Arisa Trew was the highlight of the day at the Paris Olympics as she became Australia's youngest ever gold medallist at just 14 years old by winning the women's park event in the skateboarding program.
Trew's gift revelation, a Cuban Greco-Roman wrestling champion's retirement and the coach of a star sprinter being given his marching orders were just a few of the weird, wonderful and heartbreaking moments from the Olympics today that you might've missed. Here are your quick hits from Paris.
1. Arisa Trew reveals bizarre gift she'll receive after winning gold
Arisa Trew created some Australian Olympic history by becoming the youngest Australian to win a gold medal at just 14 years old on Wednesday morning.
Trew eclipsed Australia's previous youngest medallist, swimmer Sandra Morgan, by winning gold in the skateboarding while aged just 14 years and 86 days.
Following her win, Trew was asked by Nine's Eddie McGuire what her parents had promised her if she'd won a gold medal, and stunned the veteran TV host.
"My parents promised me if I won the gold medal I could get a pet duck," she said on Nine's coverage.
McGuire was even more stunned when Trew revealed that she planned to take her duck on walks and to the skate park.
"My parents wouldn't let me get a dog or a cat because we are travelling so much right now but I feel like a duck might be a little bit easier. I don't know I really wanted a duck," she said.
Trew finished the interview by saying she planned to keep the duck in her backyard and wanted to "get a little pool thing for it".
The simplicity of life as a 14-year-old, even if you are an Olympic gold medallist, is just brilliant.
2. Teenagers shine bright on the 10m platform
At the tender age of 17 years, Chinese diving sensation Quan Hongchan is a two-time women's 10m platform gold medallist.
After taking the title in Tokyo as a 14-year-old, Quan cemented herself as a great of the sport with her second Olympic title.
For the second successive Olympics, Quan won gold over compatriot Yuxi Chen.
Quan's victory on Tuesday was her second for these Olympics, after she was part of the 10m platform synchronised gold medal winning duo.
But the Chinese star was not the only 17-year-old who impressed on the 10m platform.
In her first Olympic Games, Australian Ellie Cole produced a spirited performance to place seventh, ahead of her idol Melissa Wu who was 11th.
Not overawed by the occasion, Cole produced five solid dives that kept her with a faint chance of a medal up to the final round.
Cole looks well poised to take the baton from Wu, who has represented Australia in five Olympics and achieved a bronze and silver medal, as the the spearhead of Australia's female diving cohort.
3. Aussie Hull thriving under the expectation of success
Jessica Hull says she's perfectly placed to end Australia's barren dozen years on the Olympic athletics track.
Hull cruised through her 1500m heat in Paris on Tuesday to secure a berth in the semifinals on Thursday.
The 27-year-old is thriving under the expectation of snaring Australia's first Olympic track medal since Sally Pearson's famous 100m hurdles gold at the 2012 London Games.
"I have to trust my prep, I can't fault it at all," Hull said after clocking 4:02.70 in her heat.
"I have been healthy. I have hit every workout, I'm really fit, I have got great races behind me.
"That makes me confident. I couldn't be in a better position coming in.
"So now it's just time to unlock that."
Hull's compatriot Georgia Griffith (3:59.22) also advanced to Thursday's semis but teammate Linden Hall (4:03.89) missed out.
Hull enters Paris after a stunning past month — she set a 2000m world record in the non-Olympic event at the Monaco Diamond League meet on July 12, five days after setting a fresh Australian 1500m benchmark in Eugene.
The Wollongong-born wonder, who finished 11th in the 1500m final in Tokyo three years ago at a crowd-less stadium, revelled in her first race at the 81,000-capacity Stade de France.
"It was crazy … I have never raced in a full Olympic stadium like that, so it was pretty cool," Hull said.
"Standing on the start, I was just telling myself to think about my position and don't think about everything going on around me."
4. Boxing needs a new body to continue as an Olympic sport
Boxing has been making headlines at this Olympic Games for all the wrong reasons and unless there is a new body to administer the sport, it will not make it to LA.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has organised the boxing at Tokyo and In Paris, after a falling out with the Russian-led International Boxing Association (IBA)
The IOC does not want to be the organiser of boxing in 2028, meaning the sport will need a new body to administer the event.
The sport has been engulfed in controversy during these Games over the participation of two female athletes, Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting.
Khelif qualified for the gold medal fight on Wednesday morning with another win, this time beating Thailand's Janjaem Suwannapheng, and will face China's Yang Liu.
The IBA had banned the two from competing at last year's world championships citing gender ineligibility. Both women had fought in women's divisions their whole careers without issue, and the IBA's test has not been specified.
The drama intensified when the IBA hosted a press conference on Monday to explain why it had disqualified the two women last year, but left more questions than answers.
