Gamecocks in the Olympics: Highlights from July 29 to July 31

From Monday, July 29, to Wednesday, July 31, five South Carolina student-athletes took part in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Francisco Cerundolo and Sabrina D’Angelo had already seen action during the Games, having participated in in the opening rounds of the men’s tennis and women’s soccer tournaments, respectively. But the debut of women’s basketball saw an additional three Gamecocks — A’ja Wilson, Laeticia Amihere and Shay Colley — played in their first Olympic matches of the summer.

Here’s how these South Carolina athletes faired over the past three days.

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United States wins, Canada falls in first women’s basketball group stage games

Both the United States’ and Canada’s opening game top-scorers played for South Carolina at some point in their collegiate careers. But both country’s women’s basketball teams experienced different results during their respective contests.

The United States national women’s basketball team began its gold medal defense with a 102-76 win over Japan in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, on Wednesday. Wilson led the team in both points (24) and rebounds (13) and was the lone American player to register a double-double. She also shot 10-for-16 (62.5%) from the floor, added four assists and blocked four shots in the victory.

Canada, however, was unable to match the United States’ success, falling 75-54 to France. Colley, who was inserted into the Canadians’ starting lineup, tied Los Angeles Sparks guard Kia Nurse for the team lead in points (11). She contributed six assists and three rebounds on 4-for-11 (36.4%) shooting but also committed a team-high eight turnovers. Amihere earned two minutes and 19 seconds of playing time towards the end of the game but did not record any statistics.

The United States will return to action with a game against Belgium on Thursday, Aug. 1, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Canada’s upcoming group stage contest against Australia is set for 7:30 a.m. on the same day. The United States’ game will be broadcast on the USA Network, while Canada’s will be available for streaming on Peacock.

Canada women’s soccer advances to knockout stage despite 6-point deduction

The Canadian national women’s soccer team’s 2024 Olympic campaign has been defined more by off-the-field happenings than play on the pitch.

On Saturday, July 27, the team was handed a six-point deduction as part of a spying scandal. Joseph Lombardi, one of the team’s analysts, reportedly flew a drone over New Zealand’s closed practices earlier in the tournament.

Canada’s gold medal defense could have been stunted by this deduction – which essentially erased two of the team’s wins. Despite this, Canada still found a way to advance to the knockout round. The team earned a berth to the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Colombia on Wednesday.

Defender Vanessa Gilles, who scored the team’s stoppage-time winner over France three days before, found the back of the net in the 61st minute in what ultimately was the match’s only goal. D’Angelo, who is serving as the team’s backup goalkeeper, still has yet to play a minute in the tournament.

Canada will now look forward to its quarterfinal match against Germany, which finished second in a group that featured the United States, Australia and Zambia. The two teams will square off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3. The game will be available for streaming on Peacock.

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Cerundolo eliminated from both men’s tennis singles, doubles play

Cerundolo continued his strong run of form, which began before the Olympic Games, with another victory on Monday. But his fortunes would quickly changed, as he was eliminated from both men’s tennis singles and doubles competitions the following day.

Cerundolo kicked off the week with an upset win over France’s Ugo Humbert, the No. 15 player in the ATP Tour Rankings. He defeated Humbert, the No. 10 overall seed in the Olympic men’s singles draw, by a 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 score. Umbert won the second-set tiebreaker 7-5.

With the win, Cerundolo advanced to the third round, where he faced Norway’s Casper Ruud. Ruud is the No. 6 seed in the Olympic men’s singles draw and ranked No. 6 on the ATP Tour. He was also dominant in his match against Cerundolo, which he won 6-3, 6-4.

In doubles play, Cerundolo was matched with fellow Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The pair took on Netherlands natives Robin Haase and Jean-Julien Rojer in the opening round of the competition. It was the Dutch duo that would emerge victorious, winning both sets by a 7-6 score. Haase and Rojer won both first- and second-set tiebreakers 7-3 and 7-4, respectively.

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