PARIS — First, a big thank you to the French for going on vacation and leaving Paris to us, like an Airbnb without a security deposit.

Parisians considered the specter of packed Metros, terrorism, crowds, random acts of Ugly Americanism, and headed for the Cote d’Azur or the Alps. The result was an eerie scene out of a dystopian novel: one ...Read more

PARIS — These were the Olympics of Katie Ledecky and Leon Marchand, of Simone Biles and Rebeca Andrade, of Noah Lyles’ microscopic victory in the 100-meter dash and Stephen Nedoroscik’s telescopic lenses in his glasses. And these were the Olympics of a provocative opening ceremony, of chromosomal controversies in women’s boxing, and of ...Read more

RayGun has broken her silence.

Not long after her breakdancing performances during the 2024 Paris Olympics were widely mocked across social media, the Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn also known as “RayGun,” responded to the criticism.

During a news conference with ESPN on Saturday, Gunn said she wanted to bring a unique style of dance ...Read more

And so the two weeks when I become interested in athletics every four years have drawn to a close, with a ceremony to mark the occasion. There were many ceremonies along the way, of course, and the Olympic Games are themselves a sort of ceremony writ large, a ritual against which the athletes of Earth measure their worth — though obviously ...Read more

Finally, dramatically, it has ended, the 2024 Paris Olympics finishing its last lap Sunday with incomparable enthusiasm, unbridled joy, and one last look at the gloriously intimidating tour Eiffel.

All of which means one thing.

We've got next.

Gulp.

How on earth can the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics surpass what the world just witnessed in a ...Read more

SAINT-DENIS, France – It was a fashion statement that was true Sifan Hassan, fearless, defiant.

At end of a day in which she confirmed her status of the greatest female distance runner ever by winning the Olympic Games marathon, Hassan, the quiet, soft-spoken Dutch runner, sent a message around the world without saying a word.

Hassan stepped...Read more

SAINT-DENIS, France – In the parlance of the next Summer Olympics host city, Los Angeles’ portion of the Paris Games’ closing ceremony Sunday night was a coming attraction, a global trailer for what International Olympic Committee and local officials hope is the blockbuster hit of the summer of 2028.

“Our chance to give a glimpse to the...Read more

PARIS — Chicago’s Kennedy Blades won a silver medal Sunday to finish a remarkable Olympic debut and usher in a new era of U.S. wrestling.

Blades, 20, lost to reigning world champion Yuka Kagami of Japan in the 76-kilogram final. The 3-1 defeat marked Blades’ lowest-scoring effort over four matches at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.

“Honestly,...Read more

SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINE, France – The profile photo on Tom Valente’s Facebook page is from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a jubilant shot from the cycling velodrome of their family surrounding daughter Jennifer with her silver medal.

“We’re like, it would be nice to recreate that someday,” Tom said.

They had to wait eight ...Read more

PARIS — It's not easy making history.

The United States survived a scare from France to win an unprecedented eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal Sunday with a 67-66 victory at Bercy Arena. The Americans trailed by 10 in the third quarter, never led by more than eight and won by inches as French star Gabby Williams momentarily thought she ...Read more

PARIS — After punching her way to a gold medal, winning bout after bout, the Algerian boxer felt like she had to keep fighting.

Throughout the 2024 Summer Olympics, Imane Khelif faced withering attacks on social media because she did not look stereotypically feminine. Internet trolls accused her of being transgender or a man in disguise.

"I ...Read more

PARIS — The original Olympic motto translates from Latin as "swifter, higher, stronger." And those who live up to it are the ones who win gold medals and climb to the top step of the podium.

But what about those who go slower, lower and are weaker? Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics, had them covered too.

"The most important...Read more

PARIS — There was this flicker of an instant within a moment Sunday, Kahleah Copper standing at the free-throw line, 3.8 seconds remaining in the gold-medal game of the Olympic women’s basketball tournament, the United States — the mighty United States, winner of seven straight golds and 60 straight Olympic games heading into tipoff at ...Read more

At the Olympics, there are take-backs.

Jordan Chiles must return the bronze medal she was awarded on floor exercise, the International Olympic Committee announced Sunday, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided the inquiry that boosted the U.S. gymnast from fifth place to third.

U.S. Olympic officials said they will appeal the CAS ...Read more

PARIS — Rush hour all but disappeared. There was less traffic on the freeways and not as much stop-and-go on surface streets.

Long-time residents of Southern California remember that, in terms of driving, the 1984 Summer Olympics felt something like heaven. Businesses switched to staggered schedules. Lots of people left town for a few weeks. ...Read more

PARIS — The hotel where they put Bill May is nice, expensive, across from the Jardin des Tuileries. He sits in a tastefully furnished lounge off the lobby, smiling, telling stories, bursting into jolts of laughter.

"It's been a dream coming to the Olympics," he says. "I'm just cheering, screaming, making a fool of myself."

Which doesn't ...Read more