Sports

By Kevin Dotson and Chris Liakos, CNN (CNN) — Algerian boxer Imane Khelif defeated Chinese opponent Yang Liu in the 66kg gold medal bout at the Paris Summer Olympics on Friday. Khelif received a warm welcome from the crowd as she entered the ring at Roland Garros Stadium for her fourth bout of the Games.

By Matias Grez, CNN (CNN) — Spain was crowned the men’s Olympic soccer champion for the first time since 1992 after beating host France 5-3 after extra time in an all-time great final. Expectations were high for France going into the men’s gold medal match, but the reality of the first half was brutal for

By Kyle Feldscher, CNN Saint-Denis, France (CNN) — Tara Davis-Woodhall overcame more than most people could ever fathom just to make the Olympics. Her podium moment on Friday showed the weight of what it took to be able to compete, let alone win. Davis-Woodhall flew through the air on Thursday night to take home the

By Ben Morse, CNN (CNN) — The Olympic Village is mystical place for us non-Olympians. But apparently, there are some perks that even some athletes aren’t aware of. Take Team USA’s rugby sevens bronze medalist Ariana Ramsey, for example. When the 24-year-old arrived in Paris, she apparently knew of the free food on offer in

By George Ramsay, CNN (CNN) — Hellen Obiri has won almost everything in her running career. Everything, that is, except an Olympic gold medal. The only woman to win indoor, outdoor and cross-country world titles, Obiri also has two Olympic silver medals over 5,000 meters and three major marathon victories – in Boston (twice) and

By Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Turkey’s understated Olympian Yusuf Dikeç went viral for his nonchalant stance while competing in the air pistol mixed team competition event last week. While his opponents took to the competition wearing specialized equipment, Dikeç helped Turkey win its first ever Olympic medal in shooting in what looked to be

By Samra Zulfaqar and Sophia Saifi, CNN Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan partied late into the night after javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem won the country’s first ever Olympic track and field medal with a Games record throw of 92.97 meters to take gold in Paris. The normally cricket-mad nation stayed up late Thursday night to

By Jacob Lev, CNN (CNN) — World Golf Hall of Famer Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez has died at the age of 88, the PGA Tour announced on Thursday. No cause of death was given. Rodriguez, a native of Puerto Rico, made his PGA Tour debut in 1960. He would go on to win eight times

By Chris Liakos and Matias Grez, CNN Saint-Denis, France (CNN) — Team USA superstar and defending 400m hurdles champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone put on a spectacular show at the Stade de France to retain her gold medal. The 25-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday, was truly in a league of her own as she smashed

By Sam Joseph, CNN (CNN) — Team USA on Thursday had to produce a breathtaking comeback to defeat Serbia 95-91 and advance to the men’s basketball gold medal game. Serbia — led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić — led by 17 points at one stage during the second quarter but saw its lead evaporate

By Issy Ronald, CNN (CNN) — For almost two weeks, the world has watched transfixed as athletes have pushed themselves to the limit at these Paris Olympic Games, ripping every imaginable emotion out themselves – their elation, joy, relief, shock, disappointment, despair, anxiety and excitement displayed for all to see. It is these emotions that

By Ben Morse and Ben Church, CNN (CNN) — Raven Saunders has never been shy about standing out and that’s exactly what they did in Thursday’s shot put semifinals. The US star qualified for Friday’s final with a throw of 18.62m, fourth in their qualification group and seventh overall. But it was their fashion choice

By Don Riddell, CNN (CNN) — Olympic athletes are rarely lacking in motivation, but Israel’s newest gold medalist – windsurfer Tom Reuveny – had no shortage of material to draw on during these Paris Olympics. “There’s a big and strong Jewish community and I received a lot of positive messages,” he told CNN Sport, but

By Aditi Sangal, CNN Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman to qualify for an Olympic wrestling final, appeared to announce her retirement from the sport in a heartbreaking statement. In a social media post, Phogat said her spirit was broken after she was disqualified from the gold medal match of the women’s 50kg freestyle category.

By Kyle Feldscher and Ben Church, CNN Paris (CNN) — Noah Lyles is a charismatic, boisterous athlete who is not afraid to say what’s on his mind in his effort to push track and field’s profile higher in the sporting world. Last year, however, that put him at odds with some of the most high-profile

By Martynas Ruseckas, CNN (CNN) — Breaking’s rising star Dominika Banevič knows all too well about believing in yourself and success from a young age. She was exposed to the newest Olympic sport while watching cartoons online, and now the Lithuanian prepares for her debut at the Paris Games as the defending world champion after