IOC spokesperson Mark Adams, speaking in the wake of this drama and the IBA's press conference, said boxing needs to start fresh to continue as an Olympic event.
"We would love to see boxing, we want to see boxing on the programme in LA. Now it is up to the boxing community to organise themselves for the sport and for the athletes," he said.
"We are not a federation and we desperately need a federation to run boxing."
5. Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler makes it five golds from five Olympics
Mijain Lopez has gone out on top.
The 41-year-old Cuban defeated Yasmani Acosta Fernandez of Chile 6-0 in the 130-kilogram final at the Paris Olympics to win his fifth consecutive gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling.
He's the first Olympic athlete to win gold in the same event at five consecutive Games, and the first wrestler to win five gold medals.
"What's great is the joy," Lopez said through a translator. "It was a result that I was craving, but also for the whole world and my country. So happy to reach the Olympic elite. The reward of a lifetime of working hard with the help of everyone and my family. It is my biggest win."
Following the match, Lopez placed his shoes in the centre of the mat, symbolising his retirement. He first appeared at the Summer Olympics in 2004, when he finished fifth. Now, he's ready to pass the torch.
"I have a lot of inspiration for all the young people that come to me for guidance," he said. "I have a lot of inspiration to give to the world. I would like to educate the younger generations."
As Lopez continued to celebrate, jubilant fans clapped in unison as the song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics blared over the sound system. Lopez dropped to all fours, then stood briefly before unlacing his shoes as the crowd cheered.
After he removed his shoes, he held both arms up and acknowledged the fans again.
At the last Olympics, Lopez became the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals when he dominated in Tokyo, blowing through the field unscored upon in four matches. He gave up two points in four matches this time.
"To get to this point, the first thing you need is to love your sport, love what you do and show to the world that you are capable of winning with so little," he said.
6. Romanian prime minister to boycott closing ceremony over 'scandalous situation'
Romania's Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has announced he will boycott the Paris Olympics closing ceremony due to a "scandalous situation" that cost a Romanian gymnast a bronze medal.
Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her bronze for the floor event earlier this week when coaches for American Jordan Chiles entered an appeal to judges over Chiles' score. The inquiry resulted in a 0.1-point boost for Chiles, enough to overtake Barbosu for the last spot on the Olympic podium.
"I decided not to attend the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, following the scandalous situation in the gymnastics, where our athletes were treated in an absolutely dishonourable manner," Ciolacu said in a Facebook post. "To withdraw a medal earned for honest work on the basis of an appeal … is totally unacceptable!"
Ciolacu promised Romania would honour Barbosu and fifth-place finisher Sabrina Maneca-Voinea, also Romanian, as Olympic medallists, "including in terms of the prizes."
"You have with you an entire nation for which your work and tears are more precious than any medal, no matter what precious metal they are from," Ciolacu said.
Barbosu was standing on the floor holding a Romanian flag when she looked up and saw the scoring change on the video board. She dropped the flag in shock, brought her hands to her face and walked off in tears.
Inquiries are a standard part of gymnastics competitions, with athletes or coaches asking judges to review a routine to ensure elements are rated properly. Scores can be adjusted up or down based on an inquiry.
The revised scoring of Chiles' performance also nudged Maneca-Voinea down to fifth place.
Romania was a longtime superpower in gymnastics, but this was the program's return to the Olympics after a 12-year break. Romanian gymnastics great Nadia Comaneci also lashed out after the event, writing on X, "I can't believe we play with athletes mental health and emotions like this."
Ciolacu said that viewers worldwide were "literally shocked by this terrible scene" and said it highlights that "somewhere in the system of organising this competition, something is wrong."
7. Coach of 100m and 200m sprint champions kicked out of Paris Olympics
The American coach of Olympic champions Andre De Grasse and Marcell Jacobs has been kicked out of the Paris Games.
Rana Reider was investigated for alleged sexual misconduct by the US Center for SafeSport and placed on a one-year probation that ended in May. He was accredited for the Summer Games through the Canadian Olympic Committee for his personal work with De Grasse, the defending 200m champion. He's also the personal coach of Jacobs, the Italian who won the 100m in Tokyo three years ago, and several other sprinters.
"The decision to provide him with that access was based on the understanding that his probation with the US Center for SafeSport ended in May this year, that he had no other suspensions or sanctions, and otherwise met our eligibility requirements," the Canadian Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
"On Sunday August 4th we learned of new information about the appropriateness of Mr Reider remaining accredited by Team Canada at the Paris 2024 Games. In discussion with Athletics Canada, it was agreed that Mr Reider's accreditation be revoked," the Canadian Olympic body added.
The Times of London reported Monday about a lawsuit filed in Florida by athletes accusing Reider of misconduct. Reider's lawyer, Ryan Stevens, told The Guardian that Reider has no current sanctions against him and the complaints in the lawsuit were malicious.
