WNAM REPORT: China’s Ma Long became the country’s most decorated Olympian on Friday, Aug. 9, winning his sixth gold medal of his athletic career alongside teammates Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, as they beat Sweden in table tennis.
Ma said he’s glad to get the “perfect ending” in his last Olympics.“This is my last Olympics and the experience is perfect. I feel very proud and lucky,” said Ma.Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya also won another gold for China in the women’s canoe double 500-meter final at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Ukraine took silver, and Canada picked up the bronze.
Chen Yiwen also won the gold medal in the women’s 3-meter springboard, extending China’s winning streak in the 2024 Games diving events to seven. She was the only diver on Friday that scored over 70 points in each round. Australia’s Maddison Keeney took silver and China’s Chang Yani won the bronze medal.
“My heart was beating so fast from the warm-up all the way through the last dive,” Chen told reporters after the event. “Then when I finished the last dive I suddenly calmed down, like I had just let out a long breath.
Back on land, China’s Wu Yu claimed gold in the women’s 50 kg boxing championship while teammate Yang Liu took home the silver medal in the women’s 66 kg boxing final after losing to Algeria’s Imane Khelif.
Canada won the men’s Olympic 4×100 meter relay for the second time on Friday after the United States fumbled a changeover and was disqualified.
The United States did secure a gold medal in the women’s 4×100 meters relay, capturing their 12th title in the event.
Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry, Paris Olympic 200m champion Gabby Thomas and Sha’Carri Richardson clocked 41.78 seconds for the U.S.
Making Olympic history, China’s Liu Qingyi (aka 671) pop and locked her way to the bronze medal in the B-Girls breaking on Friday, Aug 9, as breakdancing made its debut at this year’s Games. Japan’s Ami Yuasa took home gold while Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic took silver.
Yuasa, known as B-Girl Ami, laid down a series of halos to seal the 3-0 win which brought the crowd at La Concorde to their feet.
China also took home silver in women’s field hockey, losing to the Netherlands after a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation. The win gave the Dutch a hockey double after Thursday’s men’s win. The Chinese team opened the scoring in the sixth minute when forward Chen Yi turned midfielder Dan Wen’s pass past Veenendaal, stunning the ranks of Dutch fans packed into the stands.
China’s Song Jiayuan won the bronze in the women’s shot put final, while Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye won the gold and New Zealand’s Maddison-Lee Wesche claimed the silver.