From the track to the courts, there was no shortage of drama on Day 13 of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Tara Davis-Woodhall and Grant Holloway all captured Olympic titles as part of an eight-medal haul in track and field for Team USA on Thursday.
The U.S. also had two reigning Olympic champions keep their title defenses alive with thrilling semifinal victories, as the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams advanced to gold medal games.
With nine total podium finishes, the United States became the first country to surpass the 100-medal mark in Paris. The U.S. was able to maintain its slight advantage over China in the gold medal race as well.
Here’s a full look back at the top moments from an action-packed Day 13 of the Paris Games:
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Anna Cockrell finish 1-2 in 400m hurdles
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone was crowned as champion in the women’s 400m hurdles. Literally.
The Team USA star broke her own world record to earn back-to-back golds, finishing the final in 50.37 seconds. And after becoming the event’s first-ever two-time Olympic champion, McLaughlin-Levrone celebrated at the Stade de France venue while sporting a fitting piece of headwear:
It marked the third-career Olympic gold medal for McLaughlin-Levrone, who was joined on the podium by fellow American Anna Cockrell.
Cockrell captured silver for her first Olympic medal by finishing in 51.87, beating out reigning bronze medalist Femke Bol of the Netherlands. Bol, who was considered McLaughlin-Levrone’s top challenger for gold, took bronze again with a time of 52.15.
U.S. hurdler Anna Cockrell shares her emotions after winning a silver medal in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics.
Grant Holloway, Daniel Roberts take gold and silver in 110m hurdles
Team USA also had the top two medalists in the men’s 110m hurdles. Reigning silver medalist Grant Holloway moved up one spot on the Olympic podium by winning the race in 12.99 seconds for his first Olympic gold medal.
Daniel Roberts, meanwhile, earned his first Olympic medal by just barely beating out Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell for silver. Roberts posted a time of 13.085 while Broadbell crossed the finish line in 13.088.
Grant Holloway won gold in the 110m hurdles after previously winning silver in 2020. Holloway now has gold medals from the Olympics, World Championships, World Indoor Championships and the Diamond League.
US men’s basketball keeps title defense alive with epic comeback
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia nearly knocked off the four-time-defending Olympic champions in men’s basketball. But Team USA simply had too much star power.
The United States erased a 17-point deficit to beat Jokic and Co. 95-91 and advance to the gold medal game. Steph Curry knocked down nine 3-pointers, including a go-ahead triple in the final minutes, en route to a 36-point performance. LeBron James posted a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, while Joel Embiid (19 points) silenced the critics with his best performance of the Games.
Jokic posted a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the Americans, who outscored Serbia 32-15 in the fourth quarter.
Now, Team USA will meet France in a second straight Olympic final on Saturday. Victor Wembanyama and host France are seeking their first-ever gold medal, while the U.S. is looking to complete a five-peat.
Tara Davis-Woodhall, Jasmine Moore make long jump podium
Team USA’s Tara Davis-Woodhall and Jasmine Moore each made the long jump podium for the first time. Davis-Woodhall recorded a jump of 7.10 meters on her fourth attempt to win gold for her first Olympic medal.
Moore, who earned a triple jump bronze earlier in the Games, picked up another bronze with a jump of 6.96 meters on her first attempt. She was in position to claim silver until reigning gold medalist Malaika Mihambo of Germany took over second place with a jump of 6.98 meters on her fifth of six attempts.
Moore was the first American woman to ever qualify for the long jump and triple jump at the same Olympics — and she medaled in both.
Team USA’s Jasmine Moore opened up about her Olympic experience after winning the bronze medal in the long jump event at the Paris Olympics.
Kenny Bednarek, Noah Lyles finish 2-3 again in 200m final
Noah Lyles came up short in his bid to complete the rare Olympic sprint double as Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo seized gold in a 200m upset. Tebogo, who posted the top semifinal time of 19.96 seconds, finished the final in 19.46.
American Kenny Bednarek and Lyles placed second and third, respectively, for a second straight Olympics. Bednarek finished in 19.62 seconds for his second Olympic medal, while Lyles crossed the line in 19.70 for his third medal.
U.S. sprinter Kenny Bednarek discusses his silver medal in the men’s 200m at the Paris Olympics.
After the race, it was revealed that Lyles had been diagnosed with COVID-19 two days prior. He had to leave the track on a wheelchair Thursday after struggling to walk on his own.
Lyles said he woke up early Tuesday morning “feeling really horrible” hours after winning gold in the 100m final. Despite not feeling 100%, Lyles said he never considered backing out of the 200m and was proud to come away with the bronze medal.
“It’s taken its toll for sure, but I’ve never been more proud of myself for being able to come out here and get a bronze medal,” Lyles told NBC. “Last Olympics I was very disappointed and this time I couldn’t be more proud.”
Sam Watson uses world record to reach speed climbing podium
Sam Watson broke the men’s speed climbing world record for a second time at the Paris Games to capture his first Olympic medal. In the third-place heat, Watson finished in 4.74 seconds to beat out Iran’s Reza Alipour for bronze.
Watson, 18, entered the Games owning the world record of 4.79 before first setting a new mark of 4.75 in an elimination heat.
US women’s volleyball outlasts Brazil in tight semifinal
The U.S. women’s volleyball has taken its Olympic title defense to the gold medal match after outlasting Brazil in a rematch of the final from the pandemic-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games. Brazil entered the semifinal showdown having not dropped a single set in Paris and the reigning silver medalists pushed the Americans to five sets.
But Team USA took the fifth set by a score of 15-11 to win the match 3-2, with a spike from Kathryn Plummer, who posted a game-high 26 points, sealing the victory. The U.S. also got 19 points from Avery Skinner and 18 from Annie Drews.
The Americans will look to complete their title defense when they face Italy in the final on Sunday. The Italians remained undefeated in Paris with a 3-0 win over Turkey in the semis.
US women post top time in 4x100m relay heats
The star-studded U.S. quartet of Melissa Jefferson, Sha’Carri Richardson, Twanisha Terry and Gabby Thomas combined to record the top time in the women’s 4x100m relay heats. The Americans posted a time of 41.94 seconds, with Great Britain’s 42.15 standing as the next-best time. Jamaica, the reigning Olympic champion, had the fifth-best time of 42.35.
Team USA is the reigning silver medalist in the event and will go for its first gold since the 2016 Rio Games in the final on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.