With Reider out of the Olympics, De Grasse won't have his coach with him when he attempts to defend his gold in the 200m semifinals and possibly final on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
De Grasse finished second behind 100m champion Noah Lyles in his 200m heat on Tuesday to qualify for the semifinals.
"He's a very loose guy," said Glenroy Gilbert, the head coach for Athletics Canada. "Andre is fine. He's fine with it. He's going to be ready to run tomorrow. … He understands our position.
"We're making sure that we remove the distraction and focus on performance."
Jacobs finished fifth in the 100m on Sunday and will also be attempting to defend gold with Italy's 4x100m relay team.
Athletics Canada also suspended Reider when the investigation began three years ago. De Grasse eventually began working with Reider again.
8. Marathon swim test run cancelled over Seine River concerns
A test run meant to allow Olympic athletes to familiarise themselves with the marathon swimming course in the Seine River was cancelled over concerns about water quality in the Paris waterway.
World Aquatics made the decision to cancel the exercise at an early morning meeting, the organisation said in a statement. Fluctuating bacteria levels in the long-polluted waterway have been a constant concern throughout the Games with the swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swimming events both planned in the river.
Another marathon swimming test event is scheduled for Wednesday local time, and organisers will decide early that morning whether it will go forward, the statement said. The women's marathon swim competition is set for Thursday, while the men are scheduled to race Friday local time.
The cancellation of Tuesday's marathon swimming test event comes a day after the triathlon mixed relay event was held in the river that runs through the centre of the French capital. World Triathlon released data Tuesday showing that when the triathletes swam Monday, the levels of fecal bacteria E. coli and enterococci were within acceptable levels for the length of the triathlon relay course.
The swimming portion of the triathlon and the marathon swim both start and finish at the Pont Alexandre III, but the marathon swimming course extends farther down the river. Marathon swimmers do six laps on the 1.67-kilometre course for a total of 10 kilometres.
Organisers said they "remain confident" that the marathon swimming events will happen in the Seine as planned based on "a favourable weather forecast and forward-looking analysis."
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who took a highly publicised swim in the Seine last month to allay fears about water quality ahead of the Olympics, echoed that confidence.
"We will of course wait to get the results of the water quality but the event will take place because there's been a clear improvement of the weather these past few days," she said. "So I'm really proud and happy and to all those who want to continue saying it's impossible to depollute a river, I tell them, 'Yes it's possible, we did it.'"
Four triathletes — of the more than 100 who competed in the men's and women's individual races last week — became sick in the following days, though it's unclear whether the water was to blame.
9. Bercy Arena goes nuts as France knocks off men's basketball medal fancies Canada
France had an ugly couple of days following its group-stage finale loss to Germany.
It turned them into possibly its prettiest performances of the Olympic tournament so far.
Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points after being inserted into the starting line-up, Victor Wembanyama had 12 rebounds and France beat Canada 82-73 on Wednesday morning to advance to its second straight men's Olympic basketball semifinal. Wembanyama finished with seven points, five assists, three steals and a block.
Isaia Cordinier added 20 points for France, which is aiming to add to its medal haul after winning silver in the Tokyo Games in 2021. It will meet Germany, a winner over Greece, on Friday night AEST.
"We had a lot of time to think, to fix things, and the whole team was just so dedicated to fixing everything," Wembanyama said. "Now we've got a good base to build on for the final phase of the tournament."
French coach Vincent Collet pulled four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier from the starting line-up.
Gobert played just four minutes after suffering an unspecified injury in practice. Fournier didn't see the court until late in the first quarter. His benching came after Collet took issue with some critical comments by Fournier after the Germany loss.
Fournier finished with 15 points, saying afterward there is no ongoing issue with his coach.
"When you have guys that have the same goal, that are being competitive and trying to win, it's pressure," Fournier said. "It's part of the game. … You just have to handle stuff like that. And that's what we did there."
Wembanyama, Yabusele, Cordinier, Nicolas Batum and Frank Ntilikina started against Canada. The group gave the team an energy boost, with France taking a 23-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Canada cut what had been a 19-point second-half lead for France to 71-66 with less than three minutes to go. But the rally stalled there.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led Canada with 27 points, and RJ Barrett added 16. Canada has not reached the Olympic final four since 1984.
"The start obviously put us in a hole," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think we won the rest of the game after the start. But when you start like that, it's hard play against any team."
With Canada limiting Wembanyama's touches, Yabusele and Cordinier carried the offensive load for France.
France took an 11-point lead into the fourth, when Wembanyama, Gobert and Batum combined for just three points.
Canada cut the deficit to 71-66 on a steal and dunk by Lu Dort.
It was 73-66 with a little more than a minute to play when Fournier connected on a desperation heave from just inside the half-court line with the shot clock winding down.
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