Team USA took over sole possession of first place in the gold medal race on Day 11 of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The United States had been even with China on golds before earning three Olympic titles on Tuesday, courtesy of sprinter Gabby Thomas, middle-distance runner Cole Hocker and wrestler Amit Elor. The Americans now lead in both golds (24) and total medals (86).
Day 11 of the Games also saw several U.S. squads take another step toward a gold medal, including the USWNT, the men’s basketball team and the women’s water polo team.
From medal triumphs to knockout round wins, here’s a look back at the top highlights from Day 11 of the Games:
Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse combine to make 1500m history for US
One of the more thrilling finishes of the 2024 Olympics so far came in the men’s 1500m final, where Team USA’s Cole Hocker pulled off a stunning upset.
In the race’s final stretch, Hocker overtook both reigning Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway and world champion Josh Kerr of Great Britain to win gold in an Olympic-record time of 3:27.65. Kerr finished second in 3:27.79 to take silver, while American Yared Nuguse claimed bronze with a time of 3:27.80.
It marked the first time that the U.S. had two medalists in the men’s 1500m since all the way back at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Hocker and Nuguse each medaled for the first time at an Olympics.
Cole Hocker shares his thoughts on his huge upset win in the men’s 1500m, winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Gabby Thomas captures first gold, Brittany Brown claims first medal
Gabby Thomas stormed to the top of the Olympic podium for the first time, winning the women’s 200m race in 21.83 seconds. Thomas, who earned silver and bronze at the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games, held off Saint Lucia’s Julien Alfred, who was attempting to pull off the sprint double after topping Sha’Carri Richardson in the 100m final. Alfred took silver with a time of 22.08 seconds.
American Brittany Brown, meanwhile, made her first Olympic podium with a third-place finish of 22.20 seconds.
Team USA’s Gabby Thomas offered advice for young athletes after winning the gold medal in the 200m event at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
Amit Elor becomes youngest US wrestling champ in Olympic history
No American wrestler in Olympic history has captured gold at a younger age than Amit Elor. The 20-year-old Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova 3-0 in the women’s 68kg final to become the country’s youngest Olympic wrestling champion of all time.
Elor dominated the competition in Paris, racking up a 31-2 scoring advantage over her four matches. She wasn’t scored on at all in her final three matches, either.
Annette Echikunwoke becomes first US woman to medal in hammer throw
The U.S. medaled in Olympic women’s hammer throw for the first time ever thanks to Annette Echikunwoke. Echikunwoke’s top throw of 75.48 meters on her third attempt earned her a silver medal, finishing behind Camryn Rogers of Canada.
Echikunwoke was actually in position to win gold until Rogers jumped into first with a throw of 76.97 meters on her fifth and final attempt.
USWNT wins another nail-biter to reach gold medal match
Trinity Rodman played the hero for the USWNT in the quarterfinals. This time around, it was Sophia Smith who put on the cape and saved the day.
After a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Japan in extra time, the USWNT found itself in yet another scoreless deadlock that required more than 90 minutes to decide. But the USWNT once again found a breakthrough in the opening period of extra time versus Germany thanks to a superb effort and strike from Smith in the 95th minute.
Smith’s game-winner pushed the USWNT past Germany 1-0 and into its first Olympic final since the 2012 London Games, where it last claimed gold. The Americans will face Brazil, which defeated Spain in the other semifinal, in the gold medal match on Saturday.
US women’s water polo outlasts Hungary in tight quarterfinal
The USWNT wasn’t the only U.S. squad to earn a dramatic quarterfinal win on Day 11. The three-time-defending Olympic champion women’s water polo team emerged victorious in a tightly contested game against Hungary that came down to the final minutes.
The U.S. and Hungary entered the fourth quarter tied at 4-4 before Rachel Fattal scored a game-winner during a 6-on-4 power play with just three minutes left. Fattal’s heroics, along with Ashleigh Johnson’s 17 saves, pushed the Americans past Hungary 5-4 and into the semifinals, where a matchup with unbeaten Australia awaits on Thursday.
Team USA is looking to become the sport’s first squad — women’s or men’s — to ever win four straight Olympic titles.
USA men’s basketball rolls into semifinals
The U.S. men’s basketball team looked strong in its first win-or-go-home contest of the Paris Games. The four-time defending Olympic champions cruised to a 122-87 quarterfinal victory over Brazil.
Devin Booker (18 points), Anthony Edwards (17) and Joel Embiid (14) led six Americans who scored in double figures, while LeBron James flirted with a double-double by posting 12 points and nine assists.
Team USA, which improved to a perfect 4-0 in Paris, will now have to go through arguably the world’s best basketball player in order to reach the gold medal game. The U.S. will face three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia for a second time in Paris on Thursday after blowing them out to open the Olympics. Serbia has won three straight since that meeting, most recently rallying for an epic overtime win against Australia in the quarterfinals.
US women’s volleyball advances to fifth straight Olympic semifinals
The reigning Olympic champion U.S. women’s volleyball team is back in the semifinals for a fifth straight Games after defeating Poland in straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-20). Annie Drews powered the quarterfinal victory with 13 points, while Kathryn Plummer and Avery Skinner each added 12.
The Americans will now face Brazil on Thursday in a rematch of the gold medal game from the Tokyo Olympics. Brazil has yet lose a single set, let alone a match, at the Paris Olympics.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.