Olympic Daily News: 1 October 2020

Twenty years ago today, the spectacular Closing Ceremony from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Australia captivated the world - and the more than 114,000 in attendance.

Music superstar Kylie Minogue was a spectacular highlight, singing the ABBA hit song ‘Dancing Queen’ as part of the festivities. The pop queen posted a clip of her performance on Instagram Thursday, saying "What. An. Event."

Swimming legend Ian Thorpe also played a major role in the Closing Ceremony as the flag bearer for the host country. Here you can check out our exclusive interview with him.

LeBron James, Anthony Davis deliver Olympian performances in Game 1 of NBA Finals

Olympic basketball champions LeBron James (2008, 2012) and Anthony Davis (2012) combined for 59 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Wednesday evening. The final score was 116-98.

Individually, Davis recorded 34 points, nine rebounds and five assists while James posted 25 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.

"It's easy for AD," said the Lakers’ Markieff Morris, according to ESPN. "Like I've been saying since I got on this team, honestly, if you ask me ... we got LeBron, but I think he's the best player in the world.

"He [does] it on both ends, he's doing it consistently every night, he gives you what you ask for every night."

Friday, the NBA Finals continue with Game 2, while the WNBA Finals between the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces kick off with Game 1.

Gymnastics World Cup action resumes Friday

The first International Gymnastics Federation World Cup event since March begins tomorrow with the Szombathely World Challenge Cup in Szombathely, Hungary. The apparatus final only event will feature 66 athletes from 14 countries, including Olympic medallists Marian Dragulescu, Igor Radivilov and Filip Ude.

“I’ve missed those moments when there’s a lot at stake,” local favourite and 2019 horizontal bar champion David Vecsernyes told the FIG. “The past period gave me even more motivation, as I had plenty of time to perfect and refine my routine and learn new elements.”

The women’s field Ukrainian champ Anastasiia Motak and 2016 Olympian Angelina Radivilova. Friday’s competition will see qualification in all events, before finals take over Saturday and Sunday.

Sonic boom startles players, fans at French Open

Dominik Koepfer had to deal with an unusual distraction while serving Wednesday at tennis' French Open: a sonic boom.

“It was kind of weird, we both stopped. We both looked at each other and didn’t know what it is," Koepfer said of the moment in his match against Stan Wawrinka, according to Yahoo! Sports. "It was a weird feeling, for one or two points I thought about it.”

It was quickly reported that the noise had been caused by a fighter plane breaking the sound barrier. Wawrinka, the 16th seed and a three-time Grand Slam champion, ended the match victorious and advanced to third round, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 61.

Elsewhere at Roland Garros, American Sofia Kenin, the women’s fourth seed, held off Romanian Anna Bogdan Thursday, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

"I knew I had to fight," 2020 Australian Open champ Kenin said of her come-from-behind win. "I couldn't find my rhythm at the beginning so I just kept fighting and it paid off."

Trivia Thursday

Yesterday, we asked which city will be the first to host both a Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The answer is, of course, Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Games and will play host to the 2022 Winter Games shortly.

Here’s today’s question.

Which female gymnast has recorded the highest score ever in Olympic competition?

1. Simone Biles

2. Nastia Liukin

3. Aliya Mustafina

4. Nadia Comaneci

Today’s ‘Daily Dog’ needs a nap

Not saying this is us after lunch, but…