Nina Kennedy rounds off Australia’s golden day at Paris Olympics with pole vault victory | Paris Olympic Games 2024 As pole vault world champion Nina Kennedy took Australia to its 18th gold medal at the Paris Olympics, the nation’s best medal haul at the Games, she soared to new heights. After Kennedy had charged towards the uprights, forcefully planting her pole in the box, the 27-year-old flew upwards, gracefully lifting over the bar, before dropping cleanly to clear 4.90m. Kennedy did not know it at the time, but it would be the jump that won her gold. It felt like an apt metaphor for an extraordinary Wednesday from the Australian Olympic team, the best single day in the team’s history, with a total of four golds and two bronze medals. What more appropriate way for the Australians to fly past history and make Paris 2024 the nation’s best Olympics yet? Kennedy became the first Australian to win pole vault gold since Steven Hooker at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and the first Australian woman to win gold, bettering Tatiana Grigorieva’s silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Games. The bar started low, with Kennedy easily clearing 4.40m on her first attempt. She was again comfortable at 4.60m, before suffering a minor mishap at 4.70m. But any fears of an early exit — Kennedy bowed out at 4.40m three years ago in Tokyo, as she battled an injury — were quickly allayed as the Australian soared over on the second attempt. From there, while the field slimmed, Kennedy looked flawless. She took a deep breath at 4.80m, waited in contemplation, before clearing on her first attempt. When the bar was raised five centimetres, Kennedy was again untroubled — waiting for the jump clock to hit 20 seconds before charging forward and sailing over the bar. She was the only vaulter to clear 4.85m on the first attempt, and the only remaining competitor to clear 4.90m (again, on the first attempt). Kennedy clears again. Photograph: Andrej Isaković/AFP/Getty Images With just three athletes left, defending champion Katie Moon from the United States and Canada’s Alysha Newman, Kennedy found herself in the gold medal position. Newman failed to clear 4.90m, while after an unsuccessful attempt, Moon elected to pass on to 4.95m. The American and Kennedy both missed their first attempts at the new height, but Moon had one less chance to give. When Moon failed to clear again, Kennedy did not need to try again. “I knew first-attempt clearances at those high bars were going to take the gold,” Kennedy said afterwards. “I put all my focus into that exact second, and that’s how I won.” Kennedy had shared the gold medal with Moon at last year’s world championships, after the pair were level at 4.90m and both failed to clear 4.95m. The Australian has been asked repeatedly in recent months whether she would consider splitting Paris gold. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Olympic and Paralympic briefing Our daily email briefing will help you keep up with all the goings on at the Olympics and Paralympics Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion “Deep down I knew I wasn’t going to,” she said. “I wanted that outright gold medal. I became really confident in talking to the media, it was really scary, really vulnerable, to lay it all out there and say: ‘I want the fucking outright gold medal, this is what I want.’ That’s really scary — I’m just really happy I got the job done.” https://lottolenghi.me/nina-kennedy-rounds-off-australias-golden-day-at-paris-olympics-with-pole-vault-victory-paris-olympic-games-2024/ #ParisOlympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #Olympics #LesOttolenghi #NinaKennedy #AustralianOlympic #ParisOlympicGames2024

