Gamecocks in the Olympics: Highlights from August 6 to August 8

Wednesday, Aug. 7, was a defining day of the 2024 Summer Olympics for former South Carolina Gamecocks student-athletes. A 12-year medal drought was snapped on the track, and another Gamecock alumnus came one step closer to winning another on the basketball court.

Here are some highlights from the Olympics over the past three days, including action from Tuesday, Aug. 6, and Thursday, Aug. 8.

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Hall claims South Carolina’s first medal of Summer Olympics in men’s track and field

Before Wednesday, it had been 12 years since a former South Carolina track and field athlete took home a medal in an Olympic event. Quincy Hall snapped that streak in emphatic fashion, winning a gold medal in the men’s 400-meter dash.

Hall headed into the final turn of the race in fourth place, trailing far behind the three runners ahead of him. But he kicked into second gear over the final 100 meters of the race, sprinting past all his competitors on his way to a first-place finish.

Hall completed the race in 43.40 seconds, which is a world-best time this calendar year. He finished four hundredths of a second ahead of Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who earned a silver medal.

Aliyah Abrams, another former Gamecock track and field athlete, also competed on Tuesday. Abrams raced in the repechage round of the women’s 400-meter dash, where she finished fifth in her heat and 18th overall with a time of 51.84. Since she was outside the top six runners in the repechage round, she did not advance to the semifinals.

Wilson, United States advance to women’s basketball quarterfinals after fourth-straight win

The United States’ national women’s basketball team entered its quarterfinal clash against Nigeria with a 58-game winning streak on the line. The team was able to extend that win streak one game further — and win a fourth-straight contest in this Olympics — on Wednesday.

A’ja Wilson and the United States picked up a 88-74 win over Nigeria to book a place in the semifinals. Wilson was one of Team USA’s best individual performers in the contest, recording her third double-double in four games. She finished with team highs in both points (20) and rebounds (11) on 9-of-11 shooting, as well as two assists and two blocks.

Only four teams — the United States, France, Belgium and Australia — remain in the Olympic women’s basketball tournament. The Americans will face off against Australia in their semifinal matchup on Friday, Aug. 9. The match will air on NBC at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

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Vincent advances to semifinals of women’s diving 3-meter springboard event

This is Julia Vincent‘s third trip to the Summer Olympics, having represented her home country of South Africa. But in this year’s Games, she has already accomplished multiple firsts.

Vincent was one of 18 divers to advance to the women’s 3-meter springboard event on Wednesday, making the first time she had done so in Olympic competition. She finished 13th in the preliminary round with a score of 283.50, which was an accumulation of scores she received on her five dives. The best score she received on an individual attempt was a 63.00, a reverse 2½ somersault dive.

But her Olympic journey would not end in the semifinals. With a score of 297.30, she finished sixth overall, which booked her a place in the finals. She had three dives score higher than 60 points and recorded a round-high score of 64.50 on another reverse 2½ somersault dive.

Vincent will compete in the women’s 3-meter springboard finals on Friday. The event will air on NBC at 9 a.m.

Koerstz Madsen completes first two rounds of women’s golf tournament

Just three days after the United States’ Scottie Scheffler won a gold medal in men’s golf, the women’s golf competition began on Thursday at Le Golf National in Guyancourt, France. Among the 60 competitors in the event is Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, who golfed at South Carolina in 2014.

Through the first two days of women’s golf action, Madsen sits in a tie for 40th overall with a score of 149, which puts her at five strokes over par. She finished her first round of action on Wednesday with a 2-over-par 74, recording four bogeys and two birdies across 18 holes. On Thursday, she recorded a 3-over-par 75 in the second round, with five birdies, six bogies and one double bogey.

Round three of the women’s golf competition will begin at 3 a.m. on Friday. The round will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.

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