France threatens “America’s dreams” in the “Paris Olympics”!

Paris (AFP)

Led by the giant Victor Wembanyama, France hopes to dethrone the United States basketball team when they meet on Saturday in the men’s final at the Paris Olympics, parallel to the final day of athletics at the Stade de France.
The team, which is loaded with NBA stars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry, was under heavy pressure from Serbia led by Nikola Jokic in the semifinals, before making a strong comeback in the fourth quarter, especially thanks to Curry’s 36 points.
The four-time defending champion will be favourites to beat the hosts, who lost the last Tokyo final 82-87.
But James, who is looking for a third gold, knows how difficult the host nation will be with young center Wembanyama, who played his first season in the American League with the San Antonio Spurs.
“This team has been playing together for a while, they integrate with their fans and we are looking forward to this match,” said the King.
A day before the end of the 33rd Games, eight medals will be awarded on the purple track of the Stade de France in the suburb of Saint-Denis.
But in the Parisian street marathon, in front of magnificent historical landmarks, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge came away empty-handed in a race won by Ethiopian Tamirat Tola.
The 39-year-old withdrew at the 30th kilometre, when he was more than eight minutes behind the leader, due to pain in his side, according to the American network NBC.
Tola, 32, the 2022 world champion in Eugene and a 10,000m silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, clocked 2:06.26 hours to set an Olympic record.
Another Ethiopian, Kenenisa Bekele, who won three Olympic golds and five world titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 km races before moving to the marathon, finished 39th.
The two “friends”, Qatari Mutaz Barshim and Italian Gianmarco Tamberi, will face off in the high jump, after they shared the gold medal in the last edition in a paradox in the history of the games.
Tampere suffered from a fever and kidney pain, while Barshim appeared to be clutching his calf during qualifying.
“I hope he will be fine on Saturday, I want him on the field, and I hope I will be ready too,” said Tampere, the world champion who cleared 2.37 metres in 2024.
The Stade de France will also witness the 800m races with Algerian Djamel Sajati, a candidate for the title, the 5,000m for men, the 100m hurdles and the 1,500m for women.
The women’s soccer final will see a remarkable clash between the United States and Brazil.
The US team won four gold medals in the first five editions, but did not taste gold at the 2012 London Olympics.
The team has seen improvement under the new English coach Emma Hayes, who made achievements when she coached the London team Chelsea.
The Americans have been playing a strong offensive game with Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson and Trinity Rodman.
In contrast, the Brazilians are seeking to stand on the top of the podium this time, after falling twice in the final against the United States in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
The team includes veteran star Marta (38 years old), who is competing in her sixth and most likely last Olympics.
“She changed soccer around the world,” Rodman said of Marta, who spent part of her career in the United States. “She is a talented player and a wonderful person. Her legacy will always be there, but we want the gold.”
China will be looking for more diving medals to complete a perfect record in a sport that has swept the gold medals so far, with the men’s 10m platform competition.