Why Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified India’s star Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat is out of the competition ahead of a gold medal match, after being disqualified for being over her class’s weight limit. It’s a devastating end to the Paris games for the wrestler who has led the charge against sexual harassment at the highest levels of her sport. Had she been able to compete and won Wednesday’s match, she would have been the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in any Olympic event. Phogat, who often wrestles at a 53-kilogram weight — or about 116 pounds — made the 50-kilogram (about 110 pounds) berth after another wrestler won the 53-kilogram spot on India’s wrestling team. She knew that getting down to competition weight would be difficult, she said in an April interview: “I gain weight easily. It doesn’t matter how fit I am, I still gain weight because I have a lot of muscle mass.” She had been able to maintain the lower weight until Wednesday, when she weighed in at just 100 grams over the weight limit — despite the drastic measures she had taken over the past week to maintain her 50-kilogram weight. Phogat barely ate, spent hours in a sauna and exercised, and even tried cutting her hair to make weight, according to Team India’s chief medical officer. But that 100 grams — around 3.5 ounces — meant she couldn’t compete in Wednesday’s match, and wouldn’t receive a medal at all despite her dominance. She put up a phenomenal performance in Paris, beating out Japanese Olympic gold medalist Yui Susaki in the first round, and dominating thereafter, seemingly guaranteeing India either a gold or silver medal. Her wins — and sudden disqualification — have put her recent crusade against sexual harassment in India’s national wrestling organization back in the spotlight. And though her Olympics are over, there’s now global attention on her activism as much as her athletic prowess. Sexual harassment is a problem in India — and in sports Phogat spent months last year as the face of a campaign to remove Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh as head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), the body governing the sport in India. Phogat and other women wrestlers accused Singh of sexual exploitation, and Phogat in particular alleged that he emotionally and psychologically tormented her following the Tokyo Summer Games, where she just missed out on a medal. After filing a complaint with the Indian Olympic Association, and receiving little response, they mounted a May 2023 protest in New Delhi — where they were reportedly assaulted by police. Sexual harassment is a problem everywhere, and India is no different. A 2024 Centre for Economic Data & Analysis study found workplace sexual harassment to be on the rise in India (though reporting mechanisms have increased, too), and a 2022 World Bank report found harassment on public transportation to be a nearly universal experience in big cities, with 88 percent of those surveyed in New Delhi saying they’d experienced it. Scholars Anil Kumar and Ashutosh Pandey, both professors in the department of sociology at Bayalasi P.G. College, in Jalalpur, India, wrote in a recent study that the “prevalent perception of sexual harassment often portrays it as a joke, where women are deemed both responsible for and deserving of such behavior.” #Paris Olympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations https://lottolenghi.me/why-olympic-wrestler-vinesh-phogat-was-disqualified/

Olympic basketball: D'Tigress overcome adversity to shine at Paris 2024 Nigeria’s historic run in the women’s basketball tournament at Paris 2024 has been underlined by defensive steel, as well as a sprinkling of inspiration from their young coach. The team known as D’Tigress became the first African side - male or female - to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games after beating Canada in their final group game on Sunday. The West Africans registered a win on their Olympic debut in Athens in 2004 but had to wait 20 years for their second victory. The challenge now is to build on their progress. “I'm really proud of them putting Nigeria on the map again after 20 years,” Mfon Udoka, a member of the 2004 squad, told BBC Sport Africa. “I'm just hoping in the near future that it doesn't take another 20 years to see the same success.” However, the squad has had to show plenty of resilience off the court to get to this stage. https://lottolenghi.me/olympic-basketball-dtigress-overcome-adversity-to-shine-at-paris-2024/ #Olympicbasketball #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

