Picture by 2023 Getty Images
Team USA fans have so much to look forward to on Monday, 29 July at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. With basketball, swimming, rugby sevens, beach volleyball, artistic gymnastics, water polo, fencing, shooting, rowing, judo, sailing, hockey and tennis underway, fans will have a buffet of sports to choose from.
The U.S. women’s basketball team will start their quest for a record-breaking gold with a pool game against Japan, while Lilly King will try to add to her medal collection in the 100m breaststroke. Chase Budinger will make history the second he steps on the beach volleyball court next to the Eiffel Tower. Playing with partner Miles Evans, Budinger will become the first person to play in both the NBA and in volleyball at the Olympics.
Read on to find out what's in store for Team USA on 29 July.
The U.S. has set the gold standard in women’s basketball since 1996, winning seven Olympic golds and six FIBA World Cups in that time. Their quest to continue the team’s winning tradition begins on 29 July with a group game against Japan, the silver medal winners at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. If the U.S. can win gold, they will be the first team to win eight straight medals.
First, they need to get through a tough round of group play. Japan is the last team the U.S. faced in Tokyo. They have a fast and free style of play that can be difficult to defend. Team USA has size and strength, and a roster full of players who aren’t afraid to take a shot from the perimeter. Keep an eye on Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 30 points – including six three-pointers – in her last WNBA game before the Olympic break.
Lilly King has been the queen of the breaststroke, winning two medals in the 100m in the past two Olympic Games. Tatjana Smith from South Africa is expected to be one of her main challengers in this fast race.
Beach volleyball player Chase Budinger is proof that dreams change, but they don’t die. He was a highly touted volleyball player in high school, but chose his other sport, and went on to play eight seasons in the NBA. When that career ended, he found his way back to volleyball, this time on the beach. Budinger and his partner Miles Evans’ path to Olympic glory starts on 29 July.
All times listed in Eastern Daylight Time
U.S women's basketball team against Japan
3:00 p.m.
Lilly King in the 100m breaststroke
3:25 p.m. Final
Chase Budinger and Miles Evans in beach volleyball
10:00 a.m.
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