and Lyles in his semi-final.

“It’s obviously not the result I wanted but I can’t be too hard on myself,” Hinchliffe, already the sixth-fastest British man in history, told BBC Sport.

“I’ll definitely use this experience and I’ll learn from my mistakes, so it is back to the drawing board and we’ll work on it and come back stronger next year.”

It also was not to be for Hughes, who could not set up the opportunity to replicate the breakthrough first global medal he achieved last year – or for Olympic redemption following his false start in the Tokyo final three years ago.

The 29-year-old has not been able to hit the same heights of a 2023 season in which he broke two long-standing British records over 100m and 200m, after this campaign was disrupted by a hamstring injury.

“Obviously I’m disappointed but I know where I am coming from. This is my third 100m. Not making any excuses. Today just wasn’t my day,” Hughes, who will also contest the 200m, said.

“To try to get through the rounds of the Olympics after injuring my hamstring with a grade two tear last month wasn’t that easy, but I dug deep to give myself a chance and that’s what I came here to do.”

The 37-year-old, a five-time world and two-time Olympic 100m champion, is competing at her final Games before retirement.

Fraser-Pryce qualified from her heat on Saturday but did not line up to compete for a place in the final.

But she could yet add to her total haul of 24 global medals as part of Jamaica’s women’s 4x100m team, who won gold in Tokyo three years ago.

Fraser-Pryce was bidding to make the 100m podium at a fifth successive Olympic Games after being denied a third title by team-mate Elaine Thompson-Herah in Tokyo three years ago.

The third-fastest woman in history with a personal best of 10.60, Fraser-Pryce announced her decision to retire in February – 17 years after she first appeared on the global stage for Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team at the 2007 World Championships.

As the rain teemed down at a raucous Stade de France, Alfred, 23, dominated the final and took victory by a clear margin in a national record 10.72 seconds.

American world champion Sha’Carri Richardson took silver in 10.87, with compatriot Melissa Jefferson (10.92) third.

Great Britain’s Daryll Neita finished four-hundredths of a second off the podium in fourth, crossing the line in 10.96.

Neita produced the best finish by a British female athlete in an Olympic sprint final for 64 years but that will be of little consolation in her pursuit of a first individual global medal.

“I’m finding it hard to find words at the minute, literally speechless, so close to the medal, so close,” Neita told BBC Sport.

“I’m healthy and I have the 200m to contest. I was so close to that medal and I really want that medal but fourth in the Olympics is something to be proud of.”

Her British team-mates Dina Asher-Smith and Imani-Lara Lansiquot earlier failed to make the final, while Jamaican sprint icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce withdrew from the competition before her semi-final.

Asher-Smith finished fifth in her semi-final in 11.10 and Lansiquot missed out after running 11.21.

“I’m just disappointed because I’m in great shape and have been in great shape all season. I fully expected to make that final, the race wasn’t even fast,” Asher-Smith told BBC Sport.

“I know I’m in a lot better shape than that. I just go on to the 200m, but again I’m fully disappointed. I should have made that.”

Neita and Asher-Smith will both now target a medal in the 200m, which starts on Sunday morning.

Alfred celebrates historic success

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: St Lucia had never won an Olympic medal of any colour before Paris 2024

St Lucia, a Caribbean island of fewer than 200,000 people, has fielded athletes at seven previous Olympics without a medal.

But Alfred has broken her nation’s duck – and takes home a stunning gold – following her heroics in a Paris downpour.

She did not look like being caught from the moment she hit the front, leaving Richardson among those in her wake as she took a commanding victory.

With her first global outdoor title secured, a jubilant Alfred continued to sprint far beyond the finish line in celebration before tearing her pinned name off her vest and showing it to the crowd.

Alfred announced herself at the start of this Olympic year by winning world indoor 60m gold – also a first by an athlete from St Lucia.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist has improved steadily during the season and set a new personal best – and national record – when she ran 10.78 at the start of June, before reducing her 200m best to 21.86 in London last month.

Based in Austin, Texas, where she trains under coach Edrick Floreal and alongside Asher-Smith, Alfred reached the final of both the 100m and 200m at the 2023 World Championships – finishing fifth and fourth respectively.

She has now delivered on the world-beating promise she had displayed – and will reset for the 200m in a bid for further history.

Richardson settles for silver as Neita misses out

For all eight athletes on the start line of the 100m final, there appeared a huge opportunity.

Reigning Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, of Jamaica, was ruled out of defending her title after sustaining an Achilles tendon injury, while world 200m champion Shericka Jackson chose just to focus her efforts on that event in Paris.

Then, before the semi-finals on Saturday, the withdrawal of two-time champion Fraser-Pryce meant no Olympic medallists from Tokyo would be present.

Richardson lined up as the fastest woman in the world this year after running 10.71 in June, but the American simply could not get close to Alfred on her Olympic debut.

Jefferson, 23, edged out GB’s Neita to win her first individual global medal, having won successive world 4x100m relay golds.

Neita had made no secret of her determination to end her wait for an individual global medal in Paris.

Having made five global podiums as part of the British relay team, the 27-year-old has made impressive progress since reaching – but finishing last in – the Olympic 100m final in Tokyo three years ago.

She must now quickly refocus for the 200m, having finished fifth in that event at last year’s World Championships, before hoping to help GB to a third successive Olympic 4x100m podium.

“I think I put a good race together, I came fourth in the final, it’s an amazing progression – I was last in the final last time,” Neita said.

“I really, really, really wanted that medal. I need to recover because I’m in the 200m.”

The Algerian is one of two boxers competing in Paris despite being banned from last year’s World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after she was reported to have failed gender eligibility tests, a situation which has sparked huge controversy.

The 25-year-old’s previous bout lasted just 46 seconds but Khelif, having entered the ring to cheers from loud Algerian support, went the full three rounds on Saturday, winning by unanimous decision.

“I feel good,” an emotional Khelif told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.

“It’s the first medal in women’s boxing in Algeria – I’m very happy. I want to thank all the world and the Arabic world – thank you so much.”

Hamori said prior to the fight she did not “think it is fair” Khelif was competing, but the bout was largely fought in good spirits.

The pair shared an embrace after the bell and again after the result was confirmed.

“It was a very hard day for both of us but I just want to say it was a great fight and I wish good luck to Khelif in the future, and thank you so much,” Hamori said.

Asked again if she thought the fight was unfair, Hamori, who was booed into the arena, said: “I don’t care about it.”

Shortly after the fight, Algeria president Abdelmadjid Tebboune posted on social media: “You have honoured Algeria, Algerian women and Algerian boxing. We will stand by your side, whatever your results are. Good luck in the next two rounds and moving forward.”

Khelif will meet Janjaem Suwannapheng, who beat favourite Busenaz Surmeneli – the 2021 Olympic champion from Turkey – in the semi-final on Tuesday.

Even if she loses Khelif will leave the Paris Games with a bronze medal.​​​​​​​

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting have been strongly backed amid tense debate by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who run the boxing competitions at the Games.

IOC president Thomas Bach said earlier on Saturday there was “never any doubt” the pair are women.

Khelif reached the final of last year’s World Championships before being disqualified by the IBA – a Russia-led organisation suspended by the IOC in 2019 because of concerns over its finances, governance, ethics, refereeing and judging.

The IBA said Khelif had “failed to meet the eligibility criteria for participating in the women’s competition, as set and laid out” in its regulations.

The IOC said the pair were “suddenly disqualified without any due process”.

Image source: EPA

Image caption: The Hungarian Boxing Association protested against Khelif’s participation at Paris 2024 before the fight

‘Controversy is a joke’

Yacine Arab, the sport manager of the Algeria National Olympic Committee, said the controversy around Khelif has been a “joke”.

Some reports have taken the IBA statement that Khelif and Lin have XY chromosomes to speculate they might have differences of sexual development (DSD) like runner Caster Semenya.

Arab denied this. Speaking to the BBC’s Roan before Saturday’s fight he said: “When she arrived at the village she did this test.

“Do you think if she was positive they would let her fight? Never. She did all the tests – even the tests for pregnancy. All the tests were negative.

“[The IBA] said she was positive and her testosterone is very, very high. Then the medical president of the IOC said that it’s really normal in boxing that the athletes’ testosterone is high. For all the girls it is the same. Imane is not alone in this case.

“The controversy is a joke. Everyone knows that Imane was born a girl. She has fought all her life as a girl. All the competitions she was a girl. When she was losing nobody talked about this.”

Players and coaches from both sides clashed on the pitch at the end as the hosts booked their last-four spot.

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta got France’s winner when he headed home Michael Olise’s fifth-minute corner at the near post.

Argentina’s best chance came just before half-time with Giuliano Simeone heading over from close range.

France had a late goal ruled out as the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled Maghnes Akliouche had fouled an opponent before Olise found the net with a deflected effort.

There has been recent animosity between the teams, with Argentina players filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s black players in the aftermath of winning the Copa America on 14 July.

French fans booed the Argentinian national anthem before the match at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, and the fracas at the final whistle highlighted the rivalry and tension.

France, who last won Olympic gold in men’s football in 1984, will face Egypt in Monday’s semi-final (20:00 BST) after the Pharaohs beat Paraguay 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Argentina, who beat France on penalties at the 2022 World Cup, were hoping to become the first nation to be both the reigning world and Olympic champions since Italy in 1936.

The result rounded off a brilliant day for French sport with the 2024 hosts winning gold medals in judo, swimming and cycling BMX earlier on Friday.

Spain set up semi-final with Morocco

Fermin Lopez scored twice as Spain defeated Japan 3-0 in Lyon to move into the semi-finals.

The Barcelona midfielder, who was part of Spain’s victorious Euro 2024 squad, opened the scoring early on with a left-foot drive into the right corner and added his second, with a dipping right-foot shot from 20 yards, after the break.

Mao Hosoya, who hit the post for Japan, thought he had equalised late in the first period but his effort was ruled out for offside after a lengthy video assistant referee review.

Abel Ruiz’s late tap-in sealed victory for the European side, who will now play Morocco in Marseille on Monday (17:00 BST).

Morocco dominated from start to finish at Parc des Princes as they thrashed the United States 4-0 to reach the competition’s last four for the first time.

Soufiane Rahimi set them on their way, knocking in his fifth goal of the tournament from the penalty spot just before the half-hour mark.

Ilias Akhomach doubled their lead with a close-range finish and captain Achraf Hakimi extended their advantage with a left-foot effort after a fine run.

Substitute Mehdi Maouhoub rounded off the scoring with another penalty in stoppage time following a VAR review for a handball.

“I felt like I was playing at home in this stadium where I play for my club, but also because our fans were very loud and were here in big numbers,” said Hakimi, who plays in France for Paris St-Germain.

“Fans have been following us all tournament, I hope they can follow us all the way to the final. We want to make them proud.”

The victory sets up a tantalizing semi-final clash for Morocco against either Japan or Spain in Marseille.

The Atlas Lions showcased their attacking prowess and tactical superiority in a match that will long be remembered by fans at the Parc des Princes.

From the opening whistle, Morocco dominated proceedings, with their high-pressing game and swift counterattacks causing constant problems for the American defense.

The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Soufiane Rahimi converted a penalty, his fifth goal of the tournament, after Nathan Harriel’s clumsy challenge in the box.

The USA struggled to gain a foothold in the match, with Morocco’s midfield trio of Abde Ezzalzouli, Ilias Akhomach, and Amir Richardson controlling the tempo and creating numerous chances.

The Americans’ brief resurgence early in the second half was quickly extinguished as Morocco stepped up a gear.

Akhomach doubled Morocco’s lead in the 63rd minute, finishing off a well-worked move down the left flank.

The goal seemed to deflate the USA, and Morocco capitalized on their opponents’ fragile state of mind.

Just seven minutes later, Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi showcased his class with a sublime solo effort, gliding through midfield unchallenged before finding the bottom corner from outside the box.

As the match entered its final stages, Morocco continued to press, and their efforts were rewarded with a second penalty in stoppage time.

El Mehdi Maouhoub stepped up to convert, putting the finishing touch on a memorable night for Moroccan football.

On this form, the Atlas Lions will fancy their chances against any opponent as they continue their quest for Olympic glory.

As the final whistle blew, the Moroccan players and fans celebrated a historic achievement, while coach Tarik Sektioui’s astute tactics and team selection were vindicated in the most emphatic manner possible.

Djokovic, holder of a men’s record 24 Grand Slam titles, beat Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-2 on Friday to reach the Olympic final for the first time.

The 37-year-old Serb, who lost in straight sets to Alcaraz at the All England Club last month, has won every major singles title except the Olympics.

He was fourth in Tokyo three years ago and took bronze at Beijing in 2008 – his only previous Olympic medal.

Djokovic’s routine win was in stark contrast to his match on the same court against Musetti at the French Open two months ago, which went to five sets and finished at 03:07 local time.

He now faces Spanish second seed Alcaraz, who thrashed Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 6-1 in Friday’s other semi-final.

The 21-year-old will contest his third major final two months, having won the French Open at the same venue in Paris in June, before his Wimbledon win.

Elsewhere, world number one Iga Swiatek won bronze in the women’s tournament.

The Pole was left in tears on Thursday after her 25-match winning streak on the Paris clay was ended by China’s Zheng Qinwen.

That defeat meant Swiatek missed out on the gold-medal match.

However, she was back in action on Friday, breezing past Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-1 in just 61 minutes to add Olympic bronze to her five Grand Slam titles.

It is Poland’s first Olympic medal in tennis.

Czech pair Katerina Siniakova and Tomas Machac won the mixed doubles gold, beating China’s Wang Xinyu and Zhang Zhizhen 6-2 5-7 10-8.

Canadians Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski beat Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands to take the bronze.

Khelif is one of two athletes who have been cleared to compete in the women’s boxing in Paris, having been disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships for failing to meet eligibility criteria.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) – which did not organise the World Championships but is running the boxing at Paris 2024 – said welterweight Khelif was disqualified in India because of elevated levels of testosterone.

Having received a bye in the first round at the Olympics, the 25-year-old – who also competed at the Tokyo Games – entered Arena Paris Nord on Thursday to much applause from the many Algerians in the crowd.

After taking a punch to the face inside 30 seconds, Carini went to the corner for her coach to fix her headgear but after briefly resuming, returned to her corner once more and stopped the fight.

Just before Khelif’s arm was raised by the referee, Carini could be heard on camera saying “it’s not right”.

She was in tears in the ring and as she faced the media after the bout.

“I wasn’t able to finish the match, I felt a strong pain to my nose and I said [to myself] for the experience that I have and the maturity as a woman that I have, I said I hope my nation won’t take it badly, I hope my dad won’t take it badly – but I stopped, I said stop for myself,” Carini told BBC Sport.

“It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.

“I didn’t have fear, I don’t fear the ring. I don’t fear taking the blows. But this time there’s an end for everything, and I put an end to this match, because I wasn’t able to [continue].”

On Khelif, Carini told reporters: “I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy.

“I am someone who doesn’t judge anyone. I am not here to give judgements.”

Khelif, who has lost nine times during her 50-fight career, told BBC Sport: “I’m here for the gold – I fight everybody.”

It comes a day after Algeria’s Olympic Committee condemned “baseless” attacks on Khelif.

Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who was stripped of a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships after failing a gender eligibility test, fights in Paris on Friday.

The IOC said all boxers in Paris “comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations”.

On Tuesday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived – they competed in Tokyo.”

The 2023 World Championships, at which Khelif and Lin were disqualified, were organised by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

But last June, the Russia-led body was stripped of its status as the sport’s world governing body by the IOC, which organised the boxing competitions at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is doing so again for Paris.

On Wednesday, the IBA said the pair were disqualified at the World Championships “to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition”.

It said they “did not undergo a testosterone examination but were subject to a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential”.

“This test conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors,” the body added.

The pair had tests at the World Championships in Istanbul 2022 and then again in 2023.

The IBA said while Lin did not appeal against the disqualification decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Khelif did appeal but later withdrew it.

BBC Sport has contacted the Italian Olympic Committee and the IOC for comment.

But Alcaraz and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal were beaten in the men’s doubles by USA’s Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram – losing 6-2 6-4.

French Open champion Alcaraz defeated Russian Roman Safiullin, who is competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, 6-4 6-2.

Earlier, Djokovic beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 7-5 6-3 in very humid conditions, as the Serb continues his quest for the Olympic men’s singles gold that has so far eluded him.

“I’m soaking wet,” Djokovic said moments after his win. “It’s a very, humid day. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit and the air.

“But it is what it is. You have to kind of accept and embrace the conditions and it’s the same for you and your opponents, so you have to try to make the best out of it.”

French Open finalist Alexander Zverev overcame a spirited start by Australia’s Alexei Popyrin to reach the last eight.

The quarter-final line-up also includes Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, Norway’s Casper Ruud and the USA’s Tommy Paul.

French Open women’s champion Iga Swiatek went through – having been tested in her quarter-final. She was leading 6-1 2-6 4-1 when the USA’s Danielle Collins retired in the deciding set.

Germany’s three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber’s career finally came to an end, after losing to China’s Zhang Qinwen 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (8-6).

“I’ve achieved everything I dreamed of,” Kerber said.

“I was number one, won Grand Slams, won a [silver] medal in Rio, so what more could you want in the end?”

Kerber triumphed at the 2016 Australian and US Opens before claiming the Wimbledon title two years later.

The 21-year-old sprinter was expecting to compete in three events at her first Olympics: the 100m, 200m and women’s 4x100m relay.

But Ofili was told that she had not been registered for the 100m before Friday’s heats.

She subsequently shared a blistering statement on social media saying: “I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?”

There is confusion as to what happened, with both Nigerian officials and governing body World Athletics denying responsibility.

“We are trying to get to the root of it, because she qualified in our trials and the result was sent to World Athletics,” Solomon Ogba, a vice president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, told BBC Sport Africa in Paris.

“We just confirmed that. Normally World Athletics will send [entries] for Paris 2024. That is where the confusion is.”

However, World Athletics, the organisation responsible for drawing up start lists, has confirmed to BBC Sport Africa that Ofili was only entered in two events – the 200m and the women’s 4x100m relay.

Nigeria’s sports minister, senator John Owan Enoh, said the saga will be investigated and there will be “thorough sanctions” for those found culpable for the oversight.

More Olympic heartbreak for Ofili

Ofili pointed the blame at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) in her posts on social media.

“I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me,” she said.

“If those responsible are not held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organisation can ever be trusted in the future!”

The AFN did not respond to a request for comment, but Ogba said the NOC had told Ofili it is working on her case.

“Let’s see how it goes,” he added.

“The sports minister is on top of it and is doing everything possible to get to the root of the issue.”

This is not the first time Ofili has suffered Olympic heartbreak on a technicality.

She failed to compete at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, missing out on what would have been her debut Olympics after not meeting requirements for a minimum number of out-of-competition drug tests.

Questions are now being asked about this latest administrative error, which has also angered Nigerian sports fans.

There has been recent animosity between the teams after Argentina players were filmed singing a derogatory song about France’s black players in the aftermath of winning the Copa America on 14 July.

It was similar to a song sung by Argentina fans during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – a tournament in which the South Americans went on to beat France in the final.

At the Olympics, Argentina’s rugby sevens players have been booed in each of their games by the home French fans.

“With everything that has happened recently, everyone in France was affected, so we will see what happens in the quarter-finals,” said Jean-Philippe Mateta, who captained France in their win against New Zealand.

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, uncapped at senior level, is one of France’s overage players

Why is there animosity between the teams?

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Argentina won the Copa America in July but were heavily criticised for singing a song about France players of African descent afterwards

After beating Colombia 1-0 in the Copa America final in July, several members of the Argentina squad were filmed singing a song questioning the heritage of France’s black and mixed-race players.

Argentina fans had sung a song which was described as both racist and homophobic about France’s players at the last World Cup.

The rivalry grew when Argentina beat France on penalties in a thrilling final – with Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick having been only enough for Les Bleus to earn a 3-3 draw.

After that December 2022 game, footage emerged from the Argentina dressing room of the players singing “a minute’s silence for” and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shouting “for Mbappe who is dead”.

At their celebrations back in Argentina, Aston Villa’s Martinez held a toy baby with Mbappe’s face on, while fans had a coffin lid with a picture of the forward which they set on fire.

Those issues were stirred up again after Argentina’s Copa America final win.

Chelsea have decided not to take any action against their midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who was singing and had posted the video to his social media account.

His Blues team-mate Wesley Fofana, a French man with an Ivorian father, called it “uninhibited racism” and has since said he hopes the matter will have educated Fernandez.​​​​​​​

What players will be involved?

The men’s football tournament of the Olympics is an under-23 event – with three overage players allowed.

Fifa does not force clubs to release players – so managers have to choose from who is available.

Hosts France had wanted to call up Mbappe, but Real Madrid would not allow their new star signing to play at the European Championship and Olympics in the same summer.

France’s squad includes Crystal Palace striker Mateta, his former club-mate Michael Olise, who has joined Bayern Munich this summer, and captain Alexandre Lacazette, once of Arsenal.

Les Bleus beat the United States, Guinea and New Zealand in the group stages without conceding a goal. Their three overage players have all scored.

Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez is in Argentina’s Olympics squad, just weeks after winning the Copa America with the senior team.

Former City defender Nicolas Otamendi, now of Benfica, and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who was once registered to City but never played for them, are the other two overage players. Both were also involved in the victorious Copa America squad.

Argentina lost 2-1 to Morocco in their opening Group B game but beat Iraq and Ukraine to go through in second place. Botafogo forward Thiago Almada is their top scorer with two goals.

Mascherano v Henry – the managers

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Thierry Henry had been linked with the Wales job earlier this summer

Both sides are managed by former Barcelona and Premier League players – although Thierry Henry and Javier Mascherano never played together.

Midfielder Mascherano joined Barca from Liverpool weeks after forward Henry left them for New York Red Bulls in the summer of 2010.

Mascherano, who won 147 caps for Argentina, played for West Ham as well as the Reds in England.

He won two gold medals in the Olympics, in 2004 and 2008, and has managed his country’s under-20s since 2021.

Henry, who is Arsenal’s all-time top scorer with 228 goals, scored 51 international goals in 123 games for France.

He has been France Under-21 boss since last year, and has previously been Belgium assistant and Monaco and Montreal Impact manager.

Quarter-final fixtures – Friday, 2 August (all times BST)

14:00: Morocco v United States, Paris

16:00: Japan v Spain, Lyon

18:00: Egypt v Paraguay, Marseille

20:00: France v Argentina, Bordeaux

Marta, who will retire from international football this year, was sent off for narrowly missing Olga Carmona’s head with a dangerous high-footed tackle during the Group C match in Bordeaux.

Her hopes of appearing again in the tournament now rest on whether Brazil, make it through their quarter-final tie, after the Selecao advanced as one of the best third-placed sides.

Brazil were level when Marta was sent off just before half-time, with Spain, scoring in the 68th minute and then the 17th minute of second-half injury time – an extension prompted by multiple injury delays – to maintain their 100% record.

Marta, 38, won Olympic silver at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, losing to the United States on both occasions.

She is the all-time leading scorer in World Cups, men’s or women’s, with 17 goals in 23 appearances across six tournaments.

US continue fine form

The United States maintained their perfect start to the competition with a 2-1 victory over Australia to top Group B and set up a meeting with Japan in the quarter-finals.

Goals either side of half-time by Trinity Rodman and substitute Korbin Albert put Emma Hayes’ side firmly in control, although a late Alanna Kennedy effort ensured a nervy finale.

The US, who are record four-time gold medallists in the competition will face Japan in a repeat of the final from London 2012, at the Parc des Princes, Paris on Saturday at 14:00 BST.

Japan finished second behind Spain in Group C after beating Nigeria 3-1 in Nantes.

Maika Hamano, Mina Tanaka and Hikaru Kitagawa scored for Japan, with Jennifer Echegini replying for Nigeria.

The 17-year-old basketball phenomenon, who is competing for South Sudan at the Olympics, is expected to be one of the hottest properties in next year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft, with a host of teams already said to be clamouring for his signature.

Maluach continues to show rapid growth in his game, but there is a lot more to the teenager’s remarkable story than his abilities on the court.

“Basketball means a big thing to me. I believe it’s a gift God gave me to impact other people’s lives and to change my family’s life,” he told BBC Sport Africa.

“The orange ball has taken me so far.”

Born in 2006, his family fled to neighbouring Uganda to escape the long-running conflict which eventually led to South Sudan gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

Maluach was raised in Kawempe, a town on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital Kampala which is home to many disadvantaged communities.

He spent most of his time with his mother, six siblings and relatives from his mother’s side since his father was mainly in South Sudan.

He was first encouraged to play basketball after a chance encounter on the side of the road while walking back from school.

“A guy was on a bike and he suddenly stopped in front of me,” Maluach recalled.

“He told me ‘’You should start playing basketball. I can get you shoes, I can get you the ball’ if I started playing right away.”

Big shoes to fill

Maluach’s closest public basketball court was a one-hour walk from his home, and it was often packed.

Yet the distance was not the only thing threatening his daily games. Scarcity of basketballs and a lack of shoes was a big concern – with Maluach already a size 14 by the age of 13.

He was forced to play his first game in a pair of Crocs, but made an immediate impression on local coaches Wal Deng and Aketch Garang.

“The first time I saw Khaman, I saw so much potential,” Deng told BBC Sport Africa.

“I knew he was going to develop and become a better player. He learned so quick. I told Aketch that this kid will be the next big thing.”

In 2021, just a year after he started playing basketball, Maluach was invited for a try-out by the NBA Academy Africa.

Maluach had taught himself several moves by watching YouTube videos, learning from two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid.

The fact that these two superstars have their roots in Africa inspired the centre to work even harder.

“Me and my brother would do this thing called a ‘night shift’,” Maluach explained.

“When it reaches 12 midnight, they [the telecommunications company], give you a lot of [mobile data] at a cheaper price. The whole time, I would watch those guys.

“I used to see Giannis’ jab step, and then with Joel I learned the shimmy. If they can make it there, I can make it there too.”

Moving to West Africa

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Maluach already has plenty of experience on the big stage for South Sudan, including at last year’s Fiba World Cup

His hard work paid off, and coach Deng was among those who convinced him to take a scholarship with the NBA Academy Africa in Dakar, Senegal, although the move has meant personal sacrifices.

Maluach has not seen his family in Kawempe for the past two years while he concentrates on developing his game and his academic studies.

“The Academy has helped me grow in so many ways,” Maluach said.

“On the court, competing against the best talent on the continent kept me getting better all the time.

“One of the main reasons I took basketball to the next level is to get education. There was a time I spent two terms without going to school in Uganda.”

His brother Majok keeps up the ‘night shift’ tradition to keep track of his younger sibling.

“I like watching him on YouTube because if I watch him on TV, I get emotional,” he said.

Fast forward three years and Maluach is a projected third pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, becoming eligible after committing to playing college basketball for Duke in the USA.

Targeting the NBA Hall of Fame

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Maluach hopes to share the court with Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who both have African heritage

Playing in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) has also been critical in the teenager’s development.

It has given him a chance to play against top talent from across the continent in pressurised situations since making his debut, aged just 15, for South Sudan’s Cobra Sport in 2022.

The following year he went all the way to the final with AS Douanes of Senegal, while earlier this year he featured for City Oilers of Uganda.

Away from the BAL, he won the MVP award at the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Africa event in Johannesburg where he was tutored by Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo.

With his own place in the NBA on the horizon, Maluach has lofty goals to match his height.

“I want to be a Hall of Famer,” he said.

“That’s one of my long-term goals. Playing on the same court with Giannis and Joel Embiid.”

Inspiring youth across Africa

Image source: Getty Images

Image caption: Maluach will start playing college basketball in the United States for Duke after the Olympics

One man crucial to Maluach’s development into an international player has been Luol Deng, the former Chicago Bulls and Great Britain forward who was born in what is now South Sudan and grew up in London.

President of South Sudan’s basketball federation since 2019, the 39-year-old has been impressed with the professional demeanour and mental determination that Maluach has shown.

“With Khaman, I see a lot of myself in him,” he told BBC Sport Africa.

“I’ve been around a lot of players [and] noise will distract them and stop them from their greatness.

“For him, he wants it. He knows what it takes to achieve it, and that’s what makes him unique.”

Last year Maluach, then aged 16, helped South Sudan qualify for the Olympics for the first time via the Fiba World Cup.

He hopes the performances of the Bright Stars at Paris 2024 can inspire others on the African continent to realise their own potential.

“My long-term goal is putting Africa on the map, getting a lot of opportunities for kids because Africa has a lot of undiscovered talent,” he said.

“All they need is an opportunity and a chance.

“I believe kids in my country are motivated and this Olympic thing is going to bring all of us together.”

The team have been docked six points at Paris 2024 and Priestman received a one-year football ban from world governing body Fifa.

Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander have also been suspended from all football activities for a year.

They were sanctioned after a drone was used to spy on a training session held by New Zealand, who are in Canada’s group at the Paris Games.

“I am absolutely heartbroken for the players, and I would like to apologise from the bottom of my heart for the impact this situation has had on all of them,” said Priestman in a statement on Sunday.

“I know how hard they have worked following a very difficult year in 2023, and that they are a group of people who care very much about sportsmanship and integrity.”

The English-born coach, referencing an ongoing CSA investigation, said: “As the leader of the team on the field, I want to take accountability, and I plan to fully co-operate with the investigation.”

She also urged the Canadian public to continue to support the players.​​​​​​​

Earlier on Sunday, Canada’s government said it will withhold funding for the women’s football officials who were banned by Fifa.

Carla Qualtrough, the country’s sports minister, said the move to send a drone to monitor New Zealand’s training session was “cheating”.

She described the issue as “deeply regrettable” and said it was causing “significant distraction and embarrassment for Team Canada and all Canadians”.

“It is completely unfair to Canadian players and to opposing teams. It undermines the integrity of the game itself,” Qualtrough added.

“Given that the women’s programme receives funding from Sport Canada, we are withholding funding relating to suspended Canada Soccer officials for the duration of their Fifa sanction.”

Sport Canada is the government-led body that helps to fund elite level national organisations.

Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker said on Friday there appeared to be “information that could tarnish” the team’s women’s football gold medal from the Tokyo Games.

It followed Canadian media reports that drones had been used at previous tournaments.

Qualtrough added: “There is a deeply concerning pattern of behaviour at Canada Soccer.

“We must, and will, get to the bottom of this. The government of Canada will closely monitor the investigation and outcomes of the Canada Soccer process that is under way.

“The Future of Sport in Canada Commission is also under way which will make recommendations to the government on improvements to the Canadian sport system.”

However, Priestman said in her statement the “winning of the gold medal was earned through sheer grit and determination, despite reports to the contrary”.

Canada, led by assistant coach Andy Spence in Priestman’s absence, have beaten New Zealand and hosts France in their opening two games in Group A.

A 2-1 win against France on Sunday evening means they sit third in the group table on zero points but victory over Colombia in their final group game would secure qualification for the quarter-finals.

Vanessa Gilles scored the winner 12 minutes into second-half stoppage time for Canada as they defeated the hosts in Saint-Etienne, keeping hopes of making progress alive.

The 23-year-old point guard has recently returned to her home city after almost six years in the United States, where she enjoyed a successful college career on a full scholarship from Idaho State University, later transferring to UC Irvine and helping them reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995.

Konate came up as a rising star with the French national youth team, winning medals including silver in 3×3 basketball at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympics – an experience she describes as the “best memory” of her career and something she dreamed of recreating at the Paris Olympic Games.

But she has mixed feelings about being back home – because she’s banned from competing in France.

The reason?

She wears a hijab.​​​​​​​

Last year, when Konate came home for the summer break to play a 3×3 tournament, she discovered she wasn’t allowed to step on court – due to a rule change made by the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) in 2022 which expressly bans any kit “with a religious or political connotation”.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” she says, initially thinking “it was a prank”.

“It cannot happen to me. I thought we were family. Like, it’s me guys – we used to play together, I’m part of you. I’m still the same person, nothing has changed.

“That really broke my heart.”

It was in the US during the height of the Covid pandemic that Konate chose to start wearing the hijab.

“For the last three years it’s really been my essence and something that’s a part of me,” she says.

“I went through a hard time and needed something that would give me hope. I reflected on myself and my identity when everything was uncertain and I was feeling lonely. I was born Muslim so I wanted to learn more about my religion and eventually I found the answers to all of my questions.

“It’s very hypocritical for France to call itself the country of freedom, of human rights, but at the same time not allowing Muslims or their citizens to show who they are.”

‘I was humiliated in front of everyone’

Image caption: Salimata Sylla had played wearing a hijab for three years until the ban

Stories like Konate’s have become familiar in all levels of basketball which fall under FFBB governance, meaning hijab-wearing ballers are facing restricted access to training and competition opportunities – and even feeling an impact on their social wellbeing.

In a community basketball court in the 19th district of Paris, Salimata Sylla is hosting one of her ‘Ball.Her’ sessions – which she describes as a “safe space” for all women and girls interested in sport – regardless of whether they wear the hijab. Since she started running them around Paris last year, as many as 60 women and girls have attended at a time.

“I’m in front of you today because of basketball,” says Sylla.

“Basketball means everything to me. It’s not just a word; it saved my life. I lived in a neighbourhood where there were drugs. Basketball helped me to be a better person, to have discipline in my life and become the best version of myself.”

Sylla was on the French league team Aubervilliers, but she hasn’t played with them for over a year.

In January 2023, moments before she was due to captain Aubervilliers as a point guard, Sylla’s coach had to break the news that the referee would only allow her on the court if she removed her sports hijab.

As a Muslim woman who had played whilst wearing the hijab for three years up until that point, it wasn’t even an option for her.

She recalls telling the match official: “You see me like this, and you’re not going to see me any other way.”

“I was humiliated in front of everyone,” Sylla says. “This is the country where I was born and that day they just put me on the side.”

After a three-hour journey from Paris to the north of France, Sylla sat on the bench and watched the team play without her.

Sylla is keen to challenge “ignorant” mindsets, saying: “They think if you wear the hijab, you’re just in the kitchen and doing nothing with your life.

“But I’m the example: I’m not just a Muslim, I’m not just a woman wearing the hijab – I’m an entrepreneur, I work in marketing, I have a masters degree, and I play basketball as well – so why are they putting me on the side?”

‘We will never have a role model if this rule stays’

IMAGE SOURCE: BASKET POUR TOUTES

Image caption: Helene Ba, co-founder of Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All), believes the policy is a “catastrophe for French sport”

Over the three years since France’s controversial “Islamist separatism” law was passed, it has gradually permeated aspects of French society, including competitive sports.

The rule applies not only to players but also to coaches and referees – officially excluding anyone wearing a sports hijab from the competitive space altogether.

This has been the case for years at all levels under the French Football Federation (FFF), despite Fifa lifting its religious headgear global ban a decade ago. Basketball’s world governing body Fiba also lifted its ban in 2017.

Both international rule changes were a breakthrough after years of campaigning led by Muslim sportswomen.

But as the Paris Olympics make history as the first to achieve numerical gender parity on the field of play, Muslim French women and girls continue to face barriers on their home turf – which campaigners like Amnesty International say is a “violation of their human rights” with a “devastating impact”.

“It’s a catastrophe for French sport – for women’s sport,” says Helene Ba, who after experiencing a similarly traumatic experience to Sylla at grassroots level co-founded Basket Pour Toutes (Basketball For All).

It is a collective dedicated to tackling discrimination in basketball through activism and events.

“I don’t necessarily agree with the word ‘choice’,” Ba says, considering the situation facing Muslim female players.

“It makes it seem like it’s equitable or fair, which it isn’t. They don’t want us to choose, they just want us to forget about our identity and convictions, so it didn’t feel like a choice.

“I will never compromise my beliefs or my values, especially because I know that this is an unfair rule.”

In September last year, the French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera confirmed that the hijab was banned for all the French team at the Olympics, under France’s principles of secularism – laicite. The ruling was criticised by the UN human rights office and the International Olympic Committee subsequently confirmed that hijabs were allowed inside the athletes’ village.

In April, Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet told BBC Sports Editor Dan Roan that it was “up to the countries, the delegations and the National Olympic Committees to decide for the athletes – if they want other rules in place or not” maintaining there is “nothing illegal by the French delegation – it’s their decision”.

Most often translated as secularism in English, laicite does not stipulate that France’s people should drop any religious customs or symbols, but, instead, that state and public institutions should be expressly free of them.

This concept – central to France’s identity – stems from the law of 1905, which sealed the separation of the church and state. But human rights groups have criticised the manner in which it is being interpreted for the France of today.

Ba, who also specialises in human rights and humanitarian law, says that laicite is “highly misunderstood” and “does not prevail over human rights”.

“It’s been instrumentalised to erase all differences and more specifically the Muslim identity – especially women who wear the hijab,” Ba says.

“Some of us are becoming activists because of this rule, but what I also want to emphasise is most of us are left without anything – especially younger Muslim women because they don’t know why they’re being excluded. They don’t have any other alternative so some of them just stop playing sport altogether.

“Once a rule targets a minority group and creates discrimination and infringes on people’s rights, it should be everyone’s concern. And so today it’s us – but tomorrow it may be you.

“We grew up without any role models and we will never have – if these rules stay in place – a French hijabi athlete representing the national team.”

‘Games would have been cherry on top of my career’

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES

Image caption: Olympic basketball will be watched by millions during the Paris Games

Meanwhile, Konate is still deciding on whether to pursue her sport. But at these Olympic Games, she will never know what may have been.

“I’m focusing on myself to accept what’s happening,” she says. “I really feel like I’ve had an amazing career – especially playing with the French national team. I think it’s the dream of every athlete – to represent their country.

“It would have been the cherry on top.”

She too has joined Basket Pour Toutes to advocate publicly for hijab-wearing athletes, but with mixed feelings.

“For me, it’s ridiculous. I shouldn’t have to do this; we shouldn’t have to do this,” Konate says.

“It is just very heartbreaking for me to have to fight for that – I’m doing it and I will keep doing it, but it’s just sad because there are more important issues that we should be focusing on than Muslim women wearing the hijab on the court.”

Fifa announced the sanctions – which include a £175,720 fine for the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) – a day after English-born Priestman was removed as Canada’s Olympic head coach.

CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander have also been suspended by Fifa for a year.

Football’s governing body Fifa said the use of the drone by Canada’s team was in “violation” of its principles.

“The officials were each found responsible for offensive behaviour and violation of the principles of fair play in connection with the CSA’s Women’s representative team’s drones usage in the scope of the Olympic football tournament,” said a Fifa statement.

Priestman “voluntarily” withdrew from her coaching duties for Canada’s opening game against the Kiwis after the New Zealand Olympic Committee reported a drone was flown over their training session on Monday.

Fifa and the CSA launched investigations and the latter said the 38-year-old was “highly likely” to have been aware of the incident.

The CSA can appeal against the decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in a statement reacting to the sanctions, its chief executive Kevin Blue and Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive David Shoemaker both said an appeal was under consideration.

“We are exploring options to appeal on the basis that it is excessively punitive towards our Women’s National Team players – who were not involved in any unethical behaviour,” Blue said.

“Canada Soccer took swift action to suspend the implicated staff members and is also proceeding with a broad independent review that may lead to further disciplinary action.”

Shoemaker added: “We feel terrible for the athletes on the Canadian Women’s Olympic Soccer Team who as far as we understand played no role in this matter.”​​​​​​​

In a statement on Wednesday, Priestman said she took responsibility for the actions of her colleagues after a scouting report filed by Lombardi was sent to Mander.

On Thursday, a French court said Lombardi had been given an eight-month suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to flying a drone in an urban area without a licence.

The following day Shoemaker said there “appears to be information that could tarnish” Canada’s women’s football triumph from the Tokyo Games.

It followed Canadian media reports that drones had been used at previous tournaments.

Assistant coach Andy Spence will take charge for the remainder of the Games, with the defending Olympic champions’ next game against France on Sunday.

Canada beat New Zealand in their opening game to earn three points but Fifa’s sanction leaves them on minus three in Group A, with games against the host nation and Colombia to come.

Ghana’s contingent rocked the traditional hand-woven attire as they continued to display the country’s culture in Paris.

For the men’s team, the fugu was accompanied by a black trousers while the female’s wore an overall fugu.

Joseph Paul Amoah and Rose Yeboah led a five-member team that boarded the boat for the opening ceremony on the river.

Ghana took eight athletes to the competition and would compete in the sprints as well as high jump and swimming events.

The opening ceremony of the games took place on the Seine River on Friday, July 26.

It was also the first time the opening ceremony had been staged outside the stadium since the inception of the games.

Ghana’s relay team booked qualification to Paris after beating Nigeria to the first spot in Heat 2 of Day 2 of the Bahama Relays in May.

Joe Paul ran the anchor leg on the day for Team Ghana as booked back-to-back Olympics qualifications.

Prior to the success, Ghana’s team had failed in their first attempt on Day 1 after dropping the baton which Joe Paul revealed the team had to forget in time.

“We went into that race trying to make it into the finals. When that stuff happens, you just regroup. It’s not time to play the blame game…We just had to get our minds right and mentally stay strong,” he told Joy Sports during Wednesday night’s Gold Chase.

“We knew we had a good team but in the relay, it is the baton that really speaks. We just had to make sure we came into the race the next day trying to make sure we made the baton around.

“We knew that if we did that, the rest was going to be history…We just wanted to execute the race and come out with the win.”

The team is now in Paris for the games after training in Strasbourg for a week as part of their preparation to the championship.

But on Thursday, the 36-year-old will walk onto the field with the Matildas as they open their Olympic campaign, a feat being called one of the greatest comebacks in Australian sport.

After a record-breaking performance in the domestic football league this season, where she became the first A-League Women (ALW) player to ever surpass 100 goals, Heyman caught the eye of a Matildas coach desperate to fill the hole left by an injured Sam Kerr.

But not only is Heyman back in the squad, she is being seen as Australia’s best shot at finding the net in France.

“There’s always some haters thinking I’m too old to be back,” she told the BBC before the tournament.

“But it’s kind of fun to prove points to people… age is just a number.”

Burnt out, injured, then fired

Much like her return to the team in 2024, it was a stellar performance in the A-League – Australia’s domestic football offering – which catapulted a 21-year-old Heyman into the national team back in 2010.

Heyman would go on to play 61 games and score 20 goals for the Matildas, including appearances at the 2015 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics, but her early international career was marred by constant struggle.

The Matildas of that era were paid miserably and worked under constant fear and stress, a team culture allegedly so toxic it resulted in the sacking of coach Alen Stajcic in early 2019.

But if there was little support from officials, there was even less from the public. Many of the Matildas games weren’t even open to spectators – the cost would outweigh ticket sales.

And then there were Heyman’s battles with both her physical and mental health: in interviews, she spoke about anxiety and regular panic attacks, then back-to-back ankle and knee injuries which only made them worse.

By May 2019, Heyman was burnt out, injured and stressed.

Her starting position on the team was long gone and she hadn’t played even a minute in six months.

“I really wanted to fight [on]… but my body isn’t going to allow me to do that. My mind isn’t going to allow me to do that,” Heyman told Fox Sports when announcing her retirement from international football.

She’d achieved everything she set out to, except an Olympic gold medal, she said.

Years later she would admit she was trying to save face, telling Australian media she was actually dropped from the team.

“I had to just pretend that I wanted to retire but it was mainly because I got fired,” she told Code Sports.

Heyman was so shattered she also exited the A-League and it seemed like the final pages of her storied career had been written.

‘One of Australian sport’s greatest comeback stories’

But just 18 months later, a recharged Heyman returned to the A-League in a blaze of glory, netting a hat-trick in her first match back for Canberra United.

“I missed being part of something bigger than myself,” she said at the time.

Since then, she has overtaken Kerr as the leading ALW goal scorer and become the first to earn a third Golden Boot award. These achievements, combined with her two Julie Dolan medals – the competition’s highest honour – arguably make her the league’s most decorated player.

So when Olympic selection came around, Heyman was ready and waiting, at the top of her game.

“She’s in tremendous form, she’s scoring for fun,” head coach Tony Gustavsson said in February when recalling her to the squad.

The announcement quickly made waves around the country. “Just quietly, this might be one of Australian sport’s greatest comeback stories in recent memory,” wrote Sydney Morning Herald football journalist Vince Rugari.

“Was it something that I thought would ever happen again? Probably not,” Heyman says with a smile.

“I still remember the day – just like, tears. And I don’t cry!”

Adding to the emotion is the fact the country she’s playing for barely resembles the one she competed for just five years ago.

The Matildas are the hottest sporting team in Australia, more well-liked and well-known than even the Australian men’s cricket team, experts say.

Players are now household names, every match on home soil since the start of the World Cup has sold out and they hold the record for the most-watched television event in Australian history.

It’s hard to reconcile that with Heyman’s debut on “a backfield in Queensland somewhere”.

“I reckon there was 12 people at the game, if we were lucky,” she says.

“And then now you look at it and our last game, 77,000 people [have] come, cheering you on. That’s the feeling that I wanted for so many years, and it’s something that I never thought was ever going to happen in Australia.”

That awe and a bittersweet joy has rippled through the previous ranks of Matildas too, she says.

“I bring that emotion from every other ex-player, and I want to do it for them. I want to show them ‘look what we all created’.”

Does that – and the spectre of Kerr, the nation’s biggest sporting idol – add to the pressure to perform in France?

Heyman answers with a confident no.

She and Kerr are “very different” forwards but can both deliver, she says. In her few months back in the team, she has already scored six goals, twice as many as any of her teammates over the same period.

“I don’t think anyone remembers the other, numerous amounts of goals I’ve scored for Australia because they were done back in the day when no one cared about them,” she says with a chuckle.

“[But] I’m good at my job, and I’ll continue to work hard and to win games.”

Hard work will certainly be required. The Matildas have drawn a difficult group – going up against the powerhouse USA team, Rio 2016 gold medallists Germany, and Zambia for the two guaranteed spots in the next round.

The team has also suffered a slew of injuries. Apart from Kerr, co-captain Steph Catley and key winger Caitlin Foord have both been under a cloud the past month. And midfielder Katrina Gorry and defender Clare Hunt have only just returned from injury.

And though their World Cup campaign – most of which Kerr spent on the bench – would argue otherwise, pundits say the team often struggles to perform without her.

So what does Heyman say to the people who have already written the Matildas off?

“They can be quiet,” she says cheekily.

“The more people we have supporting us the better we’re going to do.

“And we’re doing it for you – we’re playing to win for our country.”

The two-time NBA MVP will carry the flag alongside racewalker Antigoni Ntrismpioti in Paris on 26 July.

The Greek men’s basketball team qualified for its first Olympic Games since 2008, after beating Croatia in front of a home crowd in Piraeus on Sunday.

The 29-year-old, who was drafted by Milwaukee Bucks in 2013 and led them to the 2021 NBA title, was in tears after the game.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” he said after qualification. “Since I was a kid I always wanted to play in the Olympic Games.”

His journey to become Greece’s Olympic flagbearer hasn’t been an easy one.

Antetokounmpo’s parents emigrated to Greece from Nigeria. For the first 18 years of his life, Antetokounmpo could not travel outside Greece and was effectively stateless, having no papers either from Greece or Nigeria. He was eventually issued Greek citizenship in May 2013, less than two months before the NBA draft.

Antetokounmpo spoke about his childhood in a recent interview with ESPN.

“I used to sell things since I can remember myself, since I was six or seven years old.

“I was always out of home trying as much as I could to help my mom and dad by selling watches, glasses, CDs, DVDs, and everything I could find. I was doing that until I turned 17 because I had to. I had no other choice. When I was selling all those things, I was the best seller.”

Getty Images: Antetokounmpo was drafted by Milwaukee Bucks in 2013

But even after becoming a star in the US, Antetokounmpo encountered racism at home.

In a TNT documentary in 2020, he said: “Greece is a country of white people, life can be difficult for someone with the colour of my skin. Or of another nationality. You go to a lot of neighbourhoods, and you face a lot of racism.”

There was a backlash to his comments from some in Greece, including Konstantinos Kalemis, then-coordinator for refugee education in the Malakasa camp north of Athens, who used a range of racial slurs against Antetokounmpo and was fired as a result.

He has also faced discrimination from government officials.

In 2018, Adonis Georgiadis, the current health minister, repeatedly mispronounced his name and falsely claimed he had been born in Africa instead of Greece.

Antetokounmpo will be one of the first athletes to open the Games, as Greece – the birthplace of the Olympics – traditionally leads the parade.

Spyros Kapralos, president of the Greek Olympic Committee, said there was “unanimity” in the decision for Antetokounmpo to carry the flag in Paris. He added that both flagbearers will “lift our country high”.

Antetokounmpo hasn’t publicly commented yet, but simply posted a video to X showing highlights from the qualifying campaign with the word “Greece”.

The 25-year-old, who had said he wanted to play in his home Games, was not selected in France’s provisional Olympic squad on 3 June because Real said any player competing at Euro 2024 could not play at the Olympics.

He has agreed to join Real on a free transfer when his Paris St-Germain contract expires on 30 June.

“My club’s position was very clear, so from that moment on, I think I won’t be taking part in the Games,” said Mbappe, who is part of the France team that will begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria in Dusseldorf on Monday.

“That’s just the way it is, and I understand that too. I’m joining a new team in September, so it’s not the best way to start an adventure.

“Now I think I’m going to wish this French team all the best. I’m going to watch every game. I hope they’ll bring home the gold medal.”

The men’s Olympic football competition starts on 24 July – 10 days after the Euro 2024 final – and ends on 9 August, just over a week before the La Liga season begins.

The Olympic football tournament is contested by under-23 teams but each nation can include three over-age players in their squad.

Two-time European champions France are among the favourites to win Euro 2024.

Manager Didier Deschamps is aiming to become only the second person to win the Euros as a player and manager, after Germany’s Berti Vogts.

“Paris 2024 is cooperating fully with the investigators to facilitate their investigations,” a spokesperson for the organising committee told the BBC.

It is not yet clear what prompted the raids in and around the French capital.

Reports in French media suggest financial police are involved as part of a probe into suspected corruption.

They linked Tuesday’s raids to earlier preliminary probes into how contracts have been awarded.

French media also report that offices of Paris 2024 and Solideo, the organisation in charge of delivering Olympic infrastructure, are being searched.

The French police have made no comments on the issue.

The 2024 Olympics take place from 26 July to 11 August, with the Paralympics running in September.

Substitute Malcom raced in behind and slotted home the winner after 108 minutes to hand Brazil the gold medal.

Five years ago, Neymar scored the winning penalty as Brazil beat Germany to win their first gold on home soil.

Mikel Oyarzabal’s volley for Spain had ruled out Matheus Cunha’s opener in the second half of normal time.

In an enthralling contest between two of football’s biggest heavyweights, Everton forward Richarlison missed a penalty and hit the crossbar.

Spain substitute Bryan Gil also hit the woodwork with a stunning long-range strike a minute before extra time.

Brazil were competing in their third successive gold medal match at the Games – following on from the gold they won in Rio and a silver picked up in London 2012.

The 1992 champions Spain were tipped for gold before the tournament started as they had a squad laden with players who featured in this summer’s European Championship.

Among them were Barcelona’s Pedri and Eric Garcia, Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon.

The Spaniards struggled to hit top form, despite grinding their way into the final, and did not show enough quality to snatch gold from Brazil.

The 20-year-old Samuel Takyi also equalled a 49-year-old boxing record in boxing.

The reception was led by the President of the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), Ben Nunoo Mensah who danced his way with other members of Team Ghana.

Madam Franca, from the Ministry of Youth & Sports, also displayed her dancing skills with interpreter Seyram playing the Ghanaian drum.

The Team members took photos with the new Bronze winner to the admiration and amazement of other nationals at the Games Village.

President of the Ghana Boxing Federation, George Lamptey, who was part of the victory parade, said Takyi has really done well and he is also very glad as his reign has seen Ghana winning medals for boxing at the 2019 African Games in Morocco, 2019 Olympic Qualification in Dakar, 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and now the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

At the Press Conference after the presentation of medals to winners of the 57kg boxing, the American was asked how he sees Takyi.

Ragan described the Ghanaian as a very good boxer with the potential of becoming a future Olympic Gold medalist.

He advised Takyi not to rush into professional boxing, but try to go to the next Games in Paris in 2024 and go for the Gold.

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The professional boxer had it tough against Takyi in the semi-final duel which many ringside viewers felt the Ghanaian won, but the judges ruled otherwise.

He thanked all Ghanaians for the support that earned him Ghana’s boxing medal after 49 years, and the only medal in all sports since 1992.

Takyi has been promised rewards by companies in Ghana as well as Erra, the Italian company that produced the kits for Team Ghana.

The 20-year-old secured the bronze medal after losing to Duke Ragan in the men’s semi-final featherweight event on Tuesday.

Takyi lost the bout 4-1 on the judges’ 4-1 to the more experienced American opponent.

He made an impressive start to the semi-final bout against Regan and actually won the first round.

However, he couldn’t replicate his opening performance in the remaining rounds, as the American secured a comfortable victory.

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Despite losing the semi-final bout to Regan, Takyi entered the history books after ending Ghana’s 29-year wait for an Olympic medal.

On Thursday, the boxer was presented with his bronze medal, to the delight of him and his coaches.

Meanwhile, President Nana Akufo-Addo has congratulated Takyi for winning bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

“Big congratulations to Samuel Takyi from all of us at home, for hoisting high the flag of Ghana at the Tokyo Olympics, and for winning a bronze medal, Ghana’s first Olympic medal in 29 years. Well done,” the President posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

Sean Safo-Antwi, Benjamin Azamati, Emmanuel Yeboah and Joseph Paul Amoah finished 5th in a very fast heat with a time of 38.08s.

However, despite placing 5th, their time was fast enough to secure them a place in the final that will be staged on Friday.

The Olympic debutants slashed 0.04s off the previous record which stood at 38.12s, set at the 1997 World Championships in Greece by the quartet of Abu Duah, Eric Nkansah, Aziz Zakari and Emmanuel Tuffour.

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Safo-Antwi got off the blocks quickly before Azamati’s blistering run on the back straight set up Emmanuel Yeboah for a smooth bend.

When he handed off to Joseph Paul Amoah, Ghana looked in the mix of a very competitive field that included the United States, Canada, China and Italy.

China won, Italy with the individual 100m champions Marcell Jacobs finished second and 200m champion Andre De Grasse powered Canada to a 3rd place finish to secure the automatic places.

Germany, who finished 4th, also booked their ticket along with 5th placed Ghana.

The men’s 4x100m final is slated for 13:50GMT on Friday, August 6.

The 24-year-old smashed the national record again, finishing with a  Season’s Best time of 20.27s, placing 4th in his semi-finals heat.

He crossed the line behind USA’s Erriyon Knighton, Rasheed Dwyer of Jamaica, and fellow African, Divine Oduduru from Nigeria.

Amoah clearly struggled to cope with the pace of the leading pack and came out of the bend slightly behind everyone else but had a blistering finish to set another national record.

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He earlier qualified for the semi-finals of the men’s 200m after finishing 3rd in heat 7 of the half-lap event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Amoah crossed the finish line in 20.35s, behind USA’s Noah Lyles and eSwatini’s S. Masenjwa, who finished first and 2nd respectively.

Ghana will now hope to win something in the 4×100 where Amoah will team up with Azamatti and others on August 5, 2021, at 2:30am.

Already, youngster Samuel Takyi was confirmed as a bronze medallist on Tuesday morning despite losing his semifinals bout in the Men’s Featherweight Division of boxing to American Duke Regan.

The young boxer lost his semi-final fight to American Duke Ragan on Tuesday morning.

The 20-year-old ended Ghana’s 29 years wait for an Olympic medal after winning the bronze medal, with the country’s last medal coming at the Barcelona 1992 games.

The medal is also the fourth at the games for Ghana in the boxing event, with Takyi joining the illustrious group of Clement Quartey – 1960- Silver, Eddie Blay – 1964- Bronze and Prince Amartey – 1972 – Bronze, as the only men to ever win Ghana an individual Olympic medal.

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In boxing at the Olympics, both losing semi-finals are awarded bronze medals, meaning Takyi will get a medal irrespective of the outcome of his semi-final fight.

Takyi started slowly, compared to the American who won the first round.

Takyi, just like in his quarter-final fight against Colombian Avila Sagura, rallied back in the second round but the Ghanaian was caught multiple times by Ragan in a brawly 3rd round where neither dominated.

The judges scored the fight 4-1 in favour of the American, ending Takyi’s and Ghana’s dream of a first-ever gold medal, but ultimately still a fairytale journey for the boy from Atukpai, in Accra.