The United States had a formidable night in track and field at the Olympics, with victories by Gabby Thomas in the 200 meters and Cole Hocker in the 1,500 meters to return to the top of the Olympic medal table on Tuesday.
After waking up separated by just one gold, the United States swapped places with China thanks to two victories at the Stade de France and another at the Champs Mars.
After the 11th day of the Games, the Americans had won 24 gold medals, compared to 22 for the Chinese.
The other American gold of the day was claimed by Amit Elor, who at 20 became the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic title by reigning in the 68-kilogram division.
China could only claim one gold, won by Quan Hongchan in diving. Quan retained his title in the individual platform. China has topped the podium in all five events held so far in the Saint-Denis pit and is seeking eight diving golds for the first time in history.
The United States’ tally also includes 31 silver and 31 bronze medals for a total of 86.
China, for its part, has 21 silver medals and 16 bronze medals, for a total of 59.
Australia remained in third place with 14 golds, followed by hosts France with 13.
The United Kingdom (12), South Korea (11), Japan (11), Italy (9), the Netherlands (8) and Germany (8) complete the top 10.
The “Terrible” Mijaín López wins his 5th gold
Cuba finally climbed to the top of the podium in Paris and it was with something exceptional, thanks to Mijaín López.
The Greco-Roman wrestling gladiator became the first athlete in history to win five gold medals in five consecutive editions of the Olympic Games in the same individual event.
A few days before his 42nd birthday, “Terrible” López defeated Cuban-born Chilean Yasmani Acosta 6-0 in the 130-kilogram final, which took place on Tuesday on the Arena del Campo Marte mat.
“I am happy to have reached the ecstasy of the Olympic elite,” said López after the victory. “The most important triumph in one’s career.”
Surprise in the 1,500 meters and something expected in the 200
Hocker, a middle-distance unknown, produced a major surprise in athletics, eclipsing his personal best by more than three seconds to beat favourites Jakob Ingebrigsten and Josh Kerr for the 1,500m title.
Hocker, who was not among the gold favourites, beat Kerr by 14 hundredths of a second. Ingebrigsten, who set the pace for the first 1,250 metres, finished fourth behind American Yared Nuguse. It was the first time the Americans had placed two men on the podium in the 1,500m since Stockholm 1912.
About an hour after that upset, the United States scored a widely predicted victory when Gabby Thomas powered through the turn to win the 200-meter title by 25-hundredths of a second, far more than Hocker.
Thomas clocked 21.83 seconds to add gold to the bronze he won in the same event in Tokyo three years ago.
Green, one victory away from boxing gold for Mexico
Marco Verde represents the hope of returning Mexico to the top of a boxing podium for the first time since 1968.
That hope is one step closer to being realized. With the bronze medal already secured, the Mexican defeated Britain’s Lewis Richardson 3-2 in the lightweight semifinals on Tuesday after completing a new comeback on his way to glory.
Verde’s medal is Mexico’s first in boxing since the one won by Misael Rodríguez in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Now he will change colors next Friday when he faces Uzbek Asadkhuja Muydinkhujuaev, who minutes earlier defeated American Omari Jones 3-2.