Paraguay’s Luana Alonso has denied reports that she was removed from the Paris Olympics Village for inappropriate behaviour. Paraguay’s Luana Alonso has denied reports that she was removed from the Paris Olympics Village for inappropriate behaviour. This denial comes after several news outlets ran stories on her expulsion from the athletes’ village. The story was first published by British tabloid The Sun, quoting Larissa Schaerer, head of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee. Paraguay’s Luana Alonso denies reports of her expulsion from the Olympics Village.(Instagram/@luanalonsom) “Her presence is creating an inappropriate atmosphere within Team Paraguay,” Larissa Schaerer said in a statement published by the outlet. “We thank her for proceeding as instructed, as it was of her own free will that she did not spend the night in the Athletes’ Village.” The Sun report suggested that Luana Alonso, 20, sneaked out of the Olympic Village to visit Disneyland Paris instead of cheering for her teammates. A separate report in Daily Mail also said that she was a distraction to her teammates “with her skimpy clothing and socialising with other athletes.” It added that she was seen walking around the Village in her own clothes rather than the official Paraguayan kit provided to all athletes. In an Instagram Story shared yesterday, the 20-year-old swimmer dismissed reports of her expulsion from the Olympic Village. “I just want to clarify that I was never removed or expelled from anywhere,” Luana Alonso wrote in Spanish on Instagram Stories. “Stop spreading false information. I don’t want to give any statement but I am not going to let lies affect me either,” she added. Take a look at her Instagram Story: Luana Alonso addresses reports of her expulsion from Olympic Village Alonso failed to advance into the women’s 100m butterfly semifinals on July 27, missing out of qualifying by a mere 0.24 seconds. She announced her retirement from the sport shortly after the event, but continued to stay on in the Olympics Village. “I have been swimming for so long, 18 years, and I have so many feelings,” she wrote on Instagram while announcing her retirement. “Unfortunately, I made the decision to stop and I am happy that my last race will be at the Olympic Games.” Alonso was just 17 when she participated in the Tokyo Olympics. The Hindustan Times YouTube channel now has 7 million subscribers. We thank our viewers for their support. Follow the channel for exclusive video news on politics, sports, entertainment & more. Click here. See more Get Latest Updates on Trending News Viral News, Video, Photos and Weather Updates of India and around the world News / Trending / Swimmer Luana Alonso breaks silence on her expulsion from Olympic Village: ‘Stop spreading false info’ https://lottolenghi.me/swimmer-luana-alonso-breaks-silence-on-her-expulsion-from-olympic-village-stop-spreading-false-info-trending/ #Paris Olympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

Simone Biles toasts Olympic glory with racy snaps alongside Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles Simone Biles celebrated her three gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris by posing for a set of eye-popping snaps with fellow Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles. Barely 24 hours after the 27-year-old openly complained about reporters constantly asking her about ‘what’s next’ following her new achievements at the Olympics this summer, Biles took to social media to put her close bond with Chiles, 23, on display. ‘red, white, biles&chiles,’ she captioned her post on Instagram. The pair can be seen hanging out on a balcony in what presumably is the Olympic Village, which is located in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Both gymnasts wore booty shorts with ‘TEAM USA’ printed on them as they also showed off their back muscles with crop tops Chiles also posted a series of pics with Biles on Instagram. She wrote ‘team usa girlies…’ with a red heart emoji as a caption to her post. After claiming gold in the teams finals, all-around events and women’s vault earlier this week, Biles expressed her frustration with the line of questioning taking place after her performances in Paris. Addressing reporters on X, she posted: ‘you guys really gotta stop asking athletes what’s next after they win a medal at the Olympics.’ Biles then added in another post: ‘let us soak up the moment we’ve worked our whole lives for’. When asked by a fan what does come next for her after winning another gold, she replied: ‘babysitting the medal’. https://lottolenghi.me/simone-biles-toasts-olympic-glory-with-racy-snaps-alongside-team-usa-gymnast-jordan-chiles/ #ParisOlympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

Today at the Olympics: Monday’s schedule and highlights including Keely Hodgkinson and Noah Lyles Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth. Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts. Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda. Monday’s highlights Simone Biles has already won three gold medals in Paris but she has further finals to come on the balance beam and floor exercise on the final day of artistic gymnastics. Biles has the chance to make history in the events – if she wins both she will join American swimmer Katie Ledecky and former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina on nine Olympic golds, which is the most of all time. The headline star athlete of Monday and perhaps the entire Olympics is Noah Lyles. The Team USA sprinter is back from the thrilling 100m final in a bid to double up and take gold in the men’s 200m first round. Zharnel Hughes, Letsile Tebogo, Andre De Grasse and Erriyon Knighton are among the biggest threats to Lyles. Keely Hodgkinson goes again in the women’s 800m final, with the Team GB star likely to face a challenge from Kenya’s Mary Moraa. https://lottolenghi.me/today-at-the-olympics-mondays-schedule-and-highlights-including-keely-hodgkinson-and-noah-lyles/ #Paris Olympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

House Speaker Johnson slams White House’s silence on Olympics opening ceremony controversy: ‘An endorsement’ House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., slammed the White House Tuesday for failing to address the controversial Olympics opening ceremony skit that appeared to showcase drag queens reenacting the Last Supper with Jesus and his disciples. “The White House has had every opportunity to condemn the Olympics’ shameful mockery of the Last Supper, but they refuse to do it,” Johnson wrote in a post on X. “Their silence should be taken as an endorsement. The more than 200 million Christians in America should take note.” During Tuesday’s White House briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to answer questions about President Biden’s take on the performance. “I don’t have anything. I appreciate the question, I just don’t have anything to share,” Jean-Pierre said while shrugging and smiling. BIDEN, HARRIS CALLED OUT BY RELIGIOUS GROUP FOR STAYING SILENT ON ‘INSULTING’ OLYMPICS LAST SUPPER DRAG PARODY When reporters said Christians were offended by the opening act, Jean-Pierre giggled and continued to dodge answering what Biden’s stance was on the performance. “I just answered your question. I don’t have anything else to add,” Jean-Pierre said through chuckles. Biden, who has often spoken about his Catholic faith, has yet to comment on the event. First lady Jill Biden praised the opening ceremony as “spectacular” in remarks from Paris but did not specifically comment on the drag queen skit. When asked about the opening ceremony and backlash from the religious community, neither Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris’ offices responded to Fox News Digital. Other Christian U.S. leaders called the scene “insulting” and part of a “war on our faith.” JILLIAN MICHAELS BLASTS OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY FOR ‘HYPOCRISY’ FOLLOWING LAST SUPPER ‘MOCKERY’ Paris 2024 opening ceremony Drag queen Piche prepares to perform at the Debilly Bridge in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) Johnson spoke out right after the performance and called it an attack on Christian values. “Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” Johnson previously said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail.” OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY SPARKS OUTRAGE WITH DRAG QUEENS PARODYING LAST SUPPER: ‘GONE COMPLETELY WOKE’ Paris-Olympics-Opening-Ceremony-Subversive-Paris Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen in Paris during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also called out the performance, echoing Johnson’s comments. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The mockery of Christians during the Olympics opening ceremony is a symbol of cultural decline,” DeSantis wrote. Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report. #lesottolenghi #Olympics #OlympicGames #Olympics2024 #parisolympics2024 #olympicsparis2024 #ParisOlympic2024 #Paris2024 https://lottolenghi.me/house-speaker-johnson-slams-white-houses-silence-on-olympics-opening-ceremony-controversy-an-endorsement/

Jodie Sweetin Defends Olympics Opening Ceremony Drag Performance Full House alum Jodie Sweetin is defending the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony after conservatives attacked a portion of the show featuring drag queens. During the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Paris, a segment featuring drag queens caught the attention of Christian-identifying viewers. They believed that the performers were “mocking” Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” painting. However, it turns out that the drag performers were re-creating the feast of Dionysus, which depicts the Greek gods of Olympus, in honor of the Olympics. Sweetin took to social media to call out the backlash the opening ceremony received, as they were not aware of their art history. “Tell me you don’t know about art or history without TELLING me you don’t know about art or history,” Sweetin posted alongside a video mocking people’s outrage. https://lottolenghi.me/jodie-sweetin-defends-olympics-opening-ceremony-drag-performance/ #ParisOlympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

Countdown to Paris 2024: Torch Relay Kicks Off as Olympic Fever Grips France As of late July 2024, the Paris Summer Olympics, set to commence on July 26, 2024, are generating significant buzz with several key updates and developments capturing global attention. First and foremost, the Olympic torch relay, which began its journey in Greece, is now making its way through various French cities, creating a festive atmosphere nationwide. The relay, which will conclude at the opening ceremony in Paris, has already been marked by vibrant celebrations and enthusiastic crowds, setting an exciting tone for the games. In terms of infrastructure, Paris has made substantial progress in preparing for the Olympics. The city has invested heavily in upgrading existing venues and constructing new facilities, including the stunning Aquatics Centre and the new Olympic Village, designed to be both environmentally sustainable and technologically advanced. The Paris 2024 organizing committee has emphasized eco-friendliness, with many venues utilizing green energy sources and sustainable materials. Athlete preparations are also in full swing, with numerous national teams conducting their final training camps and trials. A particular highlight is the anticipated debut of several new sports, including breakdancing, which will feature prominently for the first time in Olympic history. The inclusion of these sports has sparked considerable interest, especially among younger audiences. https://paris2024.ai/ #Paris Olympic2024 #Paris2024 #SummerOlympics #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics #OlympicTorchRelay #ParisPreparations

Nike eyes marketing moment at the Olympics, as industry execs sound off on the brand’s challenges The Olympic Games is undeniably a major brand marketer moment. And lately, marketers have been eyeing everything from women’s sports to Formula One races as opportunities for growth, making sports marketing more competitive than ever. Still, brands are throwing money at the games, including the likes of Powerade, Reese’s, Old El Paso and, of course, Nike. The athletic retailer in particular has already shelled out nearly $143 million in advertising dollars from January through May this year, even before the Olympic Games start, according to data from MediaRadar. That figure is up 10% year over year from the $130 million spent during the same period in 2023. Nike, which didn’t respond to comment on this story, told Reuters that this year’s Olympics were its “biggest” spend yet. In 2021, Nike spent an estimated $39 million on advertising during the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, per MediaRadar’s data. The Olympic moment comes at a time that is all too critical for a brand like Nike, which some industry experts say is pressured to improve its standing among consumers after seeing a dip in sales as of late. The 60-year-old retailer faces challenges on more than one front. Full-year revenue (the fiscal year ended May 31 for the company) was up just 1% to $51.4 billion compared to $51.2 billion in 2023, per the company’s earnings report. Meanwhile, fourth-quarter revenues were $12.6 billion, down 2% on a reported basis and flat on a currency-neutral basis, per the report. Nike’s digital sales have also been lagging, dipping 3% year over year from the third quarter of fiscal 2023 to the third quarter of fiscal 2024, marking the retailer’s first digital decline in nine years. Nike is said to have invested too much, too quickly in its direct-to-consumer business, which has become a scapegoat for its poor performance, as ModernRetail reported. In the face of financial headwinds, the company has gone through a series of layoffs to cut costs. This year, Nike seems to be aiming to make a big splash at the Olympics. Last week, Nike released its Olympic-themed spot “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” featuring big names like basketball forward LeBron James and U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, with a voiceover by actor Willem Dafoe. The spot drummed up excitement on X, where users acknowledged a possible return to Nike’s iconic storytelling roots. The retailer is also introducing a new footwear and apparel collection for breaking (formerly known as breakdancing) ahead of the Olympics, in addition to a slew of shoe prototypes developed with athletes, per Reuters. The sportswear giant is also hosting a sports-themed exhibition at Centre Pompidou, a Paris landmark, introducing programming and jerseys around its iconic Jordan Brand, as well as sponsoring hundreds of athletes who will compete in this year’s games, including big names like James and Richardson. While Nike’s Olympics ad has received praise on social media, its message isn’t exactly aligned with the brand’s current positioning, having seen more competition from the likes of other athletic brands like Hoka and On Running and considering recent sales numbers. Marketers said the impact of the spot hinges on the performance of the featured Olympic athletes. https://lottolenghi.me/nike-eyes-marketing-moment-at-the-olympics-as-industry-execs-sound-off-on-the-brands-challenges/ #lesottolenghi #Olympics #OlympicGames #Olympics2024 #parisolympics2024 #olympicsparis2024