On the ninth day of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the United States took home 10 medals — five gold, two silver and three bronze. The U.S. officially tied China for most gold medals, each with 19.
A major standout of Sunday's action was American track star Noah Lyles' photo-finish gold medal win in the men's 100m, in which he beat out Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by just a tiny fraction of a second.
The U.S. also racked up gold medal wins in cycling, swimming and golf, and a tennis great finally got his long-sought gold medal.
Here's a look back at medal-winning moments and more top highlights from Day 9 of the Games:
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Noah Lyles wins gold in incredible photo finish
Noah Lyles won the Olympic 100 meters by .005 seconds Sunday, waiting some 30 seconds after the finish of an excruciatingly close sprint to find out he'd beaten Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
The word “Photo” popped up on the scoreboard after Lyles and Thompson dashed to the line. Lyles paced the track with his hands draped over his head. Finally, the numbers came up. Lyles won in 9.784 seconds to edge out the Jamaican by five-thousandths of a tick of the clock.
America's Fred Kerley came in third at 9.81 and defending champion Marcell Jacobs finished fifth.
Lyles is the first American to win the race since Justin Gatlin in 2004.
And 9.784 also marks a personal best for Lyles, who has been promising to add his own brand of excitement to track and certainly delivered this time.
He will be a favorite later this week in the 200 meters — his better race — and will try to join Usain Bolt as the latest runner to win both Olympic sprints.
Scottie Scheffler clinches gold in a thriller at Le Golf National
Le Golf National saw a few standout performances Sunday, but nobody was better than the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world and reigning Masters champion.
Already a six-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, including his second Masters title, Scottie Scheffler added Olympic gold to an astonishing season with a round that kept some 30,000 fans on edge for a wild final two hours.
He overcame a six-shot deficit on the back nine and got plenty of help from a shocking collapse by Jon Rahm, who lost a four-shot lead and didn't even make the podium. Tommy Fleetwood won the silver medal while the bronze went to Hideki Matsuyama of Japan.
US sets two world records on swimming's last night
The United States closed out Olympic swimming by setting two world records on the final night, winning the gold-medal count over rival Australia and easing the sting of the first loss ever in the men’s 4x100-meter medley relay.
Bobby Finke set a new standard in the 1,500 freestyle, setting a new world record and taking his second gold in the event. Finke became only the fourth swimmer to defend the men’s title in the longest event at the pool, and the first since Australia’s Grant Hackett in 2004.
“I really wanted to get on top of the podium again and I hear the anthem all over again like I did for the first time in Tokyo,” said Finke, who swept the 800 and 1,500 three years ago.
The Tampa native pulled away from Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri in the final 50 and touched the wall at 14:30.67.
Then the American women — Lilly King, Gretchen Walsh, Torri Huske and Regan Smith — closed a thrilling nine days at La Defense Arena with the gold and yet another record in their 4x100 medley relay.
China stunningly won the gold in the men’s 4x100 medley relay, ending the American run of dominance that stretched back to the introduction of the event at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Djokovic secures career 'golden slam'
Tennis great Novak Djokovic won his first Olympic gold medal by beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in the 2024 Games men's tennis singles final.
Djokovic is among exclusive company with Steffi Graff (1988), Andre Agassi (1999), Rafael Nadal (2010) and Serena Williams (2012) to achieve the career golden slam. The honor is earned when a player wins all four Grand Slams and an Olympic gold in singles.
It also gives Djokovic the last significant accomplishment missing from a resume that includes 24 Grand Slam titles and the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings.
Sunday's victory makes the 37-year-old from Serbia the oldest man to triumph in the event at the Summer Olympics since 1908.
The final was a rematch of the Wimbledon final that Alcaraz won. Had he won in Paris, the 21-year-old from Spain would have become the youngest man to win an Olympic singles gold medal in tennis.
Suni Lee adds to medal count
American gymnastics star Sunisa Lee's Olympic medal count keeps rising.
On Sunday, Lee earned her third medal of the 2024 Paris Games and the sixth of her Olympic career by claiming bronze in the uneven bars. Lee says the bronze is a vindication of sorts after she took bronze on the same event in Tokyo three years ago despite what she considered a sloppy performance.
Lee has one last chance to add to her medal total when she competes in the balance beam final on the final day of gymnastics competition.
US women's basketball wraps group play undefeated
Team USA earned its 58th straight Olympic victory by beating Germany 87-68 to close out group play. A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Jackie Young delivered on offense and a stifling defensive effort led the U.S. women's basketball team past Germany.
The team will return to the floor on Wednesday for the quarterfinals.
A major road race upset in Paris
In "the upset of a lifetime" cyclist Kristen Faulkner took gold and became the first American rider in 40 years to win a medal in the women's road race. The 31-year-old Alaska native had only made the team as a replacement.
The 158-kilometer route started and finished in Paris. Faulkner surged ahead with about three kilometers left, crossing the line at the Trocadéro in a fraction under four hours. Dutch rider Marianne Vos took silver, and Lotte Kopecky of Belgium won bronze. Three-time U.S. Olympic medalist Chloe Dygert crashed during the race and ended up finishing in 15th.
Cheng and Hughes heading to beach volleyball quarterfinals
Americans Sara Hughes and Kelly Cheng, the defending world champions in women's volleyball, trailed in their first set against Italy before scoring five of the next six points. Once that momentum started, the U.S. led the rest of the match.
“It’s not pool play anymore,” Cheng said. “You lose and you’re out. So for sure there’s emotions. It’s something we’ve been working for for a long time. So, yeah, the points, you feel them, for sure.”
The Americans' next match is against Switzerland's Tanja Hueberli and Nina Brunner, who beat Spain earlier Sunday.
US women beat France to advance to volleyball quarterfinals
As for volleyball off the beach, American women clinched a spot in the quarterfinals as well. Team USA took a hard-fought straight-set win against France to advance to the quarterfinals of the women's volleyball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kim Woojin outlasts Ellison for gold in dramatic men's archery final
American archer Brady Ellison lost out to South Korean Kim Woo-jin in the men’s individual final after battling to a draw through four sets.
Both scored 10 points on their single arrow in the shoot-off, but Kim’s was closer to the center, giving him his third gold medal of the Games. He took the matchup 6-5 at Les Invalides. Ellison claimed his second medal of the Games.
High jumper wins Ukraine's 1st individual gold in Paris
After fleeing her hometown on the front lines of Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh won gold at the Stade de France after an epic battle for gold and silver with the only other competitor to clear 1.98m. Nicola Olyslagers of Australia ended up winning silver.
It marked Ukraine’s first individual gold of the Paris Olympics, following a victory in women’s team saber fencing on Saturday.
Ngamba wins QF, earns first medal for Refugee Olympic Team
Boxer Cindy Ngamba made history Sunday: winning a first-ever medal for the Refugee Olympic Team.
Ngamba triumphed in her bout on Sunday against France's Davina Michel. Now the refugee from Cameroon will go for gold in the 75 kilo boxing semi-finals, but even if she loses her next bout, she is guaranteed a bronze.
Ngamba, now living in the United Kingdom, had already made history by becoming the first-ever refugee boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games. She was born in Cameroon and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11. She was granted refugee status because of her sexuality. Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon.
“Being a refugee to me means a life-changing opportunity," she told Olympics.com in March. "A lot of refugees out there all around the world have so many potentials, but they don't have that the doors open for them yet. It’s a big family, all around the world